Netflix’s New 8-Part Dark Fantasy With 100% RT Is TV's Best Supernatural Series in Decades

Dubbed The Conjuring meets Stranger Things, Netflix’s newest fantasy, The East Palace, is a spellbinding addition to the streamer. Co-written by Kwon So-ra and Seo Jae-won, the South Korean miniseries follows Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), a ghost-hunter hired by the King (Cho Seung-woo) to rid the haunted palace of demons.

One of the darkest fantasy series in years, The East Palace is best described as Korean folklore with a ghostly horror twist. Earning a whopping 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, the 8-episode Netflix hit is a delightfully twisty entry to the genre, boasting all the ingredients to become the platform’s new supernatural king.

Netflix’s The East Palace Pushes the Limits of Fantasy Storytelling

Set during a fictionalized Joseon era, The East Palace centers around a curse that has taken hold of the titular royal estate, where a spirit murders heirs to the throne. With the kingdom on the verge of losing its royal bloodline, the King recruits a reluctant Gu-cheon, a shaman gifted to enter the spirit realm and put an end to the entity behind the killings.

Rated TV-MA, The East Palace comes from the success of Squid Game, part of the streamer’s investment in Korean content. However, the appeal of So-ra and Jae-won’s series does and should extend beyond that, being one of Netflix’s strongest fantasy originals in years.

Fantasy, particularly on TV, typically follows a set of rules: a prophesied chosen hero embarking on their destined mission to save their world; a clear dichotomy of good versus evil; expansive fantasy worldbuilding; and structured magic systems, typically taught or passed down through generations.

Considering The East Palace is first and foremost a fantasy, it naturally includes many of the above. However, by throwing in its doses of occult horror, historical realism, and crime procedural elements, the series subverts expectations with several twists. Especially through Gu-cheon’s arc.

A broken, desperate survivor possessing an unwanted gift, the lead protagonist is anything but the typical chosen prophet. Both he and his companion, court lady Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), are motivated by personal vengeance, survival, and grief rather than a noble destiny, making them more flawed and anti-heroic than one would expect.

That said, the series still plays into the tropes of magic systems, with Saeng-gang’s ability to hear ghosts and Gu-cheon’s ability to walk between worlds passed down through bloodlines. Effectively, The East Palace uses traditional fantasy elements to tell a non-traditional dark fantasy tale: a supernatural murder mystery set within a period drama.

This is supported by the series’ world, in which monsters are born of humanity’s sins. Created through the greed, executions, and hidden atrocities committed by the royal family, the Gwi, Gwi-shin, and Gwi-mae, among others, are spirits seeking justice for the crimes they endured. Discovering this along the way, the leading duo’s journey becomes even less a generic save-the-world adventure and more a tragic mystery about the sins of those in power.

Pushing the limits of fantasy storytelling, The East Palace is one of the most imaginative additions to the genre in years. Using familiar elements to draw viewers into its epic world, So-ra and Jae-won’s series is a haunting mystery that subverts all expectations through its occult horror, folkloric influences, and historical-drama twists.

The East Palace Works Best as a Standalone Fantasy Series

This is a bold claim, especially considering the amount of recent cancellations in the fantasy genre, but The East Palace benefits from its current lack of renewal. While expansive, open-ended franchises are always a treat, some are better suited to standalone limited stories, which So-ra and Jae-won’s series was always intended to be.

The biggest issue facing many major entries in the genre today is franchise fatigue, with networks and creatives dragging out a series for as long as possible for the sake of viewership. This naturally leads to an overwhelming amount of interconnected lore, predictable storytelling, lower emotional stakes, and less excitement for new releases.

All one has to do is look at series like Big Little Lies, 13 Reasons Why, and The Sinner, all of which faced lower viewership and ratings by their final seasons. Receiving backlash from critics and audiences for repeating storylines, ruining character arcs, and taking detours, these shows, among many others, risked destroying their once-strong legacy for the sake of unnecessary continuation.

While a different genre, The East Palace would run the same risk should it be continued for the sake of numbers. In just eight episodes, the series effectively introduces its world, follows the leading duo’s journey through the other realm, solves the mystery of the royal curse, and concludes with a tragedy that echoes its dark fantasy themes.

Intended to be a one-off series, there’s nothing left for The East Palace to explore. Continuing just to continue would cheapen the poetic justice of its finale, potentially introducing contradictory lore that would undermine what makes it a standout hit. Essentially an extended cinematic event, boasting high-end visuals, star power, and exceptional stunt choreography, the Netflix series succeeds because it understands the value of a complete story.

Rather than stretching its world beyond its natural conclusion, the series leaves behind a lasting impression through its unique approach to fantasy storytelling. While a second season would undoubtedly attract interest, So-ra and Jae-won’s series is much stronger as a singular experience, allowing its haunting final moments to remain untouched.