5 Fantasy TV Shows Way Better Than House Of The Dragon

Theo Whiteman/HBO

“House of the Dragon” Season 3 is keeping George R.R. Martin’s stories alive with aplomb. The show is just as big as you’d expect from a major HBO production, and its plot developments are just as fiery as you might assume from the title. The Targaryen family’s wars continue to captivate, but is it all enough to make the show the absolute best fantasy series out there? Well, let’s just say that “House of the Dragon” has some way to go if it wants to fight for that crown.

The fantasy genre is saturated with excellent shows, and while “House of the Dragon” is a very watchable and even great series — as proven by its 88% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes – it’s far from the hottest thing out there. For viewers who want to check out fantasy shows that easily surpass “House of the Dragon,” Looper’s got your back with these five titles.

Nickelodeon

“Avatar The Last Airbender” might just be the best animated fantasy adventure show ever made. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s Nickelodeon story about a world where different nations specialize in controlling assorted elements entices from start to finish, and has some of the most multi-dimensional and interesting characters in all of fiction. The story of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), the titular airbender whose young age belies his destiny and ability, expands into a larger-than-life saga starring a roster of fully realized characters with hopes and dreams of their own.

Seamlessly balancing high-stakes escapades, character relationships, comedy, and hard-hitting issues, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a show that every fantasy fan should see at least once. Though there is also a Netflix live-action adaptation, you should absolutely go with the animated original for your first viewing. With a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the show is literally as good as they come.

If you want to expand to other elements of the franchise, it’s good to know that “Avatar: The Last Airbender” has tons and tons of supplementary material, just like any fantasy show worth its salt should — and even an excellent spin-off sequel in “The Legend of Korra.” Just remember to steer away from M. Night Shyamalan’s abysmal 2010 film adaptation, and you’re golden.

Steffan Hill/HBO

If you like George R.R. Martin’s work but the comparatively highbrow “House of the Dragon” leaves you high and dry when it comes to the grassroots elements of his stories, you will absolutely want to check out “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” The entire premise of the show is based around the eternally entertaining “two mismatched buddies travel around” narrative that provided “Game of Thrones” with some of its most entertaining storylines.

An adaptation of Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” stories about lowly hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his highborn squire, Aegon “Egg” Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell), “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is a gritty but unabashedly comedic show about life in the muddy roads and crowded tourney tents of Westeros. Instead of dragons and magic, much of the show’s stakes come simply from the lack of resources at Dunk’s disposal. The giant man is of low birth but high moral ground, which is an incredibly dangerous combination. As such, he tends to survive solely on luck, personal grit, and the goodwill of his betters.  

The unconventional hero and the prince who wants to slum about as his squire are a captivating buddy pairing. With legitimately amazing performances from Claffey and Ansell — not to mention a stellar supporting cast led by Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon — the show has a well-deserved 94% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Syfy

Syfy’s “The Magicians” is based on Lev Grossman’s book series, and it provides a contemporary approach to the fantasy genre that still gives the viewer plenty of amazing elements and plot developments to mull over. The show begins with a Harry Potter-esque premise of a young man named Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph) finding out that he has supernatural talents and enrolling at the Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. This, however, turns out to be the luxury route to magic; Quentin’s friend Julia (Stella Maeve) is less fortunate and has to rough it out by studying magic as a hedge witch.

“The Magicians” delivers the best of both worlds for fans of contemporary supernatural stories and outlandish fantasy tales. It divides its time between its version of the normal world and an enchanted land known as Fillory, which is far more dangerous than its whimsical name might make you imagine. The show starts out strong and delivers an interesting take on the magical school trope, doing the job so well that its five-season run has a 91% Tomatometer rating. By the time you reach the ending of “The Magicians,” you’ve been through a rollercoaster of a story that doesn’t always go in the directions that you’d expect.

Starz

“Outlander” is a foray into more conventional historical fantasy, though this adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s novels approaches the subject in a very unconventional fashion. Our protagonist is Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), a former World War II nurse who mysteriously ends up time traveling into the mid-18th century and falling for Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). This is problematic for a multitude of reasons, not least because she’s already married in her own time.

Though very much a fantasy, the show defies genres and happily switches tones between romance, adventure drama, and very George R.R. Martin-style brutality. Much of that last part comes courtesy of Tobias Menzies. He’s seen here in the dual role of Claire’s husband Frank and his evil ancestor Black Jack Randall, a stellar and utterly chilling villain turn that’ll surprise many “Game of Thrones” fans who remember him as the hapless Edmure Tully.

With eight seasons and countless twisty developments, “Outlander” has much to offer for those who appreciate its particular flavor of the fantasy genre. Those who are wary of jumping in because of the heavy romance element shouldn’t worry, either; A show this long-running is only able to retain a 91% Tomatometer rating if it’s very, very good across the board.

Helen Sloan/HBO

If we’re talking about “House of the Dragon,” of course the original has to be here as well. the granddaddy of all George R.R. Martin shows changed the small-screen fantasy game regardless of how you feel about all the things that went wrong with “Game of Thrones” by its final season. There’s no denying that the majority of the show is great — and let’s be honest, even that controversial final season is appointment viewing just to see how things wrap up .

“Game of Thrones” is many things, but most of all, it’s a show that lives to the credo of valar morghulis. All men must die, and the show makes sure that most of them indeed do by the end. “Game of Thrones” is a show that has absolutely no problem killing its main character during Season 1, let alone providing satisfying deaths of hated characters. It puts pretty much all of its key figures through an absolute wringer over the years, and only a small handful of them live to see the series finale. 

While some of the series’ unpredictability loses steam over the course of eight seasons, precious few other shows can match the sheer brutal intensity of great plot twists like the infamous Red Wedding, or incredible combat sequences like the Battle of the Bastards. As such, it has an impressive 89% Tomatometer rating, even with its badly-reviewed Season 8 factoring in the score.