1. Have An End Game
This is key. The makers of Game Of Thrones have it; they already know George RR Martin's vision for how his series ends. Legend Of The Seeker went season to season, picking up one book at a time. And that is how I imagine the Shannara series will be too. One book per year. Three seasons if they focus on the original Shannara trilogy. (Four if they went for the Heritage series instead). The fact is, there are a lot of books in the saga, and only now, almost forty years after The Sword Of Shannara was published, is Terry Brooks looking to conclude his saga. Still, with 28 books (7 trilogies, 1 quadrilogy, a duology and one prequel) it is foolish to think that we will ever see all these stories adapted for screen. Honestly I think we'll get the original trilogy if it does well, maybe the Heritage series beyond that...any more, well it depends if the later books can be condensed. Still, there needs to be a plan. Each novel in the original trilogy is set years apart, with a separate group of protagonists, but really these are as much Allanon's story as theirs. A plan needs to be laid out as to where each potential end will be. The last thing you want to do is invest two, three, maybe four years in a story line or character, only for the show to be cancelled before you get that final resolution. Knowing what can serve as a series finale is essential. Supernatural, while slightly different, certainly had that it its first five years...which is why it seemed to meander for the next two, until season eight picked up again. A five year plan is always good. Look at Babylon 5. (If you ignore the whole telepath colony story line). Too many shows have been cancelled without the finale it deserved. Shannara should have that end in mind; to be honest, so should ever cult show. A final card to play if the calling card comes earlier than expected. I want a beginning, a middle and an end. Let's hope with Jon Faverau working on this, it gets the start it needs to be successful. Because we always need more fantasy on our screens. Just as long as it is done right!