How Amazon Should Make A Lord Of The Rings TV Show

3. Embrace The Fantasy

Continuing on from how it should differentiate itself from Game of Thrones, that's a show with strong fantasy elements it's more often than not shied away from (for better and worse). It's more a tale about the realistic struggles of people within that world, and it's only as it approaches the end that dragons and White Walkers are coming to the fore.

It's true of Lord of the Rings, too, that there is much more beyond just fantasy, which doesn't work without good character to go with it, and yet it's a crucial element of the story that should be wholly embraced on the small screen.

Jackson did, of course, utilise these, but even then amidst a slightly darker, more action-packed backdrop. A TV series could not only give us all those fantasy elements, from goblins to Elves to Orcs and so on, but explore the magic of Middle-earth and the powers of the beings, and to do what all good fantasy should do: offer escapism, hope, and a sense of wonder, in a world that allows reflection on real issues and the hidden meanings behind the tragedies.

Game of Thrones is one of the greatest fantasy TV shows ever made, and it resists those elements as often as it utilises them. It'd be a joy to have a big series that fully leaned into them, and Lord of the Rings is a perfect vessel for that.