The landscape of fantasy TV has expanded significantly since Game of Thrones ended, and the genre boasted numerous hits even before HBO's hit series took off. Sadly, not all fantasy shows that have the potential to become massive titles actually do. Even the ones that come with built-in audiences — whether it's because they're based on books or capitalizing on the star power of popular actors — aren't guaranteed to receive mainstream attention.

This harsh reality has led to a number of fantasy shows either being canceled too soon or flying under the radar for their entire runs. It's surprising when this happens to even the highest-quality and most-deserving additions to the genre, and it's even more shocking when those projects are also tied to recognizable titles or franchises.

10 Shadow And Bone (2021-2023)

The Books' Success & Netflix's Approach Should Have Secured Its Future

Shadow and Bone should have been one of the books by Leigh Bardugo, which boast a huge and dedicated following. Both Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows are well-known and popular fantasy novels that readers were eager to see brought to the screen. That alone should have guaranteed Shadow and Bone's success, as it only needed to deliver a faithful rendering of the source material to make viewers happy.

Even with the show's sometimes controversial changes, successful compared to other Netflix shows, receiving 83% on Rotten Tomatoes over two seasons and becoming Netflix's 26th most-watched series or movie in the first six months of 2023. It's obvious Shadow and Bone had the fan base to be bigger, and combined with its high production value and impressive casting, it's surprising it never reached the heights of other fantasy projects of its time, like House of the Dragon or The Rings of Power.

9 The Witcher (2019-Present)

It's Not Popular Enough For What It Is

The Witcher is among the biggest fantasy shows to debut post-Game of Thrones. But although almost everyone has heard of the Netflix series, the excitement surrounding it fizzled out surprisingly fast, especially given the popularity of the overall franchise. With The Witcher books and video games being so beloved, season 1 was rightfully a huge deal. Sadly, the two outings that followed didn't receive the same level of attention or enthusiasm. So, while The Witcher is a big fantasy title, it's not nearly as popular or renowned as it should have been.

The surest proof that The Witcher never reached its true potential is the fact that it had multiple movie and TV spinoffs, and none made a splash.

In part, this was because the series made controversial changes to the source material, leading to backlash from longtime fans. The recasting of Henry Cavill for The Witcher season 4 also dampened excitement surrounding the show's future. And it's not even just the main series that suffered. The surest proof that The Witcher never reached its true potential is the fact that it had multiple movie and TV spinoffs, and none made a splash. It's a bummer, as I'd have loved to see The Witcher franchise explode like Game of Thrones did.

8 Interview With The Vampire (2022-Present)

An Incredible Series That Just Doesn't Get Enough Attention

For an incredible adaptation of Anne Rice's classic fantasy novel, Interview With the Vampire, AMC's TV series really deserves more love. While Interview With the Vampire season 3 is confirmed — and it undeniably has a loyal fan base — it doesn't get the same level of attention that other modern fantasy series do. This could be because it's on AMC, which has much fewer subscribers than massive streamers like Netflix, even with its 12.4 million count (via The Hollywood Reporter). The marketing for the show could also be better.

Fortunately, Interview With the Vampire still has time to make a bigger name for itself. I hope it manages to, as everything from the production value and acting to the writing is top-notch. It deserves to be as well-known and well-loved as Rice's books — and given the connection, it's somewhat surprising the show isn't already there.

7 His Dark Materials (2019-2022)

This Underrated HBO Show Was Too Good To Be Forgotten So Fast

His Dark Materials was HBO's first fantasy follow-up to Game of Thrones. And while the three-season TV series was very different in of tone, it still offered a high-quality fantasy story to escape into. The production value of His Dark Materials was impressive for a new and lesser-known series, and talent like Dafne Keen, James McAvoy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda should have ensured it was a hit. But while His Dark Materials was relatively well-received, it never got close to Game of Thrones' level of success.

It's barely mentioned years later, which doesn't fit with how well-known Pullman's series used to be.

And the underrated fantasy show did a great job of adapting Philip Pullman's books, so much so that I was disappointed it never got attention worthy of its efforts. Perhaps the Game of Thrones comparisons set the series up to fail, but I thought people would eventually recognize its strengths, especially during its later seasons. It's barely mentioned years later, which doesn't fit with how well-known Pullman's series used to be — and how well HBO's adaptation holds up against other modern fantasy offerings.

6 Shadowhunters (2016-2019)

The Adaptation Never Reached The Heights Of The Books

Like Shadow and Bone, Freeform's Shadowhunters was based on a best-selling YA fantasy series with a massive fan base. By all rights, it should have made waves based on the popularity of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter books alone. Unfortunately, the series proved divisive among fans of Clare's work, and it never found much of a mainstream audience outside its original base. This could be chalked up to a few things, including Shadowhunters' huge divergence from its source material and its questionable quality.

The Shadowhunter books have been hugely successful and spun out into multiple different series and spinoffs.

Shadowhunters failed to do Clare's series justice, just like the failed Mortal Instruments movie, raising questions about whether these books would ever get a proper adaptation. Had the Freeform series done a better job of bringing Clare's world to life, it likely would have been much bigger. After all, the Shadowhunter books have been hugely successful and spun out into multiple different series and spinoffs. That wasn't in the cards for Freeform's take on the story.

5 Warrior Nun (2020-2022)

This Netflix Show Deserved So Much More Love

Netflix's Warrior Nun was another great fantasy series with a dedicated fan base that just didn't grow as much as it should have. The huge Warrior Nun was canceled after season 2 instead.

A lot of enthusiasm post-season 1 declined in the two-year wait between seasons, making it difficult to maintain the momentum that the Netflix show's first outing had gained. And the marketing for Warrior Nun season 2 could have done a better job of drawing bigger crowds. Instead, this great TV series flew under the radar far more than it should have. It's a shame because the potential for it to be bigger was already there.

4 My Lady Jane (2024)

Had All The Right Ingredients To Be A Huge Success

Another historical fantasy series even caught George R.R. Martin's attention, and the Game of Thrones creator had good things to say about it.)

Like many other fantasy series, My Lady Jane might have benefited from better marketing. It also could have been given more time to find its footing and audience, as it hadn't reached its full potential, with several storylines left open at the end of season 1. Sadly, My Lady Jane's cancelation ensured that it wouldn't be able to become the romantasy hit it should have been.

3 The Dragon Prince (2018-2024)

For A Seven-Season Show, It's Surprisingly Underrated

For a Netflix series that ran for seven seasons, The Dragon Prince never received a ton of mainstream attention; it was surprisingly underrated all the way through. The Dragon Prince clearly had enough of an audience to continue as long as it did, and its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score proved it was a critical success for Netflix. Given its long run and positive reception, it's shocking that it didn't become as widely known as other big animated fantasy shows, like Avatar: The Last Airbender or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

This could be partially because The Dragon Prince was aimed at a younger audience, though that hasn't stopped other animated series from reaching a larger base. It could also be chalked up to the later seasons of the show dropping with little marketing. Whatever the reason for it, The Dragon Prince failed to become as big as you'd expect from a lengthy and successful fantasy series. Since it's now finished, there's still time for viewers to check it out though.

2 The Shannara Chronicles (2016-2017)

It Came Out At The Perfect Time To Capitalize On Fantasy's Success

The Shannara Chronicles should have been an easy success, as the series was based on Terry Brooks' best-selling books. However, the 2016 fantasy adaptation hardly made a splash when it debuted — and it was canceled after just two seasons on air. The fact that the show aired on MTV and then Spike TV certainly didn't help its chances at becoming a hit. Neither network is known for producing fantasy projects, so it was always going to be difficult for the show to build a big audience there.

Of course, The Shannara Chronicles also didn't stick closely enough to the source material, disincentivizing book readers from picking it up. And it received criticism for its storytelling choices, with all of these issues ultimately leading to its cancelation. It's a shame, as The Shannara Chronicles could have been a bigger deal if it had been picked up by another network or streamer, or if it had adapted the books with a bit more care. It came out at the perfect time to capitalize on the popularity of the fantasy genre, but it didn't manage to.

1 Kaos (2024)

With Jeff Goldblum attached to the Netflix series, Kaos should have been one of the streamer's biggest releases of 2024. Its clever and entertaining approach to Greek mythology added to its appeal, and it's genuinely surprising that Kaos didn't reach a bigger audience. The 2024 series had so much potential, and its ending even left the door open for a thrilling season 2. Sadly, Kaos was canceled, so it won't get to deliver on that setup.

Kaos was another tragic example of a fantasy series that wasn't given the time or resources to excel, even though its quality should have enabled it to. Netflix could have done more to market the show, especially with Goldblum playing Zeus. It also could have been given more time to draw viewers, though that's an issue that many streaming shows face, even in other genres.