Fantasy is a broad term. Although typically associated with stories set in entirely fictitious worlds (like Tolkien’s Middle-earth), it can really be applied to any story about impossible things. However, since the term has become so closely associated with epic quests across mythical lands populated by magical beings, books, movies, or TV shows set in a version of our modern world revolving around all manner of supernatural entities and phenomena are often categorized under the genre urban fantasy. While a lot of these tales deal heavily with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and magic, they’re not limited to those tropes. Over the course of its existence, television has given us plenty of shows exploring the darker side of our imaginations with characters based on folklore, urban legends, and religion.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 Angel
The WB
David Boreanaz is probably best known today for his role as Seeley Booth on the long-running crime series Bones, but during the late 90s and early-aughts, he was Angel, the vampire with a soul on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. From the very first episode, Angel set itself apart from the show that birthed it by exploring the lost souls of Lost Angels with a slightly more mature tone. The eponymous hero is a man seeking redemption for a lifetime of evil by helping those in need to face off against creatures far beyond human comprehension while sharing some wisdom on how to deal with internal demons as well. Angle built its own expansive world and mythology unique from its parent series and stands on its own as a legitimately great piece of urban fantasy.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Lucifer
Netflix
Based, somewhat, on the character created by master storyteller Neil Gaiman in the pages of The Sandman (who then went to star in his own comic series), Lucifer sees the devil himself leaving his kingdom behind to open a nightclub in Los Angeles and serving as a supernatural Sherlock Holmes-type figure by assisting the police with their criminal investigations. Tom Ellis’ charming and eccentric performance as the former ruler of Hell (and current proprietor of the Lux) alone is enough to put it on the list. The show ran for three seasons on Fox before getting canceled, only to return — you can’t keep the devil down — for a successful three-year run on Netflix. Lucifer fans can also rejoice because they will get to see an earlier incarnation of the character in the form of Gwendoline Christie in Netflix’s The Sandman, a teaser for which was outlined by EW.
4 American Gods
Starz
Based on Gaiman’s legendary novel of the same name, American Gods depicts a modern world that has forgotten the old gods like Odin the allfather from Norse mythology (as played by Ian McShane) in favor of new gods like Media (Gillian Anderson). With no one to believe in them, the old gods are in a battle for relevance against their younger, powerful counterparts, and the protagonist Shadow is stuck in the middle. It’s a twisted show that goes places you probably wouldn’t expect, with incredible images that burn their way into your subconscious. If you’re familiar with the book, you’ll probably love the series. If not, there’s a good chance you’ll love it as well because it manages to honor its source material while existing as something entirely its own.
3 True Blood
HBO
Adapted from The Southern Vampire Mysteries by author Charlaine Harris, True Blood takes Anne Rice’s idea of romantic vampires in Louisiana to the next level with a bloody, sultry series examining myth through a Southern Gothic lens. It’s just as much about society’s struggle to coexist with these night stalkers (who no longer need to hunt humans thanks to synthetic blood) and other creatures (mirroring our own world’s cultural divides) as it is about watching gleeful sex and violence. With a phenomenal cast including Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, the telepathic waitress who is part faerie, the show was so successful that it ran on HBO for seven seasons. In 2020, it was announced that the cable network was developing a reboot, but the show has yet to materialize.
2 Supernatural
The CW
When it comes to urban fantasy tropes, staples, traditions (whatever terminology you’d like to use), no show has explored and defined more of them than the indestructible and epic 15-year run of Supernatural. The series couldn’t have had a more simple concept: Two brothers Sam and Dean Winchester travel around hunting demons and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Originally looking for their missing father, the show quickly expanded into new areas and told any kind of horror-tinged fantasy story you can think of. They’ve had so many adventures that they were even transported into an episode of Scooby-Doo. Aside from all the bonkers stories they told, what made the series last so long was the charisma and chemistry of the leads.
1 Buffy the Vampire Slayer
20th Television
The statement “Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the show that started it all” may not be factually accurate, but it certainly feels emotionally true. This series about a teenage girl who learns that she is humankind’s only defense against all the things that have terrified us since our earliest days is so iconic that it’s difficult not to compare every series featuring vampires, demons, witches, and everything else to Buffy. If you were a teenager when the show was on, and Beverly Hills 90210 wasn’t your thing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the perfect show for you. Even after its final episode, the show has maintained a loyal fanbase and lived on in comic book form.
