The 10 Best Fantasy Shows With Less Than 20 Episodes, Ranked

Published Oct 30, 2026, 8:02 PM EDT

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Sometimes, it feels like TV shows are getting longer and longer, with no end in sight. Sheesh, some animated series have been going on for decades, which is fine since they have a lot of fans. Still, sometimes this isn't what people have time for. Not everybody has the luxury of sitting down and keeping up with a multi-season series on a regular basis, especially if they have busy schedules.

If you're looking for a short binge to sate your appetite without requiring too much commitment, there are luckily plenty of shows to choose from. Many of these come from the fantasy genre, which has exploded in popularity in recent years, and likely isn't going away any time soon. These are the best fantasy TV shows with fewer than 20 episodes.

10 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' (2024–Present)

Image via Netflix

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action remake of the Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, which came out in the 2000s. There are bound to be more episodes in the future, but for now, there are fewer than 20. The show is about four nations in chaos, each representing one of the elements of fire, air, earth, and water. It is prophesied that in the midst of the chaos, an Avatar is destined to master the four elements and bring peace to the land.

The live-action series isn't quite as good as the original animation was, but it's still a fun time. The show perfectly blends action, adventure, and laughs, all punctuated with some sage moral wisdom and genuinely good life advice. It delivers a unique spin on a beloved franchise that has seen success with fans and critics, although it definitely has some shortcomings.

9 'Kaos' (2024)

Image via Netflix

Kaos is a Netflix fantasy/comedy about the Greek gods. Mount Olympus is in political turmoil, the gods are at each other's throats, and mortals are feeling the brunt of it — just a typical Tuesday for Greek mythology, to be honest. The narrator, Prometheus (Stephen Dillane), recounts a prophecy that three mortals are destined to rise and overthrow the Greek god Zeus (Jeff Goldblum).

Kaos received great reviews, with critics lauding it for its quirky and often dark sense of humor, as well as its more modern take on classic Greek mythology. Unbelievably, Netflix decided to axe the show after its first season, which is just plain infuriating, because it was doing really well for itself. Regardless, it's a great, if not excellent, fantasy series that deserves some more love.

8 'Shadow and Bone' (2021–2023)

Image via Netflix

Shadow and Bone is based on the hit YA novels of the same name by Leigh Bardugo. Unlike most high fantasy stories, which tend to favour a Medieval Europe setting, this story is more industrializing, resembling Victorian England. The show comes with a surprisingly complex magic system, but not so complex as to utterly confound the viewer.

The show was lauded by fans of the novels, who adored its quippy writing, lovable characters, and amazing action sequences. Despite how much critics and fans loved the show, it eventually got the axe after two seasons, apparently due to low viewership. Worse still, it ended on a cliffhanger. Even though this sucks, the show remains just as good as ever at only 16 episodes.

7 'Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities' (2022)

Image via Netflix

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is known for his dark fantasy films such as Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water. So, when Netflix offered the director a deal to produce his own miniseries, it was bound to be a hit. Cabinet of Curiosities is an anthology series, meaning each episode functions as its own self-contained story, with a clear conclusion, and does not connect to the other episodes at all. It also means each episode has its own unique cast and setting.

The episodes range from dark fantasy to outright horror, and are chock full of del Toro's signature style. It's a miniseries that his fans will love, and that contains a lot of life lessons within. There are only eight episodes, making it the perfect weekend binge (or one-day binge if you really wanna get crazy). Each episode is a masterpiece, which is why this show is so underrated.

6 'One Piece' (2023–Present)

Image via ©Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection

One Piece is a live-action remake of the long-running anime series of the same name. The anime has been going strong since 1999, with no signs of slowing down any time soon, but the live-action Netflix series provides a fresh take on the series. The story is the same: it's set in an oceanic world populated mostly by pirates and sailors. One of history's most legendary pirates left a map, which supposedly leads to the greatest buried treasure ever. There's just one problem: one piece of the map is missing, prompting an international race to find it.

The main character is Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), an aspiring young pirate with an unusual talent. He has eaten the mythical Devil Fruit, allowing him to stretch his body like rubber, at the cost of his swimming ability. He is intent on becoming the greatest pirate ever, but to do that, he needs to find that missing treasure. The show is full of laughs, ridiculous action, and stellar world-building, which is why it became such a major hit for Netflix.

Collider Exclusive · Game of Thrones Personality Quiz Which Game of Thrones House Do You Belong To? Stark · Lannister · Targaryen · Baratheon · Tyrell

Five great houses. Five completely different answers to the same question: how do you hold power in a world that will take it from you the moment you stop paying attention? Eight questions will determine where your loyalties — and your nature — truly lie.

🐺Stark

🦁Lannister

🐉Targaryen

🦌Baratheon

🌹Tyrell

FIND YOUR HOUSE →

01

Someone powerful is acting dishonourably and everyone knows it. What do you do? In Westeros, the answer to this question has ended more than one great house.

ACall it out, openly and on the record. If honour means anything, it has to mean something when it's costly. BUse it. Information about someone else's dishonour is leverage — and leverage is power. CAct decisively to correct it — with or without the approval of those around me. DChallenge them directly. Strength settles disputes more honestly than courtroom manoeuvring. ENavigate carefully — build alliances, apply quiet pressure, and create a situation where the right outcome becomes inevitable.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours?

AThe loyalty of people who trust me — earned over generations, not bought with gold. BWealth, intelligence, and the willingness to use both without sentiment. CA legacy so fearsome and a vision so total that opposition becomes unthinkable. DPhysical strength, military force, and the respect that comes from being the kind of person nobody wants to fight. ECharm, connection, and the ability to make powerful people feel that my success is also theirs.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything.

AMy family and my people — those who depend on me and have kept faith with me through everything. BMy family — the ones who share my blood, even when they exhaust me, even when they disappoint me. CMy cause — a vision larger than any single person, including me. DMyself, and those few who've proven themselves worth fighting beside. EMy house — its name, its future, the position I intend to leave it in when I'm gone.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

How do you deal with your enemies? A house's method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could.

AHonestly — I face them directly, and I give quarter when it's warranted. BThoroughly — I don't leave loose ends, and I don't make the same enemy twice. CDecisively — fire answers questions that diplomacy only delays. DHead-on — I'd rather meet a threat on the battlefield than behind closed doors. EElegantly — I prefer to make former enemies into allies, or at least into people who owe me something.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly.

AA just one — someone who serves the realm rather than using it, who leads by example rather than fear. BA capable one — someone smart enough to navigate the game, ruthless enough to win it, and realistic about what winning costs. CA transformative one — someone who doesn't just rule what exists but reshapes what's possible. DA strong one — someone whose authority is beyond question because the alternative is obviously worse. EA wise one — someone who understands that the realm is fed by more than armies, and that a full stomach keeps more peace than a sharp sword.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

You suffer a devastating loss. How does your house respond? How a house handles defeat tells you more about it than how it handles victory.

AWe grieve, properly and together — and then we endure, because endurance is what we do. BWe adapt. We reassess. And we ensure that whoever caused this loss comes to regret it completely. CWe burn hotter. Setbacks don't soften us — they clarify what needs to happen next. DWe hit back. Grief and revenge are the same motion in our house. EWe regroup quietly, rebuild our position, and return when we're ready — on our terms, not theirs.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours.

AThe lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Nothing matters more than the people you protect. BA Lannister always pays their debts — in gold or in kind. Reputation is built on consistency. CI am the blood of the dragon. Some destinies are written before the person who carries them is born. DOurs is the fury. When we move, we move completely — and we don't stop until it's done. EGrowing strong means knowing when to bloom and when to wait. Patience is its own kind of power.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character.

AClaim it only if the realm needs me to — and rule in a way that makes it worth having. BEnsure someone who owes us sits in it. The power behind the throne is safer than the throne itself. CTake it. It was always meant to be mine — I feel that in my bones and in my blood. DSeize it — with both hands, without hesitation. Opportunity in Westeros does not wait to be asked. EPosition my house to be indispensable to whoever sits there — influence outlasts any single reign.

REVEAL MY HOUSE →

The Maester Has Spoken Your House Is…

Your answers point to the great house whose words, values, and way of surviving in Westeros match your own. Bend the knee — or don't. That's very much up to you.

🐺 House Stark

Winter is Coming — and you have always known it. You prepare not out of fear but out of duty, because the people who depend on you deserve someone who takes the long view.

• You lead with honour even when it costs you, because you understand that a reputation built on integrity is the only one worth having.
• Your loyalty to family and people runs deep — not as sentiment but as a code that doesn't bend when things get difficult.
• The North endures because Starks endure — not by being the cleverest players in the game, but by being the kind of people others are willing to follow into the cold.
• You are that kind of person. The pack survives. The lone wolf dies. You already know which one you are.

🦁 House Lannister

You understand the game — its rules, its exceptions, and exactly when the rules become the exception. You play it without illusions and without apology.

• You are sharper than most people realise, and you have learned to use that gap to your advantage.
• A Lannister always pays their debts — and you always keep your word, because your word is an instrument of power, and instruments must be kept in working order.
• You love your family with a ferocity that sometimes blinds you, and you know it, and you do it anyway.
• The lion doesn't concern itself with the opinion of sheep. Neither, in the end, do you.

🐉 House Targaryen

You carry a sense of destiny that is difficult to explain and impossible to ignore — the feeling that you are not simply participating in the world but meant to reshape it.

• You are capable of extraordinary things, and you know it, and that knowledge is both your greatest strength and your most dangerous quality.
• Fire and blood are not just words to you — they are a philosophy about what change requires and what it costs.
• The Targaryens at their best were transformative rulers who broke chains and defied the limits of what anyone thought possible.
• At your best, so are you. The dragon has three heads. You are one of them.

🦌 House Baratheon

You are a force — direct, powerful, and difficult to ignore when you enter a room or a conflict. You do not negotiate with challenges. You meet them.

• Ours is the fury — and yours is a kind of intensity that commands attention, respect, and occasionally fear from those who underestimate what's behind it.
• You value strength and straight dealing. You'd rather know where you stand in a fight than navigate a web of courtly whispers.
• The Baratheons built their house on the back of one of the greatest military victories in Westerosi history — and then struggled with what came after.
• The lesson of your house is that winning is not the end of the story. Governing is. You are learning that too.

🌹 House Tyrell

You understand that power does not always announce itself — that sometimes it arrives with flowers, good wine, and a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes.

• Growing strong is your house's motto, and you live it: patiently, strategically, always investing in the relationships and resources that will matter most when it counts.
• You are charming by choice and calculating by nature — a combination that makes you one of the most effective players in any room you enter.
• The Tyrells fed King's Landing and shaped its politics without ever sitting on the Iron Throne — and they were arguably more powerful for it.
• You know that the person who controls the food controls the kingdom. And you always know where the food is.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' (2019)

Image via Netflix

Jim Henson's 1982 film The Dark Crystal was received very well, although it remains pretty underrated since not a lot of people have seen it. The story is set on the weird and wonderful world of Thra, a distant planet where there is no human life — in fact, there are no recognizable life forms at all. Each creature in the movie is a new invention from the depths of the imagination. In the movie, the vulture-like Skeksis have established a planetary empire, dominating and enslaving the peoples of Thra.

Netflix's show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel series, set over 100 years before the events of the film. It follows how the magical Dark Crystal splintered, releasing a burst of energy that spawned the races of the Mystics and the Skeksis. From there, it follows how the Skeksis rose to power and eventually grew to conquer all of Thra. Like the movie, the show is filled with intricate puppetry and gorgeous set designs. However, it was cancelled by Netflix after one season, despite rave reviews from critics and audiences.

4 'Over the Garden Wall' (2014)

Image via Cartoon Network

Over the Garden Wall is an animated fantasy miniseries that premiered on Cartoon Network. This was a real passion project for the creators, and it shows. The plot follows two brothers who become hopelessly lost in a deep, dark forest simply called the Unknown. Desperate to find a way home, they encounter numerous strange beings and creatures in the shadows of the trees.

The show presents a heartbreaking ending that nicely ties the story together, and also presents a decent life lesson. On top of that, the show is voiced by a star-studded cast, with Elijah Wood taking a leading role. It's a whimsical, yet deeply depressing experience that any fantasy fan should see, especially if they love fairy tales and fables.

3 'The Mighty Nein' (2025–Present)

Image via Prime Video

As it currently stands, The Mighty Nein has fewer than 20 episodes, though there are definitely expected to be more. This animated series has humble beginnings, starting as a custom campaign on a tabletop RPG, which was played on a podcast. This isn't the first show to be made based on the podcast, as The Legend of Vox Machina came out a few years earlier. The Mighty Nein is set in the same universe, yet follows a totally different storyline.

The plot focuses on a ragtag band of thieves who spend their days pilfering and robbing, constantly chasing the big score. What they eventually find, however, is an artifact that could determine the fate of the world. Thus, the world's balance and well-being rest in the hands of some not-so-reputable characters, resulting in hijinks and peril galore. What's awesome is the podcast members reprise their roles as their in-game characters, something they also did for The Legend of Vox Machina. The Mighty Nein is an awesome show that fans of tabletop RPGs will love, as well as fans of lore-heavy fantasy universes.

2 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (2026–Present)

Image via Steffan Hill/HBO

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the newest spin-off in the Game of Thrones universe, which is based on the original novels by George R. R. Martin. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set 100 years or so prior to Game of Thrones, and follows a hedge knight and his loyal squire, who travel across the realm of Westeros looking for jobs to take on.

Unlike the epic scale of Thrones, this show keeps things a little more intimate, focusing on the comedic relationship between the knight and his squire. Right now, only one season has been released, though there are expected to be more in the future. However, there are currently far fewer than 20 episodes, so it still counts. If you like Game of Thrones, this is a show you just have to watch.

1 'Kingdom' (2019–2021)

Image via Netflix

Kingdom is a South Korean fantasy/horror series that was created for Netflix and is based on a webtoon-turned-graphic novel. The story is set in the historic Kingdom of Joseon, when the tyrannical Haewon Cho Clan uses a mythical resurrection plant to make a daring bid for the throne. Unfortunately, in their blind ambition, they accidentally release a zombie horde.

This show has the perfect mix of feuding royals, political intrigue, horror, action, and adventure, with a cast of lovable and memorable characters. The show only saw 12 episodes plus one feature-length special before being soft-cancelled, and (infuriatingly) ending on a cliffhanger. Still, the show is pretty much perfect in all aspects, yet criminally underrated compared to other major fantasy series.

• 

  Ju Ji-hoon

  Crown Prince Chang

• Ryu Seung-ryong

  Cho Hak-ju