Supernatural fans got a big bang for their buck when it came to this beloved fantasy show, but there are other long-running series in the genre that are just as great. Dean and Sam Winchester’s adventures spanned far and wide across Supernatural‘s 15 seasons, but that’s not all there is to love about the CW show.

Between the protagonists’ brotherly bond and the series’ rich lore to the found family made along the way to Supernatural‘s best monsters-of-the-week, there was something for every type of fantasy fan to latch onto. The best fantasy shows to watch next don’t just have multiple seasons, but also touch on these core Supernatural themes.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

1997-2003, 7 Seasons

The Supernatural prototype, Buffy the Vampire Slayer started off as a monster-of-the-week show, but it evolved into so much more. Just as Sam and Dean are supported by a misfit found family, Buffy Summers has her Scooby Gang — a motley crew of humans, witches and other mythical beings — to help her fight evil.

While the Winchester boys travel all across America, Buffy and the Scoobies rarely venture outside of Sunnydale, California, as it’s quite the hotbed of demonic activity, being on a Hellmouth and all. The town’s mortality rate is actually a running joke in Buffy, and like Supernatural, the ’90s series weaves a healthy dose of humor and witty banter in with its darkness.

Buffy also continued to build upon its lore as the seasons progressed, creating a rich fantasy world for genre fans to immerse themselves in. Also, just as Castiel became an instant fan favorite when he first showed up in season 4, some of Buffy‘s best characters were introduced after season 1, including Castiel’s counterpart, Spike.

Grimm

2011-2017, 6 Seasons

If Supernatural were a police procedural, it would look a lot like Grimm. Though the NBC show would later develop more serial plotlines and complex mythology, Grimm‘s early seasons largely followed Supernatural‘s “case-of-the-week” format.

Whereas Dean and Sam chose to become demon hunters, Grimm protagonist Nick Burkhardt descends from a long line of the titular supernatural beings, who are bestowed with the powers to fight malevolent fantastical forces, aka Wesen. All protagonists have made this their life’s work, with the Supernatural boys working privately while Nick is a detective with the Portland police department.

Grimm is the perfect Supernatural replacement in that it not only grows its lore but also deeply develops its characters, who form complex relationships along the way. Those who love the Winchesters but sometimes want a breather from the apocalyptic stakes the characters find themselves in will definitely enjoy escaping into the more grounded world of Grimm.

• Stream on Prime Video and Peacock

The Magicians

2015-2020, 5 Seasons

For Supernatural fans who also love dark academia, there is no better show to watch than The Magicians. Secrecy is a big part of many of the best fantasy shows — while Dean and Sam largely operate in secret, The Magicians is about an entire secret magic school.

The school in question is Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, which protagonist Quentin Coldwater enrolls in to study as a magician. There, he learns that his favorite childhood fairytale world is real, but rather than being a dreamland of escape, it poses a dark threat to humanity.

Just as Quentin discovers the sinister side of folklore and fairytales, Supernatural explores a lot of urban legends, religious texts, and real-world myths and occultism. Also similar in both shows is the lovable, unique found family the protagonists find along the way as they grapple with these formidable supernatural threats.

Haven

2010-2015, 5 Seasons

With Sam and Dean travelling all across the United States in Supernatural‘s iconic 1967 Chevrolet Impala, small-town Americana is very much at the heart of the CW show. This is something Supernatural has in common with Haven, which takes place in the titular Maine town.

Many don’t know that Haven is actually a loose Stephen King adaptation of his 2005 novel, The Colorado Kid (though the Maine location may have given it away). In the show, Audrey Parker serves as the Dean/Sam counterpart, as she is an FBI Special Agent who is dispatched to Haven, where she finds herself having to contend with “The Troubles,” a pervasive spread of supernatural afflictions.

A capable outsider protagonist, supernatural threats, and a thoroughly American setting that is itself a main character are the core ingredients of both shows. Plus, being a Stephen King show, Haven boasts some great spooky elements without ever becoming too scary, which is something that Supernatural fans can appreciate.

The Witcher

2019-Present 4 Seasons

While The Witcher is a very much a high fantasy series — taking place in an entirely mythical world — and Supernatural is low fantasy — has fantastical elements but takes place in the real world — there is a lot of crossover appeal. For one, The Witcher hero Geralt of Rivia is always on the move, just like Dean and Sam.

In the fantasy world of the Netflix series, a “witcher” is a monster hunter with magical abilities, which Geralt puts to good use in the show as he travels around and saves the day. Much like Supernatural, The Witcher‘s first season is more of a monster-of-the-week format, with future seasons spending more time on an overarching narrative, further incorporating characters such as sorceress Yennefer and princess Ciri.

There was a lot of controversy around The Witcher‘s recasting Geralt of Rivia, with Henry Cavill departing the role and Liam Hemsworth taking over. While many will argue that the show lost a lot with Cavill’s exit, Supernatural fans looking for a similar story but with big-budget, high fantasy spectacle have a perfect binge-watch in The Witcher.

Release Date

2005 – 2020

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Directors

Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund

Writers

Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway