Television series

The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia hacks his way across a corrupt, war-torn continent, one monster contract at a time, while political and magical currents drag him toward a destiny he keeps insisting he doesn't believe in. It's grim, gorgeous, and gory in equal measure — sword fights choreographed like ballet, court intrigue thick as mud. Good for anyone who wants their fantasy morally muddy and their monsters memorable.

TVMaze rating7.8

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Game of Thrones2011

The show that proved fantasy could carry prestige-drama weight — political scheming, brutal violence, and characters you love right up until they're gone. If you want the genre's high-water mark for ambition and cruelty, start here.

But The final seasons collapse under their own hype, and the ending will colour how you remember the whole thing.

Game of Thrones poster

The Mandalorian2019

Swap swords for a blaster and you've got the same lone-wanderer-with-a-code structure, monster-of-the-week episodes, and a gruff hero slowly thawing. Cleaner, kinder, and just as fun to watch fight.

But It's Star Wars comfort food — lower stakes, simpler morality, none of the Continent's grubby cynicism.

The Mandalorian poster

Shadow and Bone2021

Younger, glossier, and built from a different but equally rich fantasy world, with the same mix of magic-users, monsters, and court politics pulling ordinary people into extraordinary danger.

But Leans more YA than grimdark — the violence has teeth but the romance takes up more screen time.

Shadow and Bone poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kwaidan1965

The Witcher's monster-of-the-week structure descends from exactly this kind of folk tale — Kwaidan shows where that DNA comes from, stripped of quest narrative and played for pure, patient dread.

Four ghost stories drawn from Japanese folklore, shot on soundstages built like paintings — every frame is deliberate, eerie, and gorgeous, proof that folk-horror monsters can carry real dread without a drop of CGI.

But It's slow, subtitled, and built for atmosphere rather than action — nobody swings a sword.

Kwaidan poster
More like this (8)

The Wheel of Time2021

Sprawling high fantasy with prophecy, ancient evil, and a found-family cast slowly discovering their powers — for anyone who wants the world-building scale of the books Sapkowski was riffing on and against.

But The pacing is uneven and the mythology takes real patience to untangle.

The Wheel of Time poster

Vikings2013

Trade magic for history and you still get the shield walls, blood feuds, and morally grey warriors carving out their fates against gods who may or may not be listening.

But No sorcery, no monsters — just men and women doing horrible things to each other, which some Witcher fans miss.

Vikings poster

The Last Kingdom2015

Another wandering warrior stuck between two worlds, this one Saxon versus Dane instead of human versus monster, with the same brutal shield-and-sword choreography and long-game politics.

But It's earthbound where Witcher is fantastical — if you came for the magic, this'll feel thin.

The Last Kingdom poster

His Dark Materials2019

A different flavour of fated-child fantasy, with armored bears and multiple worlds standing in for monsters and magic, and a similarly steely young heroine at its centre.

But Aimed a notch younger and gentler — don't expect the Witcher's grit or body count.

His Dark Materials poster

Conan the Barbarian1982

The granddaddy of the sword-swinging loner genre — Schwarzenegger at his most mythic, all oiled muscle and pulpy vengeance, laying groundwork every modern fantasy hero since has borrowed from.

But Dated effects and a script that's basically an excuse for set pieces — style over substance, unapologetically.

Conan the Barbarian poster

Legend of the Seeker2008no page yet

A cheerfully old-school fantasy adventure series with a reluctant chosen one, a witch-like guide, and monster-of-the-week plotting — comfort viewing from the era before prestige fantasy took over.

But Low-budget and cheesy by comparison — think Saturday afternoon fantasy, not streaming spectacle.

A Fistful of Dollars1964

Geralt is a witcher-shaped Man With No Name — the mercenary code, the reluctant heroism, the towns that use him then blame him. This is the mold he was cast from, just with six-shooters instead of silver swords.

Clint Eastwood, poncho and all, drifts into town, takes a contract, and lets violence do the talking — the blueprint for every taciturn wandering antihero who solves other people's messes for coin.

But No magic, no monsters — just dust, silence, and gunfights, which might feel like a genre downgrade if you came for sorcery.

A Fistful of Dollars poster

Xena: Warrior Princess1995

Strip out The Witcher's moral murk and political dread and you're left with this — the same fantasy chassis, but built for joy instead of despair, and unafraid to be silly about it.

Same swords-and-monsters engine as The Witcher, but cranked into gleeful, low-budget camp — a warrior with a dark past redeeming herself one absurd myth-adjacent adventure at a time.

But The effects are cheap, the tone is broad, and it will not scratch any grimdark itch whatsoever.

Xena: Warrior Princess poster

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