Top Five Supernatural/Fantasy Shows You Should Definitely Watch

Fantasy is one of my favourite genres. It's a time-honoured genre, and some of the best shows and films of the 2000s and the 2010s have been built upon the genre. Take the hit film series based on the loved fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Narnia by bestselling author C.S. Lewis, for example. While a lot of the films were a little off the rails with the storytelling, in my book, it was the best series of fantasy films that the early 2000s had to offer. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will always be one of my favourite movies and as a big fan of the books, the acting is top-notch for a movie with basically child stars in it. And the addition of actors like Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton and Ben Barnes to the franchise enhanced it even more. But we're not here to talk about fantasy movies, or how great the 2000s were for that genre.

We're here to talk about the top five best television shows you should most definitely watch in the supernatural/fantasy genre and my favourite by far in the genre.

Top show #5: The Vampire Diaries

Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham, Matthew Davis, Candice King, Joseph Morgan and Claire Holt

Created by: Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson

Adapted from: The Vampire Diaries novels by L.J. Smith

First episode: September 10, 2009 ("Pilot")

Last episode: March 10, 2017 ("I Was Feeling Epic")

Number of seasons: Eight seasons (171 episodes)

The Vampire Diaries made waves in late 2009 when it was first released on the CW. It's become one of my favourite shows since watching it, and it tells the story of an orphan teenage girl who, in the sleepy town of Mystic Falls, gets caught in the web of a tantalising love triangle between two vampires amidst conflicts between thousand-year-old vampires, angry dead witches and even conniving humans seeking to oust the vampires from Mystic Falls.

I watched up until the fourth season and though interest declined towards the end of the fourth season due to my favourite characters, the Original family, leaving the show to meet in the city of New Orleans for their spinoff, The Originals, the show was one of the best supernatural shows that I have ever seen. I enjoyed the teen drama mingled with the supernatural elements of the show, and the characters are well-fleshed out and very compelling to watch.

Top show #4: Game of Thrones

Starring: Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Richard Madden, Jack Gleeson

Created by: David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

Adapted from: A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin

First episode: April 17, 2011 ("Winter Is Coming")

Last episode: May 19, 2019 ("The Iron Throne")

Number of seasons: Eight seasons (73 episodes)

Two years into the tenure of the television show The Vampire Diaries, and just as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was officially kicking off with the beginning of both the Iron Man and Captain America trilogies, HBO adapted the beloved epic fantasy novels of A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin into a television show spanning eight seasons. It kicked off many actors' and actresses' careers and made many other actors and actresses household names in the film industry. Game of Thrones became an award-winning show, and each of its characters from the start was well-formed and compelling to watch, from its heroes, such as Ned Stark and Jon Snow, to its villains, such as Cersei Lannister and the Boltons. I've only just started the second season of the show, and it's so far absolutely amazing and unique in both concept and execution. Unfortunately, due to the more unfavourable aspects of the show, including heavy nudity and excessive violence, as well as weak storytelling in some spots, it doesn't take the cake for the best supernatural/fantasy show.

Top show #3: Shadow and Bone

Starring: Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Danielle Galligan, Calahan Skogman

Created by: Eric Heisserer

Adapted from: the Grishaverse novels (the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology) by Leigh Bardugo

First episode: April 23, 2021 ("A Searing Burst of Light")

Last episode: (still continuing) last episode titled: ("No Mourners")

Number of seasons: 1 season (8 episodes), with two more seasons to come

This is one of my favourite shows on this list, and it deserves its place on this list. I really can't find anything bad about it: its conception is brilliant, the adaptation was faithful to the books, and the casting and acting are top-notch, not to mention the visuals and cinematography. Netflix did a wonderful job with this show and I absolutely cannot wait for Season 2 of the show. Also, Kaz Brekker is literally, quite possibly, one of the best characters in the show. In fact, all of the characters are great. They're all true to their book counterparts and the actors and actresses all did a phenomenal job portraying them. Unfortunately, as it is only one season, and while this was a great show and I believe there is still more to come, it doesn't take out the top spot for the best show due to its still very limited world.

Top show #2: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Starring: Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Toubia, Alberto Rosende, Harry Shum Jr. and Alan van Sprang

Created by: Ed Decter

Adapted from: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

First episode: January 12, 2016 ("The Mortal Cup")

Last episode: May 6, 2019 ("All Good Things...")

Number of seasons: 3 seasons (55 episodes)

I've only just started watching this show, and it's brilliant. Angel vs. demon battles in popular media have always been a fascination for me, and the show gets off to a brilliant start. A few demonic murders and a girl celebrating her 18th birthday runs into a very handsome man who appears to be someone only she can see. Then she uncovers an intricate plot from an old enemy and runs into the mysterious invisible stranger again, only to discover that he, and her by extension through her lineage, are part of an undercover army who work to take down demons, called Shadowhunters. There's a bit of romance here and there, and some teen drama sprinkled in there too, but it's not overpowering when juxtaposed with the supernatural elements of the show, unlike The Vampire Diaries. All in all, I've thoroughly enjoyed it, however, due to how little I've watched of the show, it does not take the top spot for the best television show in the supernatural/fantasy genre.

Top show #1: The Originals

Starring: Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin, Danielle Campbell, Charles Michael Davis, Leah Pipes, Nathaniel Buzolic, Danielle Rose Russell and Riley Voelkel

Created by: Julie Plec

Adapted from: the character of Klaus from The Vampire Diaries novels by L.J. Smith

First episode: October 3, 2013 ("Always and Forever", backdoor pilot titled "The Originals")

Last episode: August 1, 2018 ("When the Saints Go Marching In")

Number of seasons: 5 seasons (92 episodes)

After watching most of the early seasons of The Vampire Diaries, I decided to give this show a go. I highly enjoyed it. As opposed to The Vampire Diaries, it has more mature adult drama, with less humour and more dark supernatural elements. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and while I was slightly unhappy with the ending, the show was intriguing from start to finish. I absolutely love Elijah Mikaelson as a character, in fact, I love all the Original family as characters. They all have interesting and engaging character development, especially the main character at the helm of the show, Niklaus Mikaelson. Originally, he starts his tenure in the second season of The Vampire Diaries as a cold-hearted, ruthless villain who will do anything to break his hybrid curse, but in The Originals, and over the course of the five seasons, he becomes empathetic, kind and loyal towards his family and his friends and learns to be a great father and a brave hero.

I've watched the length of this show, and it's absolutely flawless as a show, other than the ending that I'm still mildly salty about in terms of how the writers treated the characters, but then again, no one gets a happy ending in a universe like the world of the Original family.

And that's why this show takes the cake for the top supernatural/fantasy show that you should definitely watch. I highly recommend you watch all of these shows, and if you have, then drop a like on this article!!

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