Netflix‘s newest animated film, KPop Demon Hunter, follows three famous K-pop singers who secretly protect humans from soul-sucking demons. As they prepare for a concert that will allow them to strengthen the barrier keeping the demons out of Earth, the demon king sends five demons to form a rival boy band. Now the girls find themselves in a battle of the bands over their fans’ attention, which puts strain on their relationships, especially since their lead singer is hiding a big secret.
Audiences and critics have been enjoying KPop Demon Hunter thanks to its lovable characters, unhinged style of humor, and enjoyable story. If you’re looking for media that has some or all of these things, there are, fortunately, plenty of shows within the same ballpark, especially if they involve dual identities or dealing with a hidden world.
10
‘Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia’ (2016–2018)
Created by Guillermo del Toro
On his way to school, Jim Lake Jr. (Anton Yelchin and Emile Hirsch) discovers a mysterious amulet among a pile of rubble. This is the Amulet of Daylight, and it chooses Jim to be the next TrollHunter, a unique warrior who is tasked with defending both the human and magical worlds from the forces of Gumnar (Clancy Brown), an evil troll who plans to block out the sun. Jim meets an underground community of trolls and is mentored by the scholarly Blinkous Galadrigal (Kelsey Grammer) and the gentle giant Aarghaumont (Fred Tatasciore), and is later aided by his human friends Tobias (Charlie Saxton) and Claire (Lexi Medrano).
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is the first in a trilogy of Netflix shows by Guillermo del Toro, and presents many of the themes explored in his films in a way children can understand. It explores themes of unlikely heroism, found family, and what makes a monster, through some fun characters and a world that begs for the audience to come and explore more of it. Everything that has to do with the trolls is great, from the details that go into their culture and magic system to the various troll characters and their diverse personalities.
9
‘Danny Phantom’ (2004–2007)
Created by Butch Hartman
Danny Fenton (David Kaufman) is the youngest child of famed ghost hunters Jack (Rob Paulsen) and Maddie Fenton (Kath Soucie). One day, he examines a machine created by his parents that links to the Ghost Zone, and is accidentally exposed to ghost energy. This grants him the ability to transform into a ghost himself, and he uses these powers to protect his town from all manner of supernatural threats.
Danny Phantom is perhaps the greatest creation of Butch Hartman thanks to its creativity, serialized storytelling, and throwback to classic comic book stories. Every ghost character is given a unique design and power, resulting in a wide range of villains for Danny to overcome, including a high-tech ghost hunter, an obsessed warden, and another human-ghost hybrid named Vlad Masters (Martin Mull). While many of the characters fall into standard archetypes, they each have well-defined personalities and play off each other well, especially Paulsen and Soucie, who have some hilarious banter.
8
‘Martin Mystery’ (2003–2006)
Created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel
Unknown to the people of the world, there is a secret organization called The Center, which monitors, investigates, and neutralizes threats to humanity ranging from the occult to extraterrestrials. Their best agent is Martin Mystery (Sam Vincent), a teenager with an obsession for monsters and the paranormal matched only by his immaturity. He is accompanied by his more mature step-sister, Diana (Kelly Sheridan), a caveman named Java (Dale Wilson), and a friendly alien named Billy (Sam Vincent).
The characters are also great: they feel like a proper team…
Martin Mystery literally oozes creativity thanks to its broad sources of inspiration, which include pulpy sci-fi stories and folktales. Its animation emulates an anime style, allowing for over-the-top moments of comedy and highly detailed monsters that never fail to amaze in their designs and grotesqueness. The characters are also great: they feel like a proper team with contrasting personalities that lead to moments of comedic banter while also ensuring they contribute something to solving the case, be it Martin’s knowledge of the supernatural, Diana’s book smarts and deductive skills, or Java’s strength.
7
‘Totally Spies!’ (2001–2025)
Created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel
Sam (Jennifer Hale and Kira Riley), Cover (Andrea Taylor and Ali Ryan), and Alex (Katie Leigh, Katie Griffin and Lori Felipe-Barkin), are three best friends and roommates from Beverly Hills. When not attending school or dealing with their day-to-day troubles, they work as secret agents for the World Organization of Human Protection, headed by a man named Jerry Lewis (Jess Harnell, Adrian Truss, and Gary Mack). Their missions tend to involve some of the craziest people on the planet, with schemes that include mutating people into animal-hybrids, defeating capitalism by hypnotizing people to destroy shopping malls, or kidnapping people to make wigs out of their hair.
Totally Spies! is a crazy show that mixes over-the-top anime-inspired facial expressions with plots that feel like they were created by throwing darts on a board and seeing what sticks. Yet this works in the show’s favor: it’s so crazy that you can’t help but strap in for the ride and see where things go next. It also helps that the characters, while simple in their archetypes, are endearing thanks to their believable friendship and hilarious quirks, particularly Clover, who often feels like she is in her own little world.
Totally Spies!
- Release Date
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2001 – 2023
- Writers
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David Michel, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay
- Franchise(s)
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Totally Spies
6
‘American Dragon: Jake Long’ (2005–2007)
Created by Jeff Goode
Jake Long (Dante Basco) comes from a family of people who have the power to transform into dragons, and has been given the title of American Dragon. This means he is responsible for overseeing the balance between humans and a hidden magical world in the United States of America, particularly in his home of New York City. Meanwhile, he has to hide his dragon side from his human father, attend school, and navigate his forbidden love with a dragon hunter named Rose (Mae Whitman).
American Dragon: Jake Long combines the day-to-day trials of adolescence with the exciting wish fulfillment of transforming into a dragon. This gave the show a unique style among Disney’s projects in the early 2000s and allowed it to tell stories that were both mundane and fantastical. Jake’s relationship with Rose is particularly strong, as the two have to delicately balance their opposing dual identities and often have to make hard sacrifices in the name of love and the greater good.
5
‘Merlin’ (2008–2012)
Created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy
Twenty years ago, King Uther Pendragon (Anthony Stewart Head) led a purge against magic, outlawing its practice and killing many sorcerers. This makes things awkward for Merlin (Colin Morgan), a young warlock who has come to Camelot to stay with its head physician and a friend of his mother’s, Gaius (Richard Wilson). He is soon made the personal manservant to Uther’s son, Prince Arthur (Bradley James), and Merlin does what he can to protect Arthur so that he can become a great king someday, all while keeping his magic powers hidden.
Merlin is a fun re-imagining of Arthurian legend that has the two principal characters being teenage friends, and remains one of the best fantasy shows of the 2000s. A lot of the charm comes from the character interactions: Arthur and Merlin in particular stand out thanks to how perfectly Morgan and James bounce off one another, conveying a believable friendship with all its ups and downs. The side characters are also memorable, particularly Gaius, thanks to its father-figure role to Merlin, and the dragon Kilgharrah (Sir John Hurt), who acts as both a mentor and a wildcard in Merlin’s quest.
4
‘Star vs. the Forces of Evil’ (2015–2019)
Created by Daron Nefcy
Star Butterfly (Eden Sher) is the princess of the Kingdom of Mewni and the owner of a magic wand. However, she is immature and reckless with its powers, so her parents send her to live on Earth to mellow out. She quickly befriends a teenage boy named Marco (Adam McArthur), and when not attending school, she whisks him away on adventures across the multiverse.
Star vs. The Forces of Evil has a lot of the same energy as KPop Demon Hunters, especially in its first season. Star in particular is a bubbly ball of chaotic energy that is almost always seen with a big smile, but perfectly capable of battling those who threaten her friends and family. Later seasons begin delving into more mature storylines, especially concerning Mewman and monster relationships, and the role of magic in the multiverse.
3
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1987–1990)
Created by Ron Koslow
Catherine Chandler (Linda Hamilton) is a lawyer from New York City who is abducted, beaten, and left to die seemingly at random. She is rescued by Vincent (Ron Perlman), an animal-man from a hidden world underneath the city, who helps nurse her back to health. The ordeal inspires Catherine to get a job as an assistant district attorney, and, with Vincent’s help, solve various crimes that affect both of their worlds and grow closer as a couple.
Beauty and the Beast takes the classic fairy tale and sets it in the contemporary world while still capturing the beautiful love-story. This is thanks in large part to its two leads, who embody their roles perfectly and have strong chemistry. Many episodes were also written by George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, and while things never go quite so grim as in those books, the characters are certainly put through the wringer more than once.
2
‘Jem and the Holograms’ (1985–1988)
Created by Christy Marx
Jerrica Benton (Samantha Newark) inherits her late father’s assets, including the all-girls orphanage Starlight House and his record company, Star Music. She also finds Synergy (Marlene Aragon), an advanced AI who can project holograms through special earrings. Using this technology, Jerrica and her adopted sisters decide to become a musical group called Jem and the Holograms to help support Starlight House and regain control of Star Music from her father’s corrupt business partner, Eric Raymond (Charlie Adler).
Jem and the Holograms ranks as one of the best animated shows of the 1980s thanks to its simple but creative premise, great music, and surprising level of heart. The show is surprisingly grounded compared to other shows of the time and focused on very relatable issues, including romance, drug abuse, depression, and sudden tragedy. As befitting a series that focuses on bands, the music is great, both from the Holograms and their main rivals, the Misfits.
1
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997–2003)
Created by Joss Whedon
Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) appears like your average teenage girl just trying to make her way through life. However, she is actually the next in a long line of Slayers, and protects humanity from vampires, demons, and other occult creatures. Aiding her in her mission is her mentor, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), and her friends from school, the academically inclined Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and the comedic everyman Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a game-changing show on release, and holds up amazingly today, sparking academic study and frequently ranking among the best television shows ever made. The show gave each of its many characters strong, well-realized personalities, with plenty of faults and ambitions, which made them feel like real people despite the fantastical setting. It also knew when to play around with familiar tropes and when to play them straight, resulting in a mix of storylines that ranged from simple kill the monster of the week stories to complex character studies.