10 Most Rewatchable Fantasy Shows, Ranked

There is a special sort of magic to fantasy TV shows. These shows can range from epic dramas that take place in other worlds, to more grounded fantasy shows in contemporary settings. Fantasy can be the perfect escape for television fans, drawing them into worlds of make-believe with high-stakes plots, magic powers, and many different worlds with new rules that dictate the universe of the show.

There are many fantasy shows that make for a phenomenal watch. When it comes to rewatching, however, there are different barometers for fantasy shows. Game of Thrones was phenomenal (until its last season), but it is not a great rewatch, due to its intense and violent plots, and its disappointing ending. Rewatchable fantasy tends to play around with elements like comedy, cozy fantasy, and entertaining plot lines. These are the 10 most rewatchable fantasy TV shows, ranked.

10 ‘Shadowhunters’ (2016-2019)

Created by Cassandra Clare

Based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments book series, Shadowhunters follows Clary Fray, a seemingly normal girl who learns that she is a shadowhunter: part angel and part human. After her mother goes missing, Clary joins a group of shadowhunters. Clary trains with them and gets immersed in the rich fantasy world that she never knew anything about, all while trying to save her mother.

Shadowhunters is such a rewatchable series, due to its entertaining characters, drama-filled plotlines, and mix of real-world and fantasy elements. It is a lot of fun to watch Clary, who had grown up normally, as she slowly becomes entwined in this world of magical creatures and powers. The show has great romantic relationships, as well as strong development for all of the main characters.

9 ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019-2024)

Created by Jemaine Clement

Now in its sixth and final season, What We Do in the Shadows has really made a name for itself as a fantasy series. It follows a group of vampires who have been living together in a Staten Island house for decades, along with their familiar. Despite initially promising to conquer the world, the vampires have since spent the time concocting schemes, trying odd jobs, and somehow always getting into trouble.

What We Do in the Shadows is very rewatchable, because it is a brilliant mockumentary sitcom. It is always incredibly entertaining to watch the vampires get up to various things in each episode. The vampires are chaotic and endearing, and it is always a joy to watch them in each episode. Unlike a typical fantasy series, What We Do in the Shadows has a more low-key plot due to its sitcom format, and it is both wonderfully weird and very comforting to watch.

8 ‘Once Upon a Time’ (2011-2018)

Created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

A staple of fantasy is the fairytale. There have been many movie adaptations of fairytales, but it is rare to find a television adaptation. Once Upon a Time blends nearly every fairytale out there together into one world. When a normal human woman, Emma Swan, gets visited by the son she once gave up for adoption, she is introduced to the town of Storybrooke, Maine.

Storybrooke turns out to actually be a town that had been cursed by the Evil Queen, Regina, trapping all of the fairytale characters inside. Once Upon a Time is very rewatchable, due to its unique storytelling structure. Each Once Upon a Time episode shows flashbacks of the characters living in the world of their fairytales, which turn out to be darker twists on the classics. It shows how they all ended up there, all while in the present day, they are hoping to get out.

Watch on Hulu

7 ‘The Vampire Diaries’ (2009-2017)

Created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson

There are few television fantasy towns as iconic as Mystic Falls, Virginia. The Vampire Diaries follows a seemingly normal girl named Elena Gilbert, living in Mystic Falls and grieving the deaths of her parents. After meeting the Salvatore brothers, Elena gets tangled up in a love triangle between two vampires. The series follows a variety of magical beings living in Mystic Falls, including werewolves and witches.

The Vampire Diaries is the perfect rewatch. It takes all of the best teen drama tropes to create a really dramatic and entertaining fantasy show. It is fast-paced, with fantastic romantic plotlines and very clever mythology. From the concept of Original Vampires to the deep and complicated history of Mythic Falls, this world is incredibly rich, well-written, and full of interesting stories.

6 ‘The Good Place’ (2016-2020)

Created by Michael Schur

Fantasy shows tend to either take place in a completely made-up epic fantasy world, or have grounded elements in the real world. The Good Place does something entirely different, and it makes for absolutely incredible television. After Eleanor Shellstrop suddenly dies, she ends up in The Good Place by mistake. In order to keep from being sent to The Bad Place, Eleanor gets ethics lessons from her mistakenly assigned soulmate, Chidi.

The Good Place is an absolutely phenomenal fantasy show. It takes place almost entirely in the afterlife, introducing the incredibly unique and fascinating afterlife system. From The Good Place and beyond, every aspect of the afterlife in The Good Place has a sort of magic to it. The world-building is fantastic, and the show is absolutely hilarious, taking the sitcom format and using it to teach moral philosophy and show these characters helping each other beyond the grave.

5 ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ (2020)

Created by Dan Cross and David Hoge

Another fantasy series that utilizes ghosts very well is Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms. Ever since the death of her mother, Julie Molina has been unable to sing or play music. That is until she accidentally unleashes three ghosts from her mother’s old studio. This leads to something truly incredible, with Julie getting back into music because of the ghosts, and even starting a band with them.

Julie and the Phantoms is incredibly rewatchable, and not just due to how short it is. It has amazing and catchy music, as well as a really smart and well-written overarching storyline that tells a phenomenal story in a three-act structure. The story of Julie and her phantoms is really sweet and touching, and it is a lot of fun to watch this band become something. The show was sadly canceled after only one season, but it is still the perfect rewatch.

4 ‘My Lady Jane’ (2024)

Created by Gemma Burgess

Another devastating cancellation came particularly recently, shortly after the release of the incredibly inventive and hilarious historical fantasy series, My Lady Jane. The show is a fictionalized retelling of the story of Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley. In this version, however, there is a divide in England between the Ethians who can turn into animals, and the Verity who cannot.

Even though it only had one season and was only released this past year, My Lady Jane is perfect for a rewatch. It has an incredibly rich and well-written historical fantasy world. It also has a beautiful romance that goes from an arranged marriage between two people who cannot stand each other, to a beautiful, genuine love story. Most of the story was wrapped up within a single season, so it is still a great show to watch over and over again.

3 ‘Over the Garden Wall’ (2014)

Created by Patrick McHale

If Gilmore Girls is the quintessential contemporary show to rewatch every Autumn, then Over the Garden Wall is the fantasy equivalent. The show follows two half-brothers, Wirt and Greg, who are lost in a fantastical forest called The Unknown. The two brothers just try to find their way home, while getting diverted at every turn by the various people, animals, and magical creatures that they meet.

Over the Garden Wall is the perfect example of cozy fantasy. It is not all cozy; there is a terrifying beast that turns children into trees and burns them for his lantern. However, there is just something so comforting about the show. The wonderfully creative music, the magical setting, and the surprising sweetness underlying the brothers’ interactions with a lot of the beings that they meet make for a truly warm and rewatchable show.

2 ‘Galavant’ (2015-2016)

Created by Dan Fogelman

Among a variety of fantasy series exists a truly one-of-a-kind musical fantasy show. Galavant follows the story of a knight named Galavant after the woman he loves leaves him for an evil king. After a long time spent moping, Galavant gets recruited by Princess Isabella for an epic quest. This leads to an epic story that takes place over two seasons, with a bunch of quests, battles, and delightfully over-the-top musical numbers.

Galavant initially starts out as a more grounded old-timey show, but the second season seriously embraces the fantasy elements, with sorcery, zombies, and even a dragon. Galavant is the perfect rewatch, due to its immersive fantasy world, clever and exciting quests, and incredible character development. It is such a fun show that gets better with each rewatch, and it is perfect for sing-alongs.

Watch on Hulu

1 ‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007-2009)

Created by Bryan Fuller

There is no fantasy show out there that makes for a better rewatch than Pushing Daisies. The fairytale procedural hybrid follows a piemaker named Ned who can wake the dead with a single touch. Ned uses his powers to help a private investigator solve murder mysteries. It is during this job that Ned reconnects with his first love, Chuck, by waking her from the dead. Ned and Chuck have the perfect love story, with just one catch: they can never touch, or Chuck will go back to being dead forever.

There are a lot of things about Pushing Daisies that make it the perfect rewatch. It has a cozy and magical fairytale aesthetic, with a truly beautiful romance. There are fascinating and over-the-top murder mysteries in each episode, as well as a delightfully quirky cast of characters. There is also an amazing narrator and a really well-written and fascinating overarching storyline that follows the history of Ned and Chuck’s families.

Buy on Apple TV

NEXT: The Best Fantasy TV Shows of All Time, Ranked