Copyright Screen Rant
Game of Thrones resulted in many fantasy or historical epic TV shows trying to emulate it, especially in recent years. For almost a decade, Game of Thrones was not only one of the most popular TV shows airing, but also one of the biggest IPs in the world of media. Yes, Game of Thrones' divisive ending may have dwindled this somewhat, but the impact it had between 2011 and 2017 cannot be understated. The many Game of Thrones spin-offs still in development are proof of the long-lasting effect the show has had on modern fantasy TV. That effect has spiraled since 2011, forcing many other streaming services, cable networks, and other TV production companies to attempt to emulate Game of Thrones' success. Regardless of the quality of these fantasy TV shows, all of them tried to become the next Game of Thrones. With some, the jury is out on whether this is possible, while others failed drastically. 9 The Bastard Executioner Perhaps the most obvious attempt at creating the next Game of Thrones was FX's The Bastard Executioner. This show was released in 2015, when Game of Thrones was arguably at its peak. The Bastard Executioner has long been dubbed a failed Game of Thrones copycat, primarily for its themes, violence, and historical setting. The Bastard Executioner follows a Welsh knight who gives up his position after a supernatural vision pushes him into becoming an executioner. This leads to political infighting, a great deal of violence, and forbidden love stories, all of which were made immensely popular in the world of fantasy TV thanks to Game of Thrones. However, The Bastard Executioner was critically panned for its derivative nature and its reliance on gratuitous violence over a compelling story and characters. The show was canceled after one season, marking one of the first failed attempts to capitalize on Game of Thrones' popularity. 8 Marco Polo Marco Polo was Netflix's first major attempt at emulating Game of Thrones. Set in the court of the Mongolian Empire, Marco Polo had all the political intrigue, character drama, and adventure one could want from a Game of Thrones spiritual successor. This did not overly resonate with critics, but the show garnered a strong following from fans that now borders on cult status. Regardless, Netflix was unwilling to commit to the soaring budgets that came with a Game of Thrones-like series. Upon its cancellation, Marco Polo operated with a loss of over $200 million, proving that its audience numbers simply did not match Game of Thrones' level. This meant that, ultimately, Marco Polo and Game of Thrones could not be consistently mentioned in the same breath. 7 The Last Kingdom Neither The Bastard Executioner nor Marco Polo had the critical or audience pull to tell a full story. The same cannot be said for The Last Kingdom. Despite this show being more historically accurate than fantasy, it succeeded in emulating Game of Thrones' complex political storytelling with just the right amount of action, violence, and somewhat supernatural, or, more aptly, religious elements. As such, The Last Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the more successful attempts at becoming the next Game of Thrones, even if it didn't fully reach those heights. The Last Kingdom is popular, but it has never come close to achieving the same level of cultural impact that Game of Thrones had. The show's quality was consistent, too, but The Last Kingdom was never lauded as one of the all-time TV greats like Game of Thrones was. For these reasons, Netflix didn't have another Game of Thrones replacement on its hands, though it came pretty close. 6 The Wheel of Time The Wheel of Time was Amazon's Game of Thrones, or at least it tried to be. Like Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time was based on one of the most popular fantasy book series in history. This seemingly gave Prime Video everything it needed to rival HBO by creating the next Game of Thrones, another attempt that eventually failed. The Wheel of Time season 3 came close, as by far the strongest installment of the show, but Prime Video's cancellation of the series saw it fall short of HBO's epic. As is the case with almost every entry on this list, these shows simply couldn't maintain the level of cultural impact across the world that Game of Thrones held for a decade. The Wheel of Time supports this, with the show being canceled after its third season due to rising costs that were not offset by viewership numbers. Despite the sorcery, magic, swords, political intrigue, secret factions, and dark fantasy creatures that link The Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones, the former failed to give Prime Video its version of the latter. 5 The Witcher The Witcher was another Netflix attempt at emulating Game of Thrones. Even more so than the books on which it is based, The Witcher has tried to lean into the political complexities of a diverse fantasy world that made Game of Thrones so special. Ultimately, though, The Witcher has never been half as compelling as Game of Thrones was at its weakest. In fact, The Witcher's failure to be the next Game of Thrones ironically stems from Netflix's attempts at making it so. If The Witcher had chosen to be faithful to its source material, focus more intently on its genuinely compelling trio of main characters in Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri than forced political subplots, and thus fleshed out its fantasy world better through their eyes, it could have reached Game of Thrones' heights. Sadly, Netflix's team of writers tried much too hard to cram The Witcher full of Game of Thrones-like elements, causing its critical and audience reception to dwindle as it went on. Despite reaching five full seasons by the time of its eventual ending, The Witcher never succeeded in becoming the next version of HBO's fantasy series. 4 The Expanse The Expanse is more sci-fi than anything, but it has its fantasy elements, from alien molecules to ancient races of builders capable of immense feats. Amongst all that, The Expanse places an intense focus on its characters, their relationships, political affiliations, and the conflicts that arise between the houses of Earth, families of Mars, and denizens of a stretch of space called the Belt. For this reason, The Expanse is more akin in spirit to Game of Thrones than many other entries on this list, given that the latter was normally always more content to focus on grounded stories with a fantastical background. Regardless, despite its obvious quality, The Expanse also never had the impact Game of Thrones did. The show was eventually canceled after its third season, before Prime Video saved it and ordered three more. Sadly, the viewership numbers of The Expanse did not warrant more seasons after a sixth, bringing the show to an abrupt close. Sci-fi may not get better than The Expanse, but the show still couldn't reach Game of Thrones' heights. 3 Black Sails As a prequel to the fictional Treasure Island that massively embellishes the grip that piracy had on the 18th century, Black Sails can be seen as a fantasy. Thanks to its complex, morally ambiguous characters, their alliances and battles, its focus on more primitive battles than modern-day-set series, and high production value, Black Sails is essentially Game of Thrones but with pirates. Black Sails is suitably epic and an underrated masterpiece as a result. However, that underrated nature it possesses means it never managed to become the next Game of Thrones, despite its quality and cult following. General audiences simply didn't watch Black Sails enough for it to spread worldwide as HBO's show did, earning Black Sails its place on this list. 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power In terms of size, scale, and budget, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the only TV show on this list to actually outdo Game of Thrones. The former is immensely expensive in a way Game of Thrones never was. That said, The Rings of Power's soaring budget would never have been possible without Game of Thrones' popularity. The grip Game of Thrones had on the world proved to Prime Video that The Lord of the Rings, a franchise often compared with George R. R. Martin's series, could rival the HBO series. The Rings of Power may not yet have the same consistent quality as Game of Thrones, but it could easily become the next version of the show, given time, if only due to its sheer production quality. 1 House of the Dragon The most obvious choice for a show that tried to become the next Game of Thrones was, well, the next Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon was based on George R. R. Martin's Fire and Blood, focusing on the Targaryen dynasty that included the civil war known as the Dance of Dragons, set a few centuries before Game of Thrones' timeline. In so many ways, House of the Dragon emulates what made early Game of Thrones so successful and popular. The franchise's focus returned to political infighting, forbidden relationships, dragons, battles, and shocking plot twists. Although House of the Dragon season 2 was less-revered than its predecessor, the show still has the potential to become the next Game of Thrones in all but name. The next Game of Thrones spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, proves as much. That show clearly has a different tone and style by focusing more on the common folk of the world. House of the Dragon, though, like Game of Thrones, focuses on the royalty of Westeros and the politics that come with that.
