Recommended Sci Fi TV: Science fiction and fantasy shows from the past decade or so that you may have missed and that we believe are worth checking out.
What Is It?
This series serves as a sequel to the 1988 movie of the same name, and it is set decades after the events of that film. It follows an unlikely group of heroes on a dangerous quest to save their world from dark forces, with the reluctant sorcerer Willow Ufgood once again drawn into a battle between good and evil.
Aired: Disney+, 2022-23, One Season Totaling 8 Episodes
Starring: Warwick Davis, Ellie Bamber, Ruby Cruz, Erin Kellyman, Tony Revolori
Developed By: Jonathan Kasdan
Bottom Line: Willow can be derivative at times and it lacks the mega-budget of some other streaming fantasy entries, but it has a sincerity about it and delivers a fun genre entry populated with colorful characters.
Why Is It Worth Watching?
Right now is a good time to be a fan of epic fantasy. Not only do you have HBO’s House of the Dragon heading into its third season and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on the way (with other Game of Thrones spin-offs also in the works), there is also Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power vying for top honors among big-budget fantasy shows, as well as Netflix’s The Witcher heading into its fifth and final season. There are also animated entries like The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein streaming on Prime Video, as well as live-action adaptations of Avatar: The Last Airbender and One Piece (both from Netflix), and more out there. But one fantasy entry of note came and went a few years back, and it is certainly worth seeking out.
Willow arrived on Disney+ in the fall of 2022, and it acts as a follow-up to the 1988 George Lucas film of the same name. In the original movie, an aspiring sorcerer named Willow (who is a member of the dwarvish race known as the Nelwyn) is tasked with protecting an infant from an evil queen who fears a prophecy that the child will bring about her doom. The film was written by Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, and it performed reasonably well at the box office when it first came out. It never attained the same acclaim as Lucas’ Star Wars films, but Willow went on to become something of a cult favorite, and there had been talks of a sequel for years, with original star Warwick Davis always willing to return to the role. Those plans eventually morphed into the television series that landed on Disney+, with the show taking place seventeen years after the events of the movie. The child (Elora Danan) has grown up and must go on a quest with Willow and several other heroes to face a dangerous evil that threatens the world.
The original movie was somewhat derivative, incorporating various fantasy clichés and bits of familiar lore while also inviting many similarities to the plot of the first Star Wars film (the real first film from 1977, not The Phantom Menace). But it was still good fun and went down easy at a time when there were not too many epic fantasy films in theaters. The series has a familiar feel to it, throwing in plenty of copy-and-paste fantasy tropes, especially at the beginning. But it also has a sincerity that draws you in and keeps you involved with the story as it starts to take some twists and turns. It is populated with a variety of characters that stand out beyond fantasy archetypes, with even some of the smaller roles making notable impressions. And while the story can get murky at times and also suffers from some leaps of logic, the fact that it never takes itself too seriously—and that the actors have good chemistry—keeps it rolling along.
Another strength of the show is the fact that it is not constantly pushing its production values to the forefront to try and impress viewers. In comparison to House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power (both of which I have enjoyed), Willow has a much more modest budget. That’s not to say it is a cheap production, but it does not have the deep pockets of either of those shows and instead relies on practical effects as much as CGI. That is a rather welcome change of pace, as it uses its sfx judiciously and does not dwell on its production values with long, ponderous shots, as we would see at times in the two shows mentioned above, especially The Rings of Power. Willow instead lets the story, and more importantly the characters, carry the show.
Warwick Davis is truly the heart and soul of the series, and that makes sense, seeing as he lobbied for years for the revival to happen. He plays an older, grumpier, more world-weary Willow, but the character sticks to his convictions and leads this group of misfits through the challenges they must face. And while he is core to the series, this is very much an ensemble piece with plenty of new faces that could have carried on the show for years. Joanne Whalley reprises her role from the film as Sorsha, and MCU fans will recognize Erin Kellyman from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but most of the actors in primary roles are relatively new. They were well selected, though, and all of the performers deliver strong performances that help give the series a spark.
Fortunately, Willow tells its story in one season. It definitely set up more to follow, but the main plot is resolved by the final episode and brings the story to a satisfying resolution. With so many shows getting cancelled after one season (as this one did, more on that below), it should become a requirement that they wrap up as many storylines as possible by the final episode so as not to leave viewers hanging. More seasons could still follow for Willow, but if this is all we get from the show, viewers will not be too disappointed. It acts as a continuation of the original movie while also standing well on its own. And while it may not be a high-dollar production that revels in excessive CGI, it still delivers an epic fantasy that is fun and populated by a delightful cast of characters.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Yes. This series did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings during its first-season run, and even though it was not as expensive as other fantasy entries like House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power, Disney+ decided not to continue it for a second season (even though it offered a promising franchise beyond the MCU and Star Wars that they could have expanded upon). After the announcement was made that Willow would be coming to an end, the show’s creator, Jon Kasdan, spoke out to refute claims that it had been cancelled. He said in a post on Twitter (that has since been taken down) that “a decision was made last week to release our main cast for other series opportunities that may arise for them in the coming year,” and that neither he nor Lucasfilm considered it a cancellation. He went on to say the following:
With all the TV and movies in production around the world, it feels unfair to limit an actor’s availability without a clear sense of when you’re going to need them again. It’s further trivialized by the simple reality that the scripts we’ve been working on require just as many actors (from our first season) with whom no such contractual hold exists. Nothing prevented Annabelle Davis, for example, from taking another show, but you better believe Mims appears in every single Volume II chapter.
Apparently, there were attempts to shop the property around, but it appears that nothing has come from that. Willow did develop somewhat of a following (it came in third in our Summer 2025 Save My Show Poll), and perhaps this one will continue at some point. But for now, the one season is all we have from it.
Where Can You Watch It?
Sadly, Disney+ removed Willow from streaming shortly after cancellation, and it has not been picked up by any other streaming service. It was also not released on DVD/Blu-ray or VOD, so it is not readily available at the moment. But this property has persevered, so I expect it to pop back up at some point.
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thank you for such a detailed look at a favorite show <3