Five years after its cancellation, Netflix fans are still in awe of an award-winning fantasy series likened to Game of Thrones.
It's an all too common occurrence; you get obsessed with a shiny new Netflix series, only for it to be snatched away before it's had chance to reach its full potential.
Well, it's not stopped viewers of this 'perfect' TV series from counting it among their top three favorite shows of all-time.
And as the wait drags on for George R.R. Martin’s sixth novel in the Game of Thrones saga (it's been 5,125 days since A Dance with Dragons hit shelves... not that we're counting), this 10-episode fantasy series might just help fill the void.
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The fantasy drama delves into the origins of the mysterious world of Thra - a lush planet dominated by corrupt rulers called Skeksis.
It follows three young adventurers dubbed Gelflings - Rian (voiced by Taron Egerton), Brea (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Deet (Nathalie Emmanuel) - as they discover the Skeksis’ dark secret and attempt to unite the scattered Gelfling clans to spark a rebellion.
It uses puppetry to bring the intricate world of Thra to life, while critics compared its complexity and scale to HBO beast Game of Thrones.
Better yet, the show's cast brings together some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Star Wars' Mark Hamill, The White Lotus' Jason Isaacs and The Velveteen Rabbit's Helena Bonham Carter, with narration from Sigourney Weaver.
The series in question is called The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel series to Jim Henson’s 1982 fantasy movie The Dark Crystal.
Wired hailed the series 'a worthy successor to Game of Thrones', calling it 'one of the most radical and political shows you'll watch all year', exploring themes of power, dominance and resistance - much like the popular HBO show.
And despite bagging an Emmy award and earning a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience rating, the show was sadly canceled in 2020.
Netflix executives reportedly blamed the axing on high costs - yet fans still reckon the show deserves more recognition.
Taking to the R/Netflix subreddit, one person wanted to know what everyone's top three all-time favorite series were.
Listing Dark, Stranger Things and Money Heist as their own, the social media user said they were hoping to find an 'underrated gem' they might not have known about.
Among some of the biggest Netflix shows of recent times, Dark Crystal stood out, and other Reddit users were glad to see it had made someone else's cut for top three.
"Dark Crystal was criminally underrated. I was so bummed we didn’t get a second season," one person shared.
"Dark Crystal has been one of my favorite movies since I was like 7 years old, the joy the show brought me as a 39 year old cannot be exaggerated," a second weighed in. "The show itself was perfection, thought for SURE it would get a second season."
They added: "I thought it was really exceptional. It seemed to do pretty well, but ultimately I guess it was too expensive and time-consuming. Broke my heart."
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is streaming now on Netflix.
Topics: Netflix, Streaming, Film and TV, Social Media, Reddit, Rotten Tomatoes
Ellie Kemp