HBO has really been knocking it out of the park in recent years with all the original series they’ve produced. They’ve introduced so many cultural phenomenons and critical smash hits that it’s not even funny. Seriously, where do they find the budget to keep producing these massive, multi-billion dollar series? Most notably, HBO single-handedly kickstarted the enormous wave of fantasy television that is currently in its prime, with numerous other fantasy shows popping up on other streaming platforms trying to capitalize on HBO’s success.
The show to do this, of course, was Game of Thrones, based on an unfinished novel series. The show lasted for eight years, spanned eight seasons, and absolutely took the world by storm. From there, HBO executives thought they’d keep the momentum going and produce a few other fantasy series. The few that have been produced in the wake of Game of Thrones are positively excellent, to the point that they rarely, if ever, have a bad episode. Whatever secret formula HBO came up with to make these fantasy shows work, there are some shows from other networks that could certainly use some of the same juice. These are the best HBO fantasy TV shows where every episode is a bona fide masterpiece.
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‘His Dark Materials’ (2019–2022)
Dafne Keen as Lyra looking to the distance in His Dark Materials Season 3.Image via HBO
His Dark Materials is based on a novel trilogy of the same name written by Philip Pullman. In 2008, Hollywood attempted a film adaptation of the first book, called The Golden Compass. This effort was nothing short of disastrous. The movie was terrible; it barely resembled the book, and it invoked the wrath of long-time fans. In fact, listing all the problems with it would probably be enough to write a book of its own. Due to critical and fan response, any future prospects for a sequel were swiftly cancelled, and the IP remained untouched for over 10 years. That is, until HBO came along and tried to take another crack at it. Putting it into a serial format proved to be the right choice, because it meant they didn’t have to omit so much of the source material or compress some of the most important scenes. On top of that, the show was clearly made by fans of the franchise, as they snuck a whole bunch of hidden Easter eggs and references into the series that only die-hard fans will be able to catch.
Story-wise, the show is set on an alternate version of Earth, one in which magic exists, as do monsters and paranormal entities. The world has fallen under the shadow of an oppressive corporation known as the Magisterium, and it falls to a young girl from Oxford to save not only her world, but also the multiverse. That’s right: this show dives into multiverse portals and features hopping to other worlds, so it does get kind of complex. Though the series was initially penned as a YA trilogy, adults have found plenty of enjoyment in the series as well. Coming out right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, this show was exactly what people needed to get them through the harder times. Or at least, those who knew about it, anyway. As it stands, it is one of the most brilliant, yet underrated shows that HBO has produced. Fortunately, it was able to receive a proper conclusion rather than being cancelled or left on a cliffhanger. As far as adaptations go, this is about as faithful as one could be, which has made it a resounding hit with the fans and with critics, as well.
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‘House of the Dragon’ (2022–Present)
Emma D’Arcy in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Episode 8Image via HBO
House of the Dragon is the first prequel series to Game of Thrones. The only reason Thrones didn’t make this list is, quite simply, because not every episode is a masterpiece. Many fans were disgruntled and even angry with the way the eighth and final season was handled, so it wouldn’t be right to include it here. Anyway, House of the Dragon seems to have a much better track record thus far. The show is set 300 years prior to Thrones, focusing on the formation and centuries-long rule of the House of Targaryen. This family, hailing from Valyria on the continent of Essos, was known for their affinity with dragons. They were capable dragon riders, and many were somehow immune to fire. They used these abilities to conquer and unite the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros under one banner, though there was rarely peace in the realm.
House of the Dragon was the long-anticipated spin-off that fans of Thrones so desperately needed, especially with how disappointing the eighth season was for a lot of people. It was able to rekindle the fire of passion in the hearts of fans and remind them why they loved the series too much to begin with. Like the original show it was based on, this one is an adaptation of a book by author George R. R. Martin. The book in question is Fire & Blood, which is less of a novel and more of a fictitious account of history. The book mostly details the lineage and life of the Targaryen rulers, explaining how a mighty house came to fall by the time the main saga rolls around. In any event, the show is full of the political turmoil, grimdark themes, gruesome violence, and enormous scale that fans of Martin’s work loved so much, and it’s been a pretty big success thus far. There haven’t been any bad episodes yet, likely due to Martin himself having a heavier hand in the show’s production.
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
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.
02
What is the source of your power? Every house endures because of something. What is it for yours?
03
Who do you truly fight for? Strip away the banners and the words. The honest answer tells you everything.
04
How do you deal with your enemies? A house’s method reveals its character as clearly as its words ever could.
05
What kind of ruler do you believe in? Westeros is full of answers to this question. Most of them end badly.
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.
07
Which of these truths about Westeros do you most believe? Every house has a philosophy. This is yours.
08
The Iron Throne is within reach. What do you do? The answer reveals not just your ambition — but your character.
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.
Winterfell · The North
🐺 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.
Casterly Rock · The Westerlands
🦁 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.
Dragonstone · The Iron Throne
🐉 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.
Storm’s End · The Stormlands
🦌 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.
Highgarden · The Reach
🌹 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.
1
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (2026–Present)
Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall (Peter Claffey) and Ser Arlan (Danny Webb) in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’Image via HBO
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the second prequel to Game of Thrones, which is once again based on books by George R. R. Martin. Specifically, this one is based on a series of three novellas, which were eventually compiled and re-released as a single, novel-length volume of the same name. This story is set approximately 100 years before the main sequence, during a period when there isn’t as much turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms. It still exists; it just seems to be at a lower level than fans are used to. The story follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a wandering hedge knight, and his squire, Aegon V Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell), as they travel across Westeros seeking contracts. The two form an unlikely friendship which is colloquially known as “Dunk and Egg,” and while their relationship is strange, it’s also full of comedy.
The scale of this show is a bit more intimate than the epic fantasy that is Thrones and House of the Dragon, but fans seem to be all for it, nonetheless. As mentioned, this show is much more comedic in nature, showing the misadventures that Dunk and Egg have as they travel across the land. There’s also a lot of brilliant action sequences involving Ser Duncan, especially the famed tournament sequence. This moment was praised for its brutally realistic depiction of Medieval combat, with the knights participating rolling around in the mud and the muck whilst trying to make their opponents yield. It’s an absolutely fantastic scene that doesn’t waste anything on trying to pretty up the action. It’s filthy, bloody, and nasty in every way, but that’s what makes it so brilliant. While some fans prefer this show and others prefer House of the Dragon, that doesn’t change the fact that it does a phenomenal job all around. There are no bad episodes, though at only one season thus far, this could change if it is mishandled.
