His Dark Materials' star-studded cast also included James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, and Andrew Scott as John Parry.

With an 84% critical score and 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, HBO's fantasy show His Dark Materials was well-received by critics and general audiences, being seen as a significant improvement on the lackluster 2007 film adaptation of The Golden Com. Over the course of three seasons and 23 episodes, the series had room to be an overall faithful and rewarding adaptation of Pullman's trilogy. It ended on a high note that is rare to achieve for any series, let alone one as ambitious as His Dark Materials.

His Dark Materials Has A Near-Perfect Ending

The Ending Is Deeply Emotional

His Dark Materials' ending is equally bittersweet and satisfying. The story's ultimate villain, Metatron, is defeated, with his downfall sealed by Lyra's parents, Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel, who sacrifice themselves as they cast their selfishness and ambition aside to save their daughter. While these are integral pieces of the ending, what truly defines His Dark Materials' conclusion is how the stories of Lyra and Will Parry (Amir Wilson) culminate with the devastating revelation that the pair cannot continue living in the same universe, and that they must live without each other in their original universes.

They are forever bonded, and they honor that bond by returning to the bench in their respective universes at the same time every year.

Lyra and Will's final scene together on the bench is beautifully directed by Harry Wootliff and is bittersweet, as the two young adults who have come to truly know and love each other have to say goodbye. Nevertheless, both of their lives continue, and there is hope for their bright futures. They are forever bonded, and they honor that bond by returning to the bench in their respective universes at the same time every year. After three seasons of His Dark Materials, this finale is an effective way to end the fantastical coming-of-age story with an effective balance of finality and hope.

His Dark Materials Is The Rare Fantasy Show To Go Out On Top

Many Fantasy Shows Are Unable To Stick The Landing

Unlike many other recent fantasy series, His Dark Materials ended when it was still at its best. The biggest fantasy television series ever, Game of Thrones, was unable to achieve this with its divisive and rushed ending. Some of Netflix's best fantasy series, including Shadow & Bone, were unable to accomplish this as well. Shadow & Bone season 2 was a significant step-down from season 1, and it was canceled before the main story could finish and before the Six of Crows spinoff could come to fruition. Even Netflix's fantastical superhero series The Umbrella Academy was unable to stick the landing.

His Dark Materials did not collapse under the narrative weight of its many storylines and intricate world-building and was given the opportunity to finish its story, with season 3 being the best out of the entire series. Pullman later began The Book of Dust trilogy that continues Lyra's story, with two of the three installments already published. While this does leave potential for a His Dark Materials sequel series, it is arguably better to leave Lyra's onscreen story be, as nothing can top season 3's brilliant ending.

His Dark Materials Deserved A Bigger Audience

An All-Time Great Fantasy Series Should Have Been A Bigger Deal

Despite its positive reception and star-studded cast, His Dark Materials never became a major domestic hit, nor did it dominate popular culture discourse. It had stronger ratings in the United Kingdom, where the series aired on BBC One. Given the high quality present in the acting, direction, cinematography, and writing, His Dark Materials should have been a much bigger hit, especially with it being an HBO fantasy series released after Game of Thrones' disappointing ending.

Game of Thrones' series finale was released in May 2019, while His Dark Materials debuted in November of that year.

Keen is primarily known in mainstream popular culture for playing X-23/Laura Kinney in Logan and in Deadpool & Wolverine, and now also as Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon in Star Wars: The Acolyte. She deserves just as much recognition for her stellar portrayal of Lyra, a truly compelling and relatable protagonist. While it deserved a bigger audience, the reception from those who did watch kept the discourse around His Dark Materials positive, and enough of an audience watched to ensure that the series got to tell its full story, including the incredible ending.