Just because a fantasy series is popular doesn't mean that it has consistently good episodes. In fact, beloved adaptations like Fate: The Winx Saga and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power were mostly hit or miss when viewed at a granular level.
Some popular fantasy shows were liked because they had engaging source material in the form of books or cartoons, and those fandoms automatically gravitated toward the shows. Others had long runs that kept audiences hooked despite poorly written episodes. As a result, most of these fantasy series got canceled after a point.
9 The Shannara Chronicles
Based on the novels by Terry Brooks, The Shannara Chronicles took place centuries after the death of humankind. It revolved around elf Princess Amberle, human Rover Eretria, half-elf Wil, and enigmatic Mareth as they embarked on a quest to stop a Demon army from destroying the world.
From the first season, it was clear The Shannara Chronicles struggled to find its niche, swinging between being a teen soap and a self-serious fantasy saga. It leaned on too many familiar and cringey fantasy show tropes, and took too many liberties with the source material. Basics like the show's aesthetic and casting were flawed from the start, and even switching networks couldn't change its fate.
8 Fate: The Winx Saga
Fans of the original Winx Club cartoon were overjoyed when news of the television adaptation hit the internet, but the fantasy show disappointed on most counts. Even though Fate: The Winx Saga lasted two full seasons, most of the episodes dragged on because the Winx fairies strayed too far from the ones in the cartoon.
Instead of subverting stereotypes like the original show did, a character like Stella became a cliched mean girl, while Bloom got a murderous alter ego. Iconic main characters like Tecna and Brandon were excluded, and instead of focusing on fashion and friendship, Fate: The Winx Saga became a typical teen show with drugs and sex. It was no wonder that it ended on a cliffhanger due to a cancelation.
7 The Secret Circle
The Secret Circle was right up CW's alley, but it still faced cancellation only after one season. The series had every element of a successful fantasy show: witches, magic, big bad villains, and love triangles. However, it lacked the charisma that its sister show, The Vampire Diaries, had in spades.
Poorly developed characters and some questionable casting choices (teens who looked much older) led to a steep drop in popularity. This prompted the CW to end The Secret Circle's run after the first season. The show has since developed a cult following, but it's only because it ended early and fans wanted to get onto the renewal bandwagon.
6 The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power
Touted as the next prestige fantasy show, The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power went head to head with HBO's fantasy spin-off, House of The Dragon. Even if the Amazon show hadn't been up against a critically acclaimed series, it still would've disappointed viewers.
The Rings of Power series was undoubtedly visually opulent, but the boring plots and uneven pacing put people off. The time spent in Númenor was uninteresting, and drawing out Sauron's identity reveal wasn't as riveting as the writers thought it was. Hopefully, the creators' patient world-building pays off in future seasons.
5 Riverdale
Riverdale started as a noir teen mystery, but it firmly planted itself in the fantasy category when hints of the supernatural (like unexplained floating babies) became more prevalent. It soon morphed and included full-blown magic and alternate reality plots that involved Cheryl's witchcraft and even alien appearances.
While some of these were explained away, many elements of Riverdale became even more fantastical as time travel and black magic reached Archie and the gang. Sadly, the fantasy show went downhill because of these very episodes asked the audience to stretch their imagination too far.
4 Legacies
Buoyed by the legacy of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Legacies lasted four full seasons, but couldn't recreate its ancestors' magic. Many of its plots and twists were regurgitated from TVD, which could be okay as an occasional homage to the franchise, but Legacies brought nothing new to the table.
Weak plots and low stakes made Legacies a boring show. The only positive shift in the show's direction four seasons in was when Hope became a dark version of herself. The CW show wasted too many episodes trying to play things safe, instead of doing something novel.
3 Vampire Academy
Fans had high hopes for Vampire Academy, which was helmed by The Vampire Diaries showrunners Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre. Unfortunately, in an effort to work the lore from the books into the show, Vampire Academy became a cluttered and complicated mess, where everything felt half-baked.
Vampire Academy's world-building got squeezed into a few segments. Additionally, the show's space and time aspects felt incomplete or completely off. New and unexplained rules kept getting added when Vampire Academy should've just concentrated on its main characters, Rose and Lissa. As a result, it was canceled after one season.
2 Supernatural
The tale of two ghost-hunting, demon-slaying brothers and their guardian angel summed up the premise of Supernatural. Unfortunately, this fan-favorite fantasy show went on for 10 seasons too long, even if die-hards don't want to admit it. Supernatural pulled off the rare feat of staying on air for decades, but many fans dropped off because it felt like it was dragging.
Eric Kripke, the original showrunner, had planned for the show to end after five seasons, which means Sam's death should've been the end. However, Supernatural's popularity spurred the network to renew over and over again, leading to too many unnecessary episodes and villains who were awful.
1 Once Upon A Time
Once Upon a Time hooked people when it first premiered in 2011 by taking beloved fairytales and reinterpreting them in creative and poignant ways. For several seasons, it remained a remarkable show with great writing and amazing actors, but it lost its way in the latter few installments.
Once Upon a Time's sharp plots became predictable and shallow, and character motivations made no sense anymore. Like many shows that went on far too long, excessive subplots weighed the series down and added nothing of value. As a result, Once Upon a Time became uneven and shaky.