Fantasy Island

Fantasy Island reimagines the old TV premise in a modern register, sending new guests to an island where secret desires meet strange, supernatural rules. Each episode opens with someone arriving with a wish or a need, then unfolding into intimate, often unsettling encounters that shift what they believe about love, loss, and identity. The island's surreal logic pushes characters into moral dilemmas and emotional reckonings, and the show keeps its focus on personal transformation rather than plot twists. It leans into magical realism, letting small conspiracies of fate change ordinary lives without revealing all the mechanics behind the island's power.

The 2021 series is built on Gene Levitt's original concept and was redeveloped by Mary Angélica Molina for a contemporary audience, premiering in 2021 with Roselyn Sánchez leading as Elena Roarke alongside Kiara Barnes, John Gabriel Rodriquez, and Devika Bhise.

The revival did not secure major industry awards or high-profile nominations, so it wasn't an awards season presence. That said, it found a modest audience and drew attention for bringing a familiar property back to television, with some reviewers and viewers noting Sánchez's central role in shaping the show's tone.

By bringing the Fantasy Island name back, the show sparked renewed conversation about wish-fulfillment stories and the ethics of getting what you want. Social media and genre communities debated memorable episodes and the series' moral puzzles, and the concept itself reentered pop culture as an example of how to update a classic premise for modern themes.

Critical reception was mixed, reflected in a vote average of 5.942 out of 10 from 77 votes. Reviewers often praised the series' focus on character-driven supernatural drama and its interest in identity, grief, and second chances, while some critics pointed to uneven pacing and episodic predictability. For viewers who like moral dilemmas wrapped in fantastical settings, the show offers thoughtful, sometimes unsettling scenarios rather than straightforward answers.