Some will always disagree, but fantasy TV has undeniably gone south. That’s not saying much since fantasy has never been a strong genre, with a few notable exceptions.
Everyone is trying to replicate the success and appeal of Game of Thrones, and no one is asking themselves: What made Game of Thrones so good to begin with?
Even the world’s on-and-off-again richest man, Jeff Bezos, expressed a desire for an Amazon series that can replicate Game of Thrones’ success.
Instead, we got Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power. The former is mediocre in terms of entertainment and viewership (though improving incrementally), and the latter is simply a disgrace to modern television.
Netflix gave us the promising Witcher series but took a steaming dump on it partway through season 2. Westworld collapsed, and His Dark Materials is merely watchable and soon drawing to a permanent close.
The only truly comparable fantasy TV setting is, well, more Game of Thrones in the form of House of the Dragon. The thing is, people get bored with repetition, especially when repetition is executed poorly.
The Fantasy Genre Needs Some Creativity
We get it. Grey morality is an intriguing character study and a large part of George R.R. Martin’s successful book series long before it became a hit on HBO.
We can always count on the entertainment industry to beat a dead horse, kick it a few more times, light it on fire, and roll it down the side of a mountain for good measure (I’m pointing my finger at you, MCU).
Not everything has to mirror the ‘grimdark’ realism of moral ambiguity. Most human beings are well aware that we are capable of walking a fine line between what is right and what is evil.
Maritn’s success, and indeed the show’s, is not just based on that fine line but also on consequences for those who refuse it, embracing one side or the other. Ned Stark’s honor blinded him.
Danaery’s tyrannical despotism was her undoing. While the Jon Snows and Bran Starks went on, the entire series is a snippet of their lives, neither indicating an honorable ending or a fall from grace.
After all, we’re talking about the fantasy genre. There must be rules — some basic grounding in believability, but there is more than one formula.
To be fair, ‘grimdark’ fantasy sprang from the tired, formulaic trends within the fantasy genre at the time—elves, fairies, dwarves, and gnomes, oh my! Now, something similar needs to happen if fantasy TV is to avoid the same trappings of redundancy.
That’s not to say that ‘grimdark’ doesn’t have a place amongst TV favorites. After all, House of the Dragon, The Witcher (at least for a little while), and even The Wheel of Time, to a degree, remain popular.
What’s in Store for the Fantasy Genre?
For as long as dark, gritty fantasy remains popular, similar shows will continue to pop out of the entertainment machine every year. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more.
Some point to ‘cozy’ fantasy or ‘hopepunk’ as potential niches within the overall genre. They exist mostly in anime content, for now, but perhaps not forever.
What it will take is an epic breakthrough, similar to Game of Thrones. Within the fantasy genre, there are roughly 50 or so subgenres, including gas lamp, steampunk, magical realism, flintlock, arcane punk, and general dark fantasy.
Some are completely separate from grimdark, while others share similar characteristics. For example, Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass is known as ‘Assassin’ fantasy. In 2016, a fantasy TV series version of her series was announced, though nothing has come of it so far.
There are some upcoming opportunities for different fantasy subgenres to supplant Game of Thrones, though it will not be easy.
Peacock is reportedly developing a fantasy TV version of author Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen. Set in a near-future America under the yoke of monarchism, Red Queen includes some fantasy elements, such as superhuman abilities.
Black Bear Television is developing a series version of Legendborn, a Young Adult fantasy series written by Tracy Deonn. Amazon, not satisfied with The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time, is developing a Ninth House series based on the same book.
The Poppy War (Rebecca F. Kuang) and The Atlas Six (Olivia Blake) are also in the works.
If It’s Popular, Why Does It Matter?
Look at Disney and the MCU. Granted, Deadpool and Wolverine are exceptions to the overall rule, but most of the series coming out these days go belly up in a hurry.
Of course, there are flaws in several of Disney’s releases that have little to do with the genre, but there’s a general sense of malaise settling over the MCU. No matter how good things are, everything gets boring eventually.
The list of Disney’s cancellations continues to grow, with What if…?, She-Hulk, Agent Carter, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Haileys On It!, Secret Invasion, Echo, and The Ghost and Molly McGee all in the landfill of Disney failures.
Plus, a large swath of the average American viewer has all the attention span of a goldfish. If it’s not entertaining, it’s not gonna fly.
Currently, grimdark remains popular, and shows like House of the Dragon are the proof in the pudding. But perhaps that’s not exactly accurate. Is grimdark popular, or are well-written and acted shows popular?
I think it’s more the latter than the former. Doctor Who started off with a $50k budget. Breaking Bad was nearly canceled following the first season. Parks and Recreation had low viewership ratings to begin with, but look at it now.
Firefly led to Serenity. Peaky Blinders, Empire, Red Dwarf, and The Outer Limits all started with a low budget and very little hope, but fantastic writing and excellent acting drove them all into the stratosphere.
Change is a Good Thing
Movies and TV go through phases. As a Gen X, I had to sit through every Western ever made because it’s what my parents grew up on. The age of the sitcom encompassed most of the ’80s and ’90s.
The 2000s were all about reality television, with Real World, American Idol, Big Brother, and Survivor becoming hugely popular.
Now, the most popular thing on TV is basically whatever entertains the most, with in-depth stories, excellent acting, character arcs, complexity, and depth.
We can argue that drama is the most popular genre today, but drama is nothing if not diverse, heavily infusing itself into just about any genre.
The argument for eschewing grimdark fantasy TV in favor of the scores of other subgenres is simply one of variety. In fact, grimdark doesn’t need to go away. House of the Dragon is doing well and will likely continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Throw a Conan the Barbarian in there. Remake Xena. Where in the world is Red Rising? Granted, that last is more of a Sci-Fi genre written by Pierce Brown, but you get the point.
There are a ton of subgenres out there. With the right showrunners, Brent Week’s Night Angel Trilogy, Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series, or R.A. Salvatore’s Dizzt Do’Urden series might see the light of day.
Dragonlance, The Eyes of the Dragon, Rigante, Uprooted, Abhorsen, The Emperor’s Blades, The Lies of Locke Lamora, Sand, The Stormlight Archive, and so many more are sitting on bookshelves somewhere.
Here’s to seeing them brought to the small screen in the near future.
Where do you want to see the future of fantasy TV take us? Share your thoughts in the comments, and weigh in on our poll below.