7. How To Adapt To A New Protagonist Each Series? Make It An Anthology Show
For the majority of Terry Brook's Shannara series, the early ones anyway, each story tends to focus on a new set of heroes, a number of years on from the events of the last book. While this works in the written form, how well will that translate to the screen? Will audiences keep tuning in when the characters they come to love are replaced with new heroes next season? One option is to at least start with the 'heritage' saga as discussed on the previous page, but again writers will face that same problem as soon as that story line is done. Another option is to alter the characters so that they play out the story lines of other books. (Personally I think this is a bad idea). A better way to go would be treat each season the same way as the books. Make each season an anthology story, set in the Four Lands. This can work. Though a very different show, American Horror Story showed that this can be successful. It also gives the writers a get out clause should a season not be as successful as the last. A fresh start each year with a new set of characters. Later trilogies that focus on the same characters through each book, should the series get that far of course, could likely be condensed into one series too, allowing for the writers to focus on multiple stories set in this world. However, in terms of those early novels, there is one central character that links each story. And takes me onto my next point...