Legend of the Seeker

Did You Know?

• In New Zealand, the show premiered on March 29, 2009, on Prime in a Monday 7:30 pm timeslot.
• In French Canada, the series aired under the French title L'Épée de vérité.

Plot

The story takes place in the world created by Terry Goodkind, with three main provinces: Westland, the Midlands, and D'Hara. Westland is separated from the Midlands by a magical boundary that prevents magic from entering Westland. D'Hara, ruled by Darken Rahl, lies beyond the Midlands. Seekers are accompanied by a Wizard of The First Order and Confessors, an ancient order of women who oversee the welfare of the people.

The first season is loosely based on Wizard's First Rule. It begins after Darken Rahl's army invades the Midlands. Kahlan Amnell, a Confessor, ventures into Westland to find a wizard and the Seeker, prophesied to defeat Rahl. Together they set off to defeat Darken Rahl.

The second season, loosely based on Stone of Tears, follows Richard, Kahlan, and Zeddicus as they discover their quest caused tears in the veil separating the land of the dead from the world of the living. They must find the Stone of Tears, seal the rifts, and defeat the Keeper, joined by Cara, a former enemy Mord-Sith.

Cast and characters

Craig Horner plays Richard Cypher, who becomes the Seeker of Truth. Darken Rahl once ordered the killing of every first-born son in Brennidon, so Zedd moved Richard to Hartland and placed him with George and Mary Cypher. In the first episode, Kahlan comes to Hartland looking for Richard and Zedd. Zedd then tells Richard he is the Seeker meant to defeat Darken Rahl.

After they succeed, they accidentally create a tear in the veil between the living world and the Underworld, forcing them to find the Stone of Tears to close it. Later, it comes out that Darken Rahl is Richard's half brother, and Richard is supposed to take the throne, but he turns it down. Bridget Regan is Kahlan Amnell, the Mother Confessor, a title she first gets in episode ten. Once Richard is named Seeker, she vows to protect him.

In fights, she uses her confession power to control people, either to get information or to bring a temporary ally to the group. Bruce Spence plays Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, the First Wizard and a Wizard of the First Order. He also swears to protect Richard and is especially useful with magic. When Kahlan cannot confess someone, Zedd usually finds the right answer.

He is careful, thinks about consequences, and never rushes. In episode four, he tells Kahlan he is Richard's grandfather. Tabrett Bethell plays Cara Mason, a Mord-Sith who first appears as a guest in season one and becomes a main character in season two. She helps Richard kill Darken Rahl.

In season two, after her Sisters of the Agiel betray her, Richard saves her. Cara is feisty and sharp-tongued, and she can kill good people when no one else can. She tends to solve problems with the simplest, most direct, and often most violent methods, which sometimes annoys or amuses the others.

Production

Sam Raimi became interested in adapting The Sword of Truth novels after his business partner Joshua Donen encouraged him to read them. Raimi considered adapting the first book into a movie or a five-part miniseries but settled on a weekly television series after speaking to author Terry Goodkind. Goodkind had resisted selling rights before meeting Raimi, as he was not confident other producers would maintain the integrity of his stories. Raimi, who had produced Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess with Robert Tapert and Ned Nalle, saw this as a chance to return to first-run syndication.

The syndicated television business had diminished after the loss of foreign markets around 2000, but with The CW struggling, the timing seemed right. ABC Studios agreed to fund the project and greenlit 22 episodes in March 2008 after clearance for broadcast to stations representing 84% of the United States, with Tribune Broadcasting as the primary launch group. The show received a production budget of US$1.5 million per episode. Originally named Wizard's First Rule, the show was retitled Legend of the Seeker at Goodkind's suggestion to differentiate it from the books and allow coverage of all books in the series.

Executive producers Raimi and Tapert intended the show to focus on telling the stories of the characters and their sacrifices, with Tapert noting it was more serious than Hercules and Xena.

Reception

The series premiere received mixed reviews, earning a 53 out of 100 average rating on Metacritic. Critics criticized it for not being as fun as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess and for lacking excitement. Another complaint was its lack of distinguishing features and being too derivative of works like Star Wars and The Matrix, with the 300-style slow-motion action sequences often cited. Brian Lowry of Variety called it a hodgepodge of better sci-fi/fantasy fare, while Ray Richmond of The Hollywood Reporter described it as big on style but challenged in substance.

Diana Steenbergen thought the third episode was far more entertaining than the first two. The show was praised for its high production value and use of New Zealand exteriors, with Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times calling it good-looking fun. Lloyd and Steenbergen commended lead actors Craig Horner and Bridget Regan but were not pleased with supporting performances. The premiere attracted over 4.1 million viewers over two days, with a Nielsen rating of 1.5/3 in metered markets.

It improved audience numbers in the key 18-49 demographic. The show was renewed for a second season after a 2.0 household rating average for its first ten episodes. In 2009, it won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. In 2010, it was nominated for an Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Emmy.

In 2011, costume designer Jane Holland, cinematographer Kevin Riley, and sound designer Chris Burt won awards at the Aotearoa Film & Television Awards.