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Brand new Highlander Series airing tomorrow night! (but not really)

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  • Brand new Highlander Series airing tomorrow night! (but not really)

    A lot has changed since the 90's syndicated TV market.

    We have all these new channels and streaming services, all with their own signature look and feel.

    I'm curious, if a new Highlander series were to air tomorrow night, prime time, what would it look like in your mind?

    To get the ball rolling -

    The CW - I can't imagine a Duncan or Connor-type lead, but I can see a Quentin.

    As far as plot goes, I'd like to see a series that drew inspiration from Endgame, The Source and weirdly enough, HL:2

    Quentin MacLeod, in search of where he comes from learns of [a non Watcher commissioned] Sanctuary. This Sanctuary is run by the Followers of Zeist who believe Immortals are the Second Coming (or something). There IS a fight on holy ground, the world goes to shit and this brings us to The Source inspired story arc for the next season … or whatever.

    Apparently my grand idea for a Highlander TV show is to take the 4 worst parts of the franchise and mash it all into one.




    AyVee

  • #2
    I could see David Quinlan become the protagonist of a new series.
    As a former watcher he's making his way through the world, drifting from city to city while trying to avoid immortals that are out of his league and challenging immortals who he has condemning information on.

    He is trying go get stronger to be a match to take out bigger bad immortals, the likes of Kage, Keric Njal and Victor Hansen.
    May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Nicholas Ward View Post
      He is trying go get stronger to be a match to take out bigger bad immortals, the likes of Kage, Keric Njal and Victor Hansen.
      Why poor Kage?

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by dubiousbystander View Post

        Why poor Kage?
        Why not? His goodie-two-shoes act won't last forever.
        May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

        Comment


        • #5
          I'd still push for seeing a variation of Highlander:The Source into a tv series. Basically, I always envisioned seeing a mashup of the tv series Jeremiah.
          It was originally aired on Showtime so I'd think Highlander would fit in there. So in Jeremiah it was Luke Perry as the lead along with Malcolm Jamal Warner. Instead it'd be Adrian Paul and Peter Wingfield or someone like Bruce Young. Introducing new characters that could eventually become the central focus and have the whole passing of the torch , so that the Highlander saga continues as a fantasy adventure drama for years and years.
          The setting remains the same of a post apocalyptic type of setting. In the Jeremiah series all the adults died from a virus while all the children survived because they were immune to the infection. Could have that still play out but instead of just being the children who are now grownups, youd have immortals involved. That gives much more in terms of adding onto Jeremiah's episodes.
          MacLeod and his pals look to find the Source because that could have been the cause of the virus or possibly a way to just make the world a better place again, but it doesnt become the whole premise because you of course have Macleod & Co. getting involved with the random people and the conflicts they encounter.

          Thats what I think could still work even now. A Showtime series that has the drama, the serious tone, the action, the romance, flashbacks ,etc.

          Power to the Donut!

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Donut View Post
            The setting remains the same of a post apocalyptic type of setting. In the Jeremiah series all the adults died from a virus while all the children survived because they were immune to the infection. Could have that still play out but instead of just being the children who are now grownups, youd have immortals involved. That gives much more in terms of adding onto Jeremiah's episodes.
            I don't know. I would prefer it to take place in the now. Jeremiah's concept was lifted whole from The Girl Who Owned a City, by O. T. Nelson. I read that book a hundred years ago, probably a few years after it was published. Really liked it. Jeremiah gave me hissy fits for its misogyny.

            If you have it take place in the now, then except for flashbacks you don't really have to worry a huge amount about settings. No need to track down a proper landscape for every episode. Though I suppose you could have flashbacks TO now. Hey, if you want to do Jeremiah, you might as well do The Matrix. The Immortals... are they real, or are they programs who don't know they're programs? Drama!

            Comment


            • #7
              I'm still rather fond of the idea of a series that follows someone who's just become immortal and is learning about The Game and how to live his/her life. Maybe nobody sees this person die so he/she can try going about his/her life as if nothing happened, but as time goes by it gets more and more difficult until it becomes potentially impossible.

              Of course this character will have a mentor and we can use that mentor to fill the flashback quota. When the main character has a problem to deal with, we can have flashbacks that show his/her mentor going through a similar situation and how he/she dealt with it. He/she can use what he/she learned from those experiences to help the main character.

              Personally, I'm not eager to see another Highlander story that takes place in a dark future. I'd rather see it take place in modern times.

              Comment


              • #8
                Y'know... The CW just ordered King Fu and Walker Texas Ranger reboots to series, so it wouldn't be far fetched for them to approach Highlander, now. Based on their trends, I imagine the lead would be a woman, and it would take place in the modern day. Given that he appeared on Arrow, I'd even say they could get Adrian Paul back. He's a bit too old to play Duncan anymore, but like John Wesley Shipp on The Flash, they could get him to play someone new, so maybe a watcher?

                So yeah, here we go:

                Blurb - A woman adopted by a Scottish immigrant is murdered, but doesn't die. Her mother tells her she's immortal like her, and sets out to begin her training. Meanwhile, her mother has a romance with a man, who has a secret of his own. He's a watcher. He took an oath never to interfere, but couldn't help himself when his mark was in danger. He's kept her close ever since, struggling to keep his relationship a secret from his superiors, and his job from her. Together, these three face the challenges of immortality from different perspectives.

                Cast - Adrian Paul (the Watcher), Mid-30's Scottish Actress (mentor), Early-20's Latinx or Asian Actress (lead).

                Episodic Form - Modern issue intercut with mentor's past to provide a lesson for our lead. with a slow burn watcher based storyline playing out over the season.

                Potential Season Arcs

                S1 - Thrust into a world of immortals, the lead is introduced to the Game through their mentor, learning the ins and outs of immortal life while trying to figure out who murdered her. Meanwhile, AP struggles with his job and relationship, but is found out by his immediate superior, who ultimately covers for him, because he has worries about a secret society within their ranks.

                S2 - An old friend of the mentor is killed on Holy Ground, and she doesn't understand how/why someone would do such a thing, so she investigates. The lead struggles with every day life, knowing that she's meant for something greater. AP and his superior investigate the secret society, and discover that a group of watchers have taken it upon themselves to save humanity from immortals. The hunters are slowly revealed, and in the season finale, they kill the mentor, accidentally triggering a quickening that the lead would never have wanted.

                S3 - The lead and AP band together to hunt the hunters. Flashes of her mentor's life come to the lead as she struggles to face the world of immortals alone, leading her to seek out an old wiser immortal to try and understand the effects of a quickening better. Learning how to focus through meditation, the lead finds a way to live the experiences and learn the knowledge of those whose quickenings she has taken (thus mentor flashbacks are maintained). A culmination of the hunter storyline leads to the watchers imploding, and splintering into factions, but soon the hunters' leader is fought and killed. However, with this come the revelation that he was being manipulated by another. A man who was secretly, himself, an immortal.

                S4 - Widening the net with help from some remaining watchers, who have turned to AP as a de facto leader now that his superior has died leaving him as one of the oldest amongst them, they try to track down this would be manipulator while the lead runs down leads of her own. The lead and AP's relationship becomes strained as they take different approaches to the investigation, and the lead seems to be heading down a dark path. She stumbles upon a legend of four horsemen, and manages to track one of them down, but he won't give up what he knows, so she she kills him and is ultimately overwhelmed by a dark quickening.

                S5 - AP tries to pull the lead back from the darkness, but her rage has now consumed her. She seeks out the remaining three horseman, one of who, was the architect of the hunters, but her quest for vengeance begins to take a toll on her. She can feel her mentor crying out to help her from within, and she is eventually lead by vision to an ancient immortal who can help her -- Methos. With the help of the ancient, she overcomes the evil within herself, and sets out to find the remaining horseman with a new ally by her side. Finding another, she tries another approach, avoiding his quickening, but in doing so, he reveals that Methos was one of the horsemen before leaping away from her off a cliff or into an ocean or something otherwise lethal to mortals.

                S6 - Her trust in Methos broken, she works with AP to find out more about his past, hoping the other horseman was lying. As they look into it, however, it becomes more and more obvious that it's true. Methos, aware of sudden mistrust, disappears. Continuing their mission to find the immortal horseman who controlled the hunters, they finally find an ancient temple where the legend of the horsemen was said to originate. Arriving, the lead finds Methos waiting for her. He explains his part in the distant past, and how he moved on from his sins, seeking penance, and as his ultimate act thereof, he offers her his knowledge of the fourth horseman, but he does not give her his head. Instead he performs a ritual that transfers parts of his experiences to her through a controlled quickening, a forgotten truth of immortal capability developed by an ancient order of immortal monks known as the Jettators. With all that Methos knew of his once comrades passed to the lead. He the. Simply walks away.

                S7 - AP and the lead follow what she's learned to hunt down the fourth horseman. All the while, AP's age is catching up with him, and his desire for vengeance is wearing thin. Frustrated, the lead leaves him behind to continue on without him. Her investigative adventures lead her across the world, until she finally finds the fourth horseman. They fight, but she loses, and just as he's about to take her head, AP shows up shooting him to save her. Infuriated, he rushes him and puts his blade through AP's chest. Methos then arrive soon and scares him away, ultimately saving the lead's life.

                S8 - Methos helps the lead track down the fourth horseman once again, and taking up her training himself. It was clear she couldn't hope to face him and win, so Methos knew he had to help. The watcher remnants help, as well, now after their own sort of vengeance against the fourth horseman. Ultimately, they all track him down, and Methos forces a fair fight between the lead and her mark, actively disrupting the watchers so they won't be able to interfere again. The battle is long and rough, but ultimately she gets the better of the fourth horseman. Just before taking his head, he tells her he wasn't the leader of the four. It was Methos. Methos was the one known as Death. She takes his head, and sees the truth -- Methos was the worst of them all.

                S9 - There are so many ways to go with this, I don't know.

                S10 - The final season. All story threads conclude.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Whooooo cool! Though I really hope you don't go evil Methos with this. Let his evil be a thing of the past, but how can this be proven? I love it, Takk!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'm glad you like it.

                    With S9, I could see it going both ways, but I think I may have cracked it.

                    Evil Methos could be interesting, but I think it's more complicated than that. It's also not worth doing a clear cut good guy, like we ended up seeing originally, if only because there was so much more potential than he was used for. I think there would have to be solid antagonism, at least. Perhaps a revelation that the Game is a lie (I've always been a proponent to that concept), but maybe it could have been developed by Methos. Or at least perpetuated by him. Like, he knows the truth, which is why he knows the rituals of the Jettators, but he chose to perpetuate the lie to cull the field. Perhaps he was in a position to end it all, but he feared what could happen if someone like him brought together a group like the Jettators to kill en mass, and rule the world. Maybe he even killed the Jettators out of this fear, to hide the truth of the quickening. And his lie, and her truth come at odds.

                    Maybe then for S10, he uses the watcher resources to manufacture a gathering. Luring all known immortals to a single location to have it out. All the while hiding, waiting for those he fears to kill themselves. Meanwhile, the lead is trying to get them all to listen to reason, to show that quickenings can be shared without death. To demonstrate to them that the game is a lie, and that Methos is manipulating everyone. It could then culminate in a forced duel between the lead and Methos, neither wanting to kill the other, but both trying to claim victory. And in the end, Methos restrains himself from what she knows could have been a killing blow, so she changes gears to force him to reveal the Jettators quickening (do it or die and she'll gain the knowledge anyway). Once he does, the witnesses know the truth. It was all a lie. They had killed so many, loved ones and enemies alike, and it was for nothing. Just like the mortals they had pitied for so long, they're purpose was similarly unknown

                    They simply are.

                    The series then ends with infinite possibilities. Immortals no longer clashing in eternal combat. Free to be who they want to be. Good and ill intentions rise. Some share their knowledge with each other, coming to an understanding of what the Jettators once knew. Others banding together as Methos feared, to change the world as they see fit. From there it's a whole new world.

                    Spinoffs, movies, and whatever else could all lead out from there.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Personally, I wouldn't want a new Highlander series to go to the CW. Most of their shows seem rather substandard to me. I'd rather see it go to Netflix or one of its ilk.

                      I'm not crazy about the idea of outright revealing that The Game is a lie. I think part of Highlander's mystique comes from the eternal mystery of The Game. Life doesn't always offer definitive answers to our big questions. After thousands of years, we're still forced to go on faith regarding the meaning of life and so on. Why should Immortals be any different? Why can't The Game be so old that there's no one left alive who knows how it started, not even Methos.

                      I might be able to get behind the idea that Immortals having a choice. They can share their Quickenings the Jettator way, or they can choose to take Quickenings through violence, or they could even choose to just live and let live. They don't necessarily know what the consequences of these choices might be, but they can still try, and hope for the best.

                      Also, I'd like to see the new series take place in the same world as the original TV series. First, you establish the basic world of this series and its main characters, then when that's done you start to reveal its connections to the past series.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        The CW has smaller budgets that can make some of their effects heavy shows seem substandard, but Highlander has never been a big budget show, and the one thing The CW has that other channels and premium services don't is low rating expectations which allow their shows to last longer. Supernatural for instance has run for 15 years on The CW, but with its viewership numbers it would've been lucky to see two on a proper network. A better example would be Supergirl, which began on CBS, but was essentially cancelled only to be picked up by The CW for season 2, and is currently sitting on 5 seasons and counting, even though it's rates are much lower than they were on CBS. If you want genre shows to last longer than a couple of seasons these days, The CW is the place to do it.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I have a different issue with the Game being a lie. The promising thing that the cartoon series did was allow the Jettators to give up their Quickenings so they become mortal (but not magically able to have children.) The problem always comes back to the Quickenings. Incidentally, one of your sentences got scrambled: "He the. Simply walks away." I assume it's "He then simply walks away." Does he walk away changed? Is he still Immortal.

                          I once wrote a fanfic that, for me, had as a key point: "If your enemy costs you nothing, then why do you fight them? What do they matter?" "There is the lure that has kept you here so long, ... To win without cost. But this battle does not matter, either in the long run or the short run, because it is not real."

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Takk View Post
                            The CW has smaller budgets that can make some of their effects heavy shows seem substandard, but Highlander has never been a big budget show, and the one thing The CW has that other channels and premium services don't is low rating expectations which allow their shows to last longer. Supernatural for instance has run for 15 years on The CW, but with its viewership numbers it would've been lucky to see two on a proper network. A better example would be Supergirl, which began on CBS, but was essentially cancelled only to be picked up by The CW for season 2, and is currently sitting on 5 seasons and counting, even though it's rates are much lower than they were on CBS. If you want genre shows to last longer than a couple of seasons these days, The CW is the place to do it.
                            First, I confess that I haven't watched Supernatural in ages and I haven't watched those other shows at all, but what I've seen, heard, and read about them say that it's not the low budgets that hurt them, it's the fact that they're just not very good. Supernatural went on for way too long apparently and it went down hill, and shows like Supergirl and Batwoman are just bad on every level. If that's the standard to go by, then I don't trust the CW to make a good Highlander show. And, that's my biggest concern. I want a new Highlander show that's good, and tells quality stories. It doesn't matter how long the show lasts if it sucks, and apparently on the CW bad shows can last longer than they deserve to. I want to see whomever is in charge of making a new Highlander series aim high and make the best show possible. I certainly want to see them aim higher than what the CW seems to be capable of producing.

                            After seeing what Netflix has done with shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher, I have more faith in them to produce a series that's worth watching.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Darth Reaper View Post

                              First, I confess that I haven't watched Supernatural in ages and I haven't watched those other shows at all, but what I've seen, heard, and read about them say that it's not the low budgets that hurt them, it's the fact that they're just not very good. Supernatural went on for way too long apparently and it went down hill, and shows like Supergirl and Batwoman are just bad on every level. If that's the standard to go by, then I don't trust the CW to make a good Highlander show. And, that's my biggest concern. I want a new Highlander show that's good, and tells quality stories. It doesn't matter how long the show lasts if it sucks, and apparently on the CW bad shows can last longer than they deserve to. I want to see whomever is in charge of making a new Highlander series aim high and make the best show possible. I certainly want to see them aim higher than what the CW seems to be capable of producing.

                              After seeing what Netflix has done with shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher, I have more faith in them to produce a series that's worth watching.
                              Neither Supergirl or Batwoman are bad on every level.

                              There's a lot of people who whine about them, but knowing some of those who do the complaints stem more from misogyny than genuine critique. That's not to say there are t justifiable critiques to be made, but generally speaking, the people whining the loudest aren't making those arguments. The Arrowverse, in my opinion (note that bit right there), is actually pretty good. Variant in quality, sure, but any franchise that is 7 shows deep is bound to have such variation. That said, if they were bad on every level, there wouldn't be so many of them, with even more on the way.

                              They have their fans like everything else.

                              Hell, it's worth noting that many (if not most) people think Highlander is trash. Completely worthless after the first movie, and even that is only good in the sense of cheesy 80's B-movie fashion. We can like it all we want, but that's how it's viewed. And then there's the Star Wars movies, where you have OT purists whining about everything, EU fanboys crying about Disney, and Prequel haters all over.

                              Basically what I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge things you haven't seen based on the comments of haters. You should t necessarily take the word of fans either, but they're more reliable than haters. As the saying goes, haters gonna hate. They're worthless. Critique is one thing, claiming to not find enjoyment in any part of something is another.

                              You have Netflix, check out the first season of Arrow. Give it the old three episode judgment. See how you feel about it all then.

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by dubiousbystander View Post
                                I have a different issue with the Game being a lie. The promising thing that the cartoon series did was allow the Jettators to give up their Quickenings so they become mortal (but not magically able to have children.) The problem always comes back to the Quickenings. Incidentally, one of your sentences got scrambled: "He the. Simply walks away." I assume it's "He then simply walks away." Does he walk away changed? Is he still Immortal.

                                I once wrote a fanfic that, for me, had as a key point: "If your enemy costs you nothing, then why do you fight them? What do they matter?" "There is the lure that has kept you here so long, ... To win without cost. But this battle does not matter, either in the long run or the short run, because it is not real."
                                I wrote it with the assumption that Methos remained immortal. I imagine that unless they give all of themselves to the other, they would so remain. But yeah. As for the game being a lie, I think I gravitate towards it simply because I gravitate to the unknowable. So much in life is so. Purpose cannot be given, it must be found. The game is just too convenient.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Originally posted by Takk View Post

                                  Neither Supergirl or Batwoman are bad on every level.
                                  Fair enough, but it's not enough to make them a good measuring stick for what to expect from a CW-produced Highlander series.

                                  There's a lot of people who whine about them, but knowing some of those who do the complaints stem more from misogyny than genuine critique. That's not to say there are t justifiable critiques to be made, but generally speaking, the people whining the loudest aren't making those arguments. The Arrowverse, in my opinion (note that bit right there), is actually pretty good. Variant in quality, sure, but any franchise that is 7 shows deep is bound to have such variation. That said, if they were bad on every level, there wouldn't be so many of them, with even more on the way.
                                  Sorry, but i don't buy into the idea that the people who are complaining the loudest are all misogynists. Some of the people that I've seen criticizing Batwoman are women.

                                  Also, last I checked Supergirl's ratings were declining and Batwoman's were even worse. that doesn't inspire confidence.

                                  They have their fans like everything else.

                                  Hell, it's worth noting that many (if not most) people think Highlander is trash. Completely worthless after the first movie, and even that is only good in the sense of cheesy 80's B-movie fashion. We can like it all we want, but that's how it's viewed. And then there's the Star Wars movies, where you have OT purists whining about everything, EU fanboys crying about Disney, and Prequel haters all over.
                                  Nobody's perfect.

                                  Basically what I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge things you haven't seen based on the comments of haters. You should t necessarily take the word of fans either, but they're more reliable than haters. As the saying goes, haters gonna hate. They're worthless. Critique is one thing, claiming to not find enjoyment in any part of something is another.
                                  I have no reason to trust the fans any more than the haters.

                                  You have Netflix, check out the first season of Arrow. Give it the old three episode judgment. See how you feel about it all then.
                                  The problem there is that it looks like the problem didn't start with Arrow. Watching that won't tell me anything about the other shows.

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    Originally posted by Takk View Post

                                    I wrote it with the assumption that Methos remained immortal. I imagine that unless they give all of themselves to the other, they would so remain. But yeah. As for the game being a lie, I think I gravitate towards it simply because I gravitate to the unknowable. So much in life is so. Purpose cannot be given, it must be found. The game is just too convenient.
                                    I'd argue that The Game is an unknowable as well. What is it, how did it begin, why must it happen, is it real, is it an absolute or can it be rejected? The Game holds tremendous power over Immortals and yet there are so many unanswered questions surrounding it. I'd hardly call that convenient.

                                    The Game was designed by the storytellers to be a mystery, just like life itself is, and I don't think it was meant to be answered.

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