Shadow and Bone

Stunningly gorgeous and mesmerizing, this enchanting series is the rightful heir to the Game of Thrones throne, and solid proof that TV adaptations can improve on their source material. Because as readers of fantasy novelist Leigh Bardugo's work know, the first book in the "Grishaverse" trilogy, also named Shadow and Bone, was dinged by critics for being a bit of a Twilight riff: A young woman passively waits as two powerful fellas fight over her against a supernatural background. Maybe so, maybe not, but few could accuse this TV series of that stale old trope, because this Alina Starkov is no distressed damsel. At every turn of the story, she acts with agency and makes decisions that show that despite being beset by forces both magical and malevolent, she's the one driving her own story.

The costuming cleverly communicates Shadow and Bone's fresh feminist take on fantasy, too. This is a story set in a military world, with men and women in equal number, all dressed in clothing that's utilitarian and comfortable, and with women and men in positions of power. Magical power, too, is distributed equally among women and men, and when the show's narrative drops into the world of the magic-wielding Grisha, we get a fascinating look at how these powers shape the politics of Shadow and Bone's universe. Too many fantasy shows more or less ignore the quotidian details of everyday life, the way characters eat, work, socialize, and so on, in favor of great big plot points. Shadow and Bone scores by slowing down enough so that we start to grasp the rhythms of its characters' existence, which make the great big plot points land all the harder. With its spectacular world-building and compelling characters within, plus a whole lot of book-laid plot at the ready, Shadow and Bone is the most promising series in quite a while.