5 Fantasy TV Shows That Peaked With the First Season

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Some fantasy shows actually improve as they go on. A great example is Avatar: The Last Airbender, which became one of the best animated series ever made, with its stories and world-building getting richer and more complex until the very end. Similarly, The Wheel of Time on television steadily improved, and its third season was better received than its first. However, some shows remain consistently good until a disappointing finale undoes all the positive work. Game of Thrones was a huge cultural phenomenon for eight seasons, but its rushed final season upset many fans. And Merlin had a loyal following for five seasons, but its ending left a lot of viewers feeling unsatisfied.

Some fantasy shows start strong, generating a lot of excitement and attracting a dedicated audience, but then struggle to maintain that initial momentum. This can happen for many reasons – like changes in the creative team, interference from the network, poor adaptation of the original story, or simply because the idea wasn’t sustainable over a long series. It’s disappointing when a promising fantasy show shines brightly at the beginning and then fails to live up to its potential.

5) Shadow and Bone

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone launched in 2021 and quickly became one of the platform’s most popular English-language series, racking up 230 million hours of viewership in its first month. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, the show follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a soldier who discovers she has a unique magical ability in a world threatened by a dark, supernatural barrier. The first season successfully blended characters from Bardugo’s Six of Crows stories into the main plot, and it received an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Season two of Shadow and Bone, released in 2023, tried to cover the storylines of six books at once. This fast pace hurt the storytelling that fans had enjoyed in the first season. Viewership declined quickly after the first couple of weeks, and Netflix canceled the show a few months later. This also meant the planned Six of Crows spinoff, which had already been written, was also canceled. Ultimately, the Grishaverse, which had seemed like Netflix’s next big fantasy series, ended abruptly with an unresolved cliffhanger.

4) Avatar: The Legend of Korra

The first season of Avatar: The Legend of Korra, titled “Book One: Air,” premiered in 2012 and became the most-watched animated series debut in the U.S. that year, averaging 3.8 million viewers per episode on Nickelodeon. Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the series takes place in the 1920s-inspired city of Republic City. The season’s storyline, featuring a rebellion against those with bending abilities led by the mysterious Amon, is notable for having a particularly thought-provoking and complex villain. However, the second season, “Book Two: Spirits,” which aired in 2013, is widely considered the weakest part of the entire franchise.

As a huge fan of The Legend of Korra, I really felt like the second season stumbled. It started with a behind-the-scenes issue – the animation studio that did such a great job on season one, Studio Mir, almost didn’t return. When the work was split between two studios, Pierrot and then Mir again, the visual style felt really uneven throughout the episodes, and honestly, it just didn’t look as good. Beyond that, the new villain, Unalaq, didn’t have the same complex motivations that made Amon so interesting. And the way they expanded the history of the Avatars actually created some plot holes! It’s not surprising that critics weren’t as impressed and fewer people tuned in – Nickelodeon even took the show off their main channel. While the final two seasons are better, they just didn’t recapture the magic of that incredible first season.

3) Once Upon a Time

The TV show Once Upon a Time premiered on ABC in 2011 and quickly became the most popular new drama that season. The first season focused on characters from classic fairy tales who were magically cursed to live as ordinary people in the town of Storybrooke, with no recollection of their real lives. The show cleverly used flashbacks to reveal their enchanted pasts, gradually building a connected world based on different fairy tales and stories. This strong foundation gave Season 1 a clear direction, something the series struggled to maintain after the initial curse was lifted at the end of the season.

Throughout the next six seasons of Once Upon a Time, creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz tried to recapture the excitement of the show’s initial mystery. They did this by constantly adding new curses, villains, and Disney stories, but this approach ultimately lessened the impact of the show’s main characters. The seventh and final season featured a complete overhaul of the cast and storyline, which severely damaged the show’s reputation. While Once Upon a Time lasted for 155 episodes, most fans agree that the first 22 episodes were the strongest.

2) American Gods

The TV series American Gods debuted on Starz in 2017 and was initially very well-received, earning a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The show was led by Bryan Fuller, known for his visually striking work on Hannibal. Fuller and co-showrunner Michael Green adapted Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel, stretching the first part of the book into eight episodes and featuring a diverse cast with Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon and Ian McShane as the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. However, budget problems led to Fuller and Green being removed from the show before Season 2, and the show’s distinctive style suffered under new showrunner Jesse Alexander.

The show American Gods had a troubled production, going through four different showrunners over its three seasons. Key actors like Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth also left, along with the original creative team. Adding to the issues, the firing of Orlando Jones caused a public controversy just as the show’s audience was already shrinking. Viewership dropped by 65% from the first to the third season, leading to its cancellation by Starz in 2021. Ultimately, American Gods never finished telling its story, adapting only part of Neil Gaiman’s novel and leaving the plot unresolved.

1) The Witcher

Netflix launched The Witcher hoping to replicate the success of Game of Thrones. The show, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels and starring Henry Cavill as monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, initially gained popularity thanks to Cavill’s dedication and a complex storyline that encouraged repeat viewing. However, Season 2 strayed significantly from the original books. While critics surprisingly gave it a high approval rating of 95%, audiences strongly disliked it, with only 45% giving it a positive review. This split between critics and fans became a recurring problem for the show in every season that followed.

Henry Cavill left The Witcher before Season 4, reportedly because the show was moving away from the original books by Andrzej Sapkowski. His replacement, Liam Hemsworth, saw a significant drop in viewership – a 52% decrease from Season 3 – and many fans felt this change was the last straw after growing disengagement with the series. The show’s spinoffs also received harsh criticism for their confusing storylines and inconsistent writing, further damaging the main series. Netflix has now announced that Season 5, currently being finalized, will be the last season of The Witcher, ending what once seemed like a landmark fantasy series for the streaming age.

What fantasy series had the best initial season but then didn’t live up to its potential? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-28 19:16