Fantasy on tv?

[Talysia]

Since there seems to be a resurgence of popularity for fantasy films in the cinemas, should there be more fantasy series on tv?

If so, which books would you like to see made in to series for tv?

[kythe]

That's a tough one. Although it sounds like a great idea, special effects for movies are expensive and TV shows often can't afford to put the quality into it that you would get in a movie. TV shows may have a special effects budget that must last them the whole season, which limits what they can do per episode.

I think it would depend on what fantasy series was being made into a TV show, and how feasable that would be. It would have to be a story that involves more costumes and make-up than fantastic creatures and places.

[j. d. worthington]

I'm afraid I'd be very hesitant about transferring most fantasy novels (or even short stories) to television, unless you got some people at the helm that were genuinely aware of the richness of the genre, and could see beyond the "dragons, elves, and heroes" that are currently popular again -- doing that sort of story, yes, but not exclusively, darn it!

Well, one thing that would be interesting (though a challenge) would be that darker side of fantasy, such as an adaptation of some of the Kane stories by Karl Edward Wagner. Done well, those could be quite impressive, and perhaps garner a considerable following -- and perhaps we'd see them once again available in affordable book form! There are several of those that have the potential to be very good television fare, and without necessarily expending a huge amount on special effects. (As to who the devil they'd get to play Kane... that's another matter entirely. Get the wrong person, and oh, my gawd! But get someone who could actually convey the complexities of that character, and you'd really have something!)

Another rather odd one that, handled well, could be quite interesting as a mini-series, would be an adaptation of the James Allison stories by Robert E. Howard. As Allison himself is a bedridden invalid, and each of the tales are about one among his many incarnations through the ages, it would be something very different from the normal fare. These would require a fairly sizable budget, but have the potential to revolutionize the possibilities of fantasy on tv, yet at the same time have enough of the familiar material to be accessible.

Andre Norton's Witch World would be an interesting choice... either as a single-shot with the original novel itself, or as a series... plenty of material there, with lots of familiar things, yet intelligent and varied both in theme, content, and feel. And, as there are both subsets within the series that follow certain characters, and others that are individual pieces that play out within the history of the Witch World, it would provide plenty of room for both those who love series characters and those who prefer more of a one-story approach.

Those are the ones that spring to mind as possible to adapt without being either too radical or too formulaic, and mostly without an excessive budget for effects (though there would be need of a larger budget for some of the stories, and very little for others within each).

[palooka]

Personally, I think there is already a fair bit of what I would, technically, class as fantasy on TV. It just tends to get overlooked as such because it isn't "dragons, elves, and heroes". Fantasy does not necessarily need a great special effects budget in order to be fantasy.

[manephelien]

Absolutely. Shows like Charmed, Dark Angel, Buffy, Touch of an Angel, Highway to Heaven and Supernatural are fantasy, not science-fiction!

[judge_mel]

I think that Donaldson's 'Mordant's Need' would make a fantastic single season TV series. Beyond that, Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del series would be pretty impressive if done well. And neither would be ridiculously expensive to film.

*one of these things is not like the other*

Charmed, Dark Angel, Buffy, Touch of an Angel, Highway to Heaven and Supernatural

*Despite my dislike of Dark Angel, it was as much Science Fiction as most TV SF*