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We’re going back to Westeros, baby! Not that we ever really left, given that we’re merely between seasons of that other Game of Thrones<\/em> spin-off, and with several more allegedly in development. It seems the only place the Game of Thrones<\/em> universe is completely stalled is on the page\u2014but I digress. <\/p>\n Where the original series saw a kingdom in decline and House of the Dragon<\/em> takes us back to the Targaryen Dynasty at its height, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em> occurs roughly in-between, shifting the focus from the realm’s power players to more tangential (at least for now) smallfolk: Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a lowborn hedge knight, and his faithful squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), who may have a greater destiny. It’s that relationship to power that sets the show apart from the rest of the wider franchise, and that’s also what ties together these 10 “streamalikes,” whether they’re solidly in the fantasy genre or works of historical fiction.<\/p>\n This popular two-season South Korean import can go toe-to-toe with Knight<\/em> when it comes to juicy drama and medieval-style action. It’s set in the fictional Daeho, a country reminiscent of Korea during the Joseon era. Lee Jae-wook stars as Jang Uk, a noble of questionable parentage who had his natural mage powers taken at birth. Nak-su (Jung So-min), meanwhile, is an assassin who is killed by a rival family. Fortunately, she’s able to survive (via alchemy) by transferring her soul into the body of a weak, blind woman. When Uk and Nak-su (in her new body) meet up and he discovers her real identity, they strike a deal: She’ll publicly act as his squire while also teaching him everything she knows about fighting and magic, provided he helps her get revenge. Stream Alchemy of Souls<\/em> on Netflix.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n An obvious choice, given that it’s a Game of Thrones<\/em> spin-off, since (vague spoiler for the new show!) House of the Dragon<\/em> also focuses in on the Targaryen family\u2014members of which are always up to something. Where Thrones <\/em>caught up with the dragon riders in their downward spiral and Knight<\/em> is set a bit before that, House of the Dragon <\/em>goes back further to show us the royal dynasty at its height, before all that incest and indolence sent them completely ’round the bend. Stream House of the Dragon<\/em> on HBO Max<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n This one’s on the lighter side, at least compared to anything going on in Westeros, but we still get a couple of ill-matched buddies, one with a larger destiny, adventuring through a medieval type landscape. Colin Morgan plays the title warlock, who arrives in Camelot to find that magic has been outlawed\u2014which doesn’t stop a dragon with the voice of John Hurt from explaining to him that he needs to protect the king’s only son (Bradley James), a boy who will grow up to unite the land. (The kid’s name is Arthur, in case that weren’t obvious.) Stream Merlin<\/em> on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a> and Tubi.<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Set at the tail-end of Japan’s Warring States period, this adaptation of the James Clavell novel finds ambitious English maritime pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) shipwrecked on the island and in the power of leading warlord Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada)\u2014each of them with something to offer the other. Blackthorne is made Toranaga’s Hatamoto, a flag-bearer and most trusted retainer. Reluctantly serving as translator between the two is Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), highly loyal to Toranaga, but with a complicated past. The main characters all have real-life analogues, and much of the plot mirrors world history, so there’s a verisimilitude to everything in this (mostly) Japanese-language drama that stands up to anything in George R.R. Martin ever dreamed up. Stream Sh\u014dgun<\/em><\/u><\/strong><\/a> <\/u><\/em>on Hulu<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n An effective bit of fantasy storytelling, The Wheel of Time<\/em> follows a group of young people taken from a secluded village by Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), a powerful magic user who believes that one of them is the reborn Dragon\u2014a being who will either heal the world, or destroy it The show’s sweep is more epic than A Knight of the Seven Kingdom<\/em>s, but it smartly places its focuses on the unworldly villagers, who are experiencing the wider world’s dangers at the same time as the audience. The show was cancelled following a third season that just found it getting into its groove, taking us through roughly the first four books of Robert Jordan’s lengthy fantasy series, so I suppose could always jump into it with plans to finish the story on the page\u2014rather the reverse of Game of Thrones<\/em>, which gave us the ending George R.R. Martin has yet to get down on paper. Stream The Wheel of Time. <\/em> on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n In this handsome anime series, it’s England in 1013 CE, and conqueror Sweyn Forkbeard lies near death, his status setting off battles of succession between his sons Harald and Canute (true story!). Amidst this turmoil, the show follows Thorfinn Karlsefni, a dramatized version of the real-life Icelandic explorer who ultimately travelled to Greenland and then on to Vinland (roughly modern-day Newfoundland and Labrador). Initially a vengeful mercenary in the service of a Viking warlord, Thorfinn maneuvers the complex politics of his world before coming to understand the horrors of the bloodshed that he’s seen and been responsible for. It’s one of the most impressively realized anime series’ of the past decade. Stream Vinland Saga<\/em> on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a>, Hulu<\/a><\/strong>, and Netflix.<\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n Kicking off with a slightly overcomplicated timey-wimey narrative structure in which we follow multiple threads at various points in time, The Witcher<\/em> ultimately settles into a groove as a show about a big guy who fights creatures in a Tolkien-esque kingdom. Played first by Henry Cavill and more recently, by Liam Hemsworth, the title Witcher is Geralt of Rivia, a genetically engineered (sort of) magical monster hunter who refuses to kill a young woman accused of monstrosity by a jerk of a mage\u2014a decision that puts him on a path that involves protecting and mentoring Ciri (Freya Allan), a crown princess who lots of people want to kill. Stream The Witcher<\/em> on Netflix<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n There are relatively few knights and no fantasy elements in this historical drama (adapted from the Ken Follett novel), but Pillars<\/em> shares with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em> a roughly medieval setting (literally medieval in this case) and a story involving individuals with tangential relationships with power navigating extremely fraught times. Set amid England’s Anarchy, during which designated heir Matilda battled Stephen of Blois over the throne, the series involves appropriately named mason Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell), tasked with constructing a cathedral in the town of Knightsbridge after he and his family have lost nearly everything. Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, and Hayley Atwell lead the stacked cast. Rent The Pillars of the Earth<\/em> from Prime Video. <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Once again we’re talking about people on the fringes of power during dodgy times (or maybe they’re all dodgy). Roland Emmerich is one of the primary names behind this short-lived series, which gives you a sense of the vibe: It’s big, loud, and frequently obvious\u2014but also an awful lot of fun. Think of it as a soap opera set during the opening days of the Roman Colosseum under Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins): While the emperor’s sons struggle for dominance, Tenax (Iwan Rheon), the proprietor of Rome’s largest betting tavern, forms an unlikely alliance with Cala (Sara Martins), a black Numidian who came to Rome in pursuit of her children, who were taken into slavery by Roman soldiers. There’s nothing (nothing<\/em>) she won’t do to secure their safety. Stream Those About to Die<\/em> on Peacock<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n You want prequels? Here’s a prequel. While quite different in tone and execution, both Martin’s Westeros and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth represent efforts to shape unique fantasy worlds form the raw clay of Western European history and mythology. There are a lot of threads to follow in this story set a few thousand years before The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, but our main character is almost certainly the young(-er) Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). When the helpful but mysterious Annatar offers to aid the elves in forging the title’s rings of power, Galadriel is the only one who clocks that something isn’t quite right. As with The Hobbit<\/em> and LOTR<\/em>, it’s the less overtly powerful folk who are the most impacted by the machinations of Middle Earth’s elite. Stream The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power<\/em> on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nAlchemy of Souls<\/em> (2022 \u2013 2023)<\/h2>\n
![\"Alchemy](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-2.fill.size_autoxauto.v1768941857.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nHouse of the Dragon<\/em> (2022 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"House](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-3.fill.size_autoxauto.v1768941857.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nMerlin<\/em> (2008 \u2013 2012)<\/h2>\n
![\"Merlin](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-4.fill.size_autoxauto.v1768941857.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nSh\u014dgun<\/em> (2024 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"Sh\u014dgun](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-5.fill.size_autoxauto.v1769008508.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nThe Wheel of Time<\/em> (2021 \u2013 2025)<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-6.fill.size_autoxauto.v1769008508.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nVinland Saga<\/em> (2019 \u2013 2023)<\/h2>\n
\n What do you think so far?
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\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nThe Witcher<\/em> (2019 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-8.fill.size_autoxauto.v1769012149.jpg\")
\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>\nThe Pillars of the Earth<\/em> (2010)<\/h2>\n
Those About to Die<\/em> (2024)<\/h2>\n
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power<\/em> (2022 \u2013 )<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KFE7RY1DFRZGAMYYCSPV9353\/images-1.fill.size_autoxauto.v1768933390.jpg\")
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