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Bloody politics is a hallmark of the world of Game of Thrones: Where the original show played out a bloody succession crisis following the end of a dynasty and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes a ground-level look at Westerosi politics, House of the Dragon is all about jockeying for power within the ruling Targaryen family. If you’re looking for a streamalike show to get you through the wait between episodes, the 10 below, some fantastical and some historical, all concern the sort of complicated, cross-family power struggles that House of the Dragon traffics in (dragons and magic optional).
Merlin (2008 – 2012)
You want dragons? We’ve got a dragon. Maybe the special effects can’t nearly compete with those you get on an HBO budget, but this show goes one better in giving us a creature with the voice of the immortal John Hurt. On the lighter side, at least compared to anything going on in Westeros, Merlin follows a pair 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—which doesn’t stop the dragon Kilgarrah 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 on Prime Video and Tubi.
The Tudors (2007 – 2010)
Just as House of the Dragon sees House Targaryen at the height of its power (and with a woman lined up to succeed), this high-end soap opera takes us back to one of England’s most luxuriant dynasties. The show may play fast and loose with history, but does remind us that the Tudors were far hornier than all those archbishops would have us believe. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a bit hotter and a lot more lovable than the actual sociopathic, serial-killing Henry, but many of the women give as well as they get (both politically and in bed), particularly Natalie Dormer’s Anne Boleyn. Stream The Tudors on Paramount+ and Prime Video.
His Dark Materials (2019 – 2022)
This dark fantasy, adapted from the classic novel series by Philip Pullman, is set in an alternate world in which human souls exist outside the body in the form of animal companions called daemons. Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) is an orphaned girl living at Jordan College, Oxford who finds herself involved in a murder plot that brings her into the orbit of the powerful Magisterium, the world’s overarching and oppressive religious authority. She’s caught between her mother Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson), a powerful figure in the Magisterium, and her extremist heretic father Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), neither of whom is a particularly good guide for the heroic journey that Lyra will have to undertake. From her steampunk-ish world, Lyra and her daemon Pan travel across a multiverse that includes our very own Earth. The political intrigue here is on a different level, but fantastic creatures abound, and it’s very much about the corruption of and persecution by institutions. Stream His Dark Materials on HBO Max.
Rome (2005 – 2007)
Historical-ish, at least in the sense that it conjures a convincing, compelling recreation of Rome, circa the fall of the Republic. As the series opens, Julius Caesar is just beginning his long conflict with the traditionalist factions in the Senate, but our point-of-view characters are primarily the skilled but ground-level soldiers Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), with some assistance from Polly Walker’s deliciously amoral noblewoman Atia. The devil is in the details and, just as the Westeros-based shows have built believable worlds for their narratives to exist in, this series feels mighty real. Stream Rome on HBO Max.
The Dragon Prince (2018 – 2024)
We’re here largely for the dragons, particularly given that the tone of this smart but family-friendly animated series doesn’t provide for the violent thrills that are a feature of Westeros. Still, we also have politics on a grand scale in a roughly Medieval Europe-inspired world. The show follows two human princes, an elf, and a toad who attempt to forge a peace between warring kingdoms while protecting the infant Storm Dragon Azymondias. The setting is the continent of Xadia, a place full of magic derived from the Moon, Sky, Sun, Earth, Ocean, and the Stars (many of the creatives behind the original Avatar animated series are behind this one, as well). A sequel series is in development. Stream The Dragon Prince on Netflix.
Kingdom (2019 – 2021)
It’s not exactly a history lesson, but Kingdom does open a window into the middle of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, a centuries-long era that stretched until nearly the 20th century, during which time there wasn’t an actual zombie plague, so liberties have been taken. As the series opens, rumors are swirling that the king has died, and his son, Crown Prince Lee Chang, is trying to find out the truth. Turns out that the king did, in fact, die—of smallpox—but the Queen Consort and her father, a powerful courtier, have a plan: They’ve given the king a little-known plant that will revive him long enough to produce an heir, but there’s an unfortunate side-effect (you can see where this is headed). A deft combination of horror and medieval-esque political intrigue, this one feels like something wholly unique to either genre, featuring all the violence and shady dealings that you might expect from House of the Dragon, but, ya know, with zombies instead of dragons. So far there are two seasons and a feature-length special episode, plus the spin-off movie Ashin of the North. Stream Kingdom on Netflix.
What do you think so far?
My Lady Jane (2024)
Returning to the Tudors with a show that dives a little deeper into one of House of the Dragons major themes. The category is: Women Who Can’t Catch a Break. This one’s a steamy period drama involving England’s first (if only for nine days) queen, Jane Grey—but with the addition of an oppressed class of humans who can turn into animals. Based on a book by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, the show stars Emily Bader as the titular queenly contender, dealing with a dying king cousin, a sketchy marriage, and competition from sisters Elizabeth and Mary. The magic and shapeshifting make the whole thing sufficiently bonkers, which is clear when it kicks off with the invocation: “She could have been the leader England needed. Instead, history remembers her as the ultimate damsel in distress. Fuck that.” Stream My Lady Jane on Prime Video.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022 – )
Another expensive fantasy sequel, The Rings of Power expands on events largely only hinted at in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Both Martin’s Westeros and Tolkien’s Middle Earth represent efforts to shape unique fantasy worlds from 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, 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 and LOTR, it’s the less overtly powerful folk who are the most impacted by the machinations of Middle Earth’s elites. Stream The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video.
The Last Kingdom (2018 – 2022)
Families at war. Clashing cultures. Internal and external pressures: These themes echo through history, and they’re similarly the stuff of great fantasy. Starting in 866, this show follows Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), a Saxon taken by Vikings as a child and subsequently raised by a Danish warlord. When his adoptive father is killed by another Dane, he enters the service of Saxon King Alfred, hoping that the alliance will allow him to avenge his loss. Instead, he’s forced to choose between the Saxons of his birth and the Danes he has come to identify with. The drama plays out against the backdrop of an England rife with warring kingdoms and facing conquest by outsiders. Stream The Last Kingdom on Netflix.
The Legend of Vox Machina (2022 – )
A series birthed by a Kickstarter and adapting a Dungeons & Dragons-esque web series, Vox Machina has no business being one of the best current animated series’ streaming. Yet here we are, with a show that’s as watched as it is critically acclaimed. Set in the heavily D&D-inspired world of Exandria, the show stars an appropriately ragtag crew of mercenaries who gradually go from working quests for extra cash to growing into a family as they face increasingly challenging evils together. The cast is made up of experienced voice actors, with the vocal performances being a major selling point. Stream The Legend of Vox Machina on Prime Video.
