If you still remember teen fantasy shows like The Vampire Diaries and Riverdale that went on for far too long, even after their stories had no steam left, but you might not remember the shows in this list, as they had so much more story to tell, but they were canceled way too soon. Teen fantasy shows were all the rage in the 2010s and that’s why there were so many of them but most of them didn’t hit as hard as The Vampire Diaries or Teen Wolf, but that doesn’t mean that the shows that were canceled were not as good or even better then these two shows. That’s the reason why we decided to compile a list of seven great (or underrated) teen fantasy shows that had great potential but were canceled way too soon.
The Order (Netflix)
The Order is a supernatural horror drama series created by Dennis Heaton. The Netflix series follows Jack Morton, a freshman college student at Belgrave University, who strives to join the secret magic society, the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose. Jack’s biggest reason behind his ambition of joining the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose is to get revenge for his mother’s mysterious death. The Order stars Jake Manley, Sarah Grey, Matt Frewer, Katharine Isabelle, Max Martini, and Louriza Tronco. The Order was canceled after two seasons by Netflix, which cited low viewership figures and high production costs as the main reasons for its cancelation, but fans were left extremely disappointed as the series ended on a huge cliffhanger.
Cursed (Netflix)
Cursed is a fantasy drama series created by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler. Based on Miller and Wheeler’s illustrated novel of the same name, the Netflix series is a retelling of the Arthurian legend, and it follows Nimue, a teenage sorceress who joins hands with Arthur, a charming mercenary, to find the legendary sorcerer, Merlin. Cursed stars Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgard, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Lily Newmark, Peter Mullan, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Bella Dayne, and Matt Stokoe. Netflix canceled Cursed just after its first season for a combination of reasons, including not-so-stellar reviews and its high production costs, but the medieval fantasy series was getting more and more love on the streaming service, which is a good reason for it to come back.
The B***ard Son & The Devil Himself
The B***ard Son & The Devil Himself is a British dark fantasy action-adventure drama series created by Joe Barton. Based on the Half Bad novel trilogy by Sally Green, the Netflix series follows Nathan Byrne, a teen boy who has been monitored for his whole life by the Council of Fairborn because of his disgraced witch father, who was responsible for a deadly massacre decades ago. Now, Nathan must decide for himself what to do with his power with the help of Annalise O’Brien. The B***ard Son & The Devil Himself stars Jay Lycurgo, Nadia Parkes, Emilien Vekemans, Isobel Jesper Jones, Karen Connell, Paul Ready, David Gyasi, and Kerry Fox. Netflix canceled Half Bad: The B***ard Son & The Devil Himself just after one season, and just as with Netflix’s many other cancelations of beloved shows, there is no solid reason for it.
The Fades (Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, & The Roku Channel)
The Fades is a British supernatural horror drama series created by Jack Thorne. The BBC Three series follows Paul, a teenage boy who has been tormented by horrifying nightmares for his whole life, but things change when she discovers that he can see dead people. The Fades stars Iain De Caestecker, Joe Dempsie, Natalie Dormer, Tom Ellis, Johnny Harris, Daniel Kaluuya, Lily Loveless, Sophie Wu, and Daniel Nardini. The Fades was canceled just after its first season despite its critical acclaim and awards because it failed to get the attention of its target demographic.
The Secret Circle (The CW)
The Secret Circle is a supernatural fantasy teen drama series created by Andrew Miller. Based on the book series of the same name by L.J. Smith, The CW series is set in the fictional small town of Chance Harbor, Washington, and it follows the newly arrived Cassie Blake, who soon discovers that she comes from a long line of witches and joins a secret coven. The Secret Circle stars Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker, Gale Harold, Phoebe Tonkin, Shelley Hennig, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Ashley Crow, Louis Hunter, and Natasha Henstridge. The CW canceled the fantasy series just after its first season because of its high production costs and decline in ratings, but if it were to be rebooted with a new cast, the story of the source material could prove profitable for any streaming service.
The Shannara Chronicles (Rent on Prime Video)
The Shannara Chronicles is a fantasy action-adventure drama series created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Based on The Sword of Shannara novel trilogy by Terry Brooks, the MTV and later on Spike series is set thousands of years after the collapse of human civilization and it follows Wil, a half-elf, Amberle, an elven princess, and Eretria, a human who join hands to stop an demonic army from invading Earth. The Shannara Chronicles stars Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett, Aaron Jakubenko, Marcus Vanco, and Malese Jow. The Shannara Chronicles was canceled after two seasons because of its low ratings and high production costs, which might not be a big problem anymore because of Butler’s popularity, and as far as high production cost goes in the current television landscape, every series has a pretty big budget.
Merlin (Prime Video, Pluto TV, Tubi & The Roku Channel)
Merlin is one of the rare shows in the list that had a proper ending after being on air for five seasons, but according to its many, many fans, the British series could have gone on for many more seasons. Created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps, and Julian Murphy, the medieval fantasy adventure series is based on the Arthurian legends, and it follows a teenage Merlin as he is forced to hide his powers while protecting Prince Arthur from sinister forces. Merlin stars Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Anthony Head, Richard Wilson, John Hurt, and Nathaniel Parker.