6 Lesser-Known Fantasy TV Series to Watch on Netflix in December 2023
Although little known, these fantasy series are both original and amusing.
The magical holiday season is upon us, and it's time to turn our attention to all sorts of fantasy series that are sure to keep you binge-watching this December and the holidays to come!
Netflix subscribers who love the genre are probably already familiar with the controversial The Witcher, the acclaimed One Piece, the disappointingly canceled Shadow and Bone, or Neil Gaiman 's excellent adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, The Sandman. But the platform is full of other, lesser known, but no less exciting series, six of which we will talk about today.
6. New Amsterdam (2008, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 62%)
The star of New Amsterdam, which debuted in 2008, was Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Despite being canceled by Fox after only one season, the show is incredibly unique, combining elements of fantasy and police procedural. New Amsterdam follows homicide detective John Amsterdam (yes, the writers were quite original in their choice of name), who is actually an immortal man born in 17th century Holland and has lived in what is now New York City since the age of 14.
5. Tidelands (2018, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 77%)
The Australian series Tidelands tells the story of a young woman who returns to her native fishing village of Orphelin Bay after spending 10 years in juvenile detention for alleged murder. But the joy of homecoming is tempered by the mysterious murder of a local fisherman, which turns out to be the work of siren-human hybrids. The series deftly blends Lovecraftian horror in the vein of The Shadow over Innsmouth with the drug dealing and murder going on in the town.
4. The Irregulars (2021, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 80%)
This show is a reinterpretation of the works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that shifts the spotlight from Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to the unseen force that assisted them during the investigations, the street kids known in the novels as the Baker Street Irregulars. Watson (in this iteration, he's very sneaky and devious) manipulates the Irregulars in whatever way he can to get them to investigate the supernatural happenings in London.
3. Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (2022, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 93%)
Based on the young adult fantasy novel by Sally Green, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (adapted by the creator of such hits as Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project, Joe Barton) follows a young man, Nathan Byrne (Jay Lycurgo), whose father was a powerful and villainous Blood Witch. The protagonist finds himself caught between the fires of several factions at once, including the Blood Witches, the controlling Fairborn Witches, and the Witch Hunters.
2. The Sound of Magic (2022, 1 season, Rotten Tomatoes score 100%)
It's not uncommon for K-dramas to offer not only rom-coms, but also highly original fantasy storylines, and one of the best examples is The Sound of Magic. The plot follows a poor high school student who dreams of growing up to earn good money. In an abandoned amusement park, she meets a mysterious magician who wants to remain a child.
1. The New Legends of Monkey (2018, 2 seasons, Rotten Tomatoes score 100%)
Perhaps the most original of the list is The New Legends of Monkey, an Australian/New Zealand-produced series that is a reimagining of the Japanese series Monkey, which is itself an adaptation of the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West. The plot centers on a teenage girl who embarks on an incredible and adventurous journey with the Monkey King.