Fantasy shows have huge potential, as series like Game of Thrones and Supernatural demonstrate. However, not every addition to the genre winds up attracting mainstream audiences and blowing up the way those two did. Even fantasy titles that are supposed to be massive can fail, a harsh reality for fans of the category.
In recent years, numerous fantasy titles attached to established and proven IP have flopped, despite plenty of hype leading up to their debuts. Some of these made it beyond a single season, but even then, a full run wasn’t guaranteed. Others should have been bigger deals than they were, as they had the audiences, name recognition, and backing to succeed. Sadly, they still didn’t.
8
Shadow And Bone
Canceled After 2 Seasons
Easily one of the most disappointing fantasy cancellations in recent years, Shadow and Bone was supposed to be a huge release for Netflix. The streamer poured a lot into the series, with its budget for each episode reportedly being between $3 million and $5 million (via Comic Book Resources).
Given that everything from Shadow and Bone‘s casting to its costumes and effects proved impressive for a new series, it’s not surprising that Netflix dedicated a lot of money to the show. And taking the popularity of Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling books into account, it should have yielded huge results.
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To be fair, Shadow and Bone did get renewed for season 2 — so Netflix’s approach to season 1 seemingly worked. However, Shadow and Bone was canceled after its second outing, with viewership numbers allegedly not justifying the costs. It’s a shame, as this series really did have the potential to become a massive addition to the fantasy genre (especially if its Six of Crows spinoff came to fruition).
7
The Wheel Of Time
Canceled After 3 Seasons
Widely considered some of the greatest fantasy books of all time, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time novels seemed like obvious contenders for a TV adaptation. Sure, the massive scope of the source material meant that changes would be necessary when bringing the series to life on-screen. Even so, the books’ reputation ensured any anticipation would be highly anticipated.
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This was why Prime Video’s Wheel of Time show should have been huge. Indeed, many believed it would be one of the series to potentially replace Game of Thrones in the fantasy landscape. However, despite The Wheel of Time season 1 allegedly having an $80 budget (via GQ), it just didn’t live up to all the excitement.
For one, The Wheel of Time still didn’t look as incredible as viewers had hoped (though its production value did improve as it continued). The changes made to Jordan’s books also left longtime fans feeling conflicted. After much criticism, Prime Video canceled The Wheel of Time after season 3, arguably just as the show was truly getting good.
6
The Shannara Chronicles
Canceled After 2 Seasons
Terry Brooks’ Shannara books are bestsellers and have an established audience, which made adapting them something of a no-brainer. While the novels never reached the acclaim of series like A Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time, they were big enough that a TV series based on them should have drawn crowds.
Sadly, even though the show should have been huge, it didn’t do the source material justice.
And The Shannara Chronicles premiering in 2016 should have allowed it to capitalize on the excitement of Game of Thrones without having to compete with all the competitors that surfaced after the HBO series. Sadly, even though the show should have been huge, it didn’t do the source material justice. It also aired on MTV, then Spike TV, both questionable choices for a fantasy series.
These things contributed to The Shannara Chronicles being canceled before season 3 could happen. Its established fan base and production value should have prevented its failure, but The Shannara Chronicles remains a lesser-known addition to the fantasy TV space.
5
The Winchesters
Canceled After 1 Season
Supernatural ran for 15 seasons on The CW, and the show’s legacy is still strong today — so much so that many are hoping for a Supernatural revival in the near future. With the massive success of Supernatural in mind, The Winchesters should have had an equally fruitful run. That’s no doubt what The CW had in mind when green-lighting the prequel.
Not only did The Winchesters have a connection to a well-loved series supporting it, but it also saw Supernatural star Jensen Ackles stepping into a producer role. All this should have added up to a massive hit for the network, but The Winchesters didn’t resonate with viewers and was canceled accordingly.
4
Kaos
Canceled After 1 Season
Kaos
- Release Date
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2024 – 2024-00-00
- Directors
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Georgi Banks-Davies, Runyararo Mapfumo
With a stacked cast that included the likes of Jeff Goldblum and Janet McTeer, Netflix had to have viewed Kaos as a likely hit. However, the lack of marketing for the fantasy series — combined with an oversaturation of the genre — ensured otherwise. Still, even the production value of the show suggested it was expected to be a success. Why else would Netflix pour such resources into it?
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And Kaos had all the makings of a great fantasy series; it certainly could have grown into a huge hit if it had been given the opportunity to continue. Sadly, Kaos was canceled after just one season, raising questions about why Netflix even bothered with it. Like many other additions to the genre, its costs necessitated a large viewership. That’s something Kaos wasn’t given much time to accumulate.
3
The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance
Canceled After 1 Season
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was another show with an impressive cast and hefty budget ($97.7 million, according to Collider). Netflix clearly believed in its potential, and its connection to Jim Henson’s 1982 film likely inspired confidence in its chances of success as well. Unfortunately, even with all its potential, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance mostly flew under the radar upon its 2019 release.
This led to Netflix canceling the series after just one season, despite generally positive responses from audiences. (The series maintains an 89% critic score and 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) While the COVID-19 pandemic and its production issues may have contributed to the show’s disappointing fate, the production costs probably didn’t do it any favors.
2
Shadowhunters
Canceled After 3 Seasons
Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters books are incredibly popular, and readers have been hoping for a faithful adaptation since the City of Bones movie failed to deliver in 2013. Freeform’s Shadowhunters show should have been a huge hit for giving the bestselling books a second chance at a proper adapation. However, it didn’t do a much better job of bringing the source material to life.
For all intents and purposes, an adaptation of Clare’s books should have been bigger.
Shadowhunters‘ built-in audience couldn’t overlook the many book-to-screen changes that were made, and that’s not to mention the poor production quality. For all intents and purposes, an adaptation of Clare’s books should have been bigger. However, the way Shadowhunters handled the story prevented it from appealing to its own fan base, much less newcomers. It was canceled after three seasons.
1
Legacies
Canceled After 4 Seasons
Legacies
4/10
- Release Date
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2018 – 2022-00-00
Legacies was meant to capitalize on the massive success of both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, but the follow-up series never reached the heights of either. The spinoff did get four seasons before it was canceled by The CW, but none of them were particularly impactful, especially compared to their predecessors.
When viewership began to decline, axing Legacies made sense for the network (especially amid the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger). But it did attempt to appeal to longtime TVD and Originals fans with its cameos and connections, which indicated that The CW hoped it would find similar success. Sadly, this wasn’t in the cards for the fantasy show, despite its dedicated audience.
