As The Wheel of Time proves, fantasy series are experiencing a golden age. Almost every streaming service now offers a big-budget spectacle of its own. Amazon has poured significant money and resources into its fantasy epics like Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time, the latter of which is a paradigmatic epic fantasy adventure in many ways. The series is based on the novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, which spawned 14 books, a prequel novel, and three companion books.

For those who find themselves drawn into this dangerous yet beautiful world of chosen ones, powerful sorceresses, and epic quests, quite a few other fantasy shows cover some of the same thematic territory. From post-apocalyptic worlds to historical epics, and from magical realism to swords and sorcery epics, there are plenty of options with the same themes, characters, and sense of adventure as The Wheel of Time​​​​​​.

Sweet Tooth (2021-2024)

Hybrid Animal/Human Children Fight For Survival

Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic series based on a world that has become decimated thanks to an epidemic called “The Great Crumble,” which many people blamed on children born at the same time who were hybrids between animals and humans. This leads many humans, scared that they won’t be the dominant species anymore, to hunt them down and kill them. The show follows one of these children, Gus, as he tries to find a safe place to live and possibly find his mother. It remains one of the best fantasy series on Netflix.

One of the most exciting aspects of The Wheel of Time is that it is set in a world that has struggled to rebuild after a cataclysm known as the Breaking. As a result, many people view the sorceresses known as the Aes Sedai as dangerous and potentially threatening. Even though Sweet Tooth doesn’t have quite the same emphasis on magic, it is still a world ravaged by an apocalypse, in which extraordinary creatures, including the main character Gus, are treated with skepticism and sometimes outright hostility by those that encounter them.

Legend Of The Seeker (2008-2010)

Based On The Novels By Terry Goodkind

The 1990s was a fertile period for epic fantasy novels, and The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind was one of the most popular and enduring. It was also adapted into a series called Legend of the Seeker. The series ran for only two seasons and tells the story of the “Seeker of Truth” Richard Cypher (Craig Homer) and his allies as they battle to defend people from tyranny and evil. While the adaptation wasn’t quite as bloody or cynical as the books, it has much in common with The Wheel of Time.

This includes a chosen one whose destiny is to save the world from a cruel despot, a group of sorceresses, and prophecies that must be fulfilled. Terry Goodking is up there with Robert Jordan when it comes to respect from the epic fantasy community, so it was exciting to get a TV show based on his beloved novels. Sadly, the series was canceled early when a deal between ABC and SyFy fell through, but there are still 44 episodes to enjoy since it was a network series at the start.

Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)

The World Of Fairy Tales Blends With The Real World

Just as Wheel of Time is an homage to fantasy, Once Upon a Time is an homage to classic Disney stories. The series started with Emma Swan arriving in Storybrooke to help free the town of the curse set on it by the Evil Queen, who believed this would leave her with the only happy ending of all fairy tale characters. The series then ran for seven seasons, with the characters in Storybrooke living parallel lives with their true selves in fairy tale stories and their desire to return home.

One of the philosophical issues raised by The Wheel of Time concerns the nature of fate and just how much agency an individual has when confronting the relentlessly cyclical nature of time. Some of those issues were also raised by ABC’s popular and long-running series Once Upon a Time, especially in the later seasons, as the various characters had to contend with the numerous iterations of the curse that was the centerpiece of the first season.

Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

Based On The Novels By George R.R. Martin

Few fantasy series have achieved quite the level of critical and ratings success Game of Thrones, which remains the gold standard for the genre. Though it is darker in tone and philosophy than The Wheel of Time, the two do share some similarities, including an epic narrative that focuses on a group of young people trying to survive in a world that grows increasingly hostile to them, all while a grave existential threat might destroy everything and everyone that they love.

They are also both based on very popular epic fantasy novels, although Game of Thrones has no ending in written form, so the TV showrunners came up with one on their own, which remains polarizing with fans. Despite the ending turning off some viewers, the overall experience of watching Game of Thrones is something that has no equal for fantasy fans, and it is something that The Winds of Time can only hope to replicate as it adds on more seasons.

The Good Place (2016-2020)

A TV Series Taking Place in The Afterlife

Michael Schur has been known for creating popular sitcoms, many of which exemplify his feel-good aesthetic. One of his most notable is The Good Place, which used the form of a sitcom to interrogate the essential questions that humans have always wrestled with, many of which were centered on philosophy. On the show, Kristen Bell stars as Eleanor, a woman who dies and ends up in The Good Place, which looks like it could be Heaven, but she knows she doesn’t belong there after the life she lived.

They are both shows that address the big questions of human existence.

It might seem strange to compare a sitcom like The Good Place with a fantasy epic action-drama like The Wheel of Time, but they are both shows that address the big questions of human existence. The Good Place uses a good story to force viewers to question their assumptions about how the world works. This is especially true in later seasons, where the demon meant to torture them in the fake Good Place sets out to have them try to prove they deserve a chance to change the afterlife forever.

Disenchantment (2018-2023)

An Animated Epic Fantasy By The Creator Of The Simpsons

One of the things that makes The Wheel of Time such an exciting fantasy series is that it plays with some of the conventions of the epic fantasy even while utilizing them. A similar dynamic is at work with the series Disenchantment, one of the best adult animated series on Netflix. It primarily focuses on the character of Princess Bean who, though she might seem to be straight out of an epic fantasy series, consistently shows that she doesn’t always (or ever) want to follow the rules.

While animated and mostly a humorous attempt at epic fantasy, the storylines between this and Wheel of Time line up.

The series follows Princess Bean, an alcoholic rebel, her “personal demon” Luci, and her elf companion Elfo. This takes place during the Middle Ages, although it is more of a fairy tale land. When Bean learns that she has a magical power that produces black lightning, she understands that she has to protect her kingdom of Dreamland from evil forces and a conspiracy from within. While animated and mostly a humorous attempt at epic fantasy, the storylines between this and Wheel of Time line up.

American Gods (2017-2021)

The Gods Of Myths Go To War With The Modern-Day Gods

Neil Gaiman is widely regarded as one of the most talented authors working in the fantasy genre with a genius all his own, so it’s no wonder his series American Gods was adapted for a television series. This series follows a man named Shadow Moon who gets out of prison after his wife dies, only to find himself working for a man named Mr. Wednesday, the human embodiment of Odin. His task is to help Mr. Wednesday prepare the old gods to go to war with the new gods of technology, globalization, and more.

Just as The Wheel of Time explores the ending of one age and the potential beginning of another, American Gods explores a brewing conflict between two different generations of gods. It is also very much about how much agency an individual has in the face of epochal change. The series suffered some problems with its format early on, when Bryan Fuller was replaced as the showrunner, but the three seasons present some of fantasy television’s most interesting storytelling.

Good Omens (2019-)

An Angel & Demon Try To Stop The Apocalypse

American Gods isn’t the only Neil Gaiman fantasy novel to receive the small-screen treatment, as Good Omens, the novel that he wrote with renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett, has also been adapted for TV. In the series, Angel Aziraphale and Demon Crowley have to work together to prevent the apocalypse. Although Heaven and Hell feel it is time to end things on Earth, both of these beings enjoy their lives and set out to save humanity, if only for their own selfish reasons.

It is, more than anything else, a clever inversion of the traditional formula regarding the apocalypse and the birth of a new age. In the end, it is a tale of good versus evil, just like The Wheel of Time, although the angel and demon realize that the forces plotting the end of the world are both evil – whether they are from Heaven or Hell. It is this juxtaposition that makes both series an interesting watch, as neither one has characters that are morally black or white, and there are plenty of shades of gray.

Cursed (2020)

A Re-Imagining Of The King Arthur Legend

The Wheel of Time, both the books and the TV series, takes many of the tropes and characters of fantasy and finds new ways to express them and transform them for a new audience. A similar dynamic is at work in the Netflix series Cursed, which follows the character of Nimue (played by 13 Reasons Why‘s Katherine Langford) from the King Arthur tales as she tries to save her people from the ruthless predations of the new Christian faith.

Though it takes some notable liberties with the myth, it still manages to retain the core of what makes the King Arthur story so enduringly popular. The series only lasted for one season and 10 episodes, so it is unclear how far this series could have taken the re-imaginings of the Arthurian legend, although with comic book legend Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil: Born Again) behind the illustrated novel the series is based on, anything is possible for this fantasy series.

Carnival Row (2019-2023)

A Murder Case Puts Mythical Creature Immigrants’ Lives In Danger

Amazon Prime Video has become a powerhouse when it comes to fantasy series, and one of their lesser-appreciated gems is Carnival Row. The series is set in a world where fairy creatures fled their war-torn lands and ended up being treated as second-class citizens in London. It primarily follows a police inspector named Rycroft (Orlando Bloom) as he investigates a series of murders while also contending with the mysteries involving his own history with the mythical creatures.

In that sense, it’s a good fit for those who enjoy the hero’s journey arc, which is an important part of The Wheel of Time. It is also very similar in that the people are fearful and distrustful of anyone different from them, in this case, the mythical creatures who would prefer to be left alone anyway. It is a very familiar story in today’s society, and in both The Wheel of Time and Carnival Row, the prejudice that stops heroes from fulfilling their goals is prevalent.