It’s still unclear whether we’ll be able to see a third season of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone—or even the oh-so-desired Six of Crows spinoff, focusing exclusively on the Crows and the storyline from their own duology. Netflix is yet to make a decision, and considering the streaming service’s tendency to just axe shows left and right, we can’t be certain of anything until we get an official statement.
In the meantime, if you’re missing Alina Starkov, the Darkling, Nikolai Lantsov and the Crows gang and you have maybe already read the entire Grishaverse book series, here are fifteen shows you can check out to get some of the same vibes as Shadow and Bone. I’ve divided them into two—very arbitrary—categories that sort of describe what elements from Shadow and Bone you can find in these other shows.
“Teen/YA drama, but make it fantasy” shows like Shadow and Bone
Lockwood & Co.
A very recent Netflix release—it premiered in January 2023—Lockwood & Co. is also based on a popular book series written by author Jonathan Stroud. The story is set in an alternate version of modern Britain, where ghosts run rampant. The problem is that only children and teenagers can sense them, so they have been organized into ghost-hunting agencies to deal with the threats that adults physically can’t see. The story starts when Lucy Carlyle arrives in London and joins a tiny run-down agency managed by Anthony Lockwood and George Karim.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The two seasons of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina—available on Netflix—are the poster child of “this is a regular teen drama except that everyone here has magic and is consorting with the devil.” We first meet the titular Sabrina Spellman, brilliantly played by Kiernan Shipka, as she stands between the human world and the world of witches and has to choose which one to live in.
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself
Based on yet another popular novel, Half Bad by Sally Green, The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself follows the story of Nathan Byrne, who’s been closely monitored by the witching community since he’s supposedly the son of “the world’s most dangerous blood witch.” Ultimately, Nathan finds himself the target of a true witch hunt, which he tries to escape with the help of his friends. Sadly, this show has also fallen victim to Netflix’s cancellation sweep and has only one season to catch up on.
The Shannara Chronicles
An adaptation of The Sword of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks, the two seasons of The Shannara Chronicles aired between 2016 and 2017. Starring Austin Butler as the main character Will Ohmsford, the series follows his journey as he joins the quest of Elven Princess Amberle Elessedil as she searches for a way to cure the tree that protects her lands.
Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
The television adaptation of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare—after the 2013 movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones—has run on Netflix for a total of three seasons between 2016 and 2019. The story is probably very well known to anyone who was hanging around fandom spaces in the early 2010s, but here’s a quick recap: Clary Fray is a perfectly normal girl until she realizes that she can see monsters and creatures that no one else can.
And so she discovers she’s a Shadowhunter, a half-human half-angel creature made to hunt demons, and she begins her journey into discovering the secrets of her past and the hidden world of those like her.
Vampire Academy
Based on the homonymous book series of the same name, written by Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy’s only season premiered in 2022 on Peacock—and then promptly got cancelled at the start of 2023. Still, the episodes we got are as genre-fitting as they come. Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir are a damper guardian and a moron vampire princess respectively, and the series follows their adventures at the private boarding school they both attend.
The Magicians
There have been few shows that have wound me and disappointed me as much as The Magicians did with a very specific narrative choice they made in season 4—and yet, not having this arguably amazing show on this list would not be right.
Based on Lev Grossman’s book series of the same name, the five seasons of this SyFy show follow the lives and adventures of students at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy—where pupils are very much magical, but they’re also disaster twentysomethings rather than disaster teenagers. Watch it for Julia Wicker, Margo Hanson, Quentin Clearwater, and Eliot Waugh specifically—my beloveds, you’re always in my heart.
“We love deep lore in this house” shows like Shadow and Bone
His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials, produced by the BBC in collaboration with HBO, is of course based on the book trilogy of the same name by author Philip Pullman. The story follows Lyra, an orphan who searches for her missing friend and ends up entangled in a war of cosmic proportions.
What’s really incredible about His Dark Materials, though, is its worldbuilding. Lyra lives in a world that resembles our real-life Britain but where every human has their soul outside their body in the shape of an animal, called a daemon—still one of my favorite pieces of worldbuilding ever.
The Sandman
The Sandman is based on the homonymous comic books written by beloved fantasy author Neil Gaiman, and published by DC Comics. The show follows the story of Dream of the Endless, also known as Morpheus, the “sandman” of the title and the personification of dreams.
Captured by humans and imprisoned for over a hundred years, upon his escape, he realizes that his realm, the Dreaming, has fallen into ruins and sets out to repair it. Along the way, he meets several fascinating characters, halfway between fairytales and religion, like his sister Death—another one of the Endless—and Lucifer Morningstar itself.
Carnival Row
Another series with intricate lore, Carnival Row was released on Amazon Prime for a total of two seasons between 2019 and 2023. The idea at the foundation of its story is a world in which mythical creatures have escaped their homeland and are trying to integrate into human society—so of course tensions are bound to be high when you throw in a string of mysterious killings that no one seems able to solve.
Avatar: The Last Airbender & The Legend of Korra
Sure, Shadow and Bone is a live-action series, but that doesn’t mean that some animated products couldn’t give you the same vibes. Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, are some of the absolute best stories you’ll ever have the pleasure of watching—set in an intricate world in which some humans are born with the ability to bend one of the elements, and in which an Avatar who can master all four is cyclically reincarnated to protect the balance of the world and its inhabitants.
It has everything you could ever want: kids with incredible powers, redemption arcs, vengeance, love, friendship, spirituality, LGBTQ+ representation, and amazing animation. Avatar: The Last Airbender ran on Nickelodeon for a total of three seasons between 2005 and 2008, while The Legend of Korra has four seasons and ran from 2012 to 2014.
Ragnarok
The Norwegian series Ragnarok might not be as extremely well-known as some other titles in this list, but it definitely deserves to be talked about. Ragnarok is a reimagining of Norse mythology in the present day, with a rich undercurrent of environmentalism and full of Easter eggs that anyone who’s a fan of Norse folklore is sure to love.
The story follows teenager Magne Seier, who is the reincarnation of Thor, as he realizes that the family that owns the local factory are actually Jötunn hellbent on destroying the town in which they all live. Over the course of the series’ two seasons—with a confirmed third one coming sooner or later—Magne is joined by more people who are also reincarnations of famous Norse gods like Loki, Freyja, Týr, and Odin.
The Untamed
If you’re looking for magic-filled adventures and deadly political intrigue—sprinkled over with a healthy dose of heart-wrenching feelings—then the blockbuster C-Drama The Untamed might be for you. Inspired by the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, published online by author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, the series follows the lives of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, two powerful cultivators who find themselves embroiled in a power struggle between clans that spans more than fifteen years and that will change both of them forever. It’ll make you laugh and cry and sigh, and it’s worth every minute of its fifty episodes.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
I am a firm believer that the greatest story ever written in a manga format is none other than Fullmetal Alchemist, created by mangaka Hiromu Arakawa. Like Avatar, it’s got everything you could ever want: an intriguing magic system, a world-ending threat, meddling and powerful teenagers foiling very carefully-laid plans, sarcastic mentor-like figures, and deep reflections on the nature of humanity and friendship and sacrifice.
The Elric brothers are a unique and awesome duo of main characters, and I also have to say there’s no one quite like Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye anywhere in my heart. The manga was faithfully adapted into an anime that goes by the title of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood—not to be confused with Fullmetal Alchemist, which strayed off the original storyline since it was produced well before the manga was actually finished.
The Wheel of Time
Closing off this list is yet another series inspired by a very famous fantasy series—The Wheel of Time saga by author Robert Jordan, finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s passing. Produced by Prime Video, the story is set in a world where history works in continuous cycles of creation and destruction and follows the powerful channeler Moiraine, who seeks out the person who could be the reincarnation of the Dragon—who is meant to take on the primordial evil simply called the Dark One and save the world, or destroy it as the previous Dragon had done.
(featured image: Netflix)
Published: Apr 10, 2023 05:02 pm