7 Shows Like Cursed That Aren't Cursed That You Should Watch If You Like Cursed

You've watched Netflix's medieval fantasy drama Cursed 20 times. Your closet looks like the dressing room at a Renaissance Faire. You've made armor out of old milk cartons. You eat turkey legs for breakfast. Rather than treat that rash with leeches, it might be time to watch something other than Cursed. We're here to help. 

The Katherine Langford-led series based on the story of the Lady of the Lake tweaked the legend of King Arthur by telling his familiar story through the eyes of Nimue, a fey whose growing powers were feared by locals. Whether you were enthralled by Cursed because of the medieval setting, a strong female character with magical powers, or women hacking things up with swords, we've conjured up seven shows that fans of Cursed will love. Here's what you should watch next.

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Looking for more recommendations of what to watch next? We have a ton of them! And if you're looking for more hand-picked recommendations based on shows you love, we have those too.

The Letter for the King

Where to Watch: Netflix

Someone at Netflix must have been really convincing when they declared that 2020 would be the year of YA medieval shows. Cursed was a hit, but it was the second big-budget teen-focused fantasy series Netflix released this year. The Letter for the King, which premiered in January and is a little more family-friendly than Cursed, isn't based on Arthurian legend, but it may as well be. The series follows a young squire who is asked by a stranger to deliver an important letter to the king of a neighboring realm, and is pursued by a band of mysterious knights who aim to stop him. There's no magic, but there are plenty of castles, knights, and shoddily dressed little ones with adorable British accents.

Merlin

Watch it on: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Crackle (Free)

Like Cursed, Merlin draws on the famous Arthurian legend to tell its story, and also like Cursed, it puts a distinct spin on the action by making Colin Morgan's Merlin and Bradley James' Arthur Pendragon young contemporaries who think very little of each other upon first meeting. At the start of the fan-favorite series, Merlin is forced to become Arthur's personal servant, and neither likes the other, but that obviously wouldn't make for a very exciting show, so they eventually overcome their issues and become best friends, offering up a bromance for the ages. However, their adventures together are only part of the story; Arthur's father, King Uther (Anthony Head), has outlawed magic, and Arthur himself despises it, so Merlin is forced to use his gifts to save Arthur and those around him in secret, as it is his destiny to protect the future king so he can one day restore magic to Camelot. If that isn't enough to entice you to watch, what if I said there was a talking dragon voiced by John Hurt? -Kaitlin Thomas

Motherland: Fort Salem

Where to Watch: Hulu, Freeform

Though not technically a witch -- she's actually a fey -- Nimue spent a lot of time being accused of being a witch, what with the magical plants she conjured and the dice hustling. She also spent a lot of time fighting back, which is exactly what you'll get from this Freeform series set in an alternate history in which witches are recruited into the U.S. Army. Yes, for real! It's a real premise of an actual show! The first season follows three young witches who enlist in the military and all the obstacles they face, but it's nothing compared to the literal trials witches were confronted with in the past, which these young witches are constantly reminded of. 

Luna Nera

Where to Watch: Netflix

If you're into more powered-up females taking on tyranny, fire up this Italian Netflix series. Luna Nera, which translates to Black Moon in English, is set in the 17th Century Roman countryside, when women accused of witchcraft were hunted down by fanatical witch hunters. Sixteen-year-old midwife Ade is the heroine of the six-episode series, which follows her as she joins a group of witches after being accused of witchcraft herself. Obviously she has a crush on the son of the head of the witch hunters, because this is a TV show. The producers did a ton of research about the dark time period for authenticity, reading up on Italy's witch trials and burnings. Another cool thing about Luna Nera: It was written and directed entirely by women, a first for an Italian production. 

Warrior Nun

Where to Watch: Netflix

If you enjoyed Cursed, scroll on over to Netflix's recent supernatural series Warrior Nun, as the two shows both feature gifted young women destined for great power. In Warrior Nun, that woman is Alba Baptista's Ava, a former quadriplegic who is given a second chance at life -- and the use of her limbs! -- when an angel's halo is embedded in her back. The mysterious magical artifact revives her from the dead and gives her special powers, and I know that sounds wildly ridiculous, but Cursed is about a woman with magical powers and a special sword, so just listen to me and go with it. As Ava attempts to come to terms with what's happened to her, she also discovers she now belongs to an elite and secret order of nuns who are tasked with tracking down and killing demons on Earth, but things aren't quite what they seem, and the show subverts expectations as Ava finds herself in the midst of a battle much larger than anyone expected. -Kaitlin Thomas

Camelot

Watch it on: Starz

Cursed threaded the needle between being aimed at adults and young adults, so if you were looking for a more grown-up take on Arthurian legends, put Camelot on after the kids have gone to bed. The Starz series starts up when Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) is anointed the new king of Britain, and he assembles his crew -- including Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) and Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) -- up at the castle Camelot. What he doesn't know is that his half-sister, Morgan (Eva Green), is plotting to take the crown from him, even if it means aligning with dark forces. Though not quite as randy and bloody as Starz's other historical drama Spartacus, it still goes beyond with the sexiness. This came out at the same time as Game of Thrones, so it was overshadowed in the showdown between fantasy epics, but given its connection to King Arthur, it's worth a watch if you liked Cursed.

Merlin (1998)

Where to Watch: IMDb.tv (Free)

If you watched Cursed and thought to yourself, "This is pretty good, but what if Merlin and Nimue got it on instead of Arthur and Nimue?" Well, first of all, that's gross because in Cursed, Merlin is Nimue's dad. Second, you're not alone in your perverse fantasies! Nimerlin shippers need to check out this 1998 Golden Globe-nominated miniseries. The three-hour, three-episode drama stars Jurassic Park's Sam Neill as the titular magician in his golden years telling his story, which includes a past romance with Nimue in his younger days. But this Nimue is different; Merlin separates the traditional character into two, Nimue and the Lady of the Lake. Additionally, Merlin adds a few characters to Arthurian lore, including William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet creation Queen Mab, who is the evil twin sister of the Lady of the Lake in this series.