When it comes to high fantasy, these five TV shows stand out as ones that would make prolific author J.R.R. Tolkien proud. Although I love The Lord of the Rings, I am by no means an expert on J. R. R. Tolkien’s writing, but I have done quite a bit of reading, leading to these conclusions, mostly based on his letters. J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, which influenced his writings. He rejected explicitness and vulgarity in literature, and romance and sexuality were sacred. He believed myths reflected spiritual truths. Additionally, Tolkien wanted his own writings to have internal consistency, their own geography, history, and languages. He also preferred awe-inspiring magic to hard systems.

He believed in fantasy stories that focused on traditional heroic virtues like bravery and honor. Instead of morally gray characters and anti-heroes, he believed in absolute good, with evil being a moral corruption or absence of good. For all these reasons, shows that might feel similar to The Lord of the Rings in terms of worldbuilding, like the original Game of Thrones, would undoubtedly be detested by J.R.R. Tolkien for their lewd storylines and morally gray and evil leadership. On the other hand, these five high fantasy TV shows would make the author proud, even if he would disagree with a few small choices.

5

Merlin

Of all the stories mentioned in this list, the one that Tolkien would have probably appreciated most is the BBC show Merlin, which draws from Arthurian legend and myths. According to the book Arthurian Influence in The Lord of the Rings: Disenchanting Tolkien’s Commentary on Postwar England by Michael Hayley (via Elements Vol. 15, No. 1), Tolkien actually took inspiration from some Arthurian legend to create The Lord of the Rings. As such, it’s highly likely that he would be proud of a high fantasy TV show based in that same inherently British mythology.

Additionally, BBC’s Merlin leaned into storytelling elements found in The Lord of the Rings. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur is one of devotion and self-sacrifice. The two frequently put their lives on the line for the betterment of the other. Unlike many high fantasy TV shows, Merlin has an optimistic worldview, showing the ability to remain good amid difficulties and tragedy. It’s a lesson in the fact that good perseveres against all obstacles.

What’s more, the show embraces a soft-to-medium magic system, rather than something hard. This is noteworthy because Tolkien preferred the sense of wonder and amazement that came from magic.

4

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Credit: Nickelodeon

J.R.R. Tolkien had a famous “heartfelt loathing” for Walt Disney and his movies, which could lead to the incorrect decision that he rejected the animated form as a whole. According to Open Culture, the problem actually came down to the fact that he saw Disney’s watered-down version of the original fairy tales, simplifying all the complex themes for a child audience. This simply isn’t the case for Avatar: The Last Airbender, which never shies away from difficult topics like imperialism and the dangers of war. Heck, the first season opened with genocide, which feels unthinkable in modern children’s TV shows.

I believe Tolkien would have appreciated the boldness with which these topics are tackled, and he would’ve appreciated the anti-war sentiment that’s present throughout Tolkien’s writings as well. Avatar: The Last Airbender’s bending and world is incredibly complex. He would have been proud of the strong, consistent mythology with great internal logic. Considering his preservationist beliefs, he likely would have been thrilled by a form of magic that is connected to both elements and spiritualism. On top of that, Aang goes on a hero’s journey with the help of his friends, much like Frodo Baggins does with Sam, Pippin, and Merry.

All that said, he would likely discourage the Fire Nation’s use of militarization and industrial warfare. He also might find it off-putting that bending takes away a little bit of the mystery and magicalness of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

3

The Witcher

Image via Netflix

Netflix’s TV show The Witcher is deeply divisive among viewers, but the high fantasy has many exciting elements that J.R.R. Tolkien would enjoy. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books are steeped in history, tradition, and mythology. He sought to unify the folklore of England. As such, he would appreciate the fact that The Witcher draws deeply from Baltic, Slavic, and Nordic lore. Additionally, it includes fantasy races and monsters that Tolkien would probably appreciate deeply.

On top of those similarities, The Witcher’s Geralt in the video games and The Lord of the Rings’ Aragorn follow many of the same archetypes. They’re both wanderers who are extremely skilled warriors. They are both subjected to a destiny that is much bigger than them, and they’re grappling with their place in the world they’re forced into. While Netflix’s The Witcher makes some changes to the character, the two definitely still have similarities.

That said, I can’t see J.R.R. Tolkien responding well to the fact that The Witcher does function on the idea that folks are all morally gray, rather than absolute good existing and evil being a corruption or lack of that.

2

Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End

For the most part, high fantasy animated TV shows would be out for Tolkien because of the aforementioned opinions about writers dumbing down fairy tales for children. However, he might be more open to anime, which is produced just as much for adults as it is for children and doesn’t simplify things nearly as much as, say, Disney does. A perfect example of a show he could be proud of is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. The anime’s premise centers on a Fellowship of sorts, including questing friends from all different backgrounds. However, most importantly, the anime explores the passage of time and the fleetingness of human life and emotions.

Because she’s an elf, Frieren has an almost infinite lifespan, should she not get killed by injuries or sickness. Arwen and Legolas experienced similar afflictions. She couldn’t grasp the concept of human emotions and mortality, which feels like a core tenet of The Lord of the Rings. However, Frieren, Legolas, and Arwen come to better understand with time.

The worldbuilding is absolutely incredible, with a variety of species. I could see Tolkien appreciating this, and he very well may have appreciated its D&D-inspiration because the TTRPG took inspiration from Tolkien. There’s no way to know for sure what he would have thought about that one, though, because he died a year before the first rulebook came out.

1

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

The fact that I included Game of Thrones as an example of a high fantasy that Tolkien might hate might make it confusing that I included A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms as a show the fantasy author could be proud of. However, the division within the Game of Thrones franchise comes down to this: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms eschews many of the characteristics of the original entry in the franchise. With a nihilistic and morally gray tone, Game of Thrones focuses on violence, sex, and power as a currency. These all Tolkien’s values.

However, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a narrower focus on morally good characters who are at least semi-optimistic about the world. There’s absolutely still violence and vulgarity that would have made Tolkien uncomfortable. That being said, the show focuses on chivalry and humility. Dunk isn’t some kind of legendary warrior fighting with a magical blade but a very ordinary hedge knight who is simply trying to do the right thing.

What’s more, There’s a found-family feeling that’s present with Dunk and Egg, which mirrors that of Frodo and Sam or Bilbo and the dwarves. On top of everything else, the one aspect of Game of Thrones that Tolkien would have appreciated is the intense world-building and mythos. Luckily, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms holds onto that.

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien