The fantasy genre on television has been dominated by the Game of Thrones franchise for 15 years now. It all started, of course, with HBO’s central Game of Thrones series, which premiered in 2011. This was an absolute game changer for the genre. Hit fantasy books were more often adapted into movies at that time, but HBO quickly proved that cinematic quality, long-form TV shows were the way to go. Since then, Game of Thrones just hasn’t stopped.

We’ve now had two Game of Thrones spinoff TV shows. House of the Dragon debuted in 2022 and is set to conclude with season 4, likely in 2028. This year marked the premiere of HBO’s second prequel series within the franchise, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, another massive hit that is revolutionary in its own right. Between these three, it has been pretty clear what franchise rules fantasy television, but there’s about to be a massive shift in the landscape.

While A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is expected to continue for several more seasons, HBO Max currently has no other Game of Thrones TV projects planned. An Aegon’s Conquest movie is on the way, as are a handful of animated projects, but for the first time in years, it looks as if live-action TV expansion isn’t the goal. In the meantime, it feels as if the fantasy genre is taking a deep breath ahead of a massive wave of brand new adaptations.

It’s quite staggering just how many massive TV fantasy adaptations are on the way. Apple TV is tackling Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive, marking the streamer’s first great leap into high fantasy. Prime Video, which has already been doing its best to keep up with Game of Thrones, has Fourth Wing, God of War, and The Dark Tower in the works, all of which are based on major fantasy book or video game series. Netflix is working on a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series (Ravenloft), while a Warhammer 40,000 series is also in development. This new era looks to be a golden one.

The TV Fantasy Genre (Including Game Of Thrones) Desperately Needed A Change

What is truly exciting about this new wave of fantasy TV shows is the sheer variety. There have been plenty of new fantasy TV shows over the years, but many of them felt like copies or imitations of Game of Thrones. Everyone wanted to be edgy, violent, shocking, and expensive, but very few actually hit the mark. Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon weren’t just ruling the genre because of high ratings, but because they seemed to be the spiritual target of every new series.

The Stormlight Archive, Fourth Wing, The Dark Tower, Ravenloft, Warhammer 40,000, and God of War will all have some overlap with Game of Thrones, but each is extremely distinct from George R.R. Martin’s or HBO’s style. Brandon Sanderson is an iconic fantasy author, known for his complex magic systems and world-building. There will be no need for Apple TV to lean on the legacy of Game of Thrones, since the hit Cosmere can support itself effortlessly. The same is true, to varying degrees and for different purposes, for the rest.

This new era for fantasy television will mean a lot more flavor variety across the board, and that’s great for Game of Thrones, too. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already very different from its franchise predecessors, so between this and all these upcoming projects, we’re getting a break from that classic Game of Thrones style. It will mean that, when the time comes for that style to return, we won’t be so burned out on it. From this point onward, the TV fantasy landscape will be all about variety.

Release Date

2011 – 2019-00-00

Showrunner

David Benioff, D.B. Weiss

Directors

David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff