# Lord of the Ring TV series being discussed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth\ **Created:** [November 13, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547 "2017-11-13T19:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/21 "2017-11-14T16:00:16Z")
The Silmarillion would be perfect for a TV show, it’s got sex violence backstabbing galore. It would be game of thrones with elves. Young Aragorn would be the safe lame choice. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/22 "2017-11-14T17:17:44Z")
as long as Rudy isn’t playing the role of Sam, there is hope… ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/23 "2017-11-14T17:47:49Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > as long as Rudy isn’t playing the role of Sam, there is hope… Huh? Sean Astin was the perfect Sam. I can’t imagine a single other person in the role. Really every single casting choice on the films was perfect to the point that when i read the books now i picture the actors. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/24 "2017-11-14T20:09:22Z")
The thought of Terry Brooks anywhere near LOTR makes me want to throw up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/25 "2017-11-14T20:13:42Z")
Possible spin-off: “The Tom Bombadil Christmas Special”, starring Al Yonkovic(or maybe Jim Carrey). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/26 "2017-11-14T20:18:10Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Huh? Sean Astin was the perfect Sam. I can’t imagine a single other person in the role. Really every single casting choice on the films was perfect to the point that when i read the books now i picture the actors. I agree. But you know they left out Tom Bombadil. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/27 "2017-11-14T20:25:38Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > The Tolkien Estate, judging by the debacle of the Hobbit movies, has decided to turn the works into a cash cow when it comes to TV/Movies. I find the sell-out very disturbing; I feel quite certain the Professor is spinning in the grave. I have to say I was dissapointed with parts of the Hobbit\*. But the Jackson LotR is pure genius. And the Prof was Ok with selling out- if the money was right. \*Too much action. I dont even _hate_ The Tauriel added on love scene (meh). But the Batlle of Five armies was too over the top, the barrel battle was silly, etc. I actually loved the addition of the White Coucil, as that was the “story behind the story”. Barry Humphries and Steven Fry were perfect. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/28 "2017-11-14T20:28:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But you know they left out Tom Bombadil. I have always been glad they left him out of the films, and put him into _Bored of the Rings._ ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/29 "2017-11-14T20:33:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > . . . I dont even _hate_ The Tauriel added on love scene (meh). . . . Legolas/Tauriel or Kili/Tauriel? When I first read about the Kili add-on, I almost gagged. But then I saw that Aidan Turner would be the dwarf in question, and now I really like their scene together. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/30 "2017-11-14T20:34:22Z")
Worth re-linking because it is both hilarious and topical… [Most Metal deaths in Middle Earth](http://the-toast.net/2015/06/23/the-most-metal-deaths-in-middle-earth-ranked/) ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/31 "2017-11-14T20:37:32Z")
Ideally - this would be an anthology series - so that they are free to do limited runs focused on particular snippets of the works. We could get far more out of that then any traditional ‘series’ format. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/32 "2017-11-14T21:09:35Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > The Silmarillion would be perfect for a TV show, it’s got sex violence backstabbing galore. It would be game of thrones with elves. Young Aragorn would be the safe lame choice. Well, not what I would have expected from The Hobbit/LOTR. I think I read a small amount of the Silmarillion when I was a kid, but the bit that I read (as I recall it) was just pantheonic mystical tales like you might see in the Mahabharata or Kojiki. I was quickly turned away. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/33 "2017-11-14T22:58:17Z")
I really don’t see the need of going there and back again Again ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/34 "2017-11-14T23:15:17Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Well, not what I would have expected from The Hobbit/LOTR. I think I read a small amount of the Silmarillion when I was a kid, but the bit that I read (as I recall it) was just pantheonic mystical tales like you might see in the Mahabharata or Kojiki. I was quickly turned away. It starts of that way and loses most readers before it gets good. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/35 "2017-11-14T23:18:25Z")
Yeah I lost interest as a kid. The first part, Ainulindalë is standard creation myths, which extends to parts of the second. It’s not till later that it gets to the TV-ready metal deaths. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/36 "2017-11-14T23:43:19Z")
I, for one, preferred the mythology parts. I bought the audiobook of the Silmarillion just so I could hear those first few chapters spoken out loud like biblical sermons should be\*. Starting from when the elves left Aman, however, the story kept being just as epic, but its hodge-podge, unfinished nature starts to shine through. That said, it might make a good series or two if the people who fill in the blanks do so with integrity and artistry. \*And to see if the audiobook would start out with just Music, because the world after all did start with just Music, and indeed, it did. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/37 "2017-11-15T00:04:37Z")
Christopher Tolkien has been digging up every scrap of paper, erased test prep and napkin his father ever scribbled on. He’s put out [The Children of Hurin](https://www.amazon.com/Children-Hurin-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0618894640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510703937&sr=1-1&keywords=children+of+hurin), [Beren and Luthien](https://www.amazon.com/Beren-L%C3%BAthien-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/1328791823/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510703969&sr=1-1&dpID=5186KTZNTyL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch), as well as book on [The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún](https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Sigurd-Gudr%C3%BAn-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0547273428/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510703969&sr=1-8). If the Tolkien estate is opting to monetize the scribbles there is likely enough material to fill a number of episodes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/38 "2017-11-15T01:09:56Z")
I’ll watch it when it comes out, but I have very mixed feelings about it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/39 "2017-11-15T01:11:43Z")
I’d make it a three-camera sit-com set at the Prancing Pony, with a wisecracking barkeep, a perky waitress or two, and a motley crew of pickled customers guzzling at the bar. Guest stars would be visiting elves, dwarves, men from Bree, and the occasional Rohirrim or Gondorean traveler. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547/40 "2017-11-15T01:26:18Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I’d make it a three-camera sit-com set at the Prancing Pony, with a wisecracking barkeep, a perky waitress or two, and a motley crew of pickled customers guzzling at the bar. Guest stars would be visiting elves, dwarves, men from Bree, and the occasional Rohirrim or Gondorean traveler. And they would tell dirty elf jokes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-ring-tv-series-being-discussed/801547.md?page=3)