Now that Game of Thrones’ eight-year journey has come to an end, and a spin-off series based on the show is still years away, if you’re looking for something new watch (binge), you’ve come to the right place.
From a miniseries about the events of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to a prequel based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, here are 17 suburb TV series worthy of filling the void left by Game of Thrones. Enjoy!
17. The Last Kingdom
Based on a series of novel Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom is a historical drama set in the late 9th century AD that follows the Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s journey to claim his ancestral birthright and create a new nation. When Viking forces attack the Anglo-Saxons, Uhtred – born a Saxon but raised by Vikings- has his loyalties tested as he’s forced to choose between his ancestry and the people who raised him.
In December 2018, Netflix renewed The Last Kingdom for the fourth season, and last April, the series began shooting the first ten episodes. If you’re looking for something to fill the void left by Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom is a worthy replacement.
Source: Screenshot via Netflix16. The Magicians
Airing on Syfy, The Magicians is a surprisingly entertaining fantasy series based on Lev Grossman’s novel of the same name. The series is about a group of students who are recruited to studying magic at a secretive academy in New York. Sounds familiar, right? The Magicians have many similarities to the Harry Potter series, no question about it, but the story and characters feel more grown-up. The series stars Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, and Summer Bishil.
The first season had its ups and downs, but by season two, the direction and purpose are more apparent, and the stakes have been raised. The fifth season premiered on January 15, 2020, but sadly Syfy announced on March 3, 2020, that the fifth season would serve as the series’ final season.
Source: Screenshot via Syfy15. Black Sails
Black Sails is a historical adventure and prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island. Set two years before the events of Stevenson’s classic book, Black Sails centers around the exploits of Captain Flint and his shipmates in the early 18th-century. Created by Jonathan Steinberg and Robert Levine, Black Sails stars Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Zach McGowan, Toby Schmitz, and Hannah New.
The first season suffered from bland characters and a lack of action but featured just enough sex and violence to keep fans watching and entertained. Black Sails is by no means one of the best series listed, but you could do a lot worse. If you’re a fan of historical adventures and/or pirates and looking for a new series to sink your teeth into, Black Sails has four seasons and is available on Crave.
Source: Screenshot via Starz14. NOS4A2
Premiering on AMC on June 2, 2019, NOS4A2 (pronounced “Nosferatu”) is a new supernatural horror series based on Joe Hill’s novel of the same name. The series follows Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a young artist who discovers she has the supernatural ability to track down the Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto), a seductive immortal who feeds off the souls of children.
Created by Jami O’Brien, NOS4A2 stars Cummings and Quinto, as well as Olafur Darri Olafsson, Virginia Kull, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. While at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20, 2019, AMC announced the series had been renewed for a second season. The ten 55-minute episodes can be found on AMC.
Source: Screenshot via AMC13. Chernobyl
HBO’s Chernobyl is a five-part miniseries that dramatizes the events before and after a disastrous explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine in April 1986. Widely considered one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, Chernobyl tells the story of the courageous men and women who fought and sacrificed their lives to save Europe in the wake of such a horrific disaster.
Even though it doesn’t have multiple seasons, Chernobyl is an unapologetic retelling of a national tragedy that was so excellently done, and we couldn’t help but add it to the list. Chernobyl might not be for the faint of heart, but it’s an important and compelling story that deserves to be heard, and we highly recommend it.
Source: Screenshot via HBO12. The OA
The OA tells the story Prairie Johnson, a young blind woman who vanishes from her home and then resurfaces seven years later with inexplicable new abilities, strange scars on her back, and restored vision. Upon her return, Johnson, now calling herself “The OA” (for “Original Angel”), refuses to tell anyone where she’s been all this time and instead begins assembling a team of five strangers to assist her on a secret mission.
Created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, Part I of the popular series officially made its debut on Netflix in December 2016, receiving high praise for the show’s visuals, acting, and directing. Part II was released in March 2019, with plans for three more seasons, but five months later, Netflix decided to cancel the series, leaving the show with a cliffhanger ending.
Source: Netflix Canada11. Russian Doll
This is a quick one. Russian Doll was a limited series starring Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black) and co-created with Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland. It’s about a hard-living woman named Nadia (Lyonne) who somehow is forced to re-live the night of her birthday party over and over again, always meeting an untimely death at the end. It’s sort of like Groundhog Day, but more morbid, more mature, and much more serious.
The Netflix Original series only has eight episodes, and they average about 27 minutes long. So you can burn through this is a single weekend without much difficulty. The series received a ton of critical praise when it was first released in February 2019, both for its dark humor and a profound sense of sadness. It’s rare to find a show that makes you literally laugh out loud in one scene, but then also forces you to consider some of the more significant questions about life in the very next one. A second season was announced in June 2019.
Screenshot via Netflix10. Lucifer
Based on a character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg from the comic book series The Sandman, Lucifer is a fantasy crime drama about Lucifer Morningstar, a.k.a the Devil. In an attempt to rebel against his father (God), Lucifer abandons Hell and opens a nightclub in Los Angeles. Lucifer soon finds himself entangled in a murder case and is subsequently asked to be a consultant to the LAPD.
The series was initially canceled by Fox after three seasons but was later picked up for a fourth season by Netflix, which is available now. Even though the first season was somewhat of a letdown given source material, if you’re willing to give it a chance, Lucifer begins to find it’s footing in season two. In June 2019, Netflix announced the Lucifer would return for a fifth and final 16 episodes season.
Source: Screenshot via Netflix9. Vikings
Written and created by Michael Hirst for the History channel, Vikings is a historical drama inspired by legendary tales of the Norse hero and Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok. The series stars Gustaf Skarsgård, Katheryn Winnick, Alexander Ludwig, Travis Fimmel, Alex Høgh Andersen, and Clive Standen.
In January 2019, it was announced that Vikings would be coming to an end after a 20-episode sixth season, which arrived in December 2019. If you’re a fan of the Game of Thrones and looking for something new, we’d highly recommend Vikings. It has a strong cast, entertaining storylines, and all the violence and romance that made GoT such a hit.
A sequel series, titled Vikings: Valhalla, is currently in development for Netflix.
Source: Screenshot via History8. Rome
Rome is a rich historical drama about the lives of the Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic. The story details Julius Caesar’s civil war of 49 BC, chronicling the dictator’s rise to power in Rome and his eventual assassination. The series stars Indira Varma, Polly Walker, James Purefoy, Max Pirkis, Kevin McKidd, Ray Stevenson, Tobias Menzies, and Ciarán Hinds.
Despite receiving positive reviews from both critics and fans, HBO shockingly canceled Rome before the second season even aired. Although nothing was said publically, HBO executives acknowledged that although canceling Rome was a mistake, and it paved the way for shows like Game of Thrones to succeed.
Source: Screenshot via HBO7. Westworld
Based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name, Westworld is an outstanding science fiction Western about an Old West theme park where guests can indulge their wildest fantasies without fear or consequence. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the HBO produced series stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, and the one and only Anthony Hopkins.
Praised for its stunning visuals, star-studded cast, and honoring the source material, Westworld is both entertaining and beautiful to watch. The series was renewed for an eight-episode third season, which premieres on March 15, 2020.
Source: Screenshot via HBO6. Into the Badlands
Created by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Into the Badland is a martial arts drama that chronicles the journey of a highly-trained warrior and a young boy on their through dangerous feudal lands in search of enlightenment. The series stars Daniel Wu, Orla Brady, Emily Beecham, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, and Nick Frost.
AMC canceled series after just three seasons, which is unfortunate considering it had some of the best-choreographed action sequences in the history of television. Despite being a little predictable at times, if you’re a fan of martial arts movies and don’t mind blood, Into the Badlands is a must-watch.
Source: Screenshot via AMC5. Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is an outstanding crime drama about a notorious gangster family, set in Birmingham, England in the aftermath of World War I. Led by the cutthroat Tommy Shelby; the Peaky Blinders aim to control the city of Birmingham with their criminal empire and dispose of anyone that gets in their way. The series stars Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Helen McCrory, Sophie Rundle, Finn Cole, Joe Cole, Ned Dennehy, Annabelle Wallis, Ian Peck, and Tom Hardy
The fifth season premiered on BBC One in August 2019. In May 2018, Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight told Birmingham Press Club that “we are definitely doing [series] six and we will probably do seven,” which is excellent news for fans of the award-winning series.
Source: Screenshot via BBC4. Frontier
Co-created by Brad Peyton, Rob Blackie, and Peter Blackie, Frontier chronicles the North American fur trade in the late 1700s Canada. The historical drama follows Declan Harp, a part-Irish/part-Cree Native-Canadian outlaw who is campaigning to breach the Hudson’s Bay Company’s corrupt monopoly on the fur trade in Canada. Although critics felt the first season felt a little sluggish, the series does gain momentum in season two and three, so if you’re a fan of Jason Momoa and/or historical dramas, we’d recommend checking it out.
Led by the charismatic Momoa, Frontier also stars Landon Liboiron, Zoe Boyle, Jessica Matten, Alun Armstrong, Christian McKay, and Allan Hawco. All three seasons of the historical drama can be found on Netflix.
Source: Netflix3. 3%
3% is a futuristic thriller and Netflix original series about a world divided into two sectors, one of progress and the other of devastation. Citizens are given the opportunity to join the side of progress on their 20th birthday, but only 3% of the candidates will pass ‘The Process’ and transition to the “Offshore” society. Although there are many dystopian series out there, 3% is an entertaining, unique series with a young and talented Brazilan cast, perfect for those looking for something fresh and made outside of the US or UK.
In August 2019, Netflix announced 3% had been renewed for a fourth and final season, which expected to arrive sometime later this year.
Source: Netflix2. Killing Eve
Based on Luke Jennings’s novella series Codename Villanelle, Killing Eve is a spy thriller about a British Intelligence investigator who becomes obsessed with capturing the notorious and psychopathic assassin Villanelle. As the story progresses, Villanelle becomes aware that she’s being tracked and, in turn, develops an obsession with the same MI5 agent tasked with bringing her in. Killing Eve is entertaining, full of suspense, and easily one of the best spy thrillers out there.
Developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Killing Eve stars Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw, Darren Boyd, and Owen McDonnell. In January 2020, the popular series was picked up for a third and fourth season, which will air on BBC One in the UK and AMC in the US.
Source: Screenshot via BBC America1. Catch-22
Catch-22 is a satirical dark comedy about Captain John Yossarian, a World War II bombardier who attempts to avoid his military assignments but is unable to do so as it violates a hilarious and bureaucratic rule known as ‘Catch-22’. Based on Joseph Heller’s seminal novel of the same name, Catch-22 is a hilariously haunting take on the war sure to attract those who enjoy dark humor.
The miniseries stars Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie, George Clooney, Daniel David Stewart, Austin Stowell, and Rafi Gavron. Catch-22 officially premiered in May 2019 and can be found on Channel 4 in the UK and on Hulu in the US.
Source: Screenshot via Hulu