Game of Thrones (Seasons 1–4)

The first four seasons are the ones people mean when they call Game of Thrones the show that changed television — before the pace outran the books, before the ending fractured the fandom. This is peak Thrones: the Red Wedding, Tyrion's trial, a dragon queen still finding her feet. It proved a fantasy epic could dominate the same water-cooler conversation as prestige dramas that took themselves less seriously, and every fantasy show on this list is still living in its shadow, for better and worse.