Sometimes a mom just needs to escape the laundry and ever-growing to do lists and get lost in a different world. A realm with dragons and magic and sword-fighting would do. The hit HBO series The House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones, was the perfect vehicle for this reverie but season two just ended. Season three won’t be around until 2026 so what’s a Westeros loving parent to do?
Never fear, the ten fantasty series on this list will hold you over until then. There’s a little something for everyone on this list from fairytales to musicals to reimagined history. Magic is everywhere if you look for it.
Once Upon a Time
This ABC drama blurred the world of fairytales and real life. It aired for seven seasons so there is lots of romance and intrigue to keep you busy. The action begins when a evil queen named Regina, played by Lana Parrilla, with help from a curse by Rumplestiltskin, played by Robert Carlyle, transports fairytale characters from their world. She wipes their memories and traps them in the real world. The only hope of undoing the curse lies with Emma Swan, played by Jennifer Morrison. She just so happens to be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Watch the happily ever afters on Hulu and Disney+.
The Magicians
This Syfy series could be considered a darker Harry Potter. It is based on Lev Grossman’s novel of the same name. Quentin Coldwater, played by Jason Ralph, and his childhood friend Julia Wicker, played by Stella Maeve, used to pretend they were studying magic at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. They loved the Fillory and Further booke series and wished it was true. Be careful what you wish for because they soon find out magic is real and very dangerous. Cast a spell with this series on Netflix.
Wheels of Time
There is a lot of feminist magic in this Amazon Prime series. There is also a different kind of dragon. The Aes Sedai are a group of powerful women who can use the one power to make the world safe from the dark one. The only thing that could stop them is if the Dragon, a male channeler, reincarnates and gets in the way. This is what brings Moiraine Damodred, played by Rosamund Pike, to Emond’s Field in Two Rivers forever changing the lives of the five teens she seeks.
A Discovery of Witches
This British series is based on Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. The title comes from the first novel in the series. Diana Bishop, played by Teresa Palmer, is skeptical of her magical powers until she stumbles upon a mystical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library when conducting historical research. She is thrust back into the magical world while trying to uncover the book’s secrets. She is helped along the way by the handsome and mysterious vampire Matthew Clairmont, played by Matthew Goode. You can watch the cauldrons bubble on AMC+.
My Lady Jane
This Amazon Prime series is history with a twist. In real life, Lady Jane Grey sat on the English throne for nine days before Mary Tudor had her killed. In My Lady Jane, audiences are offered an alternative verison of events. What if she lived and there were people called Ethians who could turn into animals? What if Jane’s own husband was one of them? Emily Bader played the title role in this delightful show.
The Umbrella Academy
This Netflix show is based on a comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. When 43 women in the world give birth at noon on October 1, 1989 without any warning, billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, played by Colm Feore, adopts seven of these babies. He has six of them fight crime to make the world a better place because they have superhero abilities. One of them he claims has no powers. The seven are reunited years later after their father’s death and find a new mission to save the world from a looming apocalypse.
Galavant
This musical series was the brainchild of This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater provied the music and lyrics. The plot centers on a down but not out knight named Galavant, played by Joshua Sasse. The evil King Richard, played by Timothy Omundson, kidnapped his love Madalena, played by Mallory Jansen. He is determined to rescue her but doesn’t know that she decided she liked Richard’s money and power so she married him and became queen. Sing along on Hulu.
Shadow and Bone
This Netflix series is based on multiple books by Leigh Bardugo, the Six of Crows duology and trilogy of the same name. It tells the story of Alina Starkov, played by Jessie Mei Li. It turns out this orphan has magical powers that just might save her country which has been devastated by war. She has extremely rare ability to summon the sun. Things always look better in the light.
The Letter for the King
This Netflix series is fantasy with a coming of age twist. It is based on Tonke Dragt’s popular 1962 novel. With just six episodes, this show is short but sweet. Tiuri, played by Amir Wilson, wants to be a knight. This leads the young squire to enter into a competition. It is interrupted by the arrival of a black knight whose dying wish is that Tiuri delivers an important letter to King Favian of Unauwen. This turns into an epic adventure.
Locke & Key
All three seasons of this spooky fantasy series can be found on Netflix. It’s based on a series of comic books with the same name by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez. After the murder of her husband, Nina Locke, played by Darby Stanchfield, moves the kids to the Locke family home in Matheson, Massachusetts. Keyhouse is not your average house as Connor, Emilia, and Jackson soon discover. An evil spirit wants the magical keys that unlock the doors within.
