If there’s one thing that’s true about Game of Thrones it’s that fans simply cannot stop talking about HBO’s hit fantasy drama, despite the fact that it ended a little over five years ago. While there was much controversy surrounding the show, especially in the divisive final season, there’s no denying that it ruled the airwaves while it was on. As such, the drama's exit after Season 8 left a big hole in the hearts and TV schedules of millions of fans. Luckily, checking out some of the best streaming services makes finding a worthy substitute for the political machination-filled series easier than you might think.
For this list, we selected TV shows that had at least one major element in common with GOT, whether it be the genre, general storylines, or overall themes. This list includes a variety of series that mainly exist in the crime drama, fantasy, and historical fiction realms, but with one comedic show sprinkled in just for funsies. Let’s get to it!
House Of The Dragon (HBO)
Here’s an obvious no-brainer, especially for viewers who want to keep up with the on-screen world of George R.R. Martin and all of the upcoming Game of Thrones TV shows that are planned as spinoffs of the famed series. The focus of this section is the first such series to debut, House of the Dragon, is a prequel that takes us back in Westeros history, to look at a time 300 years before the events of the main series, when the Targaryens were still in power and there were a lot more dragons.
None of GOT's main players are involved here, but we still get a look at the dangerous moves and deadly alliances of their ancestors, the similarity of the basic setting, and, you know, more incest. House of the Dragon Season 3 is on the way, but not for a while.
Stream House of the Dragon on Max.
The Witcher (Netflix)
Ex-Superman Henry Cavill starred in three seasons of Netflix's fantasy series, The Witcher, which released its first season in December 2019 for those with a Netflix subscription, and immediately polarized viewers in a Thrones-esque way. It follows three main characters: the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Cavill), the young princess Ciri (Freya Allan), and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra).
Based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's saga of the same name, it follows the three as they try to survive a war that’s taken over the Continent while also attempting to keep young Ciri safe from those looking to use her mysterious powers for nefarious purposes. The Witcher Season 4 is being filmed now, with Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth taking over the lead role.
This series and Game of Thrones use fantasy elements to tell stories grounded in real life issues. For example, both series discuss the confining nature of a class system, and each show shines a big bright light on societal prejudices. And, yes, like GOT, The Witcher has plenty of battle scenes, some mature language and other adult themes to go along with all the magical creatures, backstabbing and politicking. As a plus, you don’t have to know anything about the books to jump in and enjoy it, though looking at The Witcher timeline will help.
Stream The Witcher on Netflix.
Vikings And Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix)
History's Vikings tells the story of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his rather large family, exploring the tumultuous life and adventures of this legendary Viking king. While the Michael Hirst-created historical hit wrapped with its sixth and final season in 2020, Netflix took that warrior-filled ball and ran with the sequel, Vikings: Valhalla, set 100 years after the events of the original show and following a new generation of leaders, schemers, and deadly fighters.
GOT and the Vikings shows share the concept of watching the rise and fall of kings and queens, and while the power struggles begin with Ragnar, they carry on to include all his heirs and, as noted, a generation many years into the future. So, being a generational saga is also something all three shows have in common, and they also explore the complexity of female and male warriors. All six seasons of Vikings are available on Netflix, along with all three seasons of Vikings: Valhalla.
Stream Vikings on Netflix.
Stream Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix.
The Last Kingdom (Netflix)
The Last Kingdom follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon) as he faces his conflicting heritage; he was born an Anglo-Saxon but raised by Vikings. Viewers see his story, and a fictionalized birth of England, as it's set in the 9th century A.D. and based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series, with each season following two books from the series.
This drama and GOT share in their love of long battle scenes. Both also deal with the question of birthrights, and familial blood versus adopted culture and traditions. They also deal with the hero's journey of accepting his or her destiny. All five seasons of the action-packed drama are available on Netflix, along with the final film, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, which was released after the series was canceled.
Stream The Last Kingdom on Netflix.
Stream The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die on Netflix.
The Tudors (Amazon)
The Tudors follows the Tudor dynasty of Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and his six wives, with Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer – who played Margaery Tyrell on the hit HBO series – portraying one of those famous wives. The historical drama aired on Showtime for four seasons and ran for 38 episodes in total.
This historical drama and GOT both brought in huge ratings for their respective cable networks during their run, and neither was afraid to use that TV-MA rating to push boundaries of nudity and sex scenes. The Tudors took a very sexy approach to fictionalized history, and GOT frequently took a similar path with its fabricated history, while both also show how absolute power corrupts.
Succession (Max)
The Emmy-winning dark-comedy Succession follows the Roy Family as they battle for control of the Waystar Royco Company. Brian Cox plays the aging patriarch Logan Roy, whose family includes his wife and four children, with impeccable actors such as Hiam Abbass, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Sarah Snook, and Jeremy Strong serving as part of the Succession cast.
Succession and GOT share both a network and the theme of toxic family dynamics. Succession is what Game of Thrones would be if the latter was comedic, based in reality, and set in the modern day, with slightly fewer deaths by eye-gouging. This series ended with its fourth season finale at the end of May 2023, and you can watch the entire run on Max.
Animal Kingdom (Amazon Prime)
Animal Kingdom begins with J Cody (Finn Cole) reuniting with his estranged family after his mother's death. Immediately, J tries to carve his place in the Cody family criminal enterprise, which is headed up by Ellen Barkin's cold and calculating matriarch, Smurf. GOT and Animal Kingdom both explore the family feuds that result when everyone believes that they should be king. The original main cast also includes Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, and Jake Weary.
J is a very ambiguous character whose motives are never quite clear. Is he trying to join the family business, take it over, or destroy it? This puts him on the same level as infamously dubious GOT characters like Lord Baelish (Aidan Gillen), and…just about everyone else there. While not as extreme as the HBO series, AK also disturbingly dips its toes in the incest pool, as Smurf often flirts with her sons and grandson. The crime drama is based on the Australian film of the same name, and your Amazon Prime subscription will give you all six seasons.
Stream Animal Kingdom on Amazon Prime Video.
Peaky Blinders (Netflix)
Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby crime family, led by Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy). Set in Birmingham, England in 1919, it showcases the creation of a criminal dynasty, and ended with six seasons, though a Peaky Blinders movie is on the way.
Both dramas share a love of corrupt characters who are also really likable. The families on the HBO hit do pretty terrible things to others and each other, but some of the morally challenged characters still make you root for them. The same can be said for the Shelby clan. Additionally, both series explore the beginning and progression of a kingdom, but on the Netflix series, the kingdom comes in the form of a criminal empire.
Stream Peaky Blinders on Netflix.
The White Queen (Starz)
The Starz miniseries, The White Queen, aired in 2013 and had 10 episodes, with Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel of the same name about England's War of the Roses in the 1400s serving as the source material. Spinoffs The White Princess and The Spanish Princess both followed on the network. Rebecca Ferguson plays the titular character, Elizabeth Woodville, Janet McTeer portrayed her mother, Jacquetta, Faye Marsay appears as Anne Neville, and Amanda Hale plays Margaret Beaufort.
The White Queen follows sympathetic female characters as they manipulate events and situations to gain power and liberation. Like GOT, this series has ambitious, brave, and smart female characters who make dangerous decisions in order to protect themselves and their families. Both series also show the female leads to be just as powerful and vital to the power struggle as their male counterparts. The White Queen is only available through a Starz subscription, which you can add on several other services, like through your Hulu subscription.
Stream The White Queen on Starz.
Mary & George (Starz)
We have one more historical drama for you in Mary & George, which is based on the non-fiction book, The King’s Assassin. The story follows Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham (Julianne Moore) as she uses her son, George (Nicholas Galitzine) to gain power, money and influence for their family by enlisting him to become the lover of King James VI and I.
This mini-series (which aired in early 2024) is based on real events, and I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a mother and son scheme, lie, plot and kill more to make sure their family rises in standing. Obviously, the Villiers share many traits with several of the most vile and self-interested GOT characters, and any viewer who misses all the murder, machinations and racy scenes of that show should love this one.
Stream Mary & George on Starz.
Game of Thrones was a one-of-a-kind series, so it’s impossible to find a direct replacement, but the listed shows offer fans something to binge as they continue the long, frustrating wait for The Winds of Winter.
