Summary
Amazon’sFalloutshow has been an unprecedented success by just about every measure. Within its first 16 days,Amazon’sFalloutshowdrew in 65 million viewers, garnered critical acclaim across the board, and managed to not only reinvigorate interest in the franchise for long-time fans, but bring in a wealth of new fans as well. Amazon’sFalloutshow was so successful that evenFallout 76saw tens of thousands of players log in for the first time. But despite all of this obvious success, Bethesda seemingly doesn’t want to attempt to achieve the same withThe Elder Scrolls.
Back when Amazon’sFalloutfirst aired, Bethesda’s Todd Howard was questioned by IGN about the possibility of future Bethesda adaptations. Howard stated that if a studio approached him looking to make anElder Scrollsshow he’d “probably say no,” at least for now. With quite a few high-budget fantasy shows out right now, and great video game adaptations still being rather rare, that hesitancy makes sense. ButThe Elder Scrollshas plenty of unique hooks, and an anthology structure could work wonders for a live-action adaptation.
An Elder Scrolls TV Show Has Some Obvious Anthology Routes It Could Take
An Elder Scrolls Anthology Show Could Focus on Different Eras
Much like any great high-fantasy series,The Elder Scrollsuniverse is a vast one, with a history that spans thousands of years.The Elder Scrolls' extensive history is categorized neatly into six different eras, making it the perfect subject of a brief anthology series. Each episode of this hypotheticalElder Scrollsanthology series could focus on one of the main eras, going all the way from the Dawn Era, which sees the mysteriousElder Scrollsgodscreate the universe, right up until the Fourth Era, which sees the Last Dragonborn rise to defeat Alduin.
While the vast majority of high-fantasy universes have some complex and intricate lore,The Elder Scrollsis particularly tough for newcomers to wrap their heads around. Wars that wage for hundreds of years, empires and dynasties that can be wiped from existence in the blink of an eye, and gods being able to walk among men,The Elder Scrollshas all this and so much more, and it’s a lot for a newcomer to take in. This is why an anthology adaptation that focuses on each era intheElder Scrollstimelinemight actually be the best way to ease new fans in.
An Elder Scrolls Anthology Show Could Focus on Different Races
Alternatively, ifThe Elder Scrollsdidn’t want to bombard its fan-base with thousands of years' worth of in-universe lore in one fell swoop, then an anthology series that follows each ofThe Elder Scrolls' races/regions might be a better way to onboard new fans. Another complex wrinkle ofThe Elder Scrolls' lore is just how many races and factions there are at play. FromNords to Redguards to Argonians to Khajiit,The Elder Scrollsis home to many different races, and all of them deserve their time in the spotlight.
The best option for anElder Scrollslive-action adaptationmight be to merge these two anthology ideas together. The show could follow a handful of keyElder Scrollsraces navigating their own distinct way of life, and facing the political challenges of the era. Each new season could fast-forward the show to a new era, showing viewers how the lives of these same races have changed for the better or the worse.
