The Lord of the Ringsis widely considered one of the best fantasy franchises of all time, but some TV shows come close to being just as good when it comes to scope, storytelling, and worldbuilding. There are few franchises that transcend generations, touching the hearts of viewers of all ages.
Based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, theLord of the Rings onscreen franchisehas continued to expand over the years, allowing viewers to delve into the lore and world of Middle-earth. The movies and TV show are notable for their incredible worldbuilding and relevant themes.
Even though the fantasy genre has grown immensely, not many shows would be considered on the same level as The Lord of the Rings. However, these ten fantasy TV shows come close in many ways.
10The Witcher (2019-Present)
The Witcherfollows a mercenary monster hunter named Geralt of Rivia who navigates his fate in a dangerous world filled with war and monsters. The Witcher isn’t as good asThe Lord of the Rings, butit certainly comes close in terms of setting, themes, and stakes.
The WitcherandThe Lord of the Ringsboth have high fantasy settings with a unique visual style. They explore themes of destiny and responsibility. Plus, failure could have dire consequences in both stories. That being said, theWitcherTV show doesn’t include expansive worldbuilding, setting it apart from the lore-heavy franchiseThe Lord of the Rings.
9Castlevania (2017-2021)
One of the best fantasy animated TV shows is the Netflix showCastlevania. Based on the video game franchise,Castlevaniafollows Trevor Belmont, the last member of the Belmont monster-hunting clan, as he takes on Dracula’s army of demons.
CastlevaniaandThe Lord of the Ringsare both historical dark fantasies with gothic elements, and both shows blend together the different genres seamlessly.The world and characters are so expansive that they warranted sequels/prequels.
The fight scenes in both series have excellent choreography that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. That being said,Castlevaniafalls short ofThe Lord of the Ringswhen it comes to creating tension in the quieter moments.
8Wonder Woman (1975-1979)
TheWonder WomanTV show follows the titular superpowered Amazonian who saves her island and the world from bad guys. At face value, the show is nothing likeThe Lord of the Rings, butthe TV show is just as good as the Tolkien franchise in its legacy and casting.
The 1970sWonder Womanshow reshaped the superhero and badass women subgenres in the same way thatThe Lord of the Ringsshaped high fantasy. They’re seminal projects that have their fingerprints all over the genres. Additionally, they both boast high-caliber actors who embodied their characters.
Unfortunately,Wonder Womanisn’t nearly as great asThe Lord of the Ringswhen it comes to storytelling, with the writing and villain development being the 1970s show’s biggest weakness.
7Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
Xena: The Warrior Princess, one of the best ‘90s fantasy TV shows, follows the titular main character, who’s trying to make up for her sins by defending innocent people.The Lord of the RingsandXena: Warrior Princessshare many actors and behind-the-scenes professionals. Plus,Xenahelped popularize New Zealand as a filming location, where the Tolkien movies eventually filmed.
Luckily,the predecessor is almost as good as the film franchise in its depth and exploration of ethics, asking questions like what we owe to each other and whether redemption is possible.
Xena: Warrior Princessis also nearly as beloved asLord of the Rings, ranking among the best cult classic TV shows. There have been multiple attempts to reviveXena, and the franchise has become expansive. In these ways, they have similar legacies. However,Xenahas pretty bad visuals compared toThe Lord of the Rings.
6She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power (2018-2020)
Lord of the Ringsfans who enjoy the worldbuilding and themes need to watchShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power, a remake of the 1985 TV show. Netflix’sShe-Rashow follows a young girl who fights back against an evil man who wants to take over the planet.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Powerhas incredible worldbuilding that’s nearly on par withThe Lord of the Rings. It feels like the writers had fleshed out the world so thoroughly that there’s more to it than even the audience knows.
Additionally, the NetflixShe-Rashow explores themes of war and imperialism just as deeply asThe Lord of the Rings, except catered to a younger audience. The TV show might not be as impactful asThe Lord of the Rings, but it’s still pretty good.
5Arcane (2021-2024)
The Netflix animated TV showArcanefollows two sisters named Vi and Jinx, who get involved in the burgeoning conflict between their impoverished home, Zaun, and the utopian city Piltover. Even though it’s only two seasons,Arcaneis almost as good asThe Lord of the Ringswhen it comes to worldbuilding and scoring.
The Netflix show borrows the backstory and lore from its parent franchise,League of Legends, in the same wayLOTRdoes the Tolkien books. The movies feel slightly more in-depth than the show, but not by much. Additionally,The Lord of the RingsandArcanehave scoring that is immediately identifiable, though the movie soundtrack is a little more resonant.
4The Wheel Of Time (2021-2025)
Prime Video’sThe Wheel of Timefollows a wise, magical woman who seeks out four people in a village, one of whom could stop the Dark One. Considering author Robert Jordan took inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien, it shouldn’t surprise anyone thatthe show includes story depth and classic literature elements likeLOTR.
Both high fantasy shows check off five of the six elements of epic poems. The Dragon Born (I won’t spoil their identity) inThe Wheel of Timefeels just as much like an unlikely hero asFrodo inThe Lord of the Rings, and they’re tasked with stopping the ultimate evil with the help of their friends.
The Wheel of Timemight not have as strong a character development asThe Lord of the Rings, but that doesn’t stop the show from being fantastic.
3The Magicians (2015-2020)
When creating this list, I intentionally left Urban Fantasy shows off the list because they feel too fundamentally different fromThe Lord of the Ringsto compare. However,The Magiciansis an exception because the show starts as an urban fantasy but shifts into a high fantasy show by the end of season 1.
The Magiciansfollows a group of magic students at the graduate school, Brakebills University, who fight against a magician threatening to destroy the fantasy world of Fillory. Although they sound very different,The Lord of the RingsandThe Magicianshave a similar approach to worldbuilding, and they both feature an unlikely hero who has to save a world.
Neither the show nor the movie shies away from dark fantasy, including some terrifying scenes that verge on horror. They also both delve into the political aspects of tyranny.The Magicians’ high fantasy world and mythological creatures might not be as intricate asThe Lord of the Rings, but it certainly comes close to being as good.
2Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
The Nickelodeon cartoonAvatar: The Last Airbenderfollows Aang, an Avatar who must learn all four forms of element-bending to save the world from the imperialist Fire Nation.Avatar: The Last Airbender(ATLA) is cherishedlikeThe Lord of the Rings, andit comes close to the Tolkien story in many ways.
The lore and worldbuilding ofATLAare top-notch, especially since the concept was entirely new.The Lord of the RingsandAvatarboth delve into the political aspects of war. The main characters of both series also have a massive transformation from the start to the finish.
Besides the number 1 show on the list,Avataris probably the closest toLOTRin terms of quality, storytelling, themes, and lasting legacy. The only area it falls short is that it hasn’t influenced nearly as many other shows asThe Lord of the Rings.
1Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
Of all the shows that are almost as good asThe Lord of the Rings,Game of Thronesis the closest. The show is so ubiquitous that I don’t even need to explain the plot. In many ways,Game of Thronesfeels like a spiritual successor to the Tolkien franchise, borrowing its style, scope, storytelling approach, and themes.
If it weren’t for thelast season ofGame of Thrones, the show would probably be considered a masterpiece on par withThe Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, fans were disappointed by the last season’s strange character choices and flimsy storytelling. That being said, it was still impactful enough to warrant theHouse of Dragonsspinoff.
