On this episode we preview MTV’s new fantasy series The Shannara Chronicles. It stars Austin Butler (The Carrie Diaries), Poppy Drayton (When Calls the Heart TV movie), Ivan Baquero (Pan’s Labyrinth movie), James Remar (Dexter), Manu Bennett (Arrow, Spartacus) and John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings movies, Sliders).
The Shannara Chronicles is an adaptation of the best-selling fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. Set thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization, the story follows Will, an elf-human hybrid, Amberle, an elven princess, and Eretria, a human rover, as they embark on a quest to stop a demon army from destroying the Four Lands. The first season of the show follows the story of The Elfstones of Shannara, which was the second novel of the original Shannara Trilogy.
I’ve seen the first four episodes and I quite like what I’ve seen so far. I look forward to checking out the rest of the 10-episodes. The special effects and visuals are fantastic. Drayton and Baquero are quite good and Bennett, Rhys-Davies and Remar are always good, which continues to be the case here. The first two episodes do a good job of introducing you to the world of the show and the main characters. While the show isn’t slow by any means, I do like that they take a little time bringing the trio together to begin their quest, as it didn’t feel forced. This is one I’ve been looking forward to since hearing the actors and Terry Brooks himself talk about the show in the pressroom at San Diego Comic-Con last July. Then after seeing the first trailer they played during the panel there, it was definitely on my list. And it’s always nice when something actually lives up to the expectations set forth by both of those happenings.
Watch the Trailer for The Shannara Chronicles

Will you be checking out MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles when it premieres with the first two episodes on Tuesday, January 5th following the premiere of the back half of Teen Wolf season five?
Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.