10 Hugely Underrated Fantasy TV Shows From The Last Decade

Peter Jackson's masterful Lord of the Rings trilogy, which concluded 13 years ago, marked the final step in the evolution of the fantasy film from its campy origins to a serious cinematic epic. Television took longer to follow suit, but it finally happened with Game of Thrones, perhaps LOTR's spiritual small screen successor, which is altogether a far cry from beloved but light-hearted nineties fare like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

TV fantasy's low-budget image had finally been thoroughly erased. In fact, while Game of Thrones is undoubtedly in a class of its own, it might come as a surprise that television fantasy didn't just evolve from poorly rendered CGI and stilted dialogue overnight. High fantasy isn't the only sub-genre which has undergone a resurgence, and the last decade has produced some excellent shows which defied the stereotypes and pushed the boundaries of the fantasy genre as a whole.

While the wait goes on for Game of Thrones Season 7, we're taking a look at the most underrated fantasy series in recent memory. Only live-action shows which premiered in or after 2006 are eligible, and while both low fantasy (supernatural drama, etc) and high fantasy appear, science-fiction, however dubious the science may be, has been excluded. Whether you're a newcomer to the genre or a long-time fan, these shows are well worth seeking out.