The Witcher is one of the best fantasy series on Netflix, and for those wanting to watch more shows like it, the ambitious Shadow and Bone is worth a look. The Witcher initially premiered on Netflix in 2019 and was a massive success for the streaming service, eventually branching into multiple spinoffs while the main series is slated to end with five total seasons. Even with such success, The Witcher has run into several problems over the years, most notably recasting two major characters for The Witcher season 4, including Henry Cavill as Geralt, the show's main character. 32a4m

Shadow and Bonewas one of Netflix's greatest original fantasy series, making its cancellation after season 2 incredibly disappointing. But believe it or not, there's a silver lining to Shadow and Bone being canceled, even if many of us would have preferred to see it continue. Based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books, the 2021 fantasy series is one of Netflix's most ambitious offerings to debut in recent years. Not only did it combine Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows books, but it did so with a stunning backdrop and incredibly talented cast.

Despite its dedicated fan base and generally positive response, Netflix canceled Shadow and Boneafter season 2 — and likely missed out on an even greater fantasy show in the process. Based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books, Shadow and Bone was one of Netflix's more ambitious undertakings. Sadly, it didn't get much of a chance to grow. The series chronicles Alina Starkov's journey as she realizes she has light-wielding abilities. Because of this, she's tasked with ridding her kingdom of the Shadow Fold, and eventually the villain who created it.

In some fun news for romantasy lovers, Kiera Azar, an actress on Netflix's Shadow and Bone, has written her debut novel, and it will be hitting bookshelves this fall. Titled Thorn Season, it's being described as a "sharp, sexy, twisty YA romantasy that is Shadow and Bone meets The Selection." Romantasy is big business these days, but with so many authors trying their hand at the genre, it's becoming increasingly hard for new writers to break through and make a splash.

Shadow and Bone star Jessie Mei Li reflects on the show's cancellation and its potential future. Based on the Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo, the series ran for two seasons on Netflix while following Alina Starkov (Li), whose power as the Sun Summoner would forever change her world. In addition to season 3, there were plans for a Netflix spinoff based on the novel Six of Crows, and scripts were already written, but both season 3 and the spinoff were cancelled.

Over the years, Netflix has received backlash for its tendency to cut original shows before they get a chance to succeed, and two of the company's most controversial cancelations happen to be in the fantasy genre. Of course, the streaming platform contains TV series that have lasted for many seasons. Stranger Things, Virgin River, Cobra Kai, The Crown, and more have had long runs on Netflix. However, it's difficult to celebrate these popular shows knowing Netflix's affinity for nixing critically acclaimed fantasy TV series with so much potential.

The cancelation of Shadow and Bone, which holds an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and is still beloved by audiences, is made so much worse due to one key detail the show never got to explore. Netflix's adaptation of the most popular collection of Leigh Bardugo's books was largely acclaimed by audiences who both did and did not read the series. Even so,the show was abruptly canceled after its sophomore season despite its popularity, causing audiences to petition for a revival that has yet to be green-lit.

Amazon's Fourth Wing TV show continues to be a highly anticipated project. With so much hype surrounding The Empyrean Series' previously published books, and a third book on the way, it seems Amazon is guaranteed success with its adaptation. However, not all fantasy book-to-screen adaptations have been as lucky—with many popular fantasy series in the past having been scrapped too early. And just last year, Netflix made the decision to cancel its popular Shadow & Bone adaptation.

The main romance in Fourth Wingis the perfect replacement for audiences who love this similar 12-year-old book ship. One of the biggest draws of Fourth Wing and, by extension, The Empyrean Series is the complex relationship between its main characters. Violet and Xaden's relationship is one of both ion and struggle, as the two navigate their mutual attraction and individual issues. Even so, Violet and Xaden's relationship in Onyx Stormwill likely become both more complicated and even stronger as they come together to defend Navarre.

Based on the Six of Crows book, we have a good idea about what the Shadow & Bone spinoff could have been about.