1. Fantasy I think on the TV is abit like Steam Punk. It gets a handful of really top rate productions but never seems to spawn much of a following to spawn a lot of series of quality. Indeed I'm hard pressed to think of any major fantasy series beyond Game of Thrones and Merlin and a lot of the traditional fantasy were very hack and slash (Conan/Xena) style. If we put Buffy into the Fantasy line then its at least had that, which is probably the biggest outside of Game of Thrones. Oddly this pattern seems to extend into films as well; sci-fi tends to make a bigger hit at least in advertising whilst al ot of fantasy films are often quite niche or fringe.
2. I think part of the problem is the Harry Potter effect - Hollywood and the cinema/TV industry thinks of fantasy as for kids and thus they get a bulk of productions and many are geared more toward them. Meanwhile sci-fi straddles neatly and has adult and teen and child focused franchises all of its own.
3. Indeed we can see this even with a huge Epic like Lord of the Rings - where once something like Star-Wars prompted a huge number of copy-cats; we've not really had a slew of copy-cat films after Lord of the Rings. Although part of that I think is because Comic films took off big time after that which I think has soaked up a LOT of resources in the film world. Thus leaving scant pickings for other films to get into the serious market.
So I think we are in the middle; we've a few big series and films but nothing like a true Golden age for both. Fantasy is still really waiting to have one whilst Sci-fi is kind of in a long term mainstream binge and might build into a fresh golden age although most likely will be one long series of big wins every so often amidst a sea of standard productions.
I totally agree with you on this.
1. I have never really been able to get into a fantasy TV Show. Even Game of Thrones bothers me. I don't watch it. I never liked it. I feel like I'm the only nerd who thinks this way. I do think Game of Thrones is the best of the best where Fantasy is concerned. Which I think is very hard to do. It would be interesting to compare the budgets of Game of Thrones VS The Walking Dead. Two of the most popular TV shows in America. I think Game of Thrones has a much higher budget, since half of the Walking Dead is indeed the Walking part!!!! I haven't seen the series, but it seems Game of Thrones has a lot more on site locations and sets that have to be made.
2. Totally agree. YA has a lot going for it, but as of now, it can't be taken seriously as a TV Show. It will alienate a certain group of people who don't want to watch "a kids show". I remember they once thought that Harry Potter would make a good TV Show. Rowlings wants to stay away from TV. I also don't think it would have been a good idea. The TV World is not kind to fantasy. That's why every single Harry Potter/Hunger Games type book has been made into movies (most were not that successful either).
TV is a different medium. You have to have a big enough following where you make a splash right away. Even so, it might not be successful. I'm not so sure how something like The Shannara Chronicles is doing plus, it's on MTV, which I think was a HUGE mistake. If you and your Uncle are a fan of that world, you might check it out because you have no bias towards MTV, but your Uncle is NOT. Going. To. Watch. MTV.
A new fantasy show would almost have to debut on Netflix if they want to attract the right kinds of viewers. Millennials who typically, read Fantasy are not that interested in cable TV shows. That's why the relatively simple plot of Stranger Things is doing so well on Netflix. I've heard rumblings that it is now it's top show. I would consider Stranger Things fantasy.
3. They will likely remake LOTR before something bigger takes it's place. I honestly don't see how one would oneup LOTR. A lot of Adult Fantasy focuses on the one of the races that LOTR mixes together so well. Why would viewers care about an elf world after LOTR already had the most beautiful elves in cinema?
What series of books can possibly compare?
Game of Thrones has a great big following and they are massive in size. That's comparable to LOTR, but it's already almost over. I think it's ending after only eight seasons. That's another problem with Fantasy on TV. You are ultimately tied to ratings and/or how fast you follow the timeline of the books, at least in today's marketplace. We are heading into a future where that will actually change. I don't think HBO cares about Ratings. AMC actually loves ratings. But if you are a fantasy show, unless you are on Netflix. It's hopeless. I'm left wondering if Fantasy will ever have it's time to shine on the silver screen? I know my WIP which I would consider part fantasy would make a lousy TV show, and a better blockbuster trilogy. TV is too risky.