Geektown Awards – Best New & Returning Fantasy Series
The last award announcement today goes to the Best New & Returning Fantasy series. On the “new” side, it was clearly going to be a battle of two shows… although the third place does reiterate one of HBO’s biggest cancellation mistakes of 2022… On the “returning” shows, one series dominated the others. Here is how you voted.
Best New Fantasy Series
Nominees: House of the Dragon, Season 1 – Sky Atlantic, Schmigadoon!, Season 1 – Apple TV+, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Season 1 – Netflix, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1 – Amazon, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Season 1 – Sky Atlantic, Vampire Academy, Season 1 – Peacock, All Of Us Are Dead, Season 1- Netflix
Bronze: The Time Traveler’s Wife, Season 1 – Sky Atlantic
Silver: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1 – Amazon
Winner: House of the Dragon, Season 1 – Sky Atlantic
After the reaction to the final season of ‘Game Of Thrones’, things could have gone either way for ‘House of the Dragon‘, but new showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik managed to bring back the dragon fire to fans. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones’, tells the story of House Targaryen.
The drama got critical acclaim across the board, with ratings through the roof on both sides of the Atlantic. The opening episode had over 20 million viewers across linear, On Demand and HBO Max in the USA, and has only continued to grow. In the UK it gave Sky Atlantic its biggest audience ever, beating the original ‘Game Of Thrones’, with almost 1 million either staying up for the 2am simulcast or downloading it, and another 394,000 watching the 9pm repeat (and that number is likely to be a lot higher now!) A second season is in the works, but is not expected to land until 2024.
Best Returning Fantasy Series
Nominees: A Discovery of Witches, Season 3 – Sky Max, American Horror Story Seasons 10 & 11 – Disney+
Locke & Key, Season 3 – Netflix, Outlander, Season 6 – Starzplay, SEE, Season 3 – Apple TV+, Stranger Things, Season 4 – Netflix, The Witcher, Season 2 – Netflix
Joint Bronze: Outlander, Season 6 – Starzplay & A Discovery of Witches, Season 3 – Sky Max
Silver: The Witcher, Season 2 – Netflix
Winner: Stranger Things, Season 4 – Netflix
https://youtu.be/yQEondeGvKo
Out of all the categories this year, no one show dominated its rivals more than ‘Stranger Things‘. Taking a staggering 51.3% of the vote, the juggernaut drama ploughed through the competition like a Demogorgon taking out prisoners.
When we returned for season four, it’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends were separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hadn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaced, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
This season introduced us to so many great characters, along with our beloved returning heroes. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it out alive… We can’t wait to see what season five brings!
