Screen Rant names the 15 best prequel series ever

Screen Rant has named the 15 prequel series it considers the best in TV history. The outlet makes the case that prequels can arrive with bigger budgets, an already established world and an ending the audience already knows, which adds emotional depth.

The following series are among Screen Rant's picks.

Young Sheldon

Screen Rant calls the CBS comedy a seven-season prequel to The Big Bang Theory. Ian Armitage plays a young Sheldon Cooper in East Texas, and Screen Rant says his performance matched Jim Parsons' Emmy-winning work. Lance Barber's George and Annie Potts' Meemaw became fan favorites, and Barber's version of Sheldon's father changed the character's original image as a lazy drunk.

Fear the Walking Dead

AMC's prequel begins at the start of the zombie outbreak and follows a blended family in Los Angeles with no survival training. Screen Rant credits the eight-season run's compelling cast, including Kim Dickens, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Lennie James and Colman Domingo, and says its slow pace reflected society's collapse.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

George Lucas created and executive produced this direct prequel to the Indiana Jones movies. Screen Rant says the show was groundbreaking for its global scale and educational format, trading action for a character-driven historical look at Indy's early life.

Bates Motel

A&E's modern reimagining of Psycho takes place before the 1960 film. Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga play Norman and Norma Bates, and Screen Rant says the pair made the dysfunctional mother-son bond uncomfortable and empathetic.

Ted

Screen Rant places Seth MacFarlane's Ted series among the best prequels. The two-season comedy follows John Bennett's high school years with his foul-mouthed teddy bear and, unlike the movies, gives the rest of the cast more emotional arcs. Screen Rant reports the franchise continues with Ted: The Animated Series on Dec. 17, 2026, on Peacock.

Smallville

Tom Welling played Clark Kent for 10 seasons, becoming the only live-action actor to hold the role for a decade, according to Screen Rant. The show's coming-of-age story, relationships and theme song made it a pop-culture staple, and the outlet says its success opened the door for more live-action superhero adaptations.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

This six-part limited series follows young Charlotte and George III. Screen Rant praises India Amarteifio and Golda Rosheuvel for showing Charlotte's strength, and says Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest have the best romance in the Bridgerton franchise.

1923

Screen Rant calls 1923 Taylor Sheridan's best Yellowstone prequel, with Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren leading the Dutton family. The outlet notes it is the only Yellowstone show with a multi-continental story and holds a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, making it the franchise's highest-rated entry.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Set a decade before the original Star Trek series, the Paramount+ show follows Captain Pike, Spock and Number One aboard the USS Enterprise. Screen Rant says its brighter tone and episodic format won over fans, with Anson Mount and Ethan Peck standing out. The fifth and final season arrives on Paramount+ in 2027.

Hannibal

Screen Rant calls NBC's Hannibal a prequel to Thomas Harris's novel trilogy. Mads Mikkelsen plays Dr. Hannibal Lecter as a forensic psychiatrist, with Hugh Dancy as Will Graham. The outlet says Mikkelsen made the role his own after Anthony Hopkins' iconic performance in The Silence of the Lambs.

• Hannibal
• prequels
• Screen Rant
• Smallville
• Yellowstone
• Young Sheldon