ABC STUDIOS/KRISTY GRIFFINIf Burn Notice, So You Think You Can Dance and Weeds just aren't keeping your TiVo full enough of good TV this summer, we're here to provide you with another viewing suggestion: Legend of the Seeker.
Yes, it's a syndicated Saturday-afternoon serial you may have never even heard of, but we promise, it's good television! We're here to tell you why to watch and how to get started on season one—and share an exclusive video interview with stars Craig Horner and Bridget Regan about what to expect in season two!
Want to know what you're missing? Read on...
Why to Watch
Before we try to persuade you to give Legend of the Seeker a shot, we're going to admit our awareness about all the distractingly cheesy elements of the show. It's a syndicated fantasy series (who even makes those anymore?), and then there's all the other unironically nutty elements of the show. Like what?
Well, let's see: Legend of the Seeker is littered with leather-clad space dominatrixes (don't even get us started on their weapons, which look just like vibrating dildos), a 99 Cent Store Dumbledore (sorry, Zedd), proper names that seem to be poorly plagiarized from Star Wars and/or Tolkien, iridescent magical potions that are probably SoftSoap, a villain who goes by the hilariously on-the-nose name of Darken Rahl, etc., etc. Basically, when visualizing Legend of the Seeker, if you picture a live-action version of The Legend of Zelda, you won't be too far off.
Now, all that said, Legend of the Seeker is an entirely entertaining television program. Well-written and nicely paced (both on an episode level and across the arc of a season), Legend of the Seeker is a fun amalgam of sword-fighting heroics, comedy and romance. Craig Horner plays Richard, a brave commoner anointed the leading knight of the realm by the powers that be, and Bridget Regan is Kahlan, the foxy nun/witch who chaperones him around the countryside explaining the ways of their world.
Naturally, Richard and Kahlan fall madly in love in the course of their battles against minor villains and big bad Darken Rahl, and naturally, they can never actually get it on because of some pain-in-the-ass magical fine print, resulting in scads of unresolved sexual tension. (It's very much in the spirit of Buffy and Angel never being able to do it because of the Angelus problem.)
Castwise, Horner is entirely charming, but Bridget Regan is the real revelation. Simultaneously adorable and fierce, Regan never hits a wrong note and frequently transcends the low-budget roots of the show to become the very embodiment of the mythological feminine. (Don't groan. Watch. You'll see what we're talking about.)
This show is a classic hero's journey (like, so classic it's as if somebody photocopied a Joseph Campbell book, Wited-Out all the instances of "hero" and "heroine," and replaced them with "Richard" and "Kahlan"), so if you like anything in that spirit, you can't go wrong with Legend of the Seeker.
What to Watch
Interested in taking a look? Season one is re-airing in syndication this summer, so you can actually watch on your TV, if you'd like. (Check your local listings on Zap2It or Yahoo! TV to figure out when it's on in your area.) Or, if you like your TV online, you can watch via Hulu or E!'s corporate cousin, Fancast. Here are some specific episodes to check out if you're interested in giving LOTS a shot:
• Try the Torture-sodes: Nothing advances a story like having your main characters captured and tortured by bad guys. You'll get a nice feel for the series from either episode eight, "Denna" (Fancast, Hulu), wherein one of the space dominatrixes takes Richard prisoner, or episode 15, "Conversion" (Fancast, Hulu), wherein Darken Rahl's Dr. Mengele knockoff vivisects Kahlan in hopes of replicating her power.
• Sexy Time: If you're a rom-com fan, check out episode 12, "Revenant" (Fancast, Hulu), which finds Richard and Kahlan possessed by two ghosts who had their jobs (and their same problems) a thousand years ago, or episode 17 "Mirror" (Fancast, Hulu), about a couple of petty thieves who cause much mischief as Richard and Kahlan look-alikes.
• Epic Battles: For the most character growth, mythological insight and best special effects, try episode 10, "Sacrifice" (Fancast, Hulu), wherein Kahlan discovers that her missing sister is alive, knocked up and cursed; episode 16, "Bloodline" (Fancast, Hulu), where Richard discovers that he has a sister of his own; or the season finale, "Reckoning" (Fancast, Hulu), which explores a dystopian alternate universe where Richard and Kahlan are separated in time by 60 years.
What's to Come
If you're already a Legend of the Seeker fan, or if you're open to the possibility of becoming one, press play below to see what stars Craig Horner and Bridget Regan have to say about that grand finale and the season to come.
Note: The first person to comment that the Sword of Truth books are soooo much better than the Legend of the Seeker TV show gets attacked by the invisible Rottweilers surrounding the perimeter. You won't be able to hear them, because they have had their larynxes removed, and you won't see them, because they're invisible, but they will get you.
Any other Legend of the Seeker fans out there who want to testify in favor of the show? The comments are yours!