Amazon is doing the 2nd age.
Myself, I think Aragorns adventures before meeting the Hobbits. He was apparently a Rider of Rohan, and much else. I mean, you can have the wizards, Galadriel, the Necromancer, and all sorts of fun.
Tom Bombadil would be fun, but not to much meat there, iirc. He kicked a troll, found Goldberry, met the Hobbits and so forth.
1090 through about 1100 (Years of the Trees) could make a whole season. Manwe wages war on Melkor, and the Siege of Utumno gives lot of good battle scenes interspersed with intrigue, interpersonal drama, and drips of backstory. In the last episode, Tulkas captures Melkor, Sauron slips away, and the season ends with Melkor’s chaining.
At some point, they’d have to show the two trees. If they blew half their production budget on those ten seconds, I’d be okay with that.
The Rise of the Witch-King and the fall of Arnor. Sauron creating and giving out the rings. Early days of Moria plus Durin vs Balrog. Obviously all the great Silmarillion stories that aren’t currently available. The founding of Rohan.
The tale of Beren and Luthien, the tragedy of Turin Turambar, and the Fall of Gondolin could each make a great single-season series MCU-style.
In one of the LOTR DVD commentary tracks, Peter Jackson suggested that the Ents could have their own TV series. “They could solve crimes… very slowly.”
The scouring of the shire.
Rather short. Maybe a one hour TV film.
Plus Christopher Lee isn’t available.
I’d like to see a season where Sauron, as Annatar, allows himself to be captured by the Numenoreans and subsequently convinces them to invade Amar. I could see Ian McShane as Annatar, using his insidious charm and velvet tongue to inflate Ar-Pharazôn’s ego. The final episode would show the Valar sinking Numenor into the ocean and cost zillions to make.
The whole Deep Wars between the dwarves and goblins might make a nice limited series.
^This.^ The greatest love story of all time. I remember in the extended version of Fellowship a small scene where Frodo wakes up to hear Aragorn singing quietly.
Frodo: Who is she? This woman you sing of?
Aragorn: 'Tis the Lay of Lúthien. The Elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal.
Frodo: What happened to her?
Aragorn: …She died.