I want to seeThe Stormlight Archiveadapted into a TV show as much as anyone, butstreaming services need to address one of their most frustrating issues. Television entered its golden age at the beginning of the 21st century, and as a TV snob and a fantasy novel lover, the increased resources allocated to shows gave me hope that some of my favorite books could get their live-action treatment.Game of Thronesestablished a precedent, but nothing since has entirely lived up to my expectations, and I wouldn’t wantThe Stormlight Archivesuffering from the same issues.
There are anumber of practical issues that weaken fantasy shows likeThe Rings of PowerandThe Wheel of Time. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate either of those shows. In fact, I think there’s a whole lot to love about both of them. That said, they’re the first massive fantasy shows to followGame of Thrones, and that means they’ve established the model for what this genre looks like on television right now. It’s worth critiquing their faults, just as it’s worth acknowledging their successes and how they can be implemented into adapting theCosmere universe.
I Still Want A Stormlight Archive Show, But Streaming Services Need To Address Their Short Seasons
6-8 Episodes Per Season Won’t Cut It For The Stormlight Archive
One of the major problems I have right now, not only with fantasy but also with streaming services in general, is the shortened seasons. Sure, the days of 23-episode television seasons resulted in excesses of filler. I’m an avidLostfan, and I’ll be the first to say there are some brutal episodes in the thick of every season. However,one of the major elements that’s lacking in many modern series is character definition. Not necessarily moral complexity but personality and liveliness. We often know what our characters' goals are, but we don’t really know what they’re like.
I would hate to seeThe Stormlight Archive, which contains the beautiful bonds of Bridge Four or Shallan and Adolin, be reduced to a strictly plot-focused endeavor.
Dune: Prophecyaired last year, and while the show had some compelling stakes, most of its characters felt lackluster because every scene was entirely focused on pushing the plot forward.Six episodes allow almost no time just for character-oriented moments.The Rings of Powerhas some intriguing characters, but when compared to theLord of the Ringsmovies, leads like Galadriel and Elrond lack that sense of familiarity and authenticity. I would hate to seeThe Stormlight Archive, which contains the beautiful bonds of Bridge Four or Shallan and Adolin, be reduced to a strictly plot-focused endeavor.
The Stormlight Archive Books Are Way Too Long To Cover In A Mere 7-9 Episodes
Each Season Would Need At Least 10-13 Episodes
The Stormlight Archivebooks are massive. Everyone who’s read them knows it. Brandon Sanderson knows it.The Way of Kingsis the shortest at just over 1,000 pages in its standard printing, and I could hardly see that evening out to ten episodes, much less so eight, which is standard for fantasy genre shows. Now, imagine trying to break downWind and Truthto that format, with less than one episode per day. It’d be impossible to fit everything important, and the beautifully written characters are what would end up suffering.
Brandon Sanderson isn’t just writing long books to show us that he can.There’s a method to the madness, and a major aspect of it is slow-burn character development. Our characters often experience redundancies in their emotional struggles, which can be frustrating at times. However, the purpose of this is for ultimate payoffs. The catharsis moments are all the more powerful because of the grueling time we spent experiencing inner turmoil with characters like Kaladin and Shallan.
The Series' Length Is One Of The Biggest Challenges Facing An Adaptation
These Books Are All Over 1,000 Pages
There are numerous challenges ahead of a TV show likeThe Stormlight Archive, but length is a significant one. I’ll use a practical example aside from just the idea regarding character development.A Storm of Swordsis the third book of theA Song of Ice & Firebook series, on whichGame of Thronesis adapted. That novel is believed to be 414,604 words, a notable jump from the previous volume. to properly bring it to life on screen, the TV show used two full ten-episode seasons, the third and fourth of the show.
The Way of Kingsis recorded at 384,389 words, whileWind and Truthcomes in at a whopping 487,746 words. Of course, adaptation requires a degree of cutting and pasting, butif we’re using word count as a metric with a slight grain of salt, it’s a solid demonstration of the changes that would be required for the streaming mediumto make theStormlight Archivenovels work successfully.
