HBO’s Game of Thrones turned fantasy into a cultural phenomenon on the small screen; now, rival platforms are rushing to catch up. Are sci-fi fans being left out in the cold, asks Bethan Ackerley
Tom Sturridge as Dream in Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman
Netflix
THROUGHOUT the history of television, science fiction has fared far better than fantasy. Its place in the mainstream was cemented by Star Trek and Doctor Who, not to mention more recent masterpieces like Battlestar Galactica. It is only in the past decade that we have seen a fantasy series become a true cultural phenomenon, thanks to Game of Thrones. No other show in the genre has had such an impact.
That might be about to change. August’s biggest …