“Merlin” This Summer’s Official Hit Series
With an average Sunday night summertime viewership of nearly 5 million the peacock network’s “Merlin” has become the off-season’s bonafide weekly hit series.
Like it or dislike it, this show has proven to regular network television that providing new programming during the normally slow summer months can payoff.
Starring Colin Morgan as the famous wizard, “Merlin” takes quite a few liberties as it presents stories surrounding the grand master of wizards in his young apprentice days in the court of King Uther (Anthony Head) and the young Prince Arthur (Bradley James). The series also stars Katie McGrath as Morgana, Richard Wilson as Gaius and Angel Coulby as Gwen.
It’s too bad there couldn’t be two shows from NBC to turn out being summer hits. The more worthy of NBC’s entries for the summer was Ian McShane’s near perfect performance as King Silas in the now failed series “Kings,” the retelling of the famous story of David and King Saul from a 21st Century perspective. With the stellar cast and superb writing one would have thought this would have been the breakout show. Alas, it simply couldn’t find its audience or night. For storytelling the way it should be on television I recommend getting this one on DVD once it becomes available. Only one season’s worth, but it won’t disappoint.
Catch a sneak peek of the next episode of “Merlin” due to air August 2 at 8/7C on NBC.
I’ve been watching both Merlin and Kings all along, and enjoying both. After the finale of the latter, I’m really sad that it didn’t get picked up. A second season had the potential to be awesome.
Despite being cluttered with anachronisms, Merlin is turning out to be really fun. The characters are developing into real people with believable relationships. The only thing that I dislike is watching my beloved Tony Head play such an unmovable douchebag, even though he’s doing it really well. Uther is supposed to be unlikable, I know, but part of me still sees him as Giles.
Merlin is not only the worst fantasy show ever made, it’s one of the worst television shows ever made. They must have a legion of small minded fans that don’t care about good writing or directing. The show sucks. I would rather change the bandages on my grandmother’s bedsores than watch another minute of that horrible show.
I am glad to hear Merlin is doing well. It’s obviously a show made for young people (and on a British budget), but in comparison to stuff on the Disney channel or Nickelodeon it is excellent television. If you are wanting purely adult tv HBO’s Game of Thrones will probably be more suited to you. For what it is trying to do Merlin accomplishes most of it.
I wanted to like this series going into it, I really did. I couldn’t even sit through the 2 hour premier it was so bad. My DVR recorded the next one, and I couldn’t muster up enough desire to sit through it again.
It’s beyond me how Merlin can be considered as a huge hit. It just has too much of a small screen ‘feel’ to it. I get that it has a small budget and directed towards a more youthful demographic but that doesn’t preclude that it wouldn’t succeed on a grander scale or with an adult audience.
Xena the Warrior Princess had had a small budget too, yet it seemed much grander in scope and by comparison had much more magic. And it appealed to a wide demo too.
As a huge fan of the King Arthur and Merlin mythos, I actually viewed 4 episodes before I deleted it from my DVR lineup. The catchy promo, “…Before Harry Potter there was Merlin….” enticed me to give it a try. But for something hyped as ‘magical’ it’s been sorely lacking in the magic department. I found it dull and depressing (two different episodes had bed-ridden stars in a coma) despite the occasional appearance of The Great Dragon to shake things up.
The character acting was top notch ‘though. It is BBC, after all.
I think by banning the practice of magic (punishable by death) has given the series a certain amount of useful suspense and tension but it has also made pre-Camelot mundane. There are the magical potions, to be sure, but by that standard House and ER could be termed magical as well…. Why not advance the story arc in the second season to include how magic ultimately became accepted by King Uther.
The addition of mythical beasts, an evil sorcerer and Michelle Ryan (loved her BTW) as an evil sorceress only added to my frustration. It only served to make me want to see more one on one magician battles that lasted more than 10 seconds. More magic. Less stealth.
Where are the writers with imagination? I mean you Russell T. Davies! I read somewhere that Merlin was meant to have a Smallville-like flavor–Superboy before Metropolis. If a series is touted as a medieval Harry Potter then it certainly should deliver more magical story arcs and plot elements. Otherwise, it might be viewed as just another costumed soap opera.
Certainly, a young wizard must learn the ropes but Merlin without the full use of his magic wand is like a Doctor Who without his sonic screwdriver, the TARDIS, or the weird science….