10 Shows That Tried to Be the Next ‘Game of Thrones’

In 2011, Game of Thrones— the television adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin — aired on HBO. The show quickly established itself as one of the pillars of 2010s popular culture. Its budget allowed the show to reach near-cinematic levels with its sets and CGI, while a combination of talented actors and sharp writing created unforgettable and complex characters.

Naturally, Game of Thrones’ success sparked a new boom of fantasy television shows, many of which tried to copy its aesthetic and character writing. This is a double-edged sword: new shows put more time into their character writing and boast phenomenal effects that make the world feel more realistic, but it also means that these stories tend to focus more on being grounded and dark in tone, which can suck the fantasy out of the genre. Here are 10 shows that tried to be the next Game of Thrones, with varying degrees of success.

10

‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’ (2022–Present)

For thousands of years, the elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) has scoured Middle-earth hunting for the fallen Maiar and strongest servant of the Dark Lord Morgoth, Sauron (Charlie Vickers). Though the other elves tell her to give up the quest, Galadriel can feel darkness on the horizon, and even rejects a chance to go to the undying lands of Valinor. Sure enough, as orcs are gathering in the Southlands and building mysterious tunnels, the light of the elves begins to fade, and a mysterious stranger (Daniel Weyman) with amazing powers falls from the sky.

Amazon so desperately wanted The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerto be their Game of Thrones, and they certainly succeeded in a technical sense. The production value shows through the impressive CGI and the orcs, who are thankfully people in practical effects rather than CGI, which does a good job of bringing J. R. R. Tolkien’s world to life. Unfortunately, the writing lets it all down: the story tries to condense centuries of history into a few months, resulting in a mess of plot contrivances, dumb character moments, and lore contradictions.

9

‘Marco Polo’ (2014–2016)

After three years of traveling east, Marco Polo (Lorenzo Richelmy) arrives at the court of Kublai Khan (Benedict Wong), only to be swiftly abandoned by his father. Now alone in a foreign land, Marco spends his time observing the court and its people to pick up the skills he needs to survive and make what allies he can. Meanwhile, Kublai is focused on conquering the last bits of China from the Song dynasty, led by Chancellor Jia Sidao (Chin Han), though several in Kublai’s court also hope to usurp his power for themselves.

Marco Polo blends real history with Game of Thrones-levels of political intrigue and gory battle scenes, and though the show cost Netflix millions of dollars, it still marked a major step forward in their production of original content. Marco might have his name on the title, but everyone else is vastly more interesting than him, especially Kublai, who is given plenty of development and relationships with his court and family to make him just as complex as the real Khagan. It also does a great job of showcasing Mongolian and Chinese culture in a respectable light and makes great use of Mongolian Throat Singing.

8

‘Cursed’ (2020)

Nimue (Katherine Langford) is a young woman from a village that is destroyed by the magic-hating Red Paladins. She is tasked with delivering a magic sword to the wizard Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård) and is joined by a mercenary named Arthur (Devon Terrell). Their journey sees the two of them grow closer while also using the sword to fight back against the Red Paladins and spark an uprising against the tyrannical King Uther (Sebastian Armesto).

Cursed is a retelling of the Arthurian legend based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler. It does a few creative things, such as taking the characters of Nimue and Morgana (Shalom Brune-Franklin) back to their roots as mystical figures of dubious morality, rather than the more antagonistic portrayals they morphed into. However, the story is also riddled with clichés and takes some very strange liberties, so it’s not much of a surprise the show didn’t last beyond one season.

7

‘See’ (2019–2022)

After a virus wipes out most of humanity, the survivors lose their sight, forcing society to rebuild itself while relying on their other senses. A pregnant woman named Maghra (Hera Hilmar) arrives at the Alkenny Tribe and is welcomed in by its chief, Baba Voss (Jason Momoa). She dies in childbirth and gives birth to twins, who are soon hunted by minions of Queen Sibeth Kane (Sylvia Hoeks) because the twins’ father had the ability to see.

See takes Game of Thrones levels of politics and the struggle to survive and places it in a sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting. The show has fun exploring how society would function with everyone blind, as battles are fought without sight, and balances it with some gripping family drama. Momoa’s performance is also captivating: he makes Baba Voss the perfect mixture of a dedicated father and brutal warrior.

6

‘The Wheel of Time’ (2021–2025)

Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) is one of the Aes Sedai, an organization of female mages who can channel the One Power. Accompanied by her Warder al’Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), Moiraine heads off to find The Dragon Reborn, a prophesied figure who can either save the world or bring about its destruction. She eventually meets five talented young people and concludes that one of them is the Dragon Reborn, whom she must protect from agents of the evil Dark One.

The Wheel of Time adapts Robert Jordan’s beloved fantasy series and took inspiration from Game of Thrones while still doing its own thing. It focuses on character dynamics, watching as all of its main characters grow and change as they come to understand their abilities and place in the world. Unfortunately, fans will have to read the books to figure out how it ends, as the show has been canceled after three seasons.

5

‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021–2023)

The nation of Ravka is split in two by The Fold, an expanse of shadows filled with monsters. However, hope that the Fold may vanish comes when a cartographer named Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) is revealed to be the Sun Summoner, a prophesied Grisha who can create and manipulate light. News of her discovery spreads across the land, prompting a trio of criminals called the Crows to try to kidnap Alina for a hefty reward.

From the first episode, Shadow and Bone hooks you into the unique landscape that is Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. It presents a fantasy world that is more modern compared to others, allowing for magic practitioners who can fling fire or puppet people’s bodies to exist alongside trained soldiers armed with rifles. There are plenty of enjoyable characters to be found, but the Crows easily steal the show thanks to their strong personalities, believable friendship, and their smaller yet still gripping storyline.

4

‘His Dark Materials’ (2019–2022)

Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) is a young girl from a world where human souls walk alongside them as animals called daemons. She witnesses a presentation by her uncle, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), about a strange particle called Dust that could link to other worlds, but he denies her request to accompany him to the Arctic to study it. Shortly after, she is picked up by a charming woman named Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson), which leads Lyra to learn shocking secrets about Dust and her own family history.

His Dark Materials proved to be a far more successful adaptation of Philip Pullman‘s books than the 2007 film The Golden Compass. For one, it doesn’t try to cram clunky exposition into the first five minutes of Episode 1, allowing instead for lore and worldbuilding to organically weave themselves into the plot and be revealed at the appropriate moments. The CGI is also pretty impressive, and it only gets better as the series goes on and leaves Lyra’s world behind for a thrilling multiverse that takes the heroes from the land of the dead to the gates of heaven.

3

‘The Last Kingdom’ (2015–2022)

As Danish invaders sweep across England, Uhtred of Bebbaburg (Tom Taylor and Alexander Dreymon) is betrayed by his uncle and taken hostage by the Dane Ragnar the Fearless (Peter Gantzler), who raises him alongside his own children and a girl named Brida (Emily Cox). When Ragnar is killed by his rival, Kjartan the Cruel (Alexandre Willaume), circumstances cause Uhtred to separate from his Danish siblings and travel to Wessex, the only Saxon kingdom not conquered by the Danes. There, he enters the service of King Alfred the Great (David Dawson), who dreams of uniting England under Saxon Rule, in the hopes of one day reclaiming Bebbaburg.

The Last Kingdom is based on the books by Bernard Cornwell, author of the Sharpe series, and does a wonderful job transporting audiences into this chaotic period of English history. The show doesn’t pull any punches with how brutal the time period was, be it through bloody battles, deadly diseases, or sinister schemes that play with the lives of thousands. Among the characters, Uhtred is a fantastic protagonist, thanks to his warrior’s honor and his place between two worlds, and Alfred serves as a fantastic foil with his cunning mind and difficulty navigating the burdens of kingship.

2

‘The Witcher’ (2019–Present)

Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth) is a magically enhanced warrior called a Witcher, who travels the land as a monster hunter. Though he tries to keep out of human affairs as best he can, he finds his destiny intertwined with Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan), especially after her kingdom is invaded by the Nilfgaardian Empire. He also crosses paths with an ambitious sorceress named Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and the two form a tumultuous relationship while trying to keep Ciri safe.

The Witcher started out as one of the best fantasy shows in the wake of Game of Thrones, but things got progressively worse as the show diverged further from Andrzej Sapkowski’s work. Still, there’s a lot to praise: the world is rich in magic and secrets, full of horrific monsters that take from Eastern European mythology that pull no punches in their gory kills. Geralt is also a strong protagonist, especially in the early seasons, where Cavill put so much subtle emotion into his performance that makes him both a stoic badass who fearlessly kills monsters and a sympathetic man who tries to help those in need when he can.

1

‘House of the Dragon’ (2022–Present)

Nearly 200 years before their fall, House Targaryen was at the height of its power during the reign of King Viserys I (Paddy Constantine), with more members and dragons than at any point in history. However, trouble brews when Viserys makes his daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy), his heir, which goes against Westerosi tradition that places men before women — the same tradition that made Viserys king over his elder cousin, Princess Rhaenys (Eva Bess). While Viserys remains firm in his choice, his Hand of the King and father-in-law, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Effans), schemes to place Rhaenyra’s half-brother, Aegon (Ty Tennant and Tom Glynn-Carney), on the throne, which sets the stage for a war between dragons.

Game of Thrones’ success naturally inspired spin-offs based on the extensive history Martin has created for his world, with House of the Dragon focusing on the events chronicled in Fire & Blood. The better effects pay off in allowing the dragons to look better than ever, with more diverse designs and a greater sense of scale to perfectly capture their size and destructive powers. The story suffers in places due to numerous time skips in Season 1 and uneven pacing in Season 2, but there are still plenty of great character moments to be had, especially concerning Viserys, whom Martin admits was depicted better than his version.