Q&A: Legend of the Seeker Producer Ken Biller Still ‘Hopeful for A Third Season’

AT: So there’s this little grassroots movement to get the show renewed for a third season by fans. They’re writing letters in to their local stations and to Disney. I don’t know that all shows have that kind of support. Could you talk a little bit about your fan base?

I love it! My writers spend a little bit more time tapping into all that stuff than I do, but yes, there are some really great fan sites and we‘ve gotten incredible fan feedback. The show is not so easy for some people to find in some markets, but people are finding it and watching it on Hulu and watching it on iTunes and hopefully watching it on broadcast where it looks the best and actually we’ve had a little bit of growth in our audience over last season which is remarkable given the limitations of some of our distribution, but we’re in some 130 countries around the world and we’ve got a great international audience. So I’m very happy to hear that the fans are pushing to get the show renewed for a third season, which is something I’m very hopeful about.

AT: Do know when that decision might happen?

Probably not for a little while, I think it’s too early, but I do know that the studio would very much like to see it continue. I’ve been busy writing the season finale with Stephen Tolkin and in the writer’s room we’ve been coming up with all sorts of tantalizing story lines for season three.

AT: So some of your most notable work is still in the realm of sci-fi/fantasy: Star Trek: Voyager, Smallville, Dark Angel.

Yeah, how did that happen?

AT: But then I also see the 90210 reboot and North Shore.

Ah yes, the sexy surfing soap.

AT: Has any of that experience helped you tug on viewers’ heartstrings on LOTS? Some of the scenes between Richard and Kahlan are really intense.

I’m really pleased that in my career I’ve been able to do some very varied material. I spent many years doing Star Trek: Voyager and after that I thought that I just wanted to do a show were people don’t have phasers and there are no aliens. I just wanted to do shows about real people and relationships and after I did that I realized that it’s pretty cool to do genre stuff because it allows you to rip on contemporary themes and dabble in metaphor and all that. I guess I would like to think of myself as not a genre writer or producer or director, but just as a writer or producer or director who likes to explore interesting characters and tell compelling stories and keep surprising an audience.

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AT: So we’re in the second half season two. Can you give us any hints as to what’s to come?

Well, we have an episode with Keisha Castle-Hughes who was nominated for an Oscar for Whale Rider and she plays a character who claims to be the creator and she may or may not be and she ends up posing a very unexpected threat to Richard and forces Kahlan to question her faith and everything she’s been taught. It’s a really lovely performance from a really lovely actress.

We will see the return of Sister Nicci, a sister of the dark who has become a nemesis for Richard. We will meet Kahlan’s father, played by Michael Nouri (NCIS, Damages).

We’re going to see some creatures we haven’t seen before in episode 16. It’s kind of a seeker twist on a classic creature.

We’re doing a really cool episode called Vengeance, which is going to reveal a lot of the dark secrets of Zedd’s youth. So we’ll be seeing Gabriel Mann (The Bourne Identity) back playing young Zedd. Also, that episode will star John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings). He plays a character named Horace who claims to know the secret to Richard’s success.

And in the last four episodes we will be paying off the quest that was set up in episode one: the tear in the veil. Richard and Kahlan and Cara and Zedd are going to be fighting an ever widening threat as the world begins to come to an end. They will find the stone of tears. The question is will they be able to get it to where they need it in time? And during the conclusion of the season they will find themselves with some very unlikely adversaries as well as some very unlikely allies. It’s going to be big. It’s going to be awesome.

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mimsysnark

Hmm, I think I’ve seen this show on during the doldrums of Saturday afternoon channel surfing, right? Seemed pretty generic to me, so I’m surprised to see this article about it. I know I don’t have much to contribute, but I’d love to hear from some commenters about the appeal of this show to them.
http://www.theseekercast.com Kevin Bachelder

> I’d love to hear from some commenters about
> the appeal of this show to them. – mimsysnark

There are several things that appeal to me. On one level it’s a story about two people who come to fall in love with each other but they both have commitments that stop them from being able to move forward with a physical relationship. On another level it’s a well done adventure story about a group of people who are on a quest. Above all else it’s a show about a group of characters that you come to know and love and feel like you’re right there with them on their journey.

I hope that helps. :)
orchardist

The appeal to me:
- Seriously above-age production value. The shooting in NZ makes the setting it’s own character. Like LOTR, it gives you a feel of a real “different” world. In general there is much more of a LOTR feel for me than an Xena feel.
- Compelling plotlines with real consequences. The reset button is hit often regarding the main love story but it still manages to progress in an understandable fashion.
- Excellent characterizations. Not two-dimensional and they show progress along the way. More importantly, the good guys are good guys. No useless dragging the hero’s through dark spaces. Even when they are challenges with moral dilemmas, their inner goodness remains intact. They make mistakes, show human weaknesses, and struggle with the right choices but it’s a consistent yet developing characterization. No “lightswitch personality developments”. It’s all earned and again, no Anakin Skywalkers (good people who fall from grace while we watch hopelessly). In this fashion, the series is a hopeful series where doing the right thing may be difficult but it’s clear it’s the right thing — no useless punishment for being a good guy.
- Out of the park action sequences. The fighting is far better than one would expect on a TV show. The use of “bullet time” where appropriate gives at least two or three “cool shots” each episode. It’s just FUN to watch.

So in sum: Good production value, good characters, good plot, and excellent action sequences. Who could ask for anything more?
ivyteainn

Obviously we need to convince ABC to find another avenue to broadcast the show. Writing ABC may help, I would urge everyone to do that. Send a letter. Don’t wait, be proactive. I also get a direct mailing of the new shows through ABC, you can too. Probably, though I don’t know this, they watch that numbers that view the program through that site. As to the Tribune stations, boycott them, don’t watch them. I disagree with others, you need to let them know that you are angry with them. Keep sending them e-mails. I also disagree with the notion that they can’t change their minds. Don’t let them off the hook.
http://divinaitaliapraia.com.br/wordpress marcrav

Hi, I’m from Brazil and I got to know the show only two weeks ago. I watched all episodes from first and second seasons through these two weeks and found the show amazing. It’s not an ordinary fantasy show. The plots are very well written. The actors are very good. And the notion of truth and justice that comes with the three mains characters, especially Kahlan, is very important to be shown in television. Also, all the principles in the use of magic can be applied to the real life. Anyone who is tuned with the real mysticism knows that the way that this theme is treated in the show is a nice example of guidance. At last, It’s very pleasing seeing an beautiful actress like Bridget managing to build up such a strong and delicate character, at the same time, like Kahlan, whose beauty comes much more from her acts then from her aesthetics; she is a real actress instead of just another beautiful woman on the screen. By the way, all the cast is very, but very powerfull. We can’t compare them with the cast of Hercules or Xena. For someone (I’m 36) who grew up reading The Lord of The Rings, The Mists of Avalon and Foundation The Legend of The Seeker is a diamond amongst dust in the world of television.

Congratulations! Mariana Craveiro