You’ve probably seen enough TV series to have come across this name more than once. From the mid-‘90s and all the way into the ‘10s, David Nutter’s directorial career has spanned an impressive number of television pilots—of the 20 he has directed thus far, 16 were picked up by networks. So, if you’ve got a show you want to see take off, Mr Nutter is the man you want handling your pilot.

With several prestigious awards under his belt, including 3 Emmys and a Hugo, the American director has demonstrated a marvellous versatility in terms of theme and style when shooting his pilots, establishing a remarkable streak that has turned him into a favourite of many showrunners. For good reason, too, so it’s worth taking a moment to analyse David Nutter’s evolution as a director and understand what it is, exactly, that makes him so… awesome.

©HELEN SLOAN/HBO

The Early Days

David lost his father at a young age, and he was raised by a single mother. Growing up, the future storyteller found comfort and magic in the world of comic books. He would often cut characters out and study their angles, sometimes coming up with characters of his own—a director’s persona was gradually shaping up before he even knew it.

Alas, Mr Nutter grew up imagining himself as the next Frank Sinatra, enrolling in the University of Miami to pursue a musical education. It wasn’t long before he realized that it wasn’t a road he truly wished to take, so he enrolled in a Super 8 film class in the early ‘80s with the intention of perhaps going on to write music for movies, instead. It was during that particularly formative period that he decided to become a director, blaming Warren Beatty’s ‘Reds’ (1981) for the final nudge.

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The Budding Career

‘Cease Fire’ (1985), starring Don Johnson, was David Nutter’s first credited project, the first of few features he has ever done. But it was ’21 Jump Street’ (1987-1991), created by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, and featuring a young, wide-eyed Johnny Depp, that propelled Nutter into the television industry. He directed three episodes of the series and worked on a few other projects before he was brought on to do the pilot for ‘Space: Above and Beyond’ (1995-1996), a sci-fi adventure series created by Glen Morgan and James Wong. That was his very first pilot. I suppose you never forget your first.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Nutter joined Morgan and Wong on Chris Carter’s ‘The X-Files’ (1993-2018), for which he directed 15 of what would later become some of the show’s most memorable episodes. Worth mentioning here: ‘Ice’, inspired by the John Carpenter classic ‘The Thing’ (1982); ‘Beyond the Sea’, which sees Brad Dourif delivering a most brilliant performance; ‘Firewalker’, starring the young but decidedly promising Bradley Whitford; and ‘Little Green Men’, which kickstarted the series’ second season and further cemented ‘The X-Files’ as a grand work of science fiction mystery.

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The Pilot Whisperer

After ‘Space: Above and Beyond’ and his work on ‘The X-Files’, David Nutter’s talents were in high demand, reason for which he was able to carefully choose what projects he wished to be involved with—a privilege few TV directors have, if you think about it. Given how well he got along with Chris Carter, it’s no surprise that Mr Nutter was asked to direct the pilot for ‘Millennium’ (1996-1999), followed by three more episodes in the series, including one of my own personal favourites, ‘Gehenna’.

A year later, he gave the feature-length format another shot with ‘Disturbing Behavior’ (1998), starring the most wide-eyed James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl I’ve ever seen. In an interview with DGA’s Quarterly Magazine, Nutter described the project as ‘a terrible experience’, the worst he’s ever had. The flop was quickly smothered by another television hit, however, as Nutter was given the opportunity to shoot the pilot for ‘Roswell’ (1999-2002) and James Cameron’s ‘Dark Angel’ (2000-2002), both tremendous successes with their respective audiences.

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He was reunited with his beloved comic book medium soon afterward upon shooting the pilot for ‘Smallville’ (2001-2011), the first television success of superhero-inspired tales since… whew, ‘The Flash’ (1990-1991). That same year, Nutter won his first Emmy award for his directing work on ‘Band of Brothers’ (2002), a precious accolade that would later triple through another alignment with HBO.

The pilot for ‘Supernatural’ (2005-2020) sort of made history, as it spawned one of the longest running and most beloved shows of the small screen. Nutter stayed with the series for one more episode before moving on. Four years later, he directed the pilot for ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ (2008-2009), starring Lena Headey and Summer Glau, and ‘The Mentalist’ (2008-2015), the latter remembered as high among the best scripted TV series of the entire decade. Mr Nutter only had 9 weeks to prepare, shoot, and edit the memorable episode which graced us with Simon Baker’s first and truly stellar performance as Patrick Jane.

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While I won’t be listing all of his pilots here, I will mention the work he did for ‘Arrow’ (2012-2020) and ‘The Flash’ (2014), the latter a CW reboot of the popular DC Comics speedster superhero, as both pertain to Nutter’s appreciation of the comic book medium. Of course, while he is recognized as ‘the pilot whisperer’ by most in the industry, his streak of successful firsts was broken ten years ago, when CBS chose not to pick up Rina Mimoun’s ‘The Doctor’. It hasn’t stopped him from directing exceptional episodes, though.

The Magnificent Contributions

Some of Nutter’s non-pilot works can be traced across multiple genres and networks, from his ‘100,000 Airplanes’ episode for Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The West Wing’ (1999-2006) and Michael Crichton’s ‘ER’ (1994-2009) to ‘Join the Club’ for ‘The Sopranos’ (1999-2007), which earned him yet another Emmy nod, and the 10 episodes he executed for ‘Entourage’ (2004-2011). By then, he was a darling of the Home Box Office for their serialized projects.

One of his best-loved forays into established series was the ‘Game On’ episode he did for ‘Homeland’ (2011-2020). Claire Danes’ character was tragically complicated and struggled against so many inner demons, yet she was able to go in and out of Carrie Mathison’s skin with the flip of a switch. Much like James Gandolfini before her, it became clear to Nutter that actors want to be directed, whether they’re dealing with the pilot or any of the episodes that follow.

©HBO/HOME BOX OFFICE

Every other year, John Wells and Paul Abbott’s ‘Shameless’ (2011-2021) requested David’s experienced guidance for some of its episodes. The results were as expected—hilarious, profound, and startlingly dynamic. But it was Nutter’s work on HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) that brought him two more Emmy awards, and deservedly so.

He did 9 episodes for the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’-inspired series, including the infamous ‘The Rains of Castamere’ and ‘The Dance of Dragons’. For the former, Nutter explained in an interview that the stakes were ridiculously high and the pressure almost crushing, as he’d been invited to do The Red Wedding earlier during season 2. By the time he got around to shooting the actual scene, the director decided to tackle the banquet massacre sequentially.

‘In some respects, I looked at it almost as an opera. It was all about how I set up the tables in the room, how I positioned who was going to sit where. […] It was sort of like dominos, where we could keep the tonality going so when we got to the really intense stuff, we were shooting it one after the other and building on top of the drama—building to a climax’, Nutter told DGA’s Quarterly Magazine. Yet it was the finale of season 5, ‘Mother’s Mercy’, that got the Emmy for Outstanding Directing.

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The Director’s Approach

For David Nutter, the craft of televised storytelling hangs on the emotional element. He won’t pick up an episode—be it a pilot or not—if the screenplay doesn’t move him, if the story being told doesn’t stir him on a deeper level. As a director, he follows the script, first and foremost, which is why the writing is so important. ‘I don’t like to be noticed. I don’t want to be someone whose shot takes you out of the dramatic sequence or takes you out of the emotional story that you’re trying to tell’, he says. The focus is always on making the story connect with the audience.

Working closely with the writers, Nutter is keen on forging tight bonds with the cast and crew, as well, which is why he dedicates a significant amount of time in dealing with the actors individually, taking them to hang around the sets and filming locations prior to the actual shooting so they can get a feel for their world and their characters within it. Over the years, he has built lasting rapports with specific industry professionals across different projects. Why, he’s done 10 pilots with editor Paul Karasick alone.

©HBO/HOME BOX OFFICE

Another aspect of his work is in the storyboard. Mr Nutter does many and plenty and more on top, in order to get as deep into the story as possible before the cameras even roll. This helps develop and illustrate the tone and attitude of the episode, which then translates into an organic cohesion between the show’s production departments—from the director of photography to the editor and the VFX technicians, to name but a few.

Given his success as a TV director, it’s normal to hear David Nutter say he is bombarded with pitches almost every day. Yet it’s the script that he’s usually interested in. Sure, the pitch might get a screenwriter through the door, perhaps, but if the story doesn’t captivate the director, he simply won’t touch it.

©HBO/HOME BOX OFFICE

And while he prefers pilots with their complete ‘birthing process’, he has also developed a keen sense of understanding for the directors that come in after him. After ‘Arrow’, Nutter arranged a big breakfast with the other directors, making sure they all sat down and watched the episode prior to starting work on the show. ‘A lot of times directors in television will come to a series, and they kind of feel like the odd man out’, he said.

He gladly references Sidney Lumet and Mark Rydell when describing his approach to helping the actors find their characters in the pilot. He declares himself a fan of rehearsals—most of the times. Other times, he says, blocking rehearsals altogether helps produce a certain kind of honesty one won’t get after a thorough repetition.

©JASON LAVERIS/FILMMAGIC

Nutter also acknowledges that there’s a common thread for the pilots of his choice. ‘I’m attracted to shows where the characters have a void in their life. It’s that deep emotional thing the audience can grasp onto that I try to bring out as a director.’

David Nutter has already established himself as the kind of specialist that any showrunner would want to work with. His devotion and detailed involvement have brought him additional executive producer credits since ‘Millennium’ on almost every episode under his care. He has directed the pilots for some of my all-time favourite series, and so I’ve learned to pay more attention to the opening credits of any show that I might be into next. There’s a chance he’ll be the creative engine behind that one, too.

As old as our collective recorded history, the warrior woman’s archetype has found a place in almost every medium. From the ancient myths of the Greek Amazons depicted on ceramic amphoras and frescoes to the literary tales of maidens picking up swords to fight against evil, this particular brand of heroine eventually emerged onto the screens in the 20^th century.

We didn’t simply dream up the warrior queen. Around 1200BC, Fu Hao, one of the sixty wives of Wu Ding, a Shang Dynasty emperor, broke with tradition and led military campaigns, ultimately remembered as the most powerful leader of her time. East of the Caspian Sea, Tomyris ruled over a confederation of nomadic tribes and waged a vengeful war against Cyrus the Great.

‘THE LEGEND OF TOMIRIS’ (2019), ©KAZAKKHFILM STUDIOS

Herodotus wrote of Artemisia I, the Queen of Halicarnassus who fought beside the Persian king Xerxes I during his empire’s second invasion of Greece. There was the remarkable Boudicca of the Celtic Iceni tribe, and there was Triệu Thị Trinh, better known as Lady Triệu, who briefly freed her Vietnam homeland from Chinese rule in the 3^rd century. Our history is filled with fantastic women.

There is nothing sexier than a woman with a weapon in her hand and justice on her side. Hollywood was more than happy to take the warrior queen archetype and unravel it into a plethora of motifs that would later go on to inspire the ‘modern Amazon’. Today, I’ll begin my study with the mythological aspect first, since it has been a treasure trove of story ideas for screens both big and small.

PORTRAIT OF LADY TRIEU

A Patron Saint of France

Joan of Arc was the first true woman warrior to be dealt with by the cinema and the only one to be thus honoured for the first sixty years of film history or so. If you’re wondering why that was the case, the answer will strike you as deceptively simple. Joan was canonized by the Catholic Church more than five hundred years after the same Church burned her at the stake as a heretic. She was a safe bet for filmmakers of the early 20^th century.

Maria Falconetti played the sanctified heroine in ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’ (1928), led by prestigious Danish director Carl Dreyer. She was followed by Ingrid Bergman in Victor Fleming’s ‘Joan of Arc’ (1948) and later in Roberto Rossellini’s musical version ‘Joan of Arc at the Stake’ (1954). Jean Seberg took her on in ‘Saint Joan’ (1957), directed by Otto Preminger—which was Graham Greene’s more realistic take on the eponymous theatre play penned by George Bernard Shaw.

‘The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc’ (1999), Luc Besson’s interpretation of the gender-bending Maid of Orléans, stood out for me. It is a modern and decidedly unconventional treatment of the fabled Joan, which sees Milla Jovovich ‘in physical dimensions and in sexual intensity far removed from any of the Joans before her’, as Dominique Mainon and James Ursini describe her in ‘Modern Amazons: Warrior Women on Screen’.

‘THE MESSENGER: THE STORY OF JOAN OF ARC’ (1999), ©COLUMBIA PICTURES/GAUMONT

The Ancient Greek Amazons

For a long time, the Amazons were believed to be purely fictional, though recent archaeological discoveries place them in the northern and eastern regions of the Mediterranean. They were, in fact, identified as Scythians, and they fought, rode horses, and used bows and arrows just like the men. The Amazons were described as the archenemies of the Greeks. In fact, all Greek champions and heroes of legend, from Theseus to Achilles and Hercules, had to prove themselves by fighting powerful warrior queens—Hippolyta, Antiope, and Thessalia being listed among them.

DC Comics took the Amazon out of the myth and into their printed pages when they created Wonder Woman, one of their most popular characters and an inspiration to little girls and young women everywhere. Diana Prince made her way onto the small screen first in the ‘Wonder Woman’ (1975-1979) TV series, starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. Much later, the heroine was brought back by Patty Jenkins with ‘Wonder Woman’ (2017) and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (2020), which saw Gal Gadot take over as the revered female warrior and Chris Pine as her beloved, Steve Trevor.

‘WONDER WOMAN’ (2017), ©WARNER BROS.

Boudicca and Guinevere

In English folklore, fiction and history often intertwined, giving us remarkable ladies such as Boudicca. Alas, the Iceni queen never really found a home on the silver screen, though some have tried to bring her story to life. Don Chaffey’s ‘The Viking Queen’ (1967) was a tepid adaptation, at best, and Bill Anderson’s ‘Warrior Queen’ (2003) failed to take off. Despite the honourable intentions, the fierce Boudicca will have to wait a bit longer for a filmmaker to come along and inscribe her name onto the gilded walls of pop culture.

In the meantime, Guinevere of King Arthur fame was transformed into a fierce warrior for ‘King Arthur’ (2004), Antoine Fuqua’s bold take on the English legend. Unlike previous works of literature, Keira Knightley’s Guinevere picks up a bow and arrow and fights the Romans as fiercely as every other man.

‘WARRIOR QUEEN’ (2003), ©MEDIA PRO PICTURES

The Rise of Hua Mulan

Fu Hao wasn’t the only warrior woman to stand out in China, but Hua Mulan was the more popular one worldwide. The Ballad of Mulan, a folk song dating from the Han dynasty, is among the better-known written records of the fabled heroine who took her father’s place in the army in order to serve her country and bring honour to her family. Walt Disney Animation Studios picked her up in the animated ‘Mulan’ (1998) as part of an effort to revamp their princess model and move away from the damsel-in-distress tropes that had begun to alienate audiences of those years. Jingle Ma and Wei Dong tried their hand at a live action version with ‘Mulan: Rise of a Warrior’ (2009), later followed by Disney’s own ‘Mulan’ (2020) with Niki Caro as director.

Much like Boudicca, however, it seems like this story has yet to meet a filmmaker whose creative vision might do her justice. I, for one, have found a better variant of the Chinese warrior woman archetype in epic martial arts films such as Ang Lee’s ‘Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger’ (2000) and Zhang Yimou’s ‘House of Flying Daggers’ (2004).

‘MULAN’ (1998), ©WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

Italian Folklore’s Warrior Maiden

Fantaghirò found surprising success in the ‘90s thanks to Lamberto Bava and Gianni Romoli, who drew inspiration from Italo Calvino’s ‘Italian Folktales’ as they brought forth a series of television films dedicated to the brave princess-turned-warrior.

Going against the traditions and customs of her era, Fantaghirò was literate, adventurous, and rebellious, eventually picking up a sword to save her father’s kingdom. Starring Alessandra Martines, Kim Rossi Stuart, and Brigitte Nielsen, and featuring a music score composed by Amedeo Minghi, ‘Fantaghirò’ (1991-1996) drew inspiration from other cult darlings of the high fantasy genre such as ‘Legend’ (1985) by Ridley Scott, ‘Ladyhawke’ (1985) by Richard Donner, and ‘Willow’ (1988) by Ron Howard.

‘FANTAGHIRO’ (1991), ©RETEITALIA/RAI

The Viking Valkyrie

In the Norse tradition, the shieldmaiden Brunhilde is better known as a Valkyrie, present in the Völsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. Most notably, she is central to ‘The Song of the Nibelungs’, one of the first written poems drawn from Germanic oral traditions. Instrumental in the death of the hero Siegfried after he deceived her into marrying Gunnar the Burgundian King, Brunhilde exercised tremendous power and influence, in the end transcending literature and inspiring Richard Wagner as he composed his ‘Der Ring des Nibelungen’ epic music dramas.

Hollywood has had a hard time adapting her story for the screen, however. Uli Edel’s ‘Sword of Xanten’ (2004) featuring Kristanna Loken and Alicia Witt was a flop, mainly because it was marketed as ‘the Nordic legend that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write the Lord of the Rings trilogy’ without even a quarter of Peter Jackson’s budget—not to mention storytelling talent.

But Brunhilde has found a different path through Marvel Studios, more recently, in Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017) and the Russo Brothers’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019). Portrayed by the monumentally talented Tessa Thompson, the character known as Valkyrie serves as a warrior and shieldmaiden of Asgard. Unfortunately, she lacks the complexities and ambitions that once got Brunhilde her own Wagner operas. Much like with Mulan and Boudicca before her, I cling to the hope that someday, someone will give Brunhilde the story she deserves.

‘THOR: RAGNAROK’ (2017), ©WALT DISNEY PICTURES/MARVEL STUDIOS

The Girl and the Dragon

In Romanian folklore, there are stories of Ileana Simziana—the youngest daughter of a king who picked up a sword and went to fight in another king’s army so she might do her sonless father proud. In one version of the myth, Ileana is said to have gone against a mighty dragon. And that’s about all I’ve got.

Honestly, I just needed a mostly unrelated lady-and-dragon segue to squeeze Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys of House Targaryen, First of Her Name and so on into the conversation. In the HBO series, while she doesn’t pick up a sword until the last season and only against the army of the dead, the Mother of Dragons still fits the mould of a warrior queen by conquering enslaved cities to liberate them and by leading her armies across the east before she turns west to take the Iron Throne.

Following closely along the broad strokes of this archetype, Daenerys has a mission, a creed that propels her forward and against ancient adversities. She fights against injustice with a focus on breaking the chains of those enslaved by the wealthy and the cruel. While she starts out as a naïve and innocent girl, Daenerys experiences tremendous suffering before she rises with her dragons and reshapes parts of Essos, proudly donning the Khal’s victory braids as she takes her Unsullied and Dothraki across the Narrow Sea.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2018), ©HBO/HOME BOX OFFICE

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) features more warrior women beside the silver-haired dragon queen—worth praising are Brienne of Tarth, stupendously portrayed by Gwendoline Christie, and fan-favourite Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams. The former was loosely inspired by Joan of Arc, though George R.R. Martin has mentioned Eleanor of Aquitaine and Xena the Warrior Princess as building blocks for the phenomenal Brienne.

The latter drew on the sexual revolution and on the basis of feminism itself. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Mr Martin explained that he originally envisioned the Stark sisters as two opposing forces, with Sansa as the ‘romantic medieval ideal who dreamed of […] being the mistress of a castle and perhaps a princess and a queen’, and Arya as the counter force, chafing at the roles she was pushed into and favouring sword fights over sewing and singing.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2019), ©HBO/HOME BOX OFFICE

Ultimately, the warrior queen quintessence as painted by Hollywood follows a simple but effective recipe which uses two or more of the following: the heroine fights aggressively when she has to; she is never merely a sidekick to any man; she usually belongs to an organization or a culture of other similarly minded women; there is some display of kinship and sisterhood with her own gender, as well, and she uses the classic warrior weapons and tools; she is independent and doesn’t need a man to save her, and in several instances, she lives in a or comes from a ‘lost civilization’.

In a commercially driven society that is inclined to sexualize and objectify female protagonists to absurd levels that degrade the story’s intended realism, the warrior woman has managed to tread a fine line that pleases and intrigues almost every audience. Yes, she is beautiful and downright hypnotizing to most, but her true appeal stems from her ability to purvey justified violence.

Since I’m not a fan of lists but can’t seem to stop myself from enumerating the best that cinema and television often have to offer, I’ll try a more scholarly approach today mostly because I’m eager to make a distinction between ‘fantasy’ and ‘epic fantasy’ on the small screen. In a previous article, I discussed some of the greatest film franchises to come out of works penned by J.R. Tolkien and Frank L. Baum, to name but two luminaries of the literary genre we know as ‘epic fantasy’.

For the silver screen, the challenge of adapting such works was gleefully accepted and—on several occasions—stupendously met by talented and insanely brave directors. But as audiences worldwide evolve, so does our appetite for the consumption of ‘epic fantasy’ in larger formats. We want more, even if we get it in an episode-per-week ratio. Give us ten seasons of this marvellously detailed worldbuilding sprinkled with gasp-inducing intrigue, and we’re yours forever. Naturally, the demand for televised ‘epic fantasy’ has grown, forcing screenwriters and showrunners to adapt.

‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS’ (2002), ©NEW LINE CINEMA

Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but I do believe we’re coming up short on the ‘epic fantasy’ genre on TV. There are plenty of ‘fantasy’ series to binge on—‘Charmed’ (1998-2006) and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003) certainly qualify as decent chunks of a starter kit. If you’re deeper into the scary side of things, the ‘American Horror Story’ (2011) anthology will deliver plenty of genuine goose-bumps and squeals. For anime fans, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005-2008) is one of the best that the genre has to offer, and let’s not forget Bryan Fuller’s earlier masterpieces, ‘Dead Like Me’ (2003-2004) and ‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007-2009), both brilliant and equally ahead of their time. Yet we haven’t gotten to the aforementioned ‘epics’!

What does make a story epic, after all? Is it the worldbuilding? For that, I’m inclined to consider ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ (1995-2001), the infinitely more successful spinoff of ‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys’ (1995-1999), as a worthy candidate. Lucy Lawless and Greek mythology combined was a good early recipe. Is it the willingness to cross boundaries and try something bold and modern? ‘True Blood’ (2008-2014) comes to mind—and no, I don’t think we’re ready for a remake yet. Then what is it? The fandom, perhaps, that raises a tale to such high-sounding standards? I would be willing to consider ‘Once Upon A Time’ (2011-2018) for task, then, or better yet, the cult darling ‘Supernatural’ (2005-2020), which boasts a spectacular fifteen-year run.

But no. We’re going elsewhere with this. We’re going farther than we have ever gone before, because the market of ‘televised epic fantasy’ has only just begun to blossom, and it’s mostly due to the sheer size of the oeuvres that are being adapted and repackaged for a broader and more patient audience. Developing such projects demands gargantuan sacrifices of time, money, and human resources—settling anywhere below will inadvertently lead to underwhelming, vapid fluff.

‘XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS’ (1995-2001), ©MCA TELEVISION

‘The Magicians’ (2015-2020): Surprisingly Epic

Learning plenty from her work with Eric Kripke on ‘Supernatural’, Sera Gamble teamed up with John McNamara to bring Lev Grossman’s novels to the small screen. When SyFy decided to invest in this show, they were probably aware of the risks—the raunchy magic tale works differently on the page than it does onscreen, yet even so, ‘The Magicians’ stands apart from the rest of the crowd. Sure, there are things I might have done differently with some of the narrative threads, but still…

Story-wise, it is daring enough to be awarded a tiny ‘epic fantasy’ badge. It’s basically ‘Harry Potter’ but with drugs, booze, ancient gods, and potty mouths. Its worldbuilding is complex and imaginative enough, borrowing elements of Greek mythology and quantum physics along the way. It also has a considerable fanbase to work with. Unlike ‘The Shannara Chronicles’ (2016-2017), which was bland and deservedly short-lived, ‘The Magicians’ survived for five seasons as it pushed its young protagonists into difficult situations that required tremendous sacrifices. In some cases, their choices came at a horrific price.

‘THE MAGICIANS’ (2015-2020), ©NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

‘American Gods’ (2017): Neil Gaiman Done Right

I’m equal parts doubtful and eager whenever a Gaiman project is announced for television. It’s probably because of the emotional investment that I have in his work. Nevertheless, most of his adaptations have not disappointed, least of all ‘American Gods’, which is based on my favourite book. When it comes to ‘epic fantasy’, this story has every box ticked, albeit with one particularly worrying asterisk.

My only issue with the Starz-produced series is the studio’s inability to retain showrunners—thus losing important actors along the way. The first season, helmed by the brilliant Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, did a wicked job of transforming ‘American Gods’ into high-quality television art. But after budget-related conflicts, Fuller and Green were pushed out of the project, which led to Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth’s subsequent departure. Jesse Alexander of ‘Heroes’ (2006-2010) fame sort-of took over, though it’s still unclear as to the depth of his involvement—which didn’t last longer than the second season, anyway.

After another hiatus, ‘American Gods’ has finally returned under Charles ‘Chic’ Eglee, better known for ‘Moonlighting’ (1986-1989) and ‘The Shield’ (2004-2008), but even that isn’t without a harrowing loss. According to an expletive-laced video posted on Twitter, Orlando Jones (Mr Nancy) stated that he was fired from the series because the showrunner doesn’t understand his character. According to the actor, Eglee ‘thinks that Mr Nancy’s angry, get s—t done [attitude] is the wrong message for Black America’. Yet when I’m nervous about a Neil Gaiman adaptation, they tell me I’m overthinking…

‘AMERICAN GODS’ (2017), ©FREMANTLE/STARZ!

‘His Dark Materials’ (2019): Now That’s What I Call Epic!

Philip Pullman’s trilogy is one of the best works of fantasy I read whilst coming of age. It’s an ambitious story that follows two gifted children as they wander through a series of parallel universes and fight for freedom and survival against exceptionally dark forces. An especially appealing element is the daemon, a manifestation of the inner-self as an animal being.

Pullman once named John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ among the influences for ‘His Dark Materials’, abruptly rejecting any comparison to C.S. Lewis’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, which he characterised as ‘blatantly racist’ and ‘monumentally disparaging of women’. Needless to say, ‘His Dark Materials’ ascends among the better works of ‘epic fantasy’, and given the author’s direct involvement, HBO’s adaptation does a better job than its feature-length and stale-cotton-candy predecessor, ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007).

‘HIS DARK MATERIALS’ (2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE (HBO)

‘Carnival Row’ (2019): An Absolute Original

As mentioned earlier, the majority of ‘epic fantasies’ come from literature: the story was first told in print, and there were plenty of pages in which to build an imaginary world with extraordinary creatures inspired by myth and folklore. Yet Travis Beacham and René Echevarria pulled off quite the number with ‘Carnival Row’, which blends the tenebrous murder mystery with a Victorian fantasy realm in a way that just… works without a source material.

Of course, the show wouldn’t have the same appeal without Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne—the latter having grown visibly as a thespian since ‘Anna Karenina’ (2012). Nominated for three Primetime Emmys, the first season has garnered a hefty round of applause, and I dare hope to see the second season exceed those accolades swiftly.

‘CARNIVAL ROW’ (2019), ©AMAZON STUDIOS

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019): The Undisputed Champion

Regardless of what anyone thought about the final season, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s extraordinary ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ novel series is a masterpiece of both television and ‘epic fantasy’. It set a stellar standard to which few, if any others, might ever rise to meet. With such an ambitious source material and HBO’s deep pockets, part of what made the show work was the fearless casting—with the exception of several titular roles, most of the actors were young and fresh-faced when production started, with barely a credit or two to their names. The Stark kids had zero, for that matter.

The first five seasons brought the incredible story of Westeros and the seven kingdoms to life with exceptional detail and an overwhelming love of the cinematic craft—from filming locations to costume and set design, ‘Game of Thrones’ excelled and then some. Given the complex story and multiple main character arcs, the mere fact that D&D pulled it off with barely a hitch was an incredible accomplishment. The first five seasons, however, had the published books to rely on.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

With extensive assistance from the author himself, the showrunners pushed through seasons six and seven mostly on their own, with an idea of how Martin saw the story evolving across the upcoming novels, ‘Winds of Winter’ and ‘A Dream of Spring’. The series didn’t fumble, managing its extensive load of characters with sufficient grace. Alas, with a fandom accustomed to nothing beneath exceptional writing, Benioff and Weiss self-sabotaged their grand conclusion by rushing toward the finish line. I wasn’t shocked by Daenerys’s psychotic twist—I paid attention since the first season when she didn’t even flinch while her brother had molten gold poured onto his head. I wasn’t disappointed by Bran becoming king, either, nor by Jon’s retreat into ‘the real North’. It sort-of made sense.

But the final season was… rushed. A few more episodes would’ve smoothed things over and tied up several important loose ends. I cried aplenty when Ramin Djawadi’s score, aptly titled ‘The Last of the Starks’, came on, and I bid the young wolves farewell, knowing their adventures wouldn’t end there. To this day, I have yet to watch anything remotely close to the production brilliance of ‘Game of Thrones’ despite its twilight flaws.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

Of Epics to Come

Given the titanic success of ‘Game of Thrones’ and George R.R. Martin’s forays into ASOIAF-related prequels, it’s no wonder that HBO has been flirting with a couple more titles. Jane Goldman of ‘X-Men First Class’ (2011) repute was initially set to lead a successor show focused on Westeros’ descent from the bright Age of Heroes into the dreaded Long Night—there was even a pilot shot, starring Naomi Watts.

Alas, the higher powers scrapped the whole project and made way for ‘House of the Dragon’, which is due to air in 2022 and chronicles the Targaryen struggles throughout their 300-year reign since Aegon’s Conquest. So far, Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy have joined the developing project—the characters they’re set to portray belong to a particular conflict in the history of Westeros, better known as ‘The Dance of Dragons’, which nearly tore the kingdoms apart and decimated the Targaryen’s dragon population. Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik will act as writers and showrunners, working closely with George R.R. Martin.

‘House of the Dragon’ isn’t the only project in the pipeline, either, as HBO has recently greenlit a TV series adaption of ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’, a spinoff following Dunk and Egg on their adventures throughout Westeros before they became known as Ser Duncan the Tall, Commander of the King’s Guard, and King Aegon the Fifth. Little is known about the project at this point, but I’m certainly looking forward to it. I need an ASOIAF fix, stat.

‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ (2022), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

Following the cinematic success of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, Amazon Studios decided to try their hand at a prequel by enlisting the talents of J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay to bring the Second Age of Middle-Earth to life for the streaming giant. It’s been in the works for a couple of years now, with casting that took place around the world and extensive negotiations with the government of New Zealand. Filming began last February in Auckland, listing Robert Aramayo, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ian Blackburn, and Maxim Baldry among the actors involved.

Ultimately, these are exciting times… There is plenty of room for ‘epic fantasy’ in the land of TV. The stakes were set high—very high, actually, and that’s a wonderful starting point. May the upcoming series soar beyond what has already been aired and may no other showrunner ever rush and pull a D&D ever again.