Skip to main content

New top story from Time: These Are the Best Fantasy TV Show Adaptations to Watch Now

https://ift.tt/3eQcVRN

Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, which dropped on April 23, marks yet another hit fantasy book series getting inducted into the TV adaptation circuit—or rather, two series in one, as the new show creates one cohesive narrative out of storylines from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy and the first book in her Six of Crows duology. The series, starring newcomers Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux and Freddy Carter, flies by over the course of eight episodes of magic, espionage, violence and romance—in other words, all of the necessary ingredients to satisfy a fantasy fan.

The good news for fans is that TV adaptations of fantasy series have become essential television in recent years, with more en route. (Look out for Amazon’s future Lord of the Rings show.) While we wait for season two of Shadow and Bone, however, here are the best fantasy TV show adaptations you can watch right now.

Game of Thrones

It’s been 10 whole years since Game of Thrones premiered on HBO, setting a widely-accepted gold standard for what a fantasy television adaptation can be (despite its more controversial elements). With its shocking plot twists, dark themes and giant budget, Thrones became a phenomenon and a cultural touchpoint. And while the scripts stumbled in later seasons—especially after they veered past George R. R. Martin’s published A Song of Ice and Fire works—the early seasons remain worthy of a rewatch, or first watch, for all fantasy book and TV buffs. (And there is, naturally, more Thrones in the works: HBO announced that a spinoff series set 300 years before Thrones, The House of the Dragon, began production in late April and is slated for a 2022 release.)

Watch it on HBO

His Dark Materials

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) may be young adult fantasy, but its topics of exploration—the concepts of original sin, parallel universes, fate and free choice, corruption of power—are not light. Nor do they exist on the usual binary of good vs. evil. First adapted as a 2007 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, the new HBO TV version—renewed for a third and final upcoming season—stars Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show does not break new ground, but fans of the original story—or anyone who is curious about worlds where souls exist in animal form outside of the body—will find a layered story with tender performances.

Watch it on HBO

The Witcher

An obscure, dense Polish fantasy novel adapted to a hit video game—and then adapted again to an eight-episode Netflix series starring Henry Cavill in a long platinum wig: sure, why not? Cavill plays the titular Witcher, a non-human born to fight monsters in a magical, medieval world that draws heavily from European folklore of all origins. The show jumps between his gruesome exploits and the story of a powerful sorceress and a lost princess, the timelines coming together as the season progresses. More lighthearted than Game of Thrones—there’s a singing troubadour as comic sidekick in many scenes—The Witcher got mixed reviews, but each episode gets stronger as the season progresses, and ultimately satisfies the fantasy itch.

Watch it on Netflix

The Magicians

Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, a popular release when it came out in 2009, is often likened to a dark Harry Potter: misfit teens attend a mysterious magical school called the Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. But as both a book and a TV show, The Magicians is less interested in neat tales of good triumphing over evil, and much more interested in the dangers of greed, power and ambition. The SYFY show, which ran for five seasons before concluding in 2020, mixes teen drama, zingy humor and magical exploits—provided you’re OK with a storyline that also includes depictions of traumatic events.

Watch it on Netflix

Outlander

Outlander is a romance first and foremost, Diana Gabaldon’s hefty books weaving the tale of World War II nurse Claire Randall and her love story with 18th century Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser. But time travel and some magically-inclined moments place it in the fantasy genre. The accompanying TV show, which has released five seasons and been renewed for two more to come, tracks the books closely. Claire’s adventures as part of the Jacobite revolution see her traveling from Scotland to France to the Americas; the mix of lush historical settings, supernatural elements, and that central love story have made it a cult favorite.

Watch it on Netflix

The Shannara Chronicles

Canceled this year after two seasons, The Shannara Chronicles adapts Terry Brooks’s epic Sword of Shannara trilogy, a young adult classic. What you’ll find: elves, druids, humans and the occasional dwarf joined in a Lord of the Rings-style quest to save the world, or their slice of it, as a powerful living tree called the Ellcrys begins to die. Filmed in New Zealand, the landscapes are half the appeal; the comforting quest tropes and predictable, teen-friendly narrative make it a kind of comfort food for fantasy show connoisseurs.

Watch it on Netflix

The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons before concluding in 2017, but before it was a hit CW show starring Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder, it was a book series from L.J. James that predated Twilight—and pop culture’s ensuing vampire obsession—by well over a decade. (The first book was published in 1991.) Taking place in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, VA, The Vampire Diaries explores the supernatural with a good dose of small-town Americana.

Watch it on Netflix

A Discovery of Witches

Like His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches makes its home on British soil: it starts out with a manuscript discovery at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, launching an unsuspecting witch on her quest to keep the balance between various supernatural beings—as one does. Based on the All Souls trilogy from Deborah Harkness, it recently aired its second season, with another on order. And there are vampires here too, specifically Matthew Goode as an erudite professor of biochemistry who just happens to have a penchant for blood and a soft spot for a witch. The forbidden love story is the selling point, but the mysteries around witches, vampires and demons give it a highbrow veneer.

Watch it on Amazon Prime Video

American Gods

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods got the TV treatment in 2017 with this Starz adaptation of the 2001 bestseller. As the title suggests, the book (and show) mix an American setting with the battle between Old and New Gods: an ex-convict named Shadow discovers the more-than-human identity of his new employer, Mr. Wednesday, as they travel the country hobnobbing with mysterious characters. There’s another layer of social critique embedded in the text, too; the so-called New Gods are physical manifestations of modern society. (Gillian Anderson, for instance, appears as Media, the New Goddess of pop culture and television.) The show lasted three seasons, most recently airing in January 2021, before getting the ax.

Watch it on Hulu

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Destination San Francisco: Muni Gets You to All the Sights

Destination San Francisco: Muni Gets You to All the Sights By 39 Coit servicing Coit Tower at Telegraph Hill – one of the routes that will be returning in August 2021 as part of Muni’s next service changes. San Francisco is reopening and the  SFMTA is supporting economic recovery by providing Muni access to 98% of the city.  By August 2021, a majority of our pre-COVID routes will be back in service connecting residents and visitors with world-class shopping and dining experiences, off-the-beaten-path local flare, diverse neighborhoods and almost boundless outdoor activities.  Shops, Markets & Dining in Diverse Neighborhoods  Virtually every neighborhood in San Francisco has its own boutique shopping and dining experiences, as well as unique farmers markets showcasing local shops and amenities....

How Improving Muni Also Makes Life Better for Drivers

How Improving Muni Also Makes Life Better for Drivers By Andrea Buffa Photo credit: We Ride Australia If you mostly drive to get around San Francisco, you may be wondering, “what has the SFMTA done for me lately?” San Francisco is a “ transit first ” city, so at the SFMTA we focus our resources on making it easier for San Franciscans to get around by public transit as well as by biking, walking and personal mobility device. While it may seem like adding transit lanes and protected bike lanes doesn’t have anything to do with driving, in fact, it does.  Since San Francisco doesn’t have room to give more space to roads, we have to change the way we use the limited space on our existing streets. (Not that adding more roads reduces traffic anyway – check out this article .) City Traffic Engineer Ricardo Oleo puts it this way: “When you have a city like San Francisco that was built with density in mind, having everyone drive is not a viable option. There’s not enough room to have th...

Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility

Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility By Pamela Johnson Parking at any of our 22 city-owned facilities is now easier and safer than ever. Late last month we completed the Parking Access Revenue and Control Systems (PARCS) project. This four-year effort replaced aging parking equipment with modern technology and significant operational upgrades. Customer using new PARCS kiosk at North Beach parking garage Patrons will notice enhanced lighting, new wayfinding signs, audible alarms, cameras, gate arms, and payment machines with two-way digital intercoms . Behind the scenes is an all-new parking management system and 24/7 command center, connected to every machine. Can’t find your ticket to pay for parking?  No worries! Thanks to license plate recognition technology, cameras located at every facility’s entrance capture patrons’ plate numbers as they arrive . If a customer loses her ticket, the manager is able to re-issue a ticket based on her license plate...

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets By Eillie Anzilotti After over a year of Slow Streets providing safe, low-volume corridors for people to walk, bike, play and travel during the pandemic, we’re excited to share our first comprehensive evaluation of the program . The key takeaway? San Franciscans are overwhelmingly in support of Slow Streets. Slow Streets are designed to limit through traffic on certain residential streets and allow them to be used as a shared roadway for people traveling by foot and by bicycle. Since introducing Slow Streets in April 2020 in response to the Mayor’s Emergency Health Order, SFMTA has designated around 30 corridors covering 47 miles of roadway as Slow Streets. The program has evolved from a critical component of San Francisco’s pandemic response and recovery to a potential new avenue to further the city and SFMTA’s goals around climate action and sustainable transportation. As the Slow Streets program has grown, we wanted to make sure we...

Last Chance - 2022 Muni Service Network Survey Closes October 1, 2021

Last Chance - 2022 Muni Service Network Survey Closes October 1, 2021 By Mariana Maguire SFMTA staff talks with customer about 2022 Muni service options at farmer’s market pop-up event. The SFMTA recently introduced three options for increasing Muni service in early 2022. We launched efforts to get community input on them, including a brief survey that closes Friday, October 1. If you haven’t taken the survey yet, there are still a few days left! You can find the survey link at SFMTA.com/2022Network. We’ve received more than 4,000 survey responses so far and a few hundred calls to our hotline and feedback to our TellMuni@SFMTA.com email. You can also provide feedback on the shortened J Church route and changes to the 23 Monterey, 57 Parkmerced, 35 Eureka and 48 Quintara/24th Street by contacting TellMuni@SFMTA.com or 415.646.2005. All three alternatives to increase Muni bus service in early 2022 have the same amount of total bus service – they’re just arranged differently. Th...

Sunday Streets Returns October 17, with Phoenix Day

Sunday Streets Returns October 17, with Phoenix Day By Pamela Johnson For 13 years, the SFMTA and Livable City have brought "Sunday Streets" to San Francisco neighborhoods. Sunday Streets encourages communities to transform miles of car-congested streets into car-free spaces for neighbors to gather, kids to play, and for organizations and businesses to connect. On October 17, 2021, after more than 18 months of Covid-related shutdowns, Sunday Streets Phoenix Day will again bring free recreational activities, resources, and fun to the streets for tens of thousands of San Franciscans to enjoy. While Sunday Streets was celebrated in one neighborhood at a time in the past, this year's Phoenix Day spans various districts in the City for a simultaneous celebration of community, health, and resilience. This year's theme is "One City. One day. Rising together.”  Highlights this year include historic Sunday Streets SF routes, a 20+ mile community bike ride, three neighb...

FOX NEWS: Students sing to teacher with stage 4 cancer outside hospital: 'It was overwhelming' In an emotional goodbye visit, 26 children sang worship songs prior to Carol Mack's move to hospice care

Students sing to teacher with stage 4 cancer outside hospital: 'It was overwhelming' In an emotional goodbye visit, 26 children sang worship songs prior to Carol Mack's move to hospice care via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3GWyQ6G

Muni Service Changes Starting June 13

Muni Service Changes Starting June 13 By Mariana Maguire Beginning Saturday, June 13, the SFMTA will increase Muni service and frequency, add select routes into service and extend some current routes to continue to support essential trips. A key goal of these service increases is to support the community’s economic recovery by providing more connections to neighborhood commercial districts as businesses begin to reopen. We are also adding more frequent service on targeted routes to help address crowding and improve onboard physical distancing. These service changes will improve transit access through Chinatown, SoMa and the Excelsior neighborhoods, identified by the Muni’s Service Equity Strategy as neighborhoods that rely on transit service the most based on the percentage of households with low incomes, private vehicle ownership and race and ethnicity demographics. Although Muni continues to be for essential trips only, many people have no choice but to use transit to r...

New top story from Time: ‘We’re Nowhere Close to the Deal’. Coronavirus Aid Package Talks Break Down as Trump Rejects Help for Cities

https://ift.tt/3098lHW WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed Democratic demands for aid to cash-strapped cities in a new coronavirus relief package and lashed out at Republican allies as talks stalemated over assistance for millions of Americans. Another lawmaker tested positive for the virus. Republicans, beset by delays and infighting, signaled a willingness to swiftly approve a modest package to revamp a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that’s running out. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., roundly rejected that approach as meager, all but forcing Republicans back to the negotiating table. Without action, the aid expires Friday. “We’re nowhere close to the deal,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. He said they’re “miles apart.” Stark differences remain between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans, a standoff that is testing Trump and Congress ahead of the November election and putting...

Gene Henderson: Honoring Muni’s First Black Division Manager

Gene Henderson: Honoring Muni’s First Black Division Manager By Jeremy Menzies In recognition of Black History Month, we bring you the story of Gene Henderson, the first Black man to become the head of a Muni bus division, Muni’s Kirkland Division. Henderson’s Background Gene Henderson was born in Houston, Texas, in 1916. He married his wife Naomi in 1939 and then served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following the war, Gene and his family moved to San Francisco where he began his career at the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Early Career On February 1, 1946, Henderson was hired as a streetcar motorman out of Sutro Division, which was located on the corner of 32nd Ave. and Clement St. He was hired just five years after Muni’s first Black transit operator, Audley Cole, had successfully fought to integrate the carmen’s union in 1941. In his early days at Muni, Gene worked one of the three lines running out of Sutro Division from the Ferry Building to the Richmond District o...