Now and then, a fantasy TV show comes along that completely revolutionizes the genre. When this happens, we almost immediately see a slew of new projects that clearly take influence from these past successes. When something resonates so strongly with viewers that it becomes a cultural phenomenon, it’s only smart for showrunners to copy whatever elements they can in their own projects.
This is, of course, how TV evolves. The fantasy genre, especially, has come a long way. In decades past, the vast majority of what could be considered fantasy TV revolved around children’s entertainment. The odd adult series was thrown into the mix, but they would rarely gain the same sort of traction as big movies. TV didn’t have the budget that the fantasy genre typically requires.
Today, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Fantasy dominates TV, and companies are dumping massive budgets into these projects. This is all thanks to the fantasy TV shows that paved the way. Of course, in the case of many of these revolutionary series, nothing has ever managed to stack up in quite the same way.
10
Outlander
2014 – 2025
Outlander is a historical romance fantasy TV show based on the book series of the same name by author Diana Gabaldon. The first novel was published in 1991, and Jamie and Claire’s story has remained a smash-hit phenomenon ever since. This has everything to do with Outlander‘s swoon-worthy vibes.
Though shows like The Tudors took a scandelous take on the historical fiction genre before Outlander premiered, it’s the latter’s fantastical outrageousness that has allowed it to stand out. In the years since, shows like The Great and Bridgerton have adopted that no-rules-allowed angle, even outside fantasy.
9
Lost
2004 – 2010
Lost falls under the sci-fi fantasy umbrella, and it completely revolutionized TV. The series ran for six years, with memorable stars like Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Matthew Fox, Jorge Garcia, and much, much more. Lost is set around a plane crash on a remote island, and though this was a fairly standard idea, it didn’t remain so simple for long.
Though Lost appeared to be a survival thriller at its core, those fantastical supernatural elements snuck their way into the plot. Over time, it became clear that nothing in this series was as it had seemed. In the years since, screenwriters have done all they can to duplicate Lost‘s massive shocks and twists. Some that came the closest to succeeding include Fringe (2008) and Manifest (2018).
8
The Twilight Zone
1959 – 1964
Even those who haven’t watched Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone, a fantasy-science-fiction-horror anthology series, are sure to have at least heard of it. We could argue that this series is the most influential on this list, since several entries could have been inspired by an episode or two of The Twilight Zone.
As an anthology, The Twilight Zone had a unique opportunity to explore dozens of stories, each with a bizarre twist that left us feeling unsettled. It was a long time before any similar series managed to leave a similar sort of mark, but Black Mirror (2011) took influence and managed something pretty close.
7
One Piece
1999 – Present
There have been several fantasy anime series that have left a mark, but none quite so impactful as One Piece. The TV adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s beloved manga kicked off in 1999, and it’s still going strong 26 years later. One Piece is an absolute enigma, with over a thousand episodes with a, somehow, still-defined story arc.
Several other anime series have attempted the sort of long-running success that One Piece achieved. Naruto and Bleach were fair contenders, but their plotlines and lore fall slightly short of One Piece‘s cohesiveness and persistent relevance.
6
Supernatural
2006 – 2020
Supernatural is another long-running series that seemed to achieve the impossible. Supernatural fantasy is a tough genre, since these sorts of stories can quickly cross the line into being too cheesy. This CW series, which ran for a whopping 15 seasons, found the winning formula.
Created by Eric Kirpke and starring Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, and many more, Supernatural brought all the monster-of-the-week thrills without compromising on character development. Shows like The Vampire Diaries took inspiration from Supernatural‘s success, though it doesn’t stack up in quite the same way.
5
Doctor Who
1963 – Present
Another fantasy sci-fi series that defied the odds, Doctor Who is an undeniable cultural phenomenon. It got its start way back in 1963, and though Doctor Who is technically split into multiple series, it’s still ongoing today. This is made possible by the plot device that sees the show’s protagonist periodically reincarnated into a new body.
There’s no series that has quite captured the success and finesse of Doctor Who. However, dozens of TV shows have taken heavy inspiration from the Doctor’s story. Projects like The Librarians and Warehouse 13 have a similar vibe, while shows like Rick and Morty put a more comical spin on concepts first brought to the screen by Doctor Who.
4
Stranger Things
2016 – 2025
Stranger Things revolutionized TV in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it was a game-changer for Netflix, which was still essentially in the early days of its streaming TV originals. Then, it’s undeniable that Stranger Things sparked a cultural obsession with 1980s nostalgia within television.
Stranger Things took beloved projects like The Goonies and turned them up a notch, combining everything we loved about ’80s media with modern storytelling and SFX. The TV series has since inspired projects like The Umbrella Academy, or even Wednesday, which wouldn’t exist without it.
3
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
1997 – 2001
Though Buffy the Vampire Slayer itself took significant inspiration from The X-Files, it has been largely credited as the originator of the monster-of-the-week genre as we know it. Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer​​​​​’s debut in 1997 was almost immediately followed by a boom of similar TV shows.
Though the genre and tropes that were established in Buffy were repeated throughout several series that followed, perhaps the most impactful way that this show revolutionized TV was with its powerful female lead. This ultimately led to projects like Charmed, Veronica Mars, and more, which leaned into femininity without restricting their audiences.
2
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005 – 2008
Avatar: The Last Airbender achieved something pretty spectacular through the simplest means, and in a rather limited amount of time. With only three seasons and 61 short episodes, this 2005 series challenged everything we thought we knew about American animated TV. Avatar isn’t just a children’s show, but a love letter to fantasy animation and cultural diversity.
Though Asian animation had clearly been around for decades before Avatar: The Last Airbender, this show pulled the curtain back on the American market for similar media. English dubs increased in quality, and US-based live-action remakes became all the rage.
1
Game Of Thrones
2011 – 2019
There has been no fantasy TV show quite as influential as Game of Thrones. There’s a good reason that there aren’t any other high fantasy projects on this list—they were previously just too massive an endeavor. Prior to Game of Thrones, adaptations of popular high fantasy books were made into massive movie franchises, like The Lord of the Rings. They simply required a Hollywood movie budget.
Game of Thrones demonstrated just how far TV had come over the years. The series is done in blockbuster movie quality, and though this was a risk, it paid off spectacularly. This paved the way for other massive fantasy TV adaptations like The Witcher, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Shadow and Bone, and more.
