7 Near-Perfect High Fantasy Shows That No One Remembers Today

2 weeks ago 24

Published May 11, 2026, 8:30 PM EDT

Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once.

The fantasy genre has many styles and subgenres, one of them being high fantasy, and there are some great TV shows on that branch that have faded into obscurity through the years. Various fantasy titles can be found among the best TV shows of all time, some of them falling into the category of high fantasy. These shows stand out for being set in entirely fictional worlds with their own history, geography, and systems, often with non-human characters and where magic exists.

TV shows like Game of Thrones, The Witcher, The Wheel of Time, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are high fantasy, and some now rank among the best fantasy TV shows of all time. However, as it happens in every other genre, many high fantasy shows have been overshadowed by the biggest and most successful productions. This doesn’t mean they are bad, but they failed to stand out in a very competitive genre.

There are different reasons why these high fantasy shows are now forgotten that are unrelated to their quality. Many of them lacked marketing support, others had weird or inconsistent scheduling, and others couldn’t reach a mainstream audience, leading them to not be remembered by many or not being known at all. Whatever the reason, these shows deserve more recognition, especially from fans of the fantasy genre.

Legend of the Seeker

Two Seasons

Created by Sam Raimi and based on Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth novel series, Legend of the Seeker takes viewers into a world with three main provinces: Westland, the Midlands, and D’Hara. The first two are separated by a magical boundary that prevents magic from entering Westland, while D’Hara is ruled by Darken Rahl. A young man named Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) learns that he’s the “Seeker of Truth”, and so his mission is to stop Rahl from becoming powerful enough to conquer the world.

Legend of the Seeker has been compared to Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in terms of action and a cast with incredible chemistry, but the show falls more into “cheesy” and “comfort show” territory compared to those two. Despite its charm, Legend of the Seeker didn’t reach mainstream popularity due to the changes it made to its source material and its cancellation after two seasons.

Galavant

Two Seasons

Galavant is a musical fantasy comedy TV show created by Dan Fogelman. Galavant is the story of the title character, Sir Gary Galavant (Josua Sasse), a once-dashing knight looking to reclaim his reputation and happiness from the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson), who stole his love, Madalena (Mallory Jansen). Galavant is aided in this journey by Princess Isabella (Karen David) and his squire Sid (Luke Youngblood), and together, they go on fun yet absurd adventures.

Galavant is unlike most fantasy shows thanks to its combination of comedy, musical, fantasy elements, and subversion of fairytale tropes and expectations. Galavant’s writing is one of its biggest strengths, with meta-humor, catchy songs, and character development. However, it was that fun combination of genres that drew viewers away, which, along with airing as a midseason replacement, led to Galavant’s early cancellation.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Seven Episodes

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a historical fantasy TV series based on Susanna Clarke’s 2004 novel of the same name. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in England, during the Napoleonic Wars, but in an alternative history version where magic exists and is acknowledged, but isn’t widely practiced. The show, then, follows Mr. Norrell (Eddie Marsan), a self-taught practical magician, and Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel), Norrell’s apprentice. Together, they try to bring magic back while also saving the city, though not without conflict between them due to their different views on magic.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell currently holds a 92% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and was praised for its performances, tone, and overall quality, though some critics found that it didn’t quite capture the magic of the novel. Still, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is worth watching for its take on magic, production design, and its combination of dark and whimsical. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was overshadowed by other, bigger fantasy shows, leading it to become a “niche” type of show.

W.I.T.C.H.

Two Seasons

W.I.T.C.H. is an animated TV series based on the comic book series of the same name created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa. W.I.T.C.H. follows teenagers Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin, who find out they are the second generation of the Guardians of the Veil. As such, their mission is to save planet Meridian from the tyrannical Prince Phobos and Lord Cedric, who are looking for the former’s younger sister, the true heir to the throne – and it turns out to be Cornelia’s best friend, Elyon.

W.I.T.C.H. mixes fantasy, drama, romance, and comedy, but without fear of exploring dark settings, characters, and storylines. W.I.T.C.H. has engaging world-building, relatable characters, and cleverly addresses mature themes, which are enough to make the show popular. Unfortunately, W.I.T.C.H. suffered the consequences of poor marketing, inconsistent scheduling, changes to the comic books, and the success of its direct competitor, Winx Club.

Carnival Row

Two Seasons

Created by René Echevarria and Travis Beacham, Carnival Row is set in a neo-noir Victorian world, more specifically in the Burgue, a city where humans and mythical creatures coexist after the latter fled their war-torn homeland. As tensions between human residents and the mythological immigrants grow, a series of murders begins. Detective Philo (Orlando Bloom) is in charge of investigating those crimes, and in the process, he reconnects with his former lover Vignette (Cara Delevingne), a faerie who has joined a group of fae extremists.

One of Carnival Row’s biggest strengths is its steampunk visual style, accompanied by impressive special effects and beautiful cinematography. Carnival Row also has a rich, dark, and complex world with compelling characters, through which it explores mature themes and social topics like racism, immigration, and class struggles. What led Carnival Row to become forgotten was the four-year gap between seasons, along with its niche appeal.

Alchemy of Souls

Two Parts

Alchemy of Souls is a South Korean TV show that takes viewers to the fictional nation of Daeho. Alchemy of Souls follows Nak-su, an assassin who uses the alchemy of souls to switch bodies. However, when her soul ends up trapped in a weak body, Mu-deok, she begins to train mage Jang Uk, with whom she battles against dark forces and creates a strong bond.

Alchemy of Souls has a rich magical universe centered on magic (like the title alchemy of souls), combined with intense action scenes, character development, great performances, and a good dose of drama and romance. However, there’s a disconnection between the two parts due to a change in the lead character, which, in turn, brought a chemistry disconnect between the characters, drawing its audience away.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

Ten Episodes

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel to the 1982 movie The Dark Crystal. As such, Age of Resistance is set on the planet Thra, where three young Gelflings – Rian, Brea, and Deet – discover a secret that threatens their planet, thus inspiring a rebellion. Together, they go on a quest to unite the clans and rise against the tyrannical rulers, the Skeksis, so they can save their planet from the Darkening.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance stands out for its puppets, creativity, expansion of the movie, and dark fantasy storyline, covering themes like corruption, tyranny, and environmentalism. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance couldn’t reach mainstream popularity due to its low viewership numbers, high production costs, and lack of marketing, leading to its early cancellation and cliffhanger ending.