A miniseries is a piece of media that sort of blurs the line between a movie and a TV show. They're generally multipart movies that are released in a manner akin to that of an actual TV show, on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This allows them to be consumed at any pace, either all at once or gradually, allowing for a healthy balance, since binging TV shows can take days, but movies can't really be watched gradually.
As with any form of media, miniseries tend to attract multiple genres, anything from sci-fi to horror, or even to fantasy. Fantasy isn't a super common approach to miniseries, but it has been done, nonetheless. These are the best fantasy miniseries of all time, many of which are highly underrated, yet wholly enjoyable, providing viewers with magical or mythical elements in a digestible manner.
10 'Behind Her Eyes' (2021)
Image via NetflixBehind Her Eyes is a recent supernatural psychological thriller with elements of fantasy at its core. This six-part series follows Louise (Simona Brown), a single mother who falls in love with her boss, even though her boss is already married. Yet against all odds, Louise befriends his wife, but their love triangle devolves into sinister conspiracies and supernatural abilities beyond Louise's understanding.
Louise begins experiencing what she believes are night terrors, but which are actually some sort of psychic visions, allowing her to view intricate glimpses of other people's lives, usually against her will. But with this newfound power comes the unwilling acquisition of secrets, secrets that Louise would be better off without. The show received above-average to positive reviews, though it is nothing groundbreaking. Still, for a hefty dose of supernatural fiction or low fantasy, it's a quick watch that many have enjoyed.
9 'The Odyssey' (1997)
Image via Hallmark Entertainment1997's The Odyssey is, of course, based on the original epic poem by Homer, which follows the journey of Odysseus (Armand Assante) as he returns from the Trojan War, traveling from Troy to his native Ithaca, encountering many wondrous sights and strange creatures. Even if the show is only two parts, it was met with quite a bit of success in its prime, even winning an Emmy for Outstanding Direction.
This was a show way ahead of its time, and that would have fit perfectly in during the fantasy TV surge after the 2010s. Regardless, it is a sensational adventure saga following one of the oldest and most renowned adventure stories ever conceived, and is a stunning portrayal of love, sacrifice, loss, and the journey home, all wrapped up in a bite-sized little bow. It is easy to get into and easy to finish because of how short it is, and it's perfect for fans of Greek mythology.
8 'Terry Pratchett's Going Postal' (2010)
Image via Sky1Going Postal is the fifth miniseries based on Terry Pratchett's satirical fantasy series known as Discworld. The third miniseries to be shown in live action, this two-part serial is set, as with the others, on the eponymous Discworld, a flat planet that rests on the backs of four gigantic elephants, which themselves stand on the shell of an enormous turtle flying through space. Sound ridiculous? Well, it's supposed to.
This show is by far the best of the lot, and received way better reviews than its predecessors, though they're all perfectly fine and far from awful. What's really neat about it is that several die-hard fans of the novel series appeared in the show as extras, and were able to experience the quirky world that they adore so much firsthand. Full of the bizarre, yet hilarious writing that gave the novels their charm, Going Postal has been the best Discworld adaptation thus far, and a criminally underrated fantasy miniseries.
7 'Tin Man' (2007)
Image via SyfyAs the name implies, Tin Man is set in Frank L. Baum's wonderful world of Oz, although this is less of a sequel to The Wizard of Oz and more of a reimagining of its source material. In this three-part special, a more modern Dorothy is played by Zooey Deschanel, a small-town waitress living in Kansas who is unexpectedly thrown into the world of O.Z., run by a tyrannical sorceress and her cronies.
At first, it got mixed reviews, with some critics feeling it was just a little too bleak and didn't really embody the spirit of Baum's classic Oz novels. Yet, it was much better received in retrospect, with many commending the performances of the veteran actors at its heart. It also received nine Emmy nominations, yet only won one of them for Outstanding Makeup. Even so, nine nominations are more than enough to speak to its quality. For those looking for more of the land of Oz, or a different take on the classic story, look no further than Tin Man.
6 'Angels in America' (2003)
Image via HBOHBO's six-part miniseries Angels in America is based on a 1991 stage play of the same name, and received rave reviews and a whopping 21 Emmy nominations, winning eleven of them, including the Outstanding Miniseries award in 2004. Very few shows have ever been as decorated as this masterpiece, and it earns every single award with its stellar performances, high production value, and sheer quality in pretty much every single aspect.
One of the main reasons it was such a smash hit was because it tackled a lot of heavy, hot-button issues, such as the AIDS epidemic, 1980s politics, and gay culture, which it handles with care and sensitivity. The series is about a gay man living with AIDS who is abruptly visited by an angel one day, who commands him to become a prophet. It isn't the most magical or outlandish of fantasy series, but it is one that has attained legendary status for how daring, yet careful it was.
Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz
Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You?
One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed
The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
👑Aragorn
🔥Gandalf
🏹Legolas
⚒️Gimli
👁️Sauron
🪨Gollum
BEGIN YOUR QUEST →
01
You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do? The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.
AAccept it. Someone has to, and running changes nothing. BStay by the side of whoever carries it. They shouldn't go alone. CStep forward and lead. This is exactly what I was made for. DIt's mine now. I won't let anyone else have it.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You: True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.
AFollow them without hesitation. I'd rather die beside them than live without them. BRally others and forge a plan to help — strength in numbers. COffer wisdom and guidance. My counsel may save them where swords cannot. DLet them go. Only the strong survive, and sentiment is a weakness.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is: Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.
ADestroy it. Nothing good comes from power this absolute. BUse it to protect those I love — just this once. CWield it wisely. I have the will and the knowledge to do good with it. DSeize it. I have waited long enough. It belongs to me.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What does "home" mean to you? Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.
AA simple, peaceful place — green hills, good food, no adventure required. BWherever the people I love are. Home is a feeling, not a place. CA kingdom I must earn before I can truly claim it as mine. DI lost it long ago. That loss is what drives everything I do.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
When a battle is upon you, your approach is: War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.
ASurvive by any means. I'm not a fighter — but I'll do what I must. BFight for the person beside me, not for glory or honour. CLead the charge. Nothing inspires an army like a king at the front. DStrike from range, fast and precise — never let them get close.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You: Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it's knowing which questions to ask.
AListen, then offer honest encouragement. Sometimes people just need belief. BGive them practical help — words are fine, but action is better. CSpeak carefully. I have seen much, and I know what counsel can cost. DTell them what they want to hear. Trust is a tool like any other.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
How do you see yourself, honestly? Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.
ASmall and ordinary — but perhaps that's exactly why I was chosen. BDefined entirely by who I serve and love. I am nothing without them. CForged by hardship into something the world has not yet fully seen. DDiminished from what I once was — and consumed by the need to reclaim it.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world? Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.
AI find peace in it — forests, rivers, open skies. Nature restores me. BI prefer the earth underfoot — stone, mines, solid and real things. CI have watched the world change for longer than most can comprehend. DNature offers hiding places, cold water, raw fish. That's enough for me.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You: How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.
AShow mercy. Even the most broken souls deserve a chance at redemption. BPity them — but never trust them. They made their choices. CSee them as a tool. Their knowledge or skills may still serve a purpose. DDestroy them before they can cause more harm. Mercy is a luxury we cannot afford.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you? In the end, we are all just stories.
AThat an ordinary person did an extraordinary thing — and came home. BThat I never abandoned the person who needed me most. CThat I was worthy of the crown — and everything it demanded. DNothing. I don't need songs. I needed it, and now it's gone.
REVEAL MY FATE →
The Fellowship Has Spoken Your Place in Middle-earth
The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
👑 Aragorn
🔥 Gandalf
🏹 Legolas
⚒️ Gimli
👁️ Sauron
🪨 Gollum
You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don't have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.
You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you'd do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.
You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.
You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.
Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.
You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don't do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.
You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you're not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.
You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
5 'Erased' (2016)
Image via A-1 PicturesErased is an anime miniseries that comes in twelve parts, and is one of several different adaptations of a Japanese manga series. However, this anime is by far the best of the adaptations, even taking the live-action Netflix miniseries into consideration. This beautifully animated series is so captivating and well-crafted that even non-anime fans will be sure to find some level of enjoyment in it.
Story-wise, it follows a burned-out and exhausted Japanese writer who discovers that he has a magical ability called "Revival," which is not something he can totally control, but that allows him to travel back in time to prevent deaths and other tragedies. One fateful day, exactly that happens, flinging him nearly 20 years into the past to prevent an old classmate's disappearance and any subsequent tragedies that he encounters. Erased was met with pretty positive reviews, with many anime aficionados commending it for its style and storytelling.
4 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell' (2015)
Image via BBC AmericaJonathan Strange & Mr. Norell is a seven-part show that is based on a novel of the same name by Susanna Clarke. The show is set during the Napoleonic Wars at the turn of the 19th Century, in an altered version of England where magic exists, but it's far from a secret. Pretty much everybody knows that magic exists, but it is generally seen as uncivilized, and as such, is rarely practiced and is a bit of a taboo in the highly reserved culture.
Some critics dubbed the show "Harry Potter for adults," only with much more mature humor and more exciting action. The miniseries even got the seal of approval from George R. R. Martin, author of the novel series that would later inspire the acclaimed fantasy series Game of Thrones. Aside from its endorsement from one of the greatest fantasy authors of the generation, it is perfect for binging and is totally palatable to be consumed all at once.
3 'Onimusha' (2023)
Image via NetflixHistorically, video game adaptations generally don't go over well with fans of the franchise. Yet, against all odds, Onimusha delivered. Coming from humble beginnings as a Japanese anime web series, the eight-part miniseries was acquired and re-released by Netflix, where it became an underrated smash hit, cementing itself among the greatest video game adaptations to grace the small screen.
Based on the Capcom series of the same name, Onimusha follows an aging warrior as he acquires a magical artifact known as the Oni Gauntlet and begins using it to vanquish the mythical demons lurking in the shadows of this turbulent period of Japanese history. With an astounding 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Onimusha is short and sweet, and has really found its niche among fans of the video game.
2 'Over the Garden Wall' (2014)
Image via Cartoon NetworkOver the Garden Wall was the very first miniseries ever produced by Cartoon Network, which made it sort of an odd prospect for them. Yet, it was a real smash hit, not just in its familiar animation style, but in its magical world and its themes of dark fantasy. The series follows two half-brothers, played by Elijah Wood and Collin Dean, who become lost in a dark, mysterious forest and must navigate through their perils to find their way home.
Over the Garden Wall came with a star-studded cast alongside Wood and Dean, including guest appearances from Christopher Lloyd, John Cleese, Tim Curry, and Shirley Jones, among many others. This wasn't just creator Patrick McHale's passion project; it was something that Cartoon Network really believed in, and it shows. The quality is outstanding, and its ease of accessibility and unique world made it the subject of widespread praise, to the point where it is still talked about as one of the best fantasy miniseries that ever came out.
1 'Lost Ollie' (2022)
Lost Ollie is a stop-motion animation series that is really, truly special. Based on a children's book by William Joyce, the story is about a stuffed rabbit named Ollie (Jonathan Groff), who wakes up in a lost and found box with no memory of how he got there. What he does remember is his best friend, Billy, who was previously his owner. Without much deliberation, Ollie embarks on a journey to find Billy and reunite with him, discovering new friends and memories of his past life along the way.
The four-part show was released on Netflix to almost universal acclaim, with many praising its expert level of craftsmanship, its blending of stop-motion and live-action, its themes reminiscent of Toy Story, and its touching and nostalgic tone. Lost Ollie is a show that will pull on the heartstrings and inspire a grand sense of adventure in audiences, taking them back to when times were simpler, and the most important things in the world were the ones you loved, even if they were just stuffed animals. This miniseries will reawaken the child inside of anyone, which is why it is, without a doubt, the very best of its kind.
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