Netflix’s 2-Season Fantasy Series Is So Good, You’ll Finish It in One Sitting

Published Oct 31, 2026, 9:23 AM EDT Kendall Myers is a Senior Author with Collider. As part of the TV and Movies Features team, she writes about some of the most popular releases before, during, and after they premiere. In three years, she has written over 900 articles with topics ranging from classic sitcoms to fantasy epics. Sign in to your Collider account With so many shows available, it can be hard to find the right one, but one Netflix fantasy series is the perfect binge-watch. A product of the recent boom in fantasy TV, 2021's Shadow and Bone is adapted from Leigh Bardugo's book of the same name and other stories set in the same world. The only downside of Shadow and Bone is that it ended too soon, just when the show was heading towards some of the book series' best stories. Though its premature ending is disappointing, Shadow and Bone's two seasons are still worth watching. Combining a chosen-one arc with a heist plot, the series delivers a compelling story of magic, love, and crime unlike anything else, following a young girl with extraordinary abilities and how she impacts the ongoing war around her. With exciting characters, detailed world-building, and a rare balance between action and humor, Shadow and Bone is an addictive fantasy watch that you won't be able to stop thinking about. What Is 'Shadow and Bone' About? Netflix has released several fantasy titles over the last few years, but Shadow and Bone is one of its best. The series takes place in the war-torn kingdom of Ravka, which is divided in half by a dark territory full of monsters known as the Fold. Crossing the Fold requires escorts from the Grisha of the Second Army, who possess supernatural abilities. When unassuming cartographer Alina (Jessie Mei Li) is sent through the Fold, she discovers her unique Grisha ability. As the Sun Summoner, Alina might be powerful enough to destroy the Fold and save Ravka, but that means being separated from her lifelong friend Mal (Archie Renaux). As she works toward her destiny with the mysterious Darkling (Ben Barnes), Alina discovers long-held secrets that put her in danger. COLLIDERInteractive Long-range scan active Movies/Science Fiction/Survival Assessment Collider Survival Assessment Which Sci-Fi WorldWould You Survive? 8 questions · 5 worlds · one honest verdict Five of the great screen futures, and not one of them is built for comfort. Answer eight questions about instinct, loyalty and the line you would cross, and the scan will tell you which one you would still be standing in. Worlds in range ▦︎The Matrix ◈︎Mad Max ◑︎Blade Runner ▲︎Dune ✦︎Star Wars Begin the scan Question 01 of 08INSTINCT The world as you know it ends overnight. What is your first move? No wrong answer. There is a wrong hesitation.AFind out what is really going on behind all of it BGrab a vehicle and as much fuel as you can carry CKeep your head down and show up to work anyway DLearn the rules of whoever is in charge now EFind other people and start organizing ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 02 of 08RESOURCE You can stockpile exactly one thing. What is it? Choose carefully. You are not getting a second run.AInformation nobody else has BFuel CClean money and cleaner documents DWater EA ship that can get you off-world ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 03 of 08THREAT Which kind of enemy scares you the most? Be honest about what keeps you up.AOne that can be anywhere, wearing anyone's face BA convoy of people who want what you are carrying CSomeone who looks exactly like you DA rival family that has been planning your downfall for generations EAn empire with unlimited resources and no patience ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 04 of 08AUTHORITY How do you handle the people in charge? Every world has them. Even the ones that pretend otherwise.AAssume they are lying and work around them BNobody is in charge where I am CFollow the orders, file the report, stay invisible DStudy them, get close to them, outlast them EJoin whoever is fighting them ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 05 of 08ENVIRONMENT Pick the place you would rather wake up in: You will be there a while.AA grey city that feels slightly too perfect BAn endless desert highway CA rainy neon street at three in the morning DA dune sea with a fortress on the horizon EA crowded spaceport full of strangers ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 06 of 08ALLIANCE Who do you want standing next to you? Pick one. You only get one.AA guide who knows far more than they are telling you BOne person you trust and nobody else CNobody. You work alone DA loyal circle you grew up with EA crew of misfits who argue the whole way ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 07 of 08MORALITY Which line would you cross to survive? Everybody crosses one.ALying to the people closest to you BTaking what you need by force CLooking the other way DPlaying a long game that costs other people dearly EBlowing something very expensive up ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Next Question 08 of 08PURPOSE What are you really fighting for? Last question. Make it count.AThe truth, whatever it turns out to be BTomorrow. Just tomorrow CSomething that finally feels like a real life DYour family's name EEveryone who cannot fight for themselves ← Back Keys 1 to 5 or A to E · Enter to advance Run the scan Scan completeYou would survive ▦︎ The Matrix The Resistance, Zion You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. You would survive The Matrix because you were never fully sold on the version of reality you were handed. You notice the seams. You ask the second question. In a world built to keep people comfortable and incurious, that instinct is the whole fight, and it is why Morpheus would have found you long before you found him. From the Collider file The Wachowskis' 1999 film won four Academy Awards, including Visual Effects and Film Editing. Bullet time was shot with a rig of roughly 120 still cameras firing in sequence around the actors. Keanu Reeves trained in martial arts for about four months before a frame was shot, recovering from neck surgery the whole time. It opened the same year as Fight Club and eXistenZ, in a run of films about not trusting the world in front of you. Red pill energy Pattern spotter Built to question ◈︎ Mad Max The Wasteland Oh, what a day. What a lovely day. You would survive the Wasteland because you do not waste energy mourning the world that ended. You move, you improvise, and you are very good with whatever is bolted to the thing in front of you. Furiosa would let you drive. That is not a compliment anybody earns easily. From the Collider file Mad Max: Fury Road won six Academy Awards in 2016, more than any other film that year. George Miller storyboarded the entire film as roughly 3,500 panels before there was a script. The chase was shot almost entirely practical in the Namib Desert, with real vehicles and real stunt performers. Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth carried the prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, in 2024. Keeps moving Improviser Good with engines ◑︎ Blade Runner Los Angeles, 2049 All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. You would survive 2049 because you know how to be small in a very loud city. You keep your head down, you do the job, and you hold onto one private thing that belongs only to you. That quiet stubbornness is exactly what both Deckard and K run on, and it is what keeps either of them going when the case stops making sense. From the Collider file Blade Runner 2049 won Roger Deakins his first Oscar for cinematography, on his fourteenth nomination. The film also took Best Visual Effects, 35 years after Ridley Scott's 1982 original. Villeneuve shot it on large-format film and kept the fog and rain practical on set wherever he could. Three short films by Luke Scott and Shinichiro Watanabe bridge the 30-year gap between the two movies. Keeps her head down Private Noir soul ▲︎ Dune Arrakis Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. You would survive Arrakis because you think in decades while everyone around you thinks in weeks. You read the room, you learn the customs, you wait. The desert does not reward speed. It rewards people who understand that patience is a weapon, which is the one lesson the Fremen never had to be taught. From the Collider file Denis Villeneuve's Dune won six Academy Awards in 2022, including Cinematography and Original Score. Hans Zimmer turned down Christopher Nolan's Tenet so he could score Dune instead. Dune: Part Two arrived in 2024 and brought in Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken. David Lynch's 1984 version and Alejandro Jodorowsky's unmade one are both their own legends by now. Plays the long game Reads the room Patient ✦︎ Star Wars A Galaxy Far, Far Away Rebellions are built on hope. You would survive the galaxy because you never try to survive it alone. You collect people. You end up in the middle of other folks' problems and you stay anyway. Every version of this story, from the Falcon's crew to the Ghost's, runs on somebody exactly like that holding the group together. From the Collider file The 1977 original won six Academy Awards plus a special achievement award for sound effects. John Williams' score was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra and became the best-selling symphonic film soundtrack ever. Andor took the galaxy somewhere colder and earned Emmy nominations for drama series in both seasons. The saga now runs across eleven feature films and a growing shelf of series on Disney+. Collects people Shows up Hope merchant Compatibility readout · top three 1 2 3 ↻ Retake the quiz Copied to your clipboard Scan filed byCOLLIDERCollider.com · The Sci-Fi Desk While Alina is a driving force in the story, Shadow and Bone features another major storyline that revolves around a group of criminals known as the Crows, who accept the risky but lucrative mission of capturing Alina. Kaz (Freddy Carter), Jesper (Kit Young), and Inej (Amita Suman) travel across the expansive world, interfering with the Darkling's plans and making the audience question who the good guys are. These thieves may be on the wrong side of the law, but they're also some of the story's most interesting characters. Thanks to the Crows and those who join their ranks, including Nina (Danielle Galligan), Matthias (Calahan Skogman), and later, Wylan (Jack Wolfe), Shadow and Bone manages to distinguish itself from its competition on streaming. There Is No Fantasy Series Like 'Shadow and Bone' Shadow and Bone excels in many areas, but at the top of that list is its world-building. With its two drastically different stories, the series creates an intricate fantasy world that is easy to invest in. The Grisha themselves are an interesting bit of lore, as their abilities are clearly defined by three different types: Etherealki, Materialki, and Corporalki. This division limits what each character can do and establishes a unique system for their powers. International relations are another important aspect, and the series introduces cultures such as the Fjerdans, the Shu Han, and the Kerch, each of which has a different perspective on the others. Another aspect of what makes Shadow and Bone unique is its distinctive blend of technology and magic, as well as its ability to find laughs within its epic story. With witty characters like Jesper and Nikolai, Shadow and Bone features more comedic moments even in the midst of dangerous adventures. While it does lack a proper conclusion, ending on a cliffhanger that may scare some viewers away, Shadow and Bone is an irresistible series that fantasy fans won't be able to stop watching. Release Date 2021 - 2023 Network Netflix Showrunner Eric Heisserer Cast Jessie Mei Li Alina Starkov Archie Renaux Malyen 'Mal' Oretsev Directors Mairzee Almas, Karen Gaviola, Laura Belsey, Jeremy Webb, Lee Toland Krieger, Bola Ogun Writers Eric Heisserer, Vanya Asher, Daegan Fryklind, Shelley Meals, Christina Strain, M. Scott Veach, Donna Thorland, Erin Conley, Nick Culbertson Creator(s) Eric Heisserer