Shows like Lost Girl, which offers lore, drama, and a charming bisexual succubus, and the compelling 2019 C-drama The Untamed have been horrendously overlooked, standing as two great examples of fantasy jewels that continue to lie in the shadows, unintentionally dodging fantasy diehards' notice. Compiled on this list are shows that have earned their place among some of fantasy's greatest but have never gotten the mainstream attention they deserve.
This dark comedy-drama sadly ended after only two seasons, but it still managed to retain a cult following that praises the brilliance of this woefully underrated series. Dead Like Me follows an aimless 18-year-old, whose ultimate death leads her to be recruited into a team of grim reapers tasked with collecting souls of the recently deceased.
Dead Like Me is a fantasy series that explores mortality and life through the lens of a snarky teen whose death iconically leads her to truly live for the first time. Many fantasy connoisseurs, unfortunately, missed the series when it first aired back in the early 2000s, and 22 years later, the show is now often difficult to even find. Those who have had the fortune of discovering this thought-provoking gem have consistently lauded its clever writing and heartfelt theme of the exploration of existence, making Dead Like Me the perfect series for fantasy diehards.
Even with Netflix’s popularity, Sweet Tooth has unfortunately gone majorly unnoticed by its subscribers. The wholesome show follows a deer-human hybrid boy named Gus (Christian Convery), whose search for family leads him to the truth about both his origins and that of the killer virus that plagued the world.
Sweet Tooth may be a fairy tale adventure, but its post-apocalyptic nature gives it depth that fans of the series find incredibly compelling. The show, unlike most comic adaptations, didn’t receive much hype, leading to its status as one of Netflix's most underrated fantasy gems. Its kid-oriented premise may have dissuaded most fantasy fans from indulging, but the series, in actuality, is so darkly beautiful that it stays with its viewers long after its conclusion. Standing as equal parts haunting and heartwarming, Sweet Tooth is an imaginative, underrated fantasy that any diehard would be lucky to come across.
This odd, captivating mesh of demon slaying and western hijinks is what makes this fantasy series a true standout, despite its underrated status. Wynonna Earp centers around the snarky, buttkicking woman Wynonna Earp (Melanie Scrofano), whose return to her hometown, Purgatory, causes her to inherit her family’s curse and all its (literally) hellish troubles.
By blending monster-of-the-week fun with a larger arc about breaking the Earp curse, Wynonna Earp carries itself with a consistently entertaining story through four amazing seasons. Often regarded as “the best fantasy Western show you’ve never heard of,” Wynonna Earp wields both lovable characters and some of the snappiest writing known to television. Wynonna Earp is definitely a good time for those who don’t mind a bit of gun-slinging, whiskey-shot-taking, and demon slaying.
Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz
Which Lord of the Rings
Race Do You Belong To?
Hobbit · Elf · Dwarf · Man · Orc
Middle-earth is home to many peoples — the courageous, the ancient, the stubborn, the ambitious, and the wretched. Ten questions will determine which race truly claims your soul. The answer may surprise you. Or it may confirm what you already suspected.
🌿Hobbit
🌟Elf
⚒️Dwarf
⚔️Man
💀Orc
01
What does your ideal day look like? How we rest reveals as much as how we fight.
02
How do you feel about the passing of time? Our relationship with mortality shapes everything we value.
03
Danger is approaching. Your first instinct is to: Fight, flight, or something in between — it's more revealing than you'd think.
04
You stumble upon a great treasure. What do you feel? What we desire — and what we do about it — is the true test.
05
How important is community and belonging to you? No race of Middle-earth is truly alone — but some prefer it that way.
06
How ambitious are you, honestly? Ambition is neither virtue nor vice — it depends entirely on what you want.
07
Where do you feel most at home in the natural world? Middle-earth is vast — and every race has its place within it.
08
What kind of strength do you most respect? Every race defines strength differently — and they're all at least a little right.
09
What do you want to leave behind when you're gone? Legacy is the story we tell ourselves about why any of this matters.
10
Be honest — what do you actually want most out of life? The truest question always comes last.
Middle-earth Has Spoken You Belong To…
The race that claimed the most of your answers is your true kin. If two tied, both are shown — you walk between worlds.
◆ A TIE — YOU WALK BETWEEN TWO RACES ◆
🌿
Your Race
The Hobbits
You are, at your core, a creature of comfort, community, and quiet joy — and there is nothing small about that. Hobbits are proof that heroism does not require ambition, that the bravest heart can beat inside the most unassuming chest. You value good food, warm hearths, close friends, and a world that stays largely untroubled by dark lords and quests. When adventure does find you — and it will — you rise to it not because you sought it, but because the people you love needed you to. That is not ordinary. That is the rarest kind of courage in all of Middle-earth.
🌟
Your Race
The Elves
Ancient, graceful, and carrying a weight of memory most mortals cannot fathom, you are one of the Elves. You see the world in its fullness — its beauty, its impermanence, the unbearable ache of watching everything you love eventually fade. You pursue perfection not from pride, but because excellence is how you honour the time you have been given. Others may see you as remote or melancholy. They are not wrong, exactly. But they mistake depth for distance. You feel everything — which is precisely why you have learned to carry it so quietly.
⚒️
Your Race
The Dwarves
Stubborn, proud, fiercely loyal, and possessed of a work ethic that would exhaust most other races before breakfast — you are Dwarf-kind through and through. You do not ask for approval and you do not offer it cheaply. Your loyalty, once given, is given for life. Your grudges last longer. You love deeply and defend ferociously, and the things you build — with your hands, with your sweat, with generations of accumulated craft — are made to last. Not for glory. Because anything worth doing is worth doing properly, and you have never once done anything by half measures.
⚔️
Your Race
The Race of Men
Mortal, ambitious, flawed, and magnificent — you belong to the most complicated race in Middle-earth, and that complexity is your greatest strength. Men are capable of cowardice and extraordinary bravery, of cruelty and breathtaking sacrifice, sometimes within the same breath. You feel the urgency of your finite years, and it drives you. You want to matter. You want to leave something behind. You fall, and you rise, and the rising is what defines you. Tolkien called mortality the Gift of Men — not a curse, but a fire that burns bright precisely because it does not burn forever. That fire is you.
💀
Your Race
The Orcs
Brutal, survivalist, and contemptuous of anything that can't defend itself — you answered with the instincts of an Orc, and there is a certain savage honesty in that. You do not dress up your desires in polite language or pretend you want things you don't. You want power, survival, and to never be at the bottom of any hierarchy ever again. Orcs are not evil by nature — they were made from something that was once good, and broken into this shape by forces they did not choose. What remains is fierce, territorial, and deeply aware that the world is not kind. You've made your peace with that. The question is what you do with it.
The Untamed is a Chinese xianxia fantasy drama that most Westerners haven’t even heard of. The series follows two soulmates: the mischievous, brilliant young cultivator, Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan), and the stoic, principled cultivator from a prominent sect, Lan Wangji (Wang Yibo).
The Untamed has been consistently overlooked by most fantasy viewers, partly due to English viewers' unfamiliarity with its story, as well as the hesitance to commit to 50 episodes with subtitles. Those who have decided to take a chance on the series usually find the sweeping fantasy to be as addictive as it is eye-opening. With lush landscapes, gorgeous costumes, and a shocking amount of emotional depth, The Untamed is the ideal series for fantasy fans who are looking for something different but just as captivating as the usual big fantasy names.
Based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth novels, Legend of the Seeker centers around a forest guide in the land of Midlands, Richard Cypher (Craig Horner), who is chosen to wield the powerful Sword of Truth against a tyrannical warlord.
Legend of the Seeker delivers the classic yet consistently compelling swords-and-sorcery adventure that is usually a hit among fantasy diehards. Though the series was actually aired on multiple television networks, Legend of the Seeker never gained the popularity it truly deserved. With its status as a hidden gem that seems to grow with age, the compelling fantasy series offers an ambitious story that groundbreakingly brought a serialized myth arc and morally complex themes to TV during a time when fantasy wasn’t as mainstream as it is today. While most lovers of the broad genre might have passed up on the enchanting series, Legend of the Seeker stands as a cult classic adventure worthy of any diehard fan’s time.
Pushing Daisies is a dose of whimsy that fantasy fans should be dying to experience. The whimsical modern fairy tale follows a shy pie-maker, Ned (Lee Pace), who possesses the ability to awaken the dead with a simple touch. His second touch, however, kills them forever. Ned uses his gift for good throughout his life, but things grow complicated when he resurrects his childhood sweetheart.
With bright colors and a blend of romance and crime drama, Pushing Daisies is a unique fantasy watch filled to the brim with emotional depth. The wholesome series may feature a macabre twist, but that just makes its story all the more entertaining. Unfortunately, the show was cut short after only two seasons, as it struggled to find a broad audience. Those who have indulged in the series see it as an original work of fantasy that is so rarely seen on television even today.
This sci-fi fantasy blend of a series is as underrated as they come. Extraordinary centers on its heroine, Jen (Máiréad Tyers), whose unique superpower was meant to be gained at the age of 18. But at 25, Jen continues to go through a superpowered society completely powerless.
Premiering on Hulu/Disney+ without a huge marketing push, Extraordinary woefully received little attention during its two-season run. With its cancellation, the series has only been further buried. Despite that, the story does have a cult following that sings its praises for its refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud approach to the superhero trope. Standing as an outstanding blend of shows like Fleabag and Misfits, Extraordinary is a fantasy series that has a habit of feeling like TV's best-kept superhero secret.
Lost Girl is an overlooked gem that can be somewhat cheesy at times, but is ultimately an addictive ride with a butt-kicking leading lady. The intriguing urban fantasy drama follows a young woman named Bo (Anna Silk), who discovers her succubus nature and is thrust into the complicated world of the supernatural.
Although the series has five seasons and got a satisfying conclusion, Lost Girl never saw the success it deserved, especially in the fantasy genre circles. However, those who have stumbled across the series have dubbed it the ultimate guilty, rewatchable pleasure. With its enticing, female-centric narrative, Lost Girl is rife with everything fantasy fans who desire compelling drama could want — addictive lore and mythology, angst-filled relationships, and a snarky yet powerful leading protagonist. Lost Girl is a whole lot of fun, making for the perfect fantasy series for those seeking something mischievous and dramatic that doesn't take itself entirely too seriously.
This epic fantasy miniseries almost instantly became a cult classic, as the show gained its viewers largely via word-of-mouth. The 10th Kingdom takes ordinary New Yorkers — a father-daughter duo consisting of Virginia (Kimberly Williams) and her father Tony (John Larroquette) — and follows them as they’re transported into the realm of the “Nine Kingdoms” of fairy-tale legend.
The 10th Kingdom may be one of the cheesiest watches currently available, but that shouldn’t deter any fantasy fans, seeing as the series is so incredibly lovable. Many fantasy lovers have likely never seen nor heard of the series, since it quickly and quietly came to the screen as a one-off miniseries that inevitably faded into obscurity. Those who have caught the saga weren’t disappointed, as the show offers surprising amounts of depth and captivating whimsy. This immersive fairy tale offers the perfect experience for anyone craving a bout of nostalgia for the classic, imaginative fantasy romps.
Galavant is a medieval fantasy musical comedy that lovingly satirizes some of fantasy’s biggest clichés. The show follows once-dashing knight, Sir Gary Galavant (Joshua Sasse), whose true love, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), is kidnapped by the narcissistic King Richard (Timothy Omundson).
Galavant quietly made its way to screens in 2015 on network television, and unfortunately, it never saw success in massive viewership. Diehard fantasy fans may have missed this one due to its odd musical format, not even realizing that it could be the fantasy series of their dreams. Those who have seen the unique show have praised the series for its catchy Alan Menken songs and Monty Python-esque humor. With witty dialogue, hilarious fourth-wall breaks, and a charismatic cast, Galavant does its job of making funny spoofs while standing out as its own unique gem, perfect for those searching for something both different and insanely rewatchable.
English (US) ·