Exploring the Depths of Fantasy Series: A Comparative Analysis of Iconic Shows
Victoria Simmons
Published May 17, 2026
By Published Apr 25, 2026, 9:15 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
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There are very few , and even fewer . The TV shows that have become iconic in the genre combine high emotional stakes with unexpected twists that often subvert typical fantasy formulas, and if viewers are lucky, they end properly rather than being abruptly canceled.
Three series that fit this description are Stranger Things, Harry Potter, and . While His Dark Materials may not appear to have much in common with the other series, the show has several shared themes with both, but takes them to a different level.
THE SORTING HAT · QUIZ Which Hogwarts House Are You In? Exclusive · Personality Quiz THE SORTING HAT — WHICH HARRY POTTER HOUSE WOULD YOU BE IN? The Sorting Hat Sees All Every witch and wizard who passes through the Great Hall is sorted by the qualities they hold most dear. Ten questions stand between you and your true house. Answer honestly — the Hat can tell when you’re lying. 🦁Gryffindor 🐍Slytherin 🦅Ravenclaw 🦡Hufflepuff PLACE THE HAT ON YOUR HEAD → QUESTION 1 / 10COURAGE 01You hear a strange noise coming from a forbidden corridor after curfew. What do you do?What calls to you in the dark? AGrab your wand and investigate immediately. Someone could be in trouble. BInvestigate quietly and alone. Knowledge of what’s hidden there could be very useful. CResearch the corridor first. There’s probably a reason it’s forbidden, and you want to know what. DTell a trusted friend and go together. Safety in numbers, and it’s no fun alone. NEXT → QUESTION 2 / 10AMBITION 02A professor offers you a rare opportunity, but accepting it means letting down a friend. What do you do?Ambition vs. loyalty — a timeless test. ATurn it down. Your friends come first, always. BTake it. Your friend would do the same, and opportunities like this don’t come twice. CFind a creative solution that lets you do both. There’s always another way if you think hard enough. DTalk to your friend honestly and figure it out together. Communication solves most things. NEXT → QUESTION 3 / 10KNOWLEDGE 03You find an ancient spellbook with powerful magic — some of it dangerous. How do you handle it?Power, wisdom, caution, or principle? ATurn it in to a professor. Dangerous magic shouldn’t be floating around. BKeep it hidden and study the useful parts. Knowledge is power, and this is a rare find. CRead every page carefully. Understanding dangerous magic is the best defense against it. DShare it with friends you trust. Something this important shouldn’t be one person’s secret. NEXT → QUESTION 4 / 10FAIRNESS 04A classmate is being bullied by someone more powerful. You barely know the victim. What do you do?What moves you to act? AStep in immediately, even if it means making an enemy. It’s the right thing to do. BFind a way to undermine the bully without putting yourself at risk. Be strategic. CReport it to a professor. The system exists for a reason — use it. DBefriend the victim afterwards. What they need most right now is someone in their corner. NEXT → QUESTION 5 / 10IDENTITY 05Which quality do you most want to be known for?What you value most reveals your deepest nature. ABravery. When things go wrong, I want to be the person who stands up. BResourcefulness. I want to be the person who always finds a way. CWisdom. I want to be the person who truly understands. DKindness. I want to be the person people trust completely. NEXT → QUESTION 6 / 10LEADERSHIP 06Your team is losing badly in a high-stakes competition. What’s your move?Pressure reveals character. ARally everyone with a bold speech and lead by example. Momentum is everything. BExploit the other team’s weakness. There’s always a gap if you’re watching closely enough. CPause and rethink the strategy entirely. Doing the same thing harder won’t work — you need a new plan. DFocus on keeping morale up. A team that trusts each other can come back from anything. NEXT → QUESTION 7 / 10MORALITY 07You catch a friend cheating on an important exam. What do you do?Rules, relationships, and right and wrong. AConfront them directly. If they’re your real friend, they can handle the truth. BSay nothing. It’s their risk to take, and reporting them gains you nothing. CStruggle with it, but ultimately the integrity of the exam matters. You report it anonymously. DTalk to them privately and offer to help them study instead. They clearly need support. NEXT → QUESTION 8 / 10FEAR 08What do you fear most?Your deepest fear says everything about your deepest values. ABeing a coward when it matters. Failing to act when someone needs me. BBeing ordinary. Living a life where I never reached my full potential. CBeing ignorant. Making decisions based on incomplete understanding. DBeing alone. Losing the people who matter most to me. NEXT → QUESTION 9 / 10LEGACY 09Centuries from now, how would you want to be remembered at Hogwarts?The portrait on the wall — what does it say? AAs someone who fought for what was right, no matter the personal cost. BAs someone who achieved greatness and left a lasting mark on the wizarding world. CAs someone who discovered something extraordinary — a truth no one else could see. DAs someone who was truly good — a person who made others’ lives better just by being there. NEXT → QUESTION 10 / 10THE SORTING 10The Sorting Hat whispers: “I see everything you are and everything you could become. Tell me — what matters to you above all else?”The final question. Answer from your soul. AThe courage to do what’s right, even when I’m terrified. I’d rather be brave for one moment than safe for a lifetime. BThe drive to become who I’m meant to be. I won’t settle, and I won’t apologize for wanting more. CThe pursuit of understanding. The truth is more beautiful and more important than comfort. DThe people I love and the bonds I’ve built. Everything else is just noise without the people beside you. THE HAT HAS DECIDED → THE SORTING HAT HAS SPOKEN YOU BELONG IN… 🦁 GRYFFINDOR “Where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.”
You lead with your heart and your gut. When something is wrong, you can’t just stand there — you have to act, even when the odds are terrible and the smart move is to walk away. You’re the person people look to in a crisis, not because you’re fearless, but because you move forward when you’re afraid. Your moral compass is loud, your loyalty is fierce, and your courage can be reckless — but the world needs people like you.
Values: Courage, chivalry, determination, standing up for what’s right
Watch out for: Recklessness, a hero complex, and leaping before you look
Famous Gryffindors: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall
🐍 SLYTHERIN “Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.”
You have a vision for your life, and you’re not going to let politeness or convention stand in the way. You’re strategic, perceptive, and deeply ambitious — not necessarily for power itself, but for the freedom and influence that come with being exceptional. You read rooms, you play the long game, and you don’t waste energy on fights you can’t win. People underestimate your depth at their own risk.
Values: Ambition, resourcefulness, determination, self-preservation
Watch out for: Isolation, ruthlessness, and mistaking cunning for wisdom
Famous Slytherins: Severus Snape, Merlin, Regulus Black, Horace Slughorn
🦅 RAVENCLAW “Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.”
Your mind is your greatest asset, and you know it. You’re drawn to ideas, puzzles, and the kind of deep understanding that most people don’t have the patience for. You question everything — not to be difficult, but because accepting easy answers feels dishonest. You value originality, creativity, and intellectual independence. The library isn’t just a building to you — it’s a sanctuary.
Values: Wisdom, creativity, learning, intellectual curiosity
Watch out for: Overthinking, detachment, and valuing being right over being kind
Famous Ravenclaws: Luna Lovegood, Filius Flitwick, Garrick Ollivander, Cho Chang
🦡 HUFFLEPUFF “Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil.”
You are the heart of every group you belong to. You don’t need to be the hero of the story — you need the people in the story to be okay. Your loyalty isn’t performative; it’s bone-deep. You show up, you do the work, and you treat people with a decency that the wizarding world desperately needs more of. You’re not soft — you’re strong in the way that actually holds everything together.
Values: Loyalty, patience, fairness, hard work, kindness
Watch out for: Being taken for granted, avoiding conflict, and forgetting your own needs
Famous Hufflepuffs: Newt Scamander, Nymphadora Tonks, Cedric Diggory, Pomona Sprout
↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ
Stranger Things involves a terrifying alternate world in the form of The Upside-Down, while His Dark Materials explores multiple universes. Harry Potter reflects characters' personalities through their patronuses, while also reveal aspects of the characters' personalities, but are characters in their own right too. That said, the main thing that all three series share is a plot point, as they all tell stories of self-discovery but have different ways of getting there.
His Dark Materials Pits Scrappy Heroes Against Cold Academia
His Dark Materials first introduces Lyra, who lives in Oxford's Jordan College as a ward. While she is intelligent, she shuns formal education, choosing instead to run wild with her friends. Still, when it comes to the existential crisis facing the more academically-minded in the college, it is Lyra who acts as the "chosen one," able to do what they cannot, and read the alethiometer. often tend to be scrappy rebels or scholars, with the rebels finding more success on their missions.
This theme is reflected in both Stranger Things and Harry Potter. While the intelligent and resourceful Hermione Granger is the underappreciated heart and mind of the central group in Harry Potter, she, Harry, and Ron pit themselves against more experienced and educated characters who cannot always be trusted. On the other hand, most of Stranger Things' resident academics are extremely passionate, but Dr. Martin Brenner is a perfect example of a character who loses his humanity in the process of pursuing scientific advancement.
Again, His Dark Materials takes this theme and makes more of it, and the show includes several characters like Brenner. Dr. Cooper works at the Bolvangar research station, and appears emotionally unaffected by the practice of "intercision," which is essentially cutting childrens' souls away. She works for the icy and sadistic Mrs. Coulter, the main antagonist in the series, who uses her academic knowledge to direct the torturous experiments on children.
His Dark Materials Succeeds Where Harry Potter And Stranger Things Failed
All three stories have become known as fantasy masterpieces at one time. However, while both Harry Potter and Stranger Things are not aging as well. Stranger Things' season 4 was its darkest yet, featuring some of the most terrifying and emotionally powerful scenes in the show. Unfortunately, season 5 felt rushed, stilted, and introduced new characters while sidelining older ones. Stranger Things was groundbreaking, but its final season did not live up to its potential, while His Dark Materials wraps up the story in one heartbreaking finale.
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After seemingly welcoming the LGBT+ community, J.K. Rowling's opposition to the trans community and funding of anti-trans campaigns have made it largely impossible for audiences to separate the art from the artist. The original book series might have been a product of its time in terms of its lack of diversity compared to more modern fantasy shows, but more than this issue.
As , it would be difficult to separate the art from the artist here, but Pullman has stated on his account, "I am anti-bullying, anti-abuse of any kind, and also anti-transphobia." Pullman's explores some serious and ambitious themes, yet the series told the story within just three seasons, without it feeling overdone, or overshadowed by the author. This makes His Dark Materials likely to stand the test of time as a flagship fantasy TV show for HBO.
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StreamingHis Dark Materials is a television adaptation of Philip Pullman's celebrated trilogy. Set in a parallel universe, it follows orphan Lyra Belacqua as she uncovers a nefarious plot and explores a mysterious substance called Dust. Joined by Will, who wields a dimensional-cutting knife, they navigate a multiverse conflict.
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