This is one of the finest genre shows I’ve seen in awhile, its pure fun to be watched while unwinding with pizza and beer. Even the pulpy bits are great, one episode was basically them seeing how much S&M they could get on TV(yes mistress;)) and I’ve been really impressed with some of the plots they have come up with and the plot progression seems to moving at a nice pace. I have to compliment the production quality too, although the CGI is spotty there is little of it.
I’m close to the end of the first season and thinking I should get the second(if they can keep up the current quality) and man all the good shows get cancelled:(
Oh and I have been impressed so far how they are building up a world with balanced magic users, magic is NOT a path to godhood and there are “classes” that are immune or can even reflect magic.
It’s worth a watch. I enjoyed it, and they even got enough notice in the end to bring the series to a conclusion. If you like that, you might also like the newer Adventures of Merlin series. While it’s even more family-oriented than Seeker, it’s fun, and that’s on Netflix Instant too.
To the folks who liked this show: did you read the novels it was based off of, and how did you feel about them? Because I hated those things (well, the first one, anyway) with a passion one normally reserves for genocidal military regimes, and that alone has kept me from watching this show. How faithful is it to the source material?
I didn’t read the series, my only exposure is the show which I love but I have a much higher tolerance for formulaic pulp done well in visual media versus written.
If you like formulaic fantasy DONE WELL the show is worth a watch, its fun viewing to unwind to. It surprises me sometimes with a well done element, the episode where we learn Richard has been cutting down thousands of men with loving families and children was a nice touch.
Nothing like that has occured so far, and I doubt it would.
I’m embarassed to ask this but the pilot explained it poorly, what exactly does a seeker do? Yea yea seek truth and in his hands the sword of truth becomes amazingly powerful, is that it?
I haven’t read the novels, there was a thread or two around here in the last year or so that railed the Sword of Truth series quite soundly. There were a couple other threads that talked about the TV version. IIRC, the first season of the TV series is kinda like the books, but there are lots of deviances - enough so that fans of the books don’t much like the TV version, and by the second season goes off enough that it has just the detectable elements of the “universe” of the books but isn’t like them much at all.
No idea. I read the first book over a decade ago, and mostly only remember the searing hatred. I don’t remember the term “Seeker” being used in the novels. Not saying it wasn’t there, just that I don’t remember it. I only made the connection between the TV show and the books because I recognized the villain’s name when I was reading the summary in Netflix.
A question in return: does the show have the whole thing about the villain outlawing the use of fire? I recall that as being one of the dumber ideas in the book. Did it make the translation to the screen? Were they able to make it not completely stupid there?
It’s pretty much a “family” show, despite the risque outfits and shirtless dudes, the violence is not gory, and the sex is mostly implied. When I watched the original airings, it was on at 3pm Saturday afternoons on WGN, the day after it was on whatever channel originated it. It’s a prime-time, commercial TV show. (rather than an after-10 sort of HBO show)
As of four episodes from the end of the first season fire is used liberally by all parties, however the villain is a cruel tyrant known for mass murder so it is something he could do. (they may be attempting to give the villain depth, several times he has professed he is only seeking to bring ultimate peace to the world…oo ominous what could that mean?)
I could see the TV version doing it as a giant “fuck you” to the citizenry for exactly that reason, he knows no fire means they starve and freeze to death, in fact he is probably looking forward to seeing if anyone survives.
Basically Richard instinctively seeks the truth and knows it when he finds it (or figures it out). Only the Seeker can use the sword. It’s kind of like a position conferred upon him by Zedicus. I think that the most annoying part of the books is how the characters never believe Richard even though he’s always right.
I liked this show a lot when it aired. I have only found the books in the series that I have read so far to just be so so. Lots of violence (especially against women) and all of them so far seem to have the same pattern: Hero fights bad guy, beats bad guy, but the thing he did to beat the Bad Guy makes things worse. And repeat.
The show had a sense of fun without being embarrassed and snarky about its source material. The guy who played the Wizard was perfect and both leading ladies were quite easy on the eyes. Reading this threat reminded me that I miss it.
ETA: I would say the series was “inspired by” the novels. They really are different. If you hated the novels, try the show. Also know the show gets better as it goes on.