8 Epic Shows Like Wheel of Time

Of course, we can’t talk about epic fantasy television series of the 21st century without touching on the mega-hit that changed the game.

George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series combines a complex web of political machinations with hardcore violence, ultra-high stakes, and a true sense of surprise. But even die-hard lovers of the book weren’t guaranteed to know everything that would happen in the world of the show. 

The final season of GoT may have soured many on the series. Still, it's impossible to forget how influential many of the early episodes were, with iconic moments like the Red Wedding, the murder of Joffrey, and Cersei’s walk of shame.

Fantasy TV series will live under the shadow of Game of Thrones for decades to come, and with good reason. 

Based on the best-selling YA series by Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone is a Russian-inspired saga that made for perfect glossy TV binge-watch material. 

The heroine is Alina Starkov, an orphan and cartographer of the Ravka nation's First Army. Then Alina discovers that she is a Grisha, and her magical gifts as a Sun Summoner put her in intense danger.

Kaz Brekker, leader of a gang called the Crows, is hired to kidnap Alina, while witch hunters are sent to kill her. 

The characters in this adaptation are older than they are in the books. But that allows the series to explore darker themes and to throw in a few more visceral thrills, all of which make for gripping viewing.

Orlando Bloom stars in this steampunk fantasy drama that's inspired by Victorian penny dreadfuls. In Carnival Row, Rycroft Philostrate is an inspector and war veteran who works in a city where fae and other magical creatures live alongside, but are ostracized by, humans. 

Rycroft is called to investigate a series of violent attacks on fae-folk, even as his fellow officers sneer at the victims. Circumstances force him to team up with his ex, fae Vignette Stonemoss, who previously thought that Rycroft was dead. 

The pair soon discover that there are far darker things bubbling under the surface of the city, and that the fate of all fae-kind may be at risk.

RELATED: 10 Books Like Wheel of Time

Lev Grossman’s acclaimed Magicians novels, which are frequently described as 'Harry Potter for adults,' was adapted into one of SYFY’s most striking and inclusive original series.

In The Magicians, Quentin Coldwater enrolls at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. While there, he discovers that a series of novels he was obsessed with as a child are real, and actually pose a threat to the existence of humanity. 

Soon Quentin and his friends, including Julia—who was denied entry to Brakebills—must find a balance between the worlds, and come into their own as magicians before they lose everything they hold dear. 

The Magicians faced a lot of controversy for its handling of traumatic issues such as rape, and we don't blame you if that makes this show a no-go for you. For those who are interested, however, the show features sophisticated and layered explorations of very adult ideas that fantasy TV often doesn't tackle. 

The Witcher novels are some of the best-selling books ever published in the Polish language, and they achieved even bigger attention when they were adapted into a beloved video game series. 

It was inevitable that we'd eventually get a TV series, and Netflix's expensive and lovingly-detailed adaptation is everything that fans could have hoped for. 

Henry Cavill is ideally cast (and extremely handsome) as Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous witcher, who hunts monsters while fighting off wizards, knights, and occasionally a traveling bard. 

Geralt crosses paths with Crown Princess Ciri of Cintra, whom he unknowingly demanded as a reward for his services. It's not hard to see why The Witcher is one of Netflix's most-watched original series. 

Want detailed worldbuilding, but set in space? The Expanse has you covered. 

Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse is set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System. The United Nations of Earth and Luna are an aging colonial power, while the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars is garnering military force at an alarming rate. Between these two forces is the asteroid belt, in which Belters try to carve out a living. 

A rag-tag group of cops, space pilots, and ambassadors must work to stave off war between Earth and Mars, all while they find themselves embroiled in an existential crisis brought on by by newly-discovered alien technology.

Fans of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials books waited almost as long for a faithful TV adaptation of the novels as The Wheel of Time fans did. Fortunately, the BBC and HBO eventually complied. 

Lyra is a young orphan who lives in a version of Oxford University in which people have shape-shifting soul companions named daemons. She discovers a dangerous secret involving the Magesterium, the religious body that controls her world. Now, a mysterious substance known only as Dust could prove the existence of sin itself.

Like its source material, the His Dark Materials series is a mixture of old-school adventure, dense philosophical theory, and an allegorical critique of organized religion. There really is nothing else quite like it out there.

If you love The Wheel of Time novels, then chances are high that you've also read the Sword of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks. MTV adapted the saga into a show that lasted two seasons and inspired a devoted fan base. 

Austin Butler (now making waves in the biopic Elvis) stars as Wil Ohmsford, a half-human/half-elf who is the last descendant of the ancient Shannara family. He is destined to save the Four Lands from malicious demons who were previously banished from their world. 

This series features some old-school sword and sorcery tropes, and is the kind of show that encourages newcomers to delve deeper into the fantasy genre.