His Dark Materialscould have greatly benefited from premiering two years later. The series was adapted from Philip Pullman’s belovedfantasy novel seriesof the same name, which follows a girl named Lyra as she searches for her missing friend, Roger.Lyra’s quest becomes larger than she could ever have imaginedas she is thrust into a conflict that spans the entire multiverse. The first book was adapted into a 2007 movie, which was not a faithful adaptation of the source material, and was poorly received.
TheTV show adaptation cast Dafne Keento play Lyra, along with casting James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Ruth Wilson as Mrs. Coulter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby. With each of the three seasons adapting one of the books, the series was a more faithful adaptation and had a far more positive reception, including an 84% critical score and 82% audience score onRotten Tomatoes. Despite all thegreat Dafne Keen inHis Dark Materialsand the positive reviews, the show could have been bigger if it hadn’t been released in 2019.
His Dark Materials Would Have Been Bigger If It Hadn’t Premiered Right After Game Of Thrones
Game Of Thrones Ended And His Dark Materials Debuted In 2019
His Dark Materialsdebuted in November 2019, only months afterGame of Thrones' divisive series finale came out in May 2019. As a new fantasy show released on HBO so soon afterGame of Thrones,His Dark Materialswas inevitably and unfairly compared to the pop culture phenomenon, and there was more of an expectation that it would be a"Game of Thronesreplacement.“At the time, there was an expectation for other fantasy shows to look and feel likeGame of Thrones, and anything that did not meet these expectations could be considered a disappointment.
I Wish HBO Would Make A Sequel To Dafne Keen’s Great Fantasy Show With 84% On Rotten Tomatoes
Given Dafne Keen’s recent success in Star Wars and MCU projects, HBO really needs to make a sequel to her hit fantasy series with an 84% RT rating.
However,His Dark Materials' fantasy has little in common withGame of Thrones, both in terms of content and tone.His Dark Materialsis more similar to shows likePercy Jackson & the OlympiansandShadow & Bone, which benefited from coming out years afterGame of Thrones. If the adaptation of Lyra’s story had also come out in 2021 or later, there would have been less of a misguided expectation for it to be the nextGame of Thrones, and for it to instead be appreciated on its own merits.
The Timing Of His Dark Materials Hurt An Otherwise Incredible Fantasy Show
While the timing ofHis Dark Materials' debut hurt the show, everything else about it was incredible. The casting was impeccable, with Keen being the perfect choice to play the determined and fiery Lyra, while McAvoy and Wilson excelled at playing the complex Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. Andrew Scott, Amir Wilson, and Simone Kirby’s characters introduced in season 2 continued the phenomenal casting. Even though it looked different fromGame of Thrones,His Dark Materialsstill had outstanding production value, with the effects, costumes, and settings all feeling immersive as they brought fantastical worlds and daemons to life.
Having it come out years afterGame of Thronescould have helped, but regardless of the release timing,His Dark Materialswill remain a top-tier fantasy show.
The stellar writing did the source material justice while also making the story feel accessible for those who had never read the books. This included delivering one of thebest fantasy TV endings of all time.His Dark Materialshad all the right ingredients to be a massive fantasy showand deserved to have a larger audience. Having it come out years afterGame of Thronescould have helped, but regardless of the release timing,His Dark Materialswill remain a top-tier fantasy show.
