25 Best Fantasy TV Series, Ranked Worst to First
By Shawn Lealos
7. American Gods
As mentioned earlier, Bryan Fuller has created some fantastic fantasy TV series and this, his second show on this countdown, might be his masterpiece. Sadly, Fuller only lasted one season as the showrunner, and if the series takes a stumble in season two, this could fall further down the list – despite the first season that was a true masterpiece of fantasy storytelling.
American Gods is based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The story is the highest of concepts. The old gods of mythology – all the world myths – are growing outdated and when people forget these gods, they disappear forever. Replacing the old gods in the minds of humans are new gods of technology, media, and other modern day devices.
Shadow Moon is a man who gets out of prison the day after his girlfriend dies in a car accident. He meets a strange man named Wednesday and takes a job as his bodyguard and muscle before learning that Wednesday is one of the old gods and Shadow finds himself in the middle of the war between the ancient beings and the new gods.
The cast is spectacular, with names like Ian McShane, Crispin Glover, Gillian Anderson, Kristen Chenoweth, Cloris Leachman, Peter Stormare and Orlando Jones among the standouts. The set design and visual effects are dazzling and are as much part of the story as the actors. American Gods might be the most visually striking new series ever to hit fantasy television and its second season will have a lot to live up to.