‘Seeker’ marks return of fantasy-action genre

In the world of television, it’s almost impossible to go wrong with a sweaty, half-naked hunk chopping wood in slow motion.

Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert know that better than anybody else.

Before Raimi went off to turn Spider-Man into a multibillion-dollar movie franchise, the two were credited with creating a genre of television beloved (at least for a time) around the globe: the syndicated fantasy-action drama. Heavy on dragons and fire, their Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess were both pop-culture phenomena in the mid-1990s.

Audiences eventually overdosed on the genre, largely because production companies flooded the market with copycats. At least 65 syndicated one-hour dramas arrived from 1991 to 2000, with Conan: The Adventurer, Highlander and others borrowing from the Raimi-Tapert formula.

A changing TV industry accelerated the genre’s death, and by 2007, not a single syndicated drama was in production.

With the clutter cleared, Raimi and Tapert are back.

Their syndicated series Legend of the Seeker, produced in conjunction with Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Studios, made its debut last month. Based on the best-selling Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodkind, the series combines fantasy and adventure with exotic settings in New Zealand.

The hunk is Richard Cypher, a woodsman who transforms into a magical leader to stop a greasy tyrant named Darken Rahl.

Richard, played by Craig Horner (Monarch Cove), teams with a mysterious woman named Kahlan Amnell, a formidable bodyguard and guide played by Bridget Regan (The Black Donnellys). Zedd, a wise and powerful wizard played by Bruce Spence (The Matrix Revolutions), accompanies the pair on their journey, shooting fireballs from his palms as needed.

Why retread the arena?

Click HERE to read more.

Here are a couple of Character study videos of the lead characters from LOTS:

Kahlan Amnell

Richard Cypher

In The Confessor and the Seeker Society forums we’re rapidly approaching 200 members who have joined up to discuss the newest hit to syndicated TV. Click on banner above to join!

While we’re waiting for new episodes to return on January 10th, our members have been putting their creative hats on, as usual. Here are some goodies that you can enjoy!

Wallpapers and Fanart

We’ve had a couple of new artists join our boards. You can peruse the offerings HERE. Please feel free to use any of the artwork, but do not redistribute, upload elsewhere, or claim as your own.

We also have a couple of new Fan Posters for the show, click HERE to view them:

And finally here are a couple of fan videos by our members:

Keep Holding On

Stand My Ground

In the world of television, it’s almost impossible to go wrong with a sweaty, half-naked hunk chopping wood in slow motion. Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert know that better than anybody else. Before Raimi went off to turn Spider-Man into a multibillion-dollar movie franchise, the two were credited with creating a [...]

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