TV Shows Like Merlin
If you like Merlin, here are 10 similar TV shows — each with its current AI renewal verdict, so you can see which are still going and which have been cancelled.
BBC One · Action & Adventure · Merlin is ended
Merlin works because it keeps things personal. The magic, the dragons, the court intrigue, all of it is backdrop to a central relationship between two young men who are supposed to be rivals and end up being something closer to brothers. The BBC One series leans into the tension of Merlin hiding his powers in a kingdom where magic is outlawed, which means nearly every episode has a double life running underneath the adventure. That combination of fantasy spectacle and quiet character loyalty is what keeps fans coming back, and it is what most of these fans are hunting for in their next show.
The best shows like Merlin
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
If the world-building of Camelot was a big part of Merlin's appeal, Rings of Power delivers that on an enormous scale. It follows an ensemble across kingdoms and cultures, each carrying its own history and threat, as a familiar evil begins to resurface. The show is at its best when it focuses on the bonds and betrayals between its characters and not just the spectacle, which is exactly the ratio Merlin fans tend to prefer.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Renewed100%
2. The Magicians
The Magicians shares Merlin's core idea that magic is a gift that isolates as much as it empowers. The students at Brakebills are sharp and flawed, and the show is not shy about letting the fantasy world bite back hard. It runs darker and weirder than Merlin, but fans who liked watching Merlin navigate a world that feared what he could do will recognize the same tension here.
Stream on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
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3. DC's Stargirl
Stargirl is built around the same chosen-one energy that defines Merlin's early seasons, with a young protagonist who stumbles into a legacy far bigger than she expected. It has a real warmth to it, and the team dynamics that develop around Courtney mirror the unlikely camaraderie of Camelot's knights. Fans who responded to Merlin's optimistic streak will feel at home here.
Stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max
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4. Marvel's Runaways
Runaways takes a group of teenagers who have almost nothing in common and forces them to trust each other when the adults in their lives turn out to be the threat, which is a dynamic Merlin fans will recognize immediately. The show is grounded in the relationships between the six leads, and the slow unraveling of who their parents really are gives it a serialized pull similar to Merlin's longer story arcs. It trades swords for superpowers but keeps the loyalty and betrayal at the center.
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More on shows like Merlin
What fans of Merlin tend to want is a world that feels genuinely built out, with myths and stakes that matter, but anchored by characters whose relationships are the real engine. Pure action is not enough. Pure drama is not enough. The sweet spot is a show where the fantasy elements raise the emotional cost and do not replace it. Some of the recommendations below hit that target squarely; others arrive from a different angle but carry enough of the same DNA to be worth the trip.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the most direct heir to Merlin's sense of high fantasy with layered loyalties and an ancient world full of danger. The Magicians takes the magic-as-secret-identity thread and transplants it to a modern university, with a darker and often funnier edge. DC's Stargirl and Marvel's Runaways both work the chosen-one and unlikely-team dynamics that run through Merlin's best seasons, even if their settings are superhero rather than medieval. Amazing Stories is the outlier here, an anthology with no ongoing cast, but it shares the spirit of wonder and magic touching ordinary lives that gives Merlin its warmth.
None of these shows are Merlin, and none of them try to be. What they share is a belief that fantasy is most satisfying when it is grounded in people who care about each other, and that the magical or impossible thing is most powerful when it costs somebody something.
More shows like Merlin
Frequently asked
- What is the most popular show like Merlin?
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the most popular show similar to Merlin in the IsItRenewed catalogue.
- Are shows like Merlin still on the air?
- Of the 10 shows similar to Merlin listed here, 1 currently carry a renewed verdict — the rest are cancelled, ended, or awaiting a decision.
- How does IsItRenewed pick shows like Merlin?
- The recommendations come from TMDB's similar-titles data, and each is shown with its current AI renewal verdict so you know which are still going.