Credit: ITV
By
Erik Kain
Published 58 minutes ago
Erik is a writer based in Arizona. He's written about video games and the entertainment industry for over a decade, and previously covered politics and culture. He also runs a Substack newsletter about entertainment and culture, a YouTube channel about these same topics and designs tabletop RPGs. He lives with his pack of three kids and three dogs in the mountains, and manages to find time to write inbetween daily chores. He was a 2014 nominee for a Shorty Award. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Atlantic, National Review, Mother Jones and elsewhere. He also writes poetry and fiction and has big dreams about writing scripts someday.
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Game of Thrones aired its 73rd and final episode on May 19, 2019. Over six years have passed, and both fans and big streamers are still trying to fill the void left by HBO's fantasy drama. From historical dramas like Vikings (2013-2021) or The Last Kingdom (2015-2022), to epic fantasies like The Witcher (2019—) or The Wheel of Time (2021-25), the quest for a Game of Thrones replacement never truly ends.
While the series — based on the books by George R.R. Martin — ultimately went off the rails, it remains a massive cultural presence, and no other fantasy series has been able to recreate its precise magic.
Which brings us to Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands. The British historical-fantasy show actually released back in 2016 in the UK. It's been largely overlooked and forgotten over the past decade. Now, the dark fantasy drama has found a new home, and a new audience, on Netflix.
What Is 'Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands' About?
Credit: ITVClose
Based on the Old English poem, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands follows the legendary warrior Beowulf (Kieran Bew) who returns home after years spent wandering. When he arrives, Beowulf discovers that his adoptive father, Hrothgar, has died. The circumstances of his death are suspicious, and soon Beowulf is thrust into a web of secrets and political scheming.
Hrothgar's widow, Rheda (Joanne Whalley), is determined to become the first female leader of the Shieldlands. Her son, Slean (Ed Speleers), resents Beowulf's fame and covets his father's power. Rumors that Beowulf himself was responsible for Hrothgar's death begin to circulate, and he's forced to find a way to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, a series of horrifying monster attacks leave the populace frightened as tensions grow throughout the land. Soon, clues lead to a connection between these supernatural attacks and the political turmoil gripping the Shieldlands.
Where Have We Seen 'Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands's Stars Before?
Kieran Bew has appeared in films like Green Street (2005) and Alien vs. Predator (2004) and was a series regular on the action TV show, Warrior (2019-2023) where he played police officer, Bill O'Hara. Bew has a very big Game of Thrones connection as well. He joined the cast of House of the Dragon (2022-) during that show's second season, playing the blacksmith turned dragonrider, Hugh Hammer.
Joanne Whalley is most famous for her role as Sorsha in the Lucasfilm fantasy movie, Willow (1988), and has starred in numerous period dramas such as The Borgias (2011-13), The White Princess (2017) and Wolf Hall (2015-2024). She also starred in Netflix's Daredevil (2015-18) and reprized her Willow role in the since-deleted Willow TV show on Disney+.
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Posts 1 By Erik Kain Nov 2, 2025Ed Speleers will forever be known as the title character from the Eragon (2006) adaptation, though he has also appeared in Downton Abbey (2010-15), You (2018-2025) and Star Trek: Picard (2020-23).
Fans of Outlander (2014-) will recognize Laura Donnelly — who plays Elvina in Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands — from her time on the Scottish historical series. Donnelly played Jenny Fraser Murray in Outlander. She's also starred in Brittania (2018-2021) and The Nevers (2021-23). Elvina and Beowulf have a romantic connection in the series.
'Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands' Seasons and Critical Reception
Unfortunately, ITV canceled Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands after just one season. On the bright side, it's 13-episodes long, so you'll still have plenty of dark fantasy adventure to enjoy while we wait for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to drop on HBO.
While it may scratch your fantasy TV itch, don't expect the series to compare to a big-budget production like Game of Thrones. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics give the series a 55% aggregate score, though audiences are more upbeat, giving Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands a 67% Popcornmeter score. Variety compared the series somewhat unfavorably to Vikings, but added:
Still, for fans of fantasy, this might be worth a try; there’s just enough of interest to make one wonder if Beowulf’s future alliances and aspirations will place it within striking distance of “Vikings,” on par with the enjoyable “Shannara Chronicles” and maybe ahead of BBC America’s very similar drama, “The Last Kingdom.”
All 13 episodes of Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands are now available on Netflix. Give it a shot if you're looking for a new fantasy show. And remember, winter is coming.
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands
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Allison McKenzie
Arla
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David Harewood
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Joanne Whalley
Rheda
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Lolita Chakrabarti
Lila
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