Netflix's Best Game Of Thrones Replacement Is Officially Getting Pulled In One Month

Published Nov 9, 2026, 10:00 PM EST

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

Although the countdown is on for the arrival of one upcoming Game of Thrones replacement, another historical action epic is set to leave Netflix shockingly soon. The amount of shows that were marketed as "the next Game of Thrones” could fill a book. Even though HBO’s expensive adaptation of author George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice & Fire saga was always intended to be huge, the sheer unprecedented mainstream success of the R-rated fantasy series resulted in networks and streaming services scrambling to replicate its formula.

From Netflix, there was the dark fantasy epic The Witcher, as well as the ambitious League of Legend show Arcane. HBO itself had Jonathan Nolan’s Westworld reboot, a similarly dark, R-rated, incredibly costly genre effort with a starry cast and boundary-pushing depictions of sex and violence. However, some of the best Game of Thrones replacements came in the form of historical dramas like Vikings and Prime Video’s upcoming epic Bloodaxe, shows that lacked the dragons of Game of Thrones but still maintained its bloody violence and political complexity.

One of the best of these shows was Netflix’s five-season drama The Last Kingdom. Co-produced by the BBC, The Last Kingdom was based on author Bernard Cornwell’s novel series The Saxon Stories. The show followed Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a conflicted warrior who was kidnapped by Danes as a child. As the Great Heathen Army arrived in England, Uhtred rose to prominence during the battle to gain control of the nation. Brutal, bloody, and filled with the double-crossing that made Game of Thrones so addictive, The Last Kingdom leaves Netflix on December 9th.

All 5 Seasons Of The Last Kingdom Leave Netflix In The US On December 9th

Image via MovieStillsDB

Even though seasons 3–5 debuted on Netflix when the streamer took over the series, The Last Kingdom was not always a Netflix Original series as some viewers might assume. Season 1 was produced by the BBC, season 2 was coproduced by the BBC and Netflix, and seasons 3–5, along with 2023’s spinoff movie Seven Kings Must Die, were taken over by Netflix exclusively.

Something similar happened with the BBC’s hit crime drama Peaky Blinders, which is often branded as a Netflix Original even though the show was, in reality, a BBC production that was licensed by the streaming service throughout its run. To be fair, 2026’s movie spinoff Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man was most financed by Netflix, much like Uhtred’s The Last Kingdom story was produced entirely by Netflix.

Only The Last Kingdom season one was solely a BBC production, but that outing alone adapted Cornwell’s novels The Saxon Stories, The Last Kingdom, and The Pale Horseman during its story. Season 2 adapted both The Lords of the North and Sword Son, meaning the BBC adapted three of Cornwell’s books alone and two in tandem with Netflix before Netflix took over. That said, Netflix proceeded to adapt a further seven books from Cornwell’s long-running series throughout the rest of The Last Kingdom’s run.

The Last Kingdom's Sequel Movie Isn't Leaving Netflix Anytime Soon

Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb

Even though the show is often assumed to be a Netflix Original, The Last Kingdom will be leaving Netflix soon, leaving US viewers searching for other titles to replace the show. While an epic fantasy show like the Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power might scratch that proverbial itch for some viewers, those who want a more grounded historical epic may prefer to seek out Vikings or Prime Video’s upcoming Bloodaxe.

Coming from a production team who worked on The Last Kingdom, Bloodaxe sounds like a fitting replacement for the gritty historical epic, and the show has already been renewed for a second season ahead of its 2027 debut. However, fans of The Last Kingdom can take solace in the fact that Netflix will hold on to one part of the franchise for a while yet.

The 2023 spinoff movie Seven Kings Must Die is licensed by the streaming service until at least 2033, ten years after its original release. Thus, while those in search of a Game of Thrones replacement won’t necessarily be able to find The Last Kingdom in its entirety on Netflix, its spinoff movie will still be available to view for a long time yet.