# Why no high-fantasy TV series? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494 "2006-11-23T00:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/41 "2006-11-25T05:44:32Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] You can also add **Sabrina the Teenage Witch** to the list of crappy HF. Does **I Dream of Jeannie** count? [/QUOTE] Honestly, I think sitcoms are, by definition, not High Fantasy and never can be. High Fantasy is not comedy, though it may have comedic moments. _Sabrina, Jeannie,_ and _Bewitched_ don’t have the framework to stand up to the demands of High Fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/42 "2006-11-25T09:12:31Z")
I think Raymond Feist’s work is eminently adaptable to a wide TV audience. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/43 "2006-11-25T09:18:26Z")
[QUOTE=H3Knuckles] Your premise could make a great show, but it doesn’t really sound like a high fantasy at all; more of a medieval period-piece drama. The OP is talking about a high fantasy in the sense of swords and sorcery, faeries and dragons, etc. [/QUOTE] Run in a genre similar to the Black Company novels, plenty of magic and room for the various non human races. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/44 "2006-11-25T10:57:52Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] Using a D&D based setting ought to be a good solution to this problem: There are rules on exactly what is possible, and by whom, and those rules are familiar to a lot of people (more so than any other RPG). The problem there would all be in the marketing: I think people can forget entirely about the D&D movies, but the game itself has a reputation as the passtime of dorks. Yes, those of us who are, in fact, gamer nerds don’t have any problem with this, but I fear that we’re not a large enough audience to support a TV show. [/QUOTE] I’d agree, if it weren’t for _Galactica_. If, on the basis of the supremely dorky 1970’s series, they could create the coolest show on television, then D&D should be a cakewalk. If you make a good TV show and market it strongly, chances are you’ll find an audience. > [@Mrs. Cake](#): > > Aside from the cost issue, the problem with doing “high fantasy” as a series (defining the genre as the mythical heroic saga type of thing, like Arthurian stories, Greek myth, Beowulf, LOTR when dealing with anyone except hobbits) is that over the course of a series you tend to become involved in the day-to-day lives of the main characters. High Fantasy needs to keep at least some of the characters as archetypes. They can’t become accessible people with petty flaws or it defeats the purpose of the genre. They can have a huge, heroic character flaw that will lead to their downfall, but not a lot of niggling little stuff like self-doubt, body issues, or shyness. High Fantasy is very stylized and once you take away that distance between Them and all us other mere mortals That may have been right in the past, but high fantasy, as a genre, has come a long way over the past few decades. Writers like Martin, Kay, Wolfe, Donaldson and more have been writing what is clearly HF, but also contains very human characters in very human situations - not to mention lots and lots of sex and violence, which always works on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/45 "2006-11-25T11:07:25Z")
I’d love to see more Steampunk Movies or TV shows… there’s so much potential there (as a genre) that just isn’t being realised, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/46 "2006-11-25T11:08:10Z")
TNT did a miniseries for [The Mists of Avalon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mists_of_Avalon). I wondered why they didn’t just make a full length series, covering all the books. Too big a budget, or too much backlash because of the Paganism? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/47 "2006-11-25T17:46:35Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Honestly, I think sitcoms are, by definition, not High Fantasy and never can be. High Fantasy is not comedy, though it may have comedic moments. _Sabrina, Jeannie,_ and _Bewitched_ don’t have the framework to stand up to the demands of High Fantasy. [/QUOTE] I was always taught that low fantasies were the ones that involved girls, especially girls dressed up like harem girls. My favorite kind of fantasy, actually! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/48 "2006-11-25T18:01:16Z")
I had forgotten about the early 80’s _Robin Hood_ series, the one where the original Robin actor quit and Sean Connery’s son replaced him, after which the strong arc the series had going for it collapsed. I enjoyed parts of Highlander TS, but far too many recycled plots and it doesn’t quite fit in with what I had in mind (tho certainly discuss other fantasy here too if you like). ---
**Author:** ![H3Knuckles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/49 "2006-11-26T00:43:27Z")
Iwonder, though… What about [Escaflowne](http://escaflowne.anime.net/), would that count? It’s only 26 episodes, and it has a lot of steampunk trends, but for the most part I’d categorize it as high fantasy. The other caveat is that the main character, Hitomi, is a modern “real-world” girl who gets transported to the world where the story takes place, just as **Lakai** mentioned. But if you open things up to animation, particularly anime (and thus, not being restricted to little kids adventure series), there’s quite a lot of high-fantasy tv series (in Japan at least). PS. Yes, yes, I just wanted to pimp [Escaflowne](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escaflowne), but it’s **soooo good!** Also, I try to push anime on people whenever I can; I’m not heavily into it (for example, if I can’t see it without buying it first, I’m not going to bother), but there really is anime for every genre/interest/etc and I wish people would get over the hang-up about animation. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/50 "2006-11-27T03:59:50Z")
[QUOTE=H3Knuckles] Iwonder, though… What about [Escaflowne](http://escaflowne.anime.net/), would that count? [/QUOTE] I always wonder why Lodoss never got a run on the Cartoon Network. They owned the rights to the OVA broadcast, IIRC - they put it on the Toonami Reactor web streaming site but never on TV. Back to the OP, I simply think the problem is the geek stigma fantasy brings. LotR has made roads to change that, but until you can get the 18-35 male audience to not say ‘ewww, that’s the stuff those nerds I beat up in high school liked’, then you’re stuck. Plus I’d be afraid of it turning more Heavy Metal magazine-style than anything. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/51 "2006-11-27T04:31:44Z")
Possibly the very best for high fantasy TV you could get would be something quasi-accessible to the general public that has the recognizable trappings of children’s fantasy; the writing could be structured to the satiric and postmodern sensibilities of a 21st century fan and allude to other fantasy series; the action could contain the lewd and lusty imagery of a good sword and sorcery epic; all the while while appealing to fantasy fandom community, your all-important 18-35 male demographic, your preteen geeks and your hordes of little girls who lu-uu-rve unicorns. One serial fantasy series that nicely fits this sprawling framework and has the adaptability for translation into other mediums would be Piers Anthony’s XANTH novels. Piers’ writing for the novels is mostly excreable, but Xanth is a fun world, with a hundred funny and interesting concepts and hundreds of interesting characters. I could easily see this series adapted for cable television. A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON would make for a terrific half season-long 12-part adventure; the events of THE SOURCE OF MAGIC could wrap up season 1. Hell, I’d watch just for the CASTLE ROOGNA story arc. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/52 "2006-11-27T13:13:44Z")
**Askia** –before you were half finished, I knew you’d mention Xanth. And, before the series ever aired, I’d hate it. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/53 "2006-11-27T13:45:34Z")
**Askia** , I’ve never read any Xanth stories, but what you’re describing sounds almost exactly like _Xena: Warrior Princess_ only with elves instead of centaur. That’s nice enough, I suppose, but it’s not exactly what we’re looking for here. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/54 "2006-11-27T15:01:46Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] Oh, one more thought, wouldn’t it be great if that executive producer wrote the show by getting his writing team to actually PLAY D&D. [/QUOTE] A note: Vin Diesel taught Dame Judy Dench to play D&D for the Chronicles of Riddick. This amuses me endlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/55 "2006-11-27T15:28:50Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] **Askia** , I’ve never read any Xanth stories, but what you’re describing sounds almost exactly like _Xena: Warrior Princess_ only with elves instead of centaur. That’s nice enough, I suppose, but it’s not exactly what we’re looking for here. [/QUOTE] Nope, you’d get centaurs in Xanth too. Oh, and adolescent puns. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/56 "2006-11-30T23:55:32Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] **Askia** –before you were half finished, I knew you’d mention Xanth. And, before the series ever aired, I’d hate it. [/QUOTE] Actually, now that i just read Terry Pratchett’s “Men at Arms,” on well on my way to nominating DISCWORLD. So neener, neener. Xanth could work with the right screenwriters and actors: the built-in story arcs are epic enough, the characters are varied enough, the milieu is exotic enough. But yeah, otherwise we’re talking XENA or worse, HERCULES and that’s not good enough for me to waste my time on. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494/57 "2006-12-02T05:10:03Z")
Well well. The SF channel has a new series called **The Dresden Files**. It is modern fantasy not high fantasy, involving a “wizard who helps Chicago Police solve inexplicable crimes and battle dark forces.” Comic relief comes in the form of Bob, a mischievous spirit trapped in a skull. This might prove to be something to watch- just hope it avoids the more obvious tropes we’ve seen in other “lone wolf against the evil forces” shows (c.f. **Angel** or even **Quantum Leap** ). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-high-fantasy-tv-series/381494.md?page=2)