Posted by Jennifer Asencio | Published
The 90s were the heyday of fantasy television. Some of it was symbolic and is still remembered today; the rest of the series is completely indelible in the collective memory of fans. Fantasy has always been a more closed genre than science fiction, due to the popularity of star Wars again Star Trek. However, before Aragorn and Frodo brought their relationship to the big screen, TV set the stage by taking us to amazing places, from other countries to our own cities.
Fantasy has always been smaller than science fiction because of the limitations it faces. Once magic becomes mechanical, it becomes less mythic and has more of a sci-fi flavor. Icons and memorable efforts in 90s television have created lasting classics. Not all series were intended only for adults: a few were made for both adults and children. Fantasy offers few entries in the genre but draws as many devoted fans as does science fiction.
Hercules Paves the Way
Hercules: Legendary Journeyswith Kevin Sorbo as the titular Hercules, embarks on a mighty man’s journey through Hellenistic Greece set in a dream. Throughout the series, time is merely a suggestion as they meet groups of people separated not only by distance on an unexplored continent but also by hundreds and thousands of years. A great journey begins with five made-for-TV movies that set the stage for the characters and story elements. Hercules ran for an impressive 111 episodes before it was canceled during the filming of its sixth season.
The show is a big episode, and each episode is a very independent story of Hercules and his sidekick Iolas who help solve, the traveling band, and any other supernatural entities that live in this wonderful Greece, showing that the worst monsters are sometimes like the people around them. This wouldn’t be Hercules without him also overcoming mythical threats, from minotaurs to the whims of fickle gods.
Xena Changes Television Courses
Before she had her own game, Xena the Warrior Princess was one of Sorbo’s Hercules’ original bodyguards in three episodes. The original plans called for him to be killed, but he proved to be such a fan favorite that, as the Greek gods were known, his fate was changed. It was that change in star alignment that created one of the most lasting legacies of the 90s.
As an icon of the LGB movement with the unspoken romance between Xena and Gabrielle, the series changed the course of television shows that came after it. Xena: Princess Warrior so quickly surpassed Hercules in ratings and cultural influence that by the second season, it became the leading syndicated drama series on American television. Running 134 episodes over six seasons, like the Hercules episode line, time was a ball of yarn and the production was an unapologetically punchy cat.
Attracted by the Three Sisters
One of the wonderful things about fiction is that it transcends time and space. Take the hit television series You are enchanted. Following three sisters who discover they are witches destined to help protect the world from evil, You are enchanted ran for over 8 seasons and 178 episodes. It gave us a lot of ups and downs, characters died, and new characters took their place. The drama and action kept fans hooked throughout its run, which ended in 2006 after premiering in 1998. The 2018 reboot ran for three more seasons, but with a different cast.
As a series, You are enchanted it was more than just a girl show; its female leaders attract followers everywhere. The series began with the sisters as they learn their strengths and the dangers of their new world. Small threats like war rivals and the effects of old magic grow into different enemies, like demon lords, until they include the Source of all evil. What would a paranormal series about witches be without some romance? One sister ends up with an angel, the other falls in love with a demon. Their family dynamics are complicated, making the holiday meal difficult.
Sabrina Makes Magic Sitcoms
While many other shows have tried to have serious episodes that span entire seasons, Sabrina the Young Witch It was a fun take on modern day, but like a sitcom. It follows Sabrina from her first day at a new high school after living with her two aunts. Each season lasts about one school year. Being a sitcom, the episodes are all self-contained episodes with little deviating from long narrative arcs.
We’re not just thrown into Sabrina’s world; we are given the opportunity to explore it with him as he learns about his powers, the power of his family, and the wider supernatural world. The series begins with his first levitation with his aunts watching lovingly from the doorway. Throughout the first season, he gets flustered and entangled in each misadventure, with the resolution occurring at the end of the episode. He discovers that his aunt’s cat is actually a witch who was cursed that way a hundred years ago for trying to conquer the world.
The series aired for seven seasons, from 1996 to 2003, with 163 episodes, in addition to three made-for-TV movies. Sabrina the Young Witch created a beloved legacy that has seen Netflix’s remakes Cool Adventures of Sabrinawhich ran for two seasons and didn’t get the traction it had the first time. We may all be waiting a while for more Sabrina shows as there are many obstacles that need to be overcome in production, but the first episodes of this fun and attractive series are available for free on Tubi, as well as other streaming services.
Highlander: The Award-Winning Series
The 1990s saw so many amazing events that going through them all would fill this article and many others. Honorable mentions cover the series Highlanderwhich saw Adrian Paul play Duncan MacLeod and became an international hit.
Airing for six seasons and 119 episodes, the show was discontinued without a continuation of the films, when Christopher Lambert’s Connor did not win an award. As it was nominated for several awards during its run, the show was highlighted by the praise of the fans and the acting skills of the actors.
Beastmaster Has Three Periods of Effect
BeastMaster it doesn’t have the staying power of other shows as it only had three seasons and 66 episodes. It follows the new adventures of beast master Dar in the beautiful world he lives in.
There is a lot of action and adventure, but as the seasons progress, pacifism and natural themes begin to emerge in Dar. It highlights the era of their world where technology is advancing, as the old ways of magic and nature are being replaced. Perils of death and immortality threaten Dar, his animal friends, and the wider world. To catch this wild ride, turn on Tubi and Roku while they’re showing it.
Fantasy Horror Made Fun for Kids
Fantasy and sci-fi from the 1990s for kids could fill an entire article on its own, yet two shows are adorable and fun to watch. Both include elements of humor, horror, and fantasy, as well as some episodes of good storytelling. Those two series Are you afraid of the Dark? again Bumps.
Are you afraid of the Dark? it ran for 10 seasons between 1991 to 1996. In 1999 it was renewed for two more seasons, then again later in 2020, when it ran for three seasons until 2022. An anthology of horror, fantasy, and drama told in standalone episodes, the show offers a safe space for kids to explore.
Bumpswhich followed the books of children’s horror author RL Stine, aired for four seasons, with 74 episodes of horror, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi thrown in. Like an anthology series, each episode or two was self-contained, telling a spooky story, from haunted Halloween masks, a radio station that only the dead can hear, and an evil sponge. 43 of the 62 books were adapted into a series, as well as a film starring Jack Black.
1990s Television Paved the Way for Peter Jackson
With programming accessible to all ages, the 1990s stopped treating fantasy as a guilty pleasure and embraced it as serious entertainment. This helped pave the way for Peter Jackson’s success The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first Chronicles of Narnia films, and other fictional adult entertainment, especially as those children grow up and introduce their own children to their childhood heroes.
Thanks to those efforts, the fantasy is now thriving, with more Tolkien content coming out every day, and upcoming releases like this one. Masters of the Universe again The Odyssey. Fantasy lives on in modern entertainment, and we have the 1990s to thank for convincing Hollywood to take us to magical worlds.
