NBC's Merlin

[Ginny]

Did anyone watch 'Merlin' on NBC Sunday night? I thought it was fantastic. Some of my fellow Arthurian buffs have been miffed over the changes to the legend and I'm curious to see what others think. I agree completely with this article, about the legend growing stale;

http://thetorchonline.com/2009/05/13...-a-good-thing/

NBC’s MERLIN Gets the Camelot Story Really Wrong — But Maybe That’s a Good Thing

What’s this? A full-fledged swords-and-sorcery fantasy series on broadcast network television? Have we seen that since The Charmings in 1988? (And I’m not sure that campy, short-lived ABC sitcom even counts.)

It might be an indication of just how desperate NBC is for a hit that the network is willing to take a chance on swords and sorcery, with Merlin, a British import that tells the story of Merlin and Arthur and Camelot “before they were legends,” premiering Sunday, June 21st at 8/7c.

Before-they-were-legends stories — basically, the Smallville treatment — can, of course, be hit or miss, especially when the story in question is as well-known and endlessly-rehashed as that of Camelot. And Merlin has departed dramatically from the traditional telling of the story: Merlin is younger, the same age as Arthur; Camelot pre-dates the would-be king; Morgana is a “good guy”; and Lancelot shows up about ten years early.

Then again, maybe all this isn’t such a bad thing. Despite the never-ending parade of faithful, earnest Arthurian retellings, how long has it been since we’ve had a truly interesting one — one that was worth retelling? Since The Mists of Avalon?

Let’s face it: Camelot has gone stale. If any story deserves to be shaken up, it might be this one.


In Britain, where the first thirteen episodes of Merlin aired last fall, the show has been a critical and popular hit. NBC too liked what it saw, committing to a partnership with the BBC early in the production (no doubt increasing the budget and improving the production values for finicky U.S. sensibilities).

Meanwhile, the online buzz from the U.K. has been positive — though NBC seems to have done a pretty good job of geoblocking online postings of the show’s episodes, to preserve some sense of mysery, and to protect their investment.

Two aspects of this retelling seem unambiguously positive. One is the color-blind casting of Guinevere, or Gwen, played by Angel Coulby. How nice to get a break from the all-white, all-the-time Arthur stories.

In addition, the role of Uther is played by none other than Buffy: The Vampire Slayer’s beloved Giles, Anthony Stewart Head.

Will Merlin work? We’ll know soon enough if this will be the summer that made Camelot cool again.

Can't wait to see all 13 episodes! And as a side note, I also found it intriguing they debuted it on June 21st, Solstice.