10 Fantasy Shows That Will Transport You To Faraway Mystical Lands: ‘The Wheel Of Time’, ‘The Witcher’, ‘Supernatural’, ‘Loki’ And More
It’s that time of the year again when none of us wants to really do anything, except party, chill, and maybe think about all the promises that a new year brings. Alas, much as we want to celebrate the end of 2021, the impending 2022 has us worried about Omicron concerns and whatnot. Best then, amigos, to seek out some escapism? Into lands, perhaps, devoid of viruses but with monsters and heroes that slay those monsters? Or of magical potions that heal and angels that can raise us from perdition? Or politics, that though the same dirty mess as in our real world, is a least a tad more entertaining and with quotable dialogues? I have just finished watching The Wheel Of Time, which aired its season finale last week, and I wish there was more of those fantasy lands that my imagination could escape to, to avoid the dull realities of our world, at least some times.
Well, then, without much ado, here are 10 fantasy shows—from Supernatural and The Witcher to Loki and A Discovery Of Witches—that easily transport you to faraway mystical lands that you might not want to leave! What’s even more appealing is that in the fantasy worlds of these shows, even though sexism and patriarchy might prevail to varying extents, women are powerful creatures that can turn the tide in any war, and are often even the Chosen One, or the most daunting adversaries.
1. Game of Thrones
“Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne begins.” Remember when every Sunday in April and May, or in our case, early Monday mornings, was all about Game of Thrones? Based on the bestselling (but incomplete, sigh!) book series As Song Of Ice And Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin and created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, this American fantasy series took us to the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos with an incredible tale revolving around political intrigue, romance, action, sex, ice zombies and dragons. It gave us shocking twists, memorable performances, new actors to crush on, and so many quotable dialogues. A gold standard in fantasy television shows now, despite a criticised Season 8, GoT is the perfect show to forget your own problems, because its characters have so many of their own!
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
Also Read: 5 Types Of Game Of Thrones Fans That You Will Encounter
2. Supernatural
This American dark fantasy series, with its 15 seasons, has been the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series. And here’s a disclaimer—your’s truly is a massive fan. Supernatural is easily my most favourite show on God’s (or shall I say, Chuck’s, or Jack’s) green Earth, and being a part of this show’s fandom, is like having a whole second family that squabbles over the tiniest of things, but is still united over its love for the show.
Brothers Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) crisscross the continental United States of America in their iconic 67 Chevy Impala, blasting the greatest of rock hits, investigating paranormal activity and picking fights with demons, ghosts and monsters. The show puts an interesting spin on biblical concepts of angels, demons, magic, Lucifer, and God, which means it takes its characters and its viewers to several mystical lands like Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, The Empty and even alternate dimensions where Earth is in a post-apocalypse state.
Oh, and might I add, it also sometimes crosses over into our real world with meta episodes, or into TV shows like Scooby-Doo, for an epic animated crossover called ScoobyNatural! If you’re planning the binge of binges, might I say, pick Supernatural, and just Carry On My Wayward Son!
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Also Read: 5 Shows To Watch If You Love Lucifer: From Supernatural To Castle
3. Lucifer
Since we’re on the subject of The Bible, there’s another handsome Devil we gotta talk about! Tom Ellis has been stealing hearts as the irresistible Lord of Hell in Lucifer. The actual Satan, aka Lucifer Morningstar, after getting bored of his responsibility of being the Ruler of Hell, relocates to Los Angeles, where he opens a nightclub called Lux. A homicide (or destiny) makes him cross paths with LAPD Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), and together, the duo begins solving crimes while also figuring out God’s plan for them.
The show, which ended this year with a final, emotional Season 6, is addictive and the perfect binge-watch, mainly because you don’t have to wait for any new episodes. Plus, it too takes you to Heaven, Hell, and Los Angeles. What’s not to love, eh? And psst! ICYM, the character is based on Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, and as per a Crisis On Infinite Earths crossover episode, exists in the DCTV universe!
Streaming on Netflix
4. The Witcher
Toss a coin to The Witcher, a fantasy series starring the absolute stunner Henry Cavil as Geralt of Riva, the titular monster hunter, alongside Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg and Joey Batey as the bard Jaskier. The Witcher, which just aired its Season 2 earlier in the month, is based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.
It’s the perfect fantastical getaway to the fictional mediaeval land-inspired landmass known as “the Continent,” formed after a cosmic event called “the Conjunction of Spheres” merged multiple worlds into one. Think of it as a cross between The Lord Of The Rings and Game Of Thrones, for it has both, a Chosen One that is dangerous if controlled by the wrong people, elves, dwarves, sorcerers and men, and complex politics. Oh, and did I say monsters?
The show has spawned an animated and a live-action spin-off, which only means more worlds to escape into as you binge!
Streaming on Netflix
Also Read: 10 Shows About Rich People That’ll Call You Poor In Several Languages
5. A Discovery Of Witches
Based on the All Souls trilogy by author Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches is another enthralling fantasy series that is about creatures like vampires, witches and demons, all living under a covenant that does not allow their species to intermingle. However, as their numbers begin dwindling due to mysterious reasons affecting their procreation and health, a historian and reluctant witch discovers a bewitched manuscript that was lost in time, that might contain answers to the very origin of every species. What’s more, she falls in love with a vampire, and their forbidden relationship takes them on all sorts of adventures through places like London, Venice and France, and even time travel!
A Discovery Of Witches is full of rich lore, features fictionalised versions of real people throughout history, and is all set for its third and final season to arrive next year! It stars Teresa Palmer, Matthew Goode, Edward Bluemel, Louise Brealey, Malin Buska, Aiysha Hart, Owen Teale, Alex Kingston, and Valarie Pettiford. And the chemistry between Palmer and Goode is on a whole different plane altogether!
Streaming on Sony LIV
6. Shadow And Bone
We readers all love books over their screen adaptations 90 out of 100 times. But that doesn’t mean we cannot obsess over the shows and the actors breathing life into the words of our favourite fantasy characters. In April this year, the Grisha novel trilogy by Leigh Bardugo was adapted into a series by Eric Heisserer, called Shadow and Bone. It starred Jessie Mei Li as the protagonist Alina Starkov, who is the Sun Summoner capable of ridding Ravka of the Shadow Fold that splits it into two.
It also stars Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev, Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Amita Suman as Inej, Kit Young as Jesper Fahey, Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya, Zoë Wanamaker as Baghra, Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik, Calahan Skogman as Matthias Helvar, Daisy Head as Genya Safin, and Ben Barnes as General Kirigan / the Darkling. And as expected, the Darkling really made our hearts leap for the bad boy again!
The world of Shadow And Bone too is a mystical land—the fictional countries of Ravka, Fjerda, Shu Han, Kerch, Novyi Zem, and the Wandering Isle—each with their own mysteries, people and cultures, geographical builds, and of course, creatures.
Streaming on Netflix
Also Read: 5 Reasons Shadow And Bone, The New Fantasy Adaptation On Netflix, Is Worth Your Time
7. Fate: The Winx Saga
I loved the animated Italian series Winx Club as a kid, and there wasn’t a single episode when I didn’t want to go to Alfea College and study with my favourite fairies, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna, Musa and Aisha. While the Netflix live action adaptation starring Abigail Cowen might not have been an absolute hit, it still was charming enough for me to binge its first season, which dropped in January this year. Here’s another dimension where magic dwells, and just because it is fairies, it doesn’t not mean it is all butterflies and rainbows. No no, this Hogwarts has its tryst with dark powers too just as it has a Chosen One, magical creatures and plants, and some strong female friendships and teen drama to keep you entertained!
Streaming on Netflix
Also Read: Fate: The Winx Saga Review: Filing It Under Enjoyable But Problematic Because Whitewashing Is Not Cool!
8. Loki
I think any world where we have access to Tom Hiddleston is magical and worth escaping into. And since that might not be possible IRL, we must seek refuge in the Marvel Phase Four series, Loki, in which Hiddleston reprises his role as the Trickster God, and half-brother of Thor, Loki, and Sophia Di Martino plays Sylvie, another Loki! Since Loki is a Time Variant who is entangled and then employed in the affairs of the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA), we get to jump through timelines with him to visit lost worlds, millennia-old civilisations, and several nooks and crannies of the multiverse. But only when we are chaperoned by the cute Owen Wilson aka Agent Mobius!
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
9. His Dark Materials
Another literary trilogy with a TV adaptation worth following is His Dark Materials, based on the fantasy drama series of the same name by Philip Pullman. His Dark Materials is also a multi-word story, where Dust (yes, that dust) is used to transport oneself from one dimension to another. There’s our dimension, of course, where humans are regular Joe’s who already have dust around them. But there’s also another world, where the main story of our protagonist, Lyra Belacqua, is set, where all human souls manifest themselves physically in the form of animal companions, called daemons. And as a person changes, so does their soul and so does the form of their daemon. So cool, no?
His Dark Materials takes its characters and audience on several quests, from the streets of Oxford, in London to Svalbard in the North Pole, where talking polar bears have their own kingdom! It’s a fascinating and much loved story, starring Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Scott and the voices of the late Helen McCrory, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and more. It’s third and final season is slated to arrive soon!
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
10. The Wheel of Time
Based on the much-loved 14-part best-selling fantasy novels by Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time, the series is set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it. Why? Because thousands of years ago, the Dragon fought against a dark power, and let it corrupt its magic, and all other men who wielded it, so much that it drove every man hence who channelled the One Source, to insanity. The new series embraces a female-focused fantasy with a host of strong and unassailable female characters that include Rosamund Pike, Zoe Robins, Madeleine Madden and Priyanka Bose to name a few, and is essentially about the balance that the co-existence of yin and yang can bring to the world.
The Wheel Of Time, created by Rafe Judkins, premiered its final episode on December 24, 2021, and is available in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, along with snippets, animated origin stories, and interesting trivia about the making of the show.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
