HBO Max Fantasy Shows That Are Perfect From Start To Finish

HBO has stood out for the high quality of its TV shows, covering all genres with many great shows, and when it comes to fantasy, it has some titles that are perfect from beginning to end. Despite having some strong competition nowadays, thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video producing original content, HBO continues to be one of the strongest, most notable, successful, and reliable studios when it comes to TV shows.

HBO is home to some of the best TV shows of all time, such as The Sopranos, The Wire, and Succession, all of which are now more accessible as they are available to stream on HBO Max. The platform has most of HBO’s TV productions available to stream, while others have been moved to other streamers. Luckily, the best HBO fantasy shows can still be found on HBO Max, such as Game of Thrones.

However, not all of those fantasy shows can brag about being perfect from start to finish. Game of Thrones, for example, while great, had weak final seasons that tainted its legacy. Other fantasy shows are already perfect, such as It: Welcome to Derry and House of the Dragon, but they aren’t over yet (and one can only hope they will continue to be perfect). Thankfully, there are other HBO fantasy shows that are pretty much perfect, and are a delight from beginning to end.

Station Eleven

One Season

Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic dystopian miniseries created by Patrick Somerville. Based on Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel of the same name, Station Eleven takes the audience into a world where a flu pandemic led to the collapse of civilization. Twenty years later, a group of survivors working as traveling performers is looking for safety while doing their best to rebuild society and preserve art.

The group comes across a dangerous cult led by The Prophet, which threatens the already fragile peace of the surviving society. Station Eleven gives a twist to post-apocalyptic shows by focusing on the survivors’ hope and efforts to rebuild their community and preserve what’s most important to them after all that tragedy: love, community, art, and humanity.

Thanks to that, Station Eleven has emotional depth, with relatable and complex characters, in a masterfully written story with a non-linear format. Station Eleven is only 10 episodes long, making it a perfect binge-watch.

Carnivàle

Two Seasons

Created by Daniel Knauf, Carnivàle goes back in time to take the audience to the United States Dust Bowl during the Great Depression of the 1930s. There, Carnivàle follows the performers of a traveling carnival, among them the newly arrived Ben, who has healing powers. In the world of Carnivàle, there are people with superpowers, and so the show sees a battle between good and bad, with supernatural elements.

Carnivàle addresses themes like morality, despair, good, evil, fate, and free will, using the traveling carnival as a metaphor for the battle between good and evil. Carnivàle has its own mythology, which makes the show richer, more layered, and complex. On top of that, Carnivàle is visually stunning, further enhancing the viewing experience.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands

One Season

Adventure Time is one of the best animated TV shows of all time, which ended in 2018 – but, in 2021, it got a spinoff limited series titled Adventure Time: Distant Lands. Distant Lands takes the audience into the post-apocalyptic world of Land of Ooo to follow Finn and his best friend and adoptive brother, Jake, a dog with magical powers. Throughout the show, Finn and Jake come across a variety of characters, some from the original show, and others are new additions.

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Distant Lands has the same style and tone as the original show, exploring themes like acceptance, friendship, and memory, and bringing proper closure to the characters. Distant Lands doesn’t forget about the emotional depth and growth of the main show and characters, successfully expanding it and giving fans one more chapter of fun.

Doom Patrol

Four Seasons

Doom Patrol is a superhero TV show developed by Jeremy Carver and based on the superhero team of the same name from DC Comics. Every member of the Doom Patrol team gained their powers through tragic circumstances and thus deals with trauma. This has led to them becoming outcasts, but they still do their best to protect the world that has continually rejected them.

Despite being a superhero show, Doom Patrol focused more on the characters’ humanity, trauma, and growth, being emotionally deep and giving them the development they need. Doom Patrol also has an exceptional cast, with talents like those of Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, and Timothy Dalton, which further elevate the show.

The Leftovers

Three Seasons

The Leftovers is a supernatural TV series created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and based on the latter’s 2011 novel. The Leftovers takes place three years after the “Sudden Departure”, a global event in which 2% of the world’s population disappeared. As a result, different cults emerged, threatening the already fragile remaining society.

The Leftovers follows police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), widow Nora Dust (Carrie Coon), and Reverend Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston), as they struggle to adjust to life after the Departure. The Leftovers is widely considered one of the best fantasy shows of all time, thanks to its complex characters, emotional depth, character development, exploration of grief, loss, and trauma, and its elements of mystery, making it one of the most engaging shows from beginning to end.

His Dark Materials

Three Seasons

Based on Philip Pullman’s novels of the same name, His Dark Materials is set in a multi-world reality and follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), an orphan in a world ruled by the Magisterium, a religious and political body. In addition to discovering a dangerous secret, Lyra is the subject of a prophecy that says she will change the world, and so she sets out on a journey of epic proportions.

His Dark Materials is one of the best fantasy shows of all time, thanks to its structure that allowed it to properly explore its characters’ stories, slow pacing, performances, themes, and overall quality, with most praise going towards its visuals. His Dark Materials was consistently great from beginning to end, and it’s a must-watch for fantasy fans.

Over the Garden Wall

One Season

Over the Garden Wall is an animated dark fantasy miniseries created by Patrick McHale and based on his short film Tome of the Unknown. Over the Garden Wall is the story of half-brothers Wirt (voiced by Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean), who travel through a mysterious forest to find their way home. In the process, they come across a variety of fantastical things and beings.

Over the Garden Wall is a masterpiece, as it tells a full and cohesive story in 10 episodes, with beautiful animation, a blend of fairy-tale, gothic, and spooky, addressing mature themes like self-doubt, death, and love, and with amazing voice performances. Over the Garden Wall is one of the most underrated fantasy shows in recent years, but it’s so good that it invites multiple rewatches.

Watchmen

One Season

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Watchmen is a superhero drama limited series and a sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986 comic book series of the same name. Set in 2019, in a world where Robert Redford (yes, the iconic actor) is President, police have to wear masks to protect their identities from white supremacist terrorists. Watchmen, then, follows Detective Angela Bar (Regina King), a.k.a. Sister Night, as she investigates the murder of her friend and colleague, uncovering a major conspiracy in the process.

Watchmen successfully expands the world of the comic book series by being its own story, but without forgetting the key elements of this unique world. Watchmen cleverly addresses real-life problems, such as racism and corruption, with complex and well-developed characters and high production quality.

Release Date

2019 – 2019-00-00

Network

HBO

Directors

David Semel, Fred Toye

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  Regina King

  Angela Abar / Sister Night

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  Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

  Cal Abar