8 Fantasy Miniseries That Are Perfect From Start To Finish
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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Ever since J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the fantasy genre has been associated with sprawling tales that take place over years. The large scale of many great fantasy TV shows can be impressive, but their success should not count out a staple of the genre, and that is the miniseries. Fantasy has few limits, giving the genre some of the most expansive lore possible, and building an entire world full of three-dimensional characters within a short period of time is an impressive feat of writing, yet some perfect fantasy miniseries have been forgotten.
Some miniseries have been the victims of factors like timing and budget, overshadowed by larger productions, or constrained by a special effects budget that does not fit the scope of the show. On the other hand, some have become cult hits after a mediocre reception, and these perfect fantasy miniseries deserve another chance, with the age of streaming allowing new viewers to discover them at any time, while even a low budget can become part of the show's charm with both context and hindsight.
Merlin
The late Sam Neill became a household name through his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, but while the British two-part miniseries Merlin is one of Sam Neill's best TV shows, it tends to get forgotten. Neill stars as the titular wizard, as he narrates his life from his initial discovery of his powers to his adventures after the death of the legendary King Arthur. The series showcases the best of 1990s fantasy, with a surprisingly stacked cast that also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Miranda Richardson, James Earl Jones, and Lena Headey.
By telling the story from Merlin's perspective, Merlin offers a fresh perspective on the tale of King Arthur and the iconic wizard, which has been covered extensively for decades. The show is ahead of its time, with such impressive costumes and visual effects for the time, that Merlin feels like Game of Thrones on a much smaller scale. While the miniseries is an easy binge at just over three hours, it is such a perfect show that it deserved to have more than two episodes.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Not all adaptations of fantasy books are successful, but the seven-episode miniseries based on Susanna Clarke's bestselling novel is spot-on from start to finish. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling, following the adventures of two very different magicians in the Napoleonic era. Mr. Norrell (Eddie Marsan, Ray Donovan) is stern, cautious, and traditional, while Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel, Harry Potter) is younger, daring, and drawn to a more dangerous kind of magic. The two are easily one of fantasy's best double acts, while the show transcends the fantasy genre.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was directed by Toby Haynes (Andor,) and written by Peter Harness (Doctor Who.)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell seamlessly blends genres, making it a historical epic, a war story, and a fantasy all at once. The visual effects are spectacular, with many of the best scenes still holding up today, and the show perfectly reflects the book's atmosphere. Fans of British dramas will recognize the signature tone, and fans of the source material will appreciate the eccentricity and darkness that the adaptation has maintained, rather than softened. The miniseries is unapologetically weird, and a triumph for its character actors.
The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance
The Dark Crystal is one of the most iconic 1980s fantasy movies of all time, still fascinating and terrifying viewers today with Jim Henson's unmistakable puppetry. The movie is a dark fantasy masterpiece but a victim of its runtime, leaving viewers wanting to learn more about its lore and mystery. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance elaborates on all of this, working as a prequel and explaining more about the world of the Gelflings and their tyrannical overlords, the Skeksis. Despite its whimsical aesthetic and masterful puppetry, the story is serious, timeless, and especially relevant today.
When three young Gelflings discover a horrible secret about the rulers of their world, this sparks a rebellion that offers a blueprint for standing up to fascism and dictatorships, while the show also acts as a powerful message about protecting the world and environment. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance suffered from low viewership compared to its high budget, and was not renewed, despite being perfect from its first scene to its resulting cliffhanger ending.
The 10th Kingdom
The 10th Kingdom is a spiritual precursor to both Enchanted and Once Upon A Time, with the series telling a story that could easily have been a part of the longer-running fantasy show. When a New York waitress and her janitor father are transported into a fairytale world through a magic mirror, they must help the kingdom's prince to save the land from an evil queen. The show is self-aware without running into parody, charming without being childlike, and has become a cult hit despite originally being overlooked.
Fantasy has become more experimental and creative in recent years, and The 10th Kingdom is a perfect reminder of what fantasy TV should be, conveying the sense of wonder the genre should inspire, through the eyes of the two main characters. The show contains some of the most common recurring fairytale tropes, but the strong character writing and sense of fun keep the miniseries from being too predictable, and The 10th Kingdom still has a well-deserved 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Angels In America
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tony Kushner, Angels in America has a place among the greatest fantasy miniseries of all time. The series is a reflection and commentary on the US government's response to the AIDS epidemic, and is a perfect example of the way in which fantasy can be used to highlight serious social issues. The decision over how many of the show's fantastical elements are literal is left up to the viewer's interpretation, while the visuals are both hard-hitting and beautiful, especially concerning the main character, Prior Walker, who is visited by an angel.
Angels in America was nominated for 21 Emmy Awards, winning 11 of them, breaking the record previously held by Roots.
It may not be surprising that Angels in America is an HBO production, as the channel had become well-known for prestige drama by the time the six-part show aired in 2003. However, the series' incredible cast may be more of an unexpected surprise, containing some of the most recognizable actors of all time. Al Pacino appears in his first major television role, and is joined by Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Jeffrey Wright, and Michael Gambon. Angels in America can easily be binged in a day, but its emotional impact will last longer.
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives is one of Netflix's best fantasy miniseries that rivals longer shows, and is a perfect example of a compact story sometimes being more effective than a long, sprawling narrative. Based on the DC Comics characters, the eight-episode series explores the adventures of Charles and Edwin, who died young but have decided to stay on Earth and help to solve supernatural crimes while avoiding Death, who is played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, reprising her role from The Sandman TV series.
Dead Boy Detectives was the perfect follow-up to The Sandman, but the series was canceled due to low viewership at the end of its first and only season, leaving fans on a cliffhanger after eight perfect episodes. The show earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics and audiences, with both praising the chemistry between the actors, the "case of the week" style format, and the show's interpretation of the comics' dark tone with its bizarre twists.
Terry Pratchett's Hogfather
Considering just how prolific the late Terry Pratchett was as a fantasy author and how influential his Discworld series still is, there have been surprisingly few adaptations of his books. Terry Pratchett's Hogfather is a dark fantasy comedy centered around Discworld's Santa Claus figure, who goes missing, leaving Death to take over the business of Christmas (or Hogswatchnight in Discworld,) while his granddaughter, Susan, tries to solve the mystery of what has happened to the Hogfather. The two-part miniseries is remarkably faithful to the book, even down to its more eccentric characters, pleasing Terry Pratchett fans.
The cast includes some the best British character actors, from David Jason (Only Fool and Horses) to Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey,) but while Terry Pratchett's Hogfather was an excellent dark fantasy show from start to finish, with a "making of" documentary and a very prominent advertising campaign on Sky, it has largely been forgotten. It is possible that viewers unfamiliar with Discworld could have found the humor particularly niche, but the show provides a perfect way into the novel series and is accessible even for people who have not yet read a Pratchett book.
Over The Garden Wall
Over the Garden Wall deserves more than its 98% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with its excellent casting and multi-layered story resulting in a fantasy epic that is endlessly rewatchable with new details to spot every time. The show is a rare fantasy series that can be enjoyed on many levels, from its seemingly simple tale about two lost brothers exploring the strange woods they call The Unknown to the many different possibilities that add a darker layer to the fairytale, with fans still debating the meaning of Over the Garden Wall.
With ten episodes lasting around ten minutes each, the series is one of the shortest, easily bingeable fantasy TV shows ever created, but there is a lot of subtext, hidden meaning, and potentially dark undertones hidden in Over the Garden Wall. This complexity is rare for a miniseries, yet every episode is a masterpiece. Viewers will hear some familiar voices, as the show features the voice talents of Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings,) Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets,) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future,) with a cameo from the late Tim Curry (Legend.)
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