Catching Up: Legend of the Seeker- Pilot

Back in early March, two friends of mine were discussing Legend of the Seeker, a show based on the fantasy novel series The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. At the time I had heard of neither the books nor the TV series, but that didn't much matter to me. My friends, both fans of the books, were fairly disappointed with how the show turned out. When they described it to me they said it was "like Hercules or Xena only more serious." Consequently, I didn't really seek out any more information. This is not to say I don't appreciate Hercules or Xena, merely that the two things that made those shows good (a sense of humor and the fact that they were light larfs from the 90's) are noticeably absent from the description my friends gave. I was also pretty sure that such a show wouldn't last to see the end of its first season. So, when Disney renewed Legend of the Seeker for a second season, I was pretty surprised.

There are a few reasons I decided to include Legend of the Seeker in this Summer's Catching Up columns. First of all, if a medium-budget fantasy show on first-run syndication airing on one of two weekend slots can draw the kind of numbers Seeker did, there must be something to it. Second, I never read any of Terry Goodkind's novels, so I can take the story and characters presented to me in the show at face value instead of searching for references and inaccuracies. Last but certainly not least, one of the stars of Seeker is none other than Bruce Spence, a highly talented character actor who has parlayed his unusual looks into some very excellent roles. As "The Train Man" he was practically the only good thing about The Matrix: Revolutions and he gets some major geek cred for having a part (however small in each case) in both a Star Wars movie and Lord of the Rings.

So, is Legend of the Seeker really a buried gem? I'm not sure yet. The pilot running on Hulu consists of the first two episodes and my own back-log of viewing doesn't stretch much farther than that thanks to my having to bone up on the other series for this column. So far, I can say that Seeker is enjoyable so long as you understand what it is you're watching. It's a standard sword and sorcery adventure that doesn't really go out of its way to challenge conventions. In that regard, it feels like a much older show. 21st century speculative genre shows have been of a more postmodern variety, so the predictable plots and clear good vs. evil dynamic take some recalibration on the viewer's part to enjoy.

That said, Legend of the Seeker doesn't really aim to defy expectations concerning story and characterization. The style is well-worn but serviceable and we can't really ask for more than a solid-enough adventure show shot in New Zealand, a country that I'm fairly certain has made fantasy scenary its chief export for the past two decades. What Seeker lacks in innovation or charm it makes up in well-choreographed fight scenes and fun magic. In the end, maybe Saturday is where fantasy belongs. Put this show on a weekday primetime slot and it might turn out to be Heroes with swordplay.