15 shows to watch if you like Game of Thrones
By Sundi Rose
Emerald City — NBC
What it is: Emerald City is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which also inspired a particularly well-known movie. The show reimagines the city of Oz as a gritty dystopian society, ruled by an unpredictable despot, The Wizard (Vincent D’Onofrio). Dorothy (Adria Arjona) is a nurse that is transported to Oz by (of course) a tornado, but she lands in the wilderness, facing off against the native tribes that don’t resemble the Munchkins at all.
Dorothy finds herself in a dangerous land, fleeing to save herself and the companions she picks up on the way — a little girl with a special gift, a handsome man with no memory and a young man grappling with a secret he can’t keep on his own. The witches are reimagined in three futuristic women who represent the witches of the North, East and West. There’s a dog and a storm, and you can recognize lots of things from the movie if you squit. The show, however, is closer in tone to the book of the early 20th century, and stays faithful to some of its more grittier themes.
Why you’ll like it: Although Emerald City was only around for one season on NBC, it was interesting and felt a little like Game of Thrones-lite. Set in some obscure mix of the past and the future, Emerald City has all the things you like about Game of Thrones, minus all the nasty bits like rape, beheadings, disemboweling and incest.
The costumes and cinematography are exquisite, offering a nice mix between futuristic steampunk and historical fantasy. Everything about this show looks incredible, even though the story and dialogue leave a little to be desired — probably the reason it was cancelled in the first place.
Where to find it: You can find all 10 episodes on the NBC website.