10 Fantasy TV Shows That Wasted Their Huge Potential

In the world of television, the fantasy genre has proven to be one of the most successful types of on-screen stories, yet not every fantasy show gets the chance to rise to fame. Since the premiere of Game of Thrones in 2011, fantasy TV shows have been made a top priority for all networks and streaming services. Even over a decade later, showrunners are still trying to recreate the magic of the popular fantasy series. Yet, while some fantasy shows have reached amazing levels of success over the course of many seasons, other shows have unfortunately lost their footing.

A number of different problems may occur when a fantasy show doesn’t live up to its potential. On one hand, the series may have been panned due to poor writing, poor acting, or just being a generally bad fantasy. Sometimes, this reality isn’t necessarily the fault of the show, but is caused by a lack of funding. On the other hand, some fantasy shows do everything right, yet still end up getting canceled, losing the potential they once had. Regardless of the issue, each of these ten fantasy shows had potential to be great that was eventually wasted.

10 Emerald City

A Remixed Remake No One Really Wanted

A perfect example of a fantasy show that lost out on success is Emerald City. This 2017 NBC series is a dark and more mature retelling of The Wizard of Oz. The show follows Dorothy Gale as she is transported to the Land of Oz via a tornado and sets out on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Despite having a familiar IP with a unique spin, Emerald City was canceled after one season. Worse than that, it became one of NBC’s lowest-rated series of 2017.

The problem with Emerald City is likely that it felt a bit too familiar to audiences. Although spinoffs and sequels are in at the moment, viewers could easily see how Emerald City was trying to be a take on Game of Thrones. In this way, the show lacked any sense of originality or authenticity. In a genre that is often focused on worldbuilding and magic outside of reality, Emerald City simply hit too close to home, leading to its premature demise.

9 Shannara Chronicles

A Show That Couldn’t Find Its Audience

A series with the complete opposite problem is 2016’s The Shannara Chronicles. In this series, three heroes from the fictional Four Lands must travel to a sacred tree, the Ellcrys, to stop the escape of countless banished demons. The series ran for two seasons, first on MTV, then Spike, before The Shannara Chronicles was canceled completely in 2017. Notably, the show starred Austin Butler before he became a movie star.

Though The Shannara Chronicles was yet another series that was clearly inspired by Game of Thrones, the show struggled with finding its own identity. At times, the show presented itself as a serious, high-fantasy tale. However, at other times, it seemed more like a teenage soap opera. Because of this, The Shannara Chronicles was never able to properly cater to a specific audience, and thus, viewers lost interest.

8 American Gods

Series That Couldn’t Maintain Its Magic

One more difficult case of a show wasting its potential is American Gods. Based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name, this 2017 series follows a man named Shadow Moon, who begins working for a strange man named Mr. Wednesday and discovers a hidden world of gods and monsters. Though Gaiman’s novels have often been adapted for the screen to varying degrees of success, American Gods stands out because of its sharp decrease in quality.

Despite the fact that American Gods sucked in audiences with its first season, the show went through a rough patch when it switched showrunners from season 1 to 2, and even lost some important cast members. Because of these losses, it was almost impossible for the show to maintain the magic that made it so likable in the first place. Even with a stronger third season, American Gods was canceled due to conflicting interests and leaders.

7 Shadowhunters

A Change In Budget

Another book-to-TV adaptation that left audiences disappointed is Shadowhunters. Running for three seasons on Freeform, Shadowhunters is a television adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments book series. It follows Clary, a normal teenager who becomes involved with a group of youths called Shadowhunters, who are part angel and protect the world from demons. Shadowhunters was the second adaptation of the franchise, following the 2013 movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bone.

Weirdly enough, it wasn’t the quality of Shadowhunters that led to its demise. In fact, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the show seemingly got better with every season. Season 1 had a 44% score while season 2 rose to an 86%. However, it was the show’s budget and declining viewership that became its downfall. With fewer people watching the show and a lack of money to fund this vast fantasy setting, Shadowhunters had to be shoved under the rug, creating yet another failed adaptation of this story.

6 Carnival Row

Fantasy That Tries To Do Too Much

Where some fantasy shows don’t offer enough to keep them interesting, others give a little too much. That was certainly the case for Carnival Row. The 2019 series takes place in a world where mythical creatures are refugees in the human world, and a string of murders puts their differences on display. Though the cast included big stars like Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, its ratings were not good enough to last more than two seasons.

Carnival Row could have been great. With strong source material, a distinct ambiance, and an intriguing premise, the show had the opportunity to stand out among Game of Thrones wannabes. However, the show suffered from offering too much goodness to its viewers. Despite having gorgeous visuals and a riveting story, Carnival Row couldn’t keep all its ducks in a row, leading to an overambitious plot that was more confusing than engaging.

5 My Lady Jane

Canceled Too Soon

A number of fantasy shows that never reached their potential did so because they were canceled far too soon, and My Lady Jane is a prime example. The 2024 fantasy romance series is a revisionist history of Lady Jane Grey, who became queen of England for a handful of days before being executed alongside her new husband, Guildford. The show successfully mixed teenage angst with history and magic, but was canceled soon after the premiere of its first season, leaving audiences disappointed.

Arguably, My Lady Jane did nothing wrong to cause its cancelation. It was simply a game of viewership numbers. However, it is important to note that if My Lady Jane received a second season, it could have potentially gone south. My Lady Jane is based on novels, but the second book follows an entirely different character. Thus, the series might have strayed from the primary source to continue Jane’s story, which could have been a complete departure from the first season’s greatness.

4 Lockwood & Co.

A Show With So Much To Offer

Another fantasy show that deserved way more time to flourish is Lockwood and Co. First released in 2023, the show takes place in a world where ghosts wreak havoc all over London, and young people are tasked with fighting them. In an effort to join this fight, a young woman named Lucy begins working for a small firm called Lockwood and Co., alongside a charismatic ghost hunter and his nerdy yet intelligent best friend. The show was also canceled after its first season.

Unlike My Lady Jane, Lockwood and Co. not only had a solid first season, but also a large quantity of source material to follow it up with, as the show is based on books by Jonathan Stroud. Furthermore, Lockwood and Co. stood out because its premise was unlike any other fantasy series. Its semi-futuristic version of London was so interesting, and its characters defied the stereotypes of other young adult series. Yet, once again, low viewership cut off Lockwood and Co. before its mysteries could be solved.

3 Shadow And Bone

A Show That Never Got To The Good Stuff

A particularly disappointing fantasy cancelation was Netflix’s Shadow and Bone. The 2021 show is based on two separate fantasy book series by Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. Both stories take place in a fantasy world where individuals called Grisha have magic powers, including the protagonist, Alina. However, Alina finds herself in danger when she gets involved with an evil Grisha called the Darkling. Meanwhile, a group of thieves hatches a scheme.

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Unfortunately, this merging of the two book series may have been what ruined Shadow and Bone’s chances of success. Although there are viewers who enjoyed the Shadow and Bone plotline following Alina and the Darkling, many were far more invested in the Six of Crows story. To get to that, the show had to go through Alina’s story first, thereby losing audiences’ interest before they could even reach the best parts. In this way, Shadow and Bone had its chance for success, but focused on the wrong elements of the story.

2 The Witcher

Changing The Source Material

Something surprising about fantasy series that don’t live up to expectations is that they don’t always start out badly. Take The Witcher, for example. The first season of The Witcher was lauded for its strong performances and fantastic accuracy to the novels, written by Andrzej Sapkowski. However, with every consequent season, audiences have become less and less invested in the story, and more concerned with how the show is veering away from its source material – and arguably making the story worse.

To some, this type of deterioration may be one of the most disappointing types of fantasy series because hopes are raised so high, only for the series to fall short of expectations. Not only do audiences miss out on scenes they were looking forward to, but they also can no longer identify with what they are seeing on screen. It feels completely different from what they expected. It doesn’t help either that The Witcher season 4 has lost Henry Cavill as Geralt. Thus, The Witcher fumbled the success it had.

1 Game Of Thrones

A Terrible Ending

Finally, a fantastic fantasy series that lost its potential at the very end is Game of Thrones. For several seasons, Game of Thrones dominated the TV landscape, not just in terms of the fantasy genre, but in all of television. Game of Thrones inspired countless other series and became inextricably linked with pop culture. Yet, when it came time for Game of Thrones to reach its thrilling conclusion, the series completely lost its way. The show’s most beloved characters were turned into villains and cast aside.

Ultimately, Game of Thrones is the most extreme case of a show wasting its potential because it happened at the very last moment. A show that could have been considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time lost a lot of its credentials because of its final season and finale. As much as Game of Thrones is the inspiration for future fantasy series, it should also serve as a warning. Fantasy series need a chance to get off the ground, but they all need to stick the landing.