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Fantasy TV show recommendations
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1
#1
0 Frags +

I am looking for a good fantasy show to pick up and start watching. I love Firefly and Game of Thrones, so hopefully you guys have some suggestions of stuff along those lines. It could be sci-fi, medieval, and to be honest, even if it's not strictly fantasy, but just a good show, I still will probably check it out.

I am looking for a good fantasy show to pick up and start watching. I love Firefly and Game of Thrones, so hopefully you guys have some suggestions of stuff along those lines. It could be sci-fi, medieval, and to be honest, even if it's not strictly fantasy, but just a good show, I still will probably check it out.
2
#2
1 Frags +

I've been hooked on Merlin recently. It has its sappy moments, but on the whole it's very well-acted and produced.

I've been hooked on Merlin recently. It has its sappy moments, but on the whole it's very well-acted and produced.
3
#3
2 Frags +

Merlin's pretty good. Vikings on History(?) is really solid. Heroes was okay for a few seasons then trailed off. Of course there's Doctor Who, Sherlock, etc.

I really have been digging Agents of SHIELD recently. If you're into comic-type shows that's pretty solid.

And for cartoon scifi just watch Rick and Morty. Seriously the greatest cartoon on television right now.

Merlin's pretty good. Vikings on History(?) is really solid. Heroes was okay for a few seasons then trailed off. Of course there's Doctor Who, Sherlock, etc.

I really have been digging Agents of SHIELD recently. If you're into comic-type shows that's pretty solid.

And for cartoon scifi just watch Rick and Morty. Seriously the greatest cartoon on television right now.
4
#4
9 Frags +

If you like urban-fantasy, "Arrow" is a pretty solid Nolan-esque take on Green Arrow. It does justice to the characters while having their own interesting spin on things. It also kinda does a LOST style mystery format where you get character-driven flashbacks on an island throughout each episode. It falls into some of the tropes that most CW shows do, but overall it's very good.

Plus Slade Wilson is awesome.

If you like urban-fantasy, "Arrow" is a pretty solid Nolan-esque take on Green Arrow. It does justice to the characters while having their own interesting spin on things. It also kinda does a LOST style mystery format where you get character-driven flashbacks on an island throughout each episode. It falls into some of the tropes that most CW shows do, but overall it's very good.

Plus Slade Wilson is awesome.
5
#5
0 Frags +

I've seen Merlin and once you get into it it can really get you hooked, can recommend if you're looking for a solid fantasy show.

I've seen Merlin and once you get into it it can really get you hooked, can recommend if you're looking for a solid fantasy show.
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#6
0 Frags +

Once Upon a Time isn't half bad.

Once Upon a Time isn't half bad.
7
#7
1 Frags +
HueyLewisIf you like urban-fantasy, "Arrow" is a pretty solid Nolan-esque take on Green Arrow. It does justice to the characters while having their own interesting spin on things. It also kinda does a LOST style mystery format where you get character-driven flashbacks on an island throughout each episode. It falls into some of the tropes that most CW shows do, but overall it's very good.

Plus Slade Wilson is awesome.

i was so foolish to think that i couldnt get more attracted to you than i already was huey. arrows the shit. if you want great acting and super crisp dialogue this probably won't satisfy, but if you're looking for a show that blends some interesting characters with really well done action sequences and nerd-pleasing nods to the DC universe then it really delivers. love that show.

also there apparently making a spinoff that centers around the best superhero ever aka barry allen aka the FLASH. looking forward to that.

[quote=HueyLewis]If you like urban-fantasy, "Arrow" is a pretty solid Nolan-esque take on Green Arrow. It does justice to the characters while having their own interesting spin on things. It also kinda does a LOST style mystery format where you get character-driven flashbacks on an island throughout each episode. It falls into some of the tropes that most CW shows do, but overall it's very good.

Plus Slade Wilson is awesome.[/quote]


i was so foolish to think that i couldnt get more attracted to you than i already was huey. arrows the shit. if you want great acting and super crisp dialogue this probably won't satisfy, but if you're looking for a show that blends some interesting characters with really well done action sequences and nerd-pleasing nods to the DC universe then it really delivers. love that show.

also there apparently making a spinoff that centers around the best superhero ever aka barry allen aka the FLASH. looking forward to that.
8
#8
2 Frags +

Make love to me, Argo.

Make love to me, Argo.
9
#9
1 Frags +

Any Stargate, but I would start with SG1 (Amazon). Other good one include Warehouse 13, BSG, and I forgot my last one. Anyways, Stargate SG1 is like 10 seasons, Atlantis is 5 seasons, and SGU is two. So just those shows alone with take a long time to watch.

Any Stargate, but I would start with SG1 (Amazon). Other good one include Warehouse 13, BSG, and I forgot my last one. Anyways, Stargate SG1 is like 10 seasons, Atlantis is 5 seasons, and SGU is two. So just those shows alone with take a long time to watch.
10
#10
2 Frags +

Stargate

holy hell fzero you posted 17 seconds before me cmon m8

Stargate

holy hell fzero you posted 17 seconds before me cmon m8
11
#11
0 Frags +
GgglygyStargate

holy hell fzero you posted 17 seconds before me cmon m8

Lol

Oh and you don't actually have to watch the movie, it's not that important. Maybe it's just me, but I hated Kurt Russell playing Jack O'Neill.

[quote=Ggglygy]Stargate

holy hell fzero you posted 17 seconds before me cmon m8[/quote]

Lol

Oh and you don't actually have to watch the movie, it's not that important. Maybe it's just me, but I hated Kurt Russell playing Jack O'Neill.
12
#12
0 Frags +

Grimm.
for sure.

Grimm.
for sure.
13
#13
1 Frags +

Battlestar Galactica is awesome (the modern one)

Battlestar Galactica is awesome (the modern one)
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#14
2 Frags +

Rome

Rome
15
#15
5 Frags +

Sleepy Hollow is surprisingly good. It tends to neatly sidestep plot clichés/tropes, and it works hard at being consistent.

Carnivàle is an older, complicated fantasy show with great acting and cinematography - but keep in mind it was cancelled before its storyline was complete.

Wonderfalls had fantastical elements and was a cute & quirky little show. It only had one season but it was an enjoyable one.

It's been a while, but I seem to recall the first season of Witchblade being entertaining, and the second a bit of a letdown.

Supernatural is campy fun that's smart enough to know when not to take itself seriously, but can still pull off some good drama (and annoying melodrama). It's too uneven to be a great show, but given it's about to enter its 10th season, that unevenness is probably inevitable.

American Horror Story has great acting and a fantastic premise...but because of terrible plotting/writing I can't in good conscience recommend it. (Sadly, I feel like I can say this about any Ryan Murphy show.)

Archer is smart and hilarious animated action fun. And my god do they know how to keep continuity, as well as how to utilize callback jokes better than most any other show (sorry, Arrested Development).

Of the suggestions from other posters, I've watched Doctor Who, Sherlock, Battlestar Galactica, and Agents of Shield. While Doctor Who and Sherlock are two of my favorite shows of all time, you'll probably find Battlestar Galactica shares more in spirit with Game of Thrones than the others (I haven't seen Rome, but Rome also looks like it's in the same vein, and *maybe* House of Cards as well). Personally, Agents of Shield hasn't quite won me over yet. If you want to go Whedon (and not have to watch several seasons), I'd suggest Dollhouse over Agents of Shield (so far, at least).

Arrow is on my to-watch list as is Hannibal, Merlin, Bitten, and Teen Wolf (just to see what the hype is about). Orphan Black looks fantastic and I suspect it might be the exact show the OP is looking for, but since I haven't seen it yet, I can't say for sure. I tried Once Upon a Time and Grimm, but I'm a huge fan of the comic series Fables (the basis for Telltale's Wolf Among Us game) and as a result I couldn't help but make unfavorable comparisons between the shows and the comic. My guess is that someone who isn't familiar with Fables will get more out of those shows than I can.

Even though it doesn't share much in common with the other shows I've listed, I'd be remiss if I didn't add my current favorite show, Justified. It's a show with great acting, fantastic dialogue, and a sneaky, snarky sense of humor. Episodes 2 thru 6 of the first season are a bit weaker than the rest of the series, but the show picks up in episode 7 and then just doesn't stop. It's the perfect kind of show for fans of Breaking Bad, The Wire, and True Detective to enjoy. It has two episodes left in its current season before it gears up for its sixth and final season (the network wanted it to run longer, but the showrunners didn't want to risk the quality of the show degrading) and now is the perfect time to catch-up. Unfortunately, the one bad thing about Justified is that it's only available to stream on Amazon and not Netflix.

Finally, if you want to watch something while you're figuring out what you should watch - and I know this happens to a lot of us - Whose Line is it Anyway is currently airing new episodes. It's a bit more formulaic than it was back in the day of Clive Anderson and Twiglets, but there's an energy to it that the Drew Carey years had started to lack.

[i]Sleepy Hollow[/i] is surprisingly good. It tends to neatly sidestep plot clichés/tropes, and it works hard at being consistent.

[i]Carnivàle[/i] is an older, complicated fantasy show with great acting and cinematography - but keep in mind it was cancelled before its storyline was complete.

[i]Wonderfalls[/i] had fantastical elements and was a cute & quirky little show. It only had one season but it was an enjoyable one.

It's been a while, but I seem to recall the first season of [i]Witchblade[/i] being entertaining, and the second a bit of a letdown.

[i]Supernatural[/i] is campy fun that's smart enough to know when not to take itself seriously, but can still pull off some good drama (and annoying melodrama). It's too uneven to be a great show, but given it's about to enter its 10th season, that unevenness is probably inevitable.

[i]American Horror Story[/i] has great acting and a fantastic premise...but because of terrible plotting/writing I can't in good conscience recommend it. (Sadly, I feel like I can say this about any Ryan Murphy show.)

[i]Archer[/i] is smart and hilarious animated action fun. And my god do they know how to keep continuity, as well as how to utilize callback jokes better than most any other show (sorry, [i]Arrested Development[/i]).

Of the suggestions from other posters, I've watched [i]Doctor Who[/i], [i]Sherlock[/i], [i]Battlestar Galactica[/i], and [i]Agents of Shield[/i]. While [i]Doctor Who[/i] and [i]Sherlock[/i] are two of my favorite shows of all time, you'll probably find [i]Battlestar Galactica[/i] shares more in spirit with [i]Game of Thrones[/i] than the others (I haven't seen [i]Rome[/i], but [i]Rome[/i] also looks like it's in the same vein, and *maybe* [i]House of Cards[/i] as well). Personally, [i]Agents of Shield[/i] hasn't quite won me over yet. If you want to go Whedon (and not have to watch several seasons), I'd suggest [i]Dollhouse[/i] over [i]Agents of Shield[/i] (so far, at least).

[i]Arrow[/i] is on my to-watch list as is [i]Hannibal[/i], [i]Merlin[/i], [i]Bitten[/i], and [i]Teen Wolf[/i] (just to see what the hype is about). [i]Orphan Black[/i] looks fantastic and I suspect it might be the exact show the OP is looking for, but since I haven't seen it yet, I can't say for sure. I tried [i]Once Upon a Time[/i] and [i]Grimm[/i], but I'm a huge fan of the comic series [i]Fables[/i] (the basis for Telltale's [i]Wolf Among Us[/i] game) and as a result I couldn't help but make unfavorable comparisons between the shows and the comic. My guess is that someone who isn't familiar with [i]Fables[/i] will get more out of those shows than I can.

Even though it doesn't share much in common with the other shows I've listed, I'd be remiss if I didn't add my current favorite show, [i]Justified[/i]. It's a show with great acting, fantastic dialogue, and a sneaky, snarky sense of humor. Episodes 2 thru 6 of the first season are a bit weaker than the rest of the series, but the show picks up in episode 7 and then just doesn't stop. It's the perfect kind of show for fans of [i]Breaking Bad[/i], [i]The Wire[/i], and [i][url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/feature/a559099/remote-patrol-keeping-a-watch-on-tv.html]True Detective[/url][/i] to enjoy. It has two episodes left in its current season before it gears up for its sixth and final season (the network wanted it to run longer, but the showrunners didn't want to risk the quality of the show degrading) and now is the perfect time to catch-up. Unfortunately, the one bad thing about [i]Justified[/i] is that it's only available to stream on Amazon and not Netflix.

Finally, if you want to watch something while you're figuring out what you should watch - and I know this happens to a lot of us - [i]Whose Line is it Anyway[/i] is currently airing new episodes. It's a bit more formulaic than it was back in the day of Clive Anderson and Twiglets, but there's an energy to it that the Drew Carey years had started to lack.
16
#16
0 Frags +

Dang, these all look good, I'll have to start checking some of them out.

As far as Archer is concerned, it's a great show, and comes as close as any other show has towards matching Arrested Development. But AD is still better (at least in my biased opinion).

It is comforting to note that at least 4 people from AD have also been on/starred in Archer.

Dang, these all look good, I'll have to start checking some of them out.

As far as Archer is concerned, it's a great show, and comes as close as any other show has towards matching Arrested Development. But AD is still better (at least in my biased opinion).

It is comforting to note that at least 4 people from AD have also been on/starred in Archer.
17
#17
0 Frags +
vanillaDang, these all look good, I'll have to start checking some of them out.

As far as Archer is concerned, it's a great show, and comes as close as any other show has towards matching Arrested Development. But AD is still better (at least in my biased opinion).

It is comforting to note that at least 4 people from AD have also been on/starred in Archer.

I would have agreed until I watched the fourth season of Arrested Development where their continuity errors just kept taking my head out of the story. That (as well as some odd personality changes in the main characters) nudged Archer ahead for me. I'd love to see AD redeem itself with a new season though.

I like how they have so many AD voices in Archer too. Justified has done with same thing with actors from Deadwood - I'm pretty sure they've had around a dozen of them on. They've also had a bunch of folk from Band of Brothers. And for some reason, Justified loves hiring people known for comedic roles and putting them in really intense, often dramatic scenes. Oddly enough, it seems to work really well.

[quote=vanilla]Dang, these all look good, I'll have to start checking some of them out.

As far as Archer is concerned, it's a great show, and comes as close as any other show has towards matching Arrested Development. But AD is still better (at least in my biased opinion).

It is comforting to note that at least 4 people from AD have also been on/starred in Archer.[/quote]

I would have agreed until I watched the fourth season of Arrested Development where their continuity errors just kept taking my head out of the story. That (as well as some odd personality changes in the main characters) nudged Archer ahead for me. I'd love to see AD redeem itself with a new season though.

I like how they have so many AD voices in Archer too. Justified has done with same thing with actors from Deadwood - I'm pretty sure they've had around a dozen of them on. They've also had a bunch of folk from Band of Brothers. And for some reason, Justified loves hiring people known for comedic roles and putting them in really intense, often dramatic scenes. Oddly enough, it seems to work really well.
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