Wizard’s First Rule - Fall Syndicated Show

[Dmon4u]

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Dayparts_update_51/Big_syndie_thing_Wizard_s_First_Rule.asp

"It's one of the most-talked-about new series to come out of this year's National Association of Television Program Executives convention in Las Vegas."

Based on the Terry Goodkind book Series and produced by Sam Raimi - more info through Link, above.

------

Can't say that I ever read the Books. I think I've considered them but every time I've read the Promos or Cover info I found nothing of interest to me.

Anybody have an opinion on the Books ?

[Andrew_S]

It's your standard fantasy fare. Veers off as a commentary on 9/11, Iraq, and other modern day realities towards the end of the series. If you like fantasy, I'd recommend the first 6 to 8 books. While I enjoyed the entire series, it's not for everyone.

Fantasy... romance novels for geeks.

[WinBear]

The first book is easily an entire season. In fact, they should plan for each book to be a season. I think it has a lot of potential.

[Fahtrim]

Pretty hard core for broadcase tv, without rewrites.

[JakeyB]

Pretty hard core for broadcase tv, without rewrites.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. First season or two should be decent, then it'll turn into Richard and Kahlan whining ;)

[hummingbird_206]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. First season or two should be decent, then it'll turn into Richard and Kahlan whining ;)

:up: Yep, I really liked the first few books. I think I finally gave up after the 4th or 5th one.

[alyssa]

Pretty hard core for broadcase tv, without rewrites.

speaking of re-writes....wonder who's gonna do the writing what with the strike and all?
havent' read the book but will watch the show. I hope it's pg so my 8 year old can watch too.

[Andrew_S]

It's only intended to be a mini series, so I imagine it will cover the first book or so.

[Zevida]

This is terrific!

I always thought that Wizard's First Rule would be great on television. A movie would be cool but the story has way too much depth to be condensed into 2 hours for the theater. 22 hour long episodes will be great. I can't wait to see the cast.

As to the books, Wizard's First Rule is my all-time favorite fiction book. I love it. The rest of the series I can take or leave and I stopped reading after book 7 or 8. I typically don't like fantasy and I really don't read fantasy. This book is more of an adventure romance set in a world with magic.

At first I was bummed this would be a syndication and not a prime-time show, but maybe that is better. Fewer expectations and a chance to stay on longer. I don't care if they ever get to the other books as long as they finish the first.

[scooterboy]

Is that the one with the "confessor", or am I thinking of a different book?

[WinBear]

Is that the one with the "confessor", or am I thinking of a different book?

That's the one. Kahlan, the mother confessor, is the female lead in the series.

[slvrtounge]

Sword of Truth is a good series, but in my opinion the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jorda is better and would make better TV. Just my 2 cents :)

[SteveInNC]

From what I remember of the book series, unless I'm confusing it with a different series, I think that they'd have a hard time getting a LOT of the first couple of books' content past censors onto TV...

[footballdude]

Sword of Truth is a good series, but in my opinion the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jorda is better and would make better TV. Just my 2 cents :)
Funny you should say that. Both of those book series struck me the same way. The author had a good idea, then did everything possible to stretch the story out and get as many books published as he could. Jordan managed to die before he finished his.

[OldFantom]

Jordan just seems like he is milking a cow that died about book 7. The characters are getting more and more dense. I am not sure I ever heard of making your protagonists more and more stupid as a plot device. The Goodkind books have also suffered with longevity, but not as bad.

The interesting thing for me in fantasy books is how the names are pronounced. Sure I can work out Richard and Zed, but I tend to see the names as a picture and not a word in most fantasy books. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

As an aside did anyone see the new Dragonlance movie? I was, I must admit, a little disappointed. They worked real hard to get everything in the book into the film, but it seemed more like they where just jumping from scene to scene with the intent of telling you something important, rather than telling a story. Hope the new series is better.

[slydog75]

Interesting. I wish it would be on HBO, the torture scenes would get VERY interesting! What stations is this going to be on? TBS?

[TreborPugly]

I like the first book, although he overdoes the torture bits. The nice thing about TV is that they will have to truncate his rambling details on torture and philosophy.

[slvrtounge]

As an aside did anyone see the new Dragonlance movie? I was, I must admit, a little disappointed. They worked real hard to get everything in the book into the film, but it seemed more like they where just jumping from scene to scene with the intent of telling you something important, rather than telling a story. Hope the new series is better.


I knew the movie was in the works but didnt know it was out yet. I'll have to look for it. It was an animation wasnt it?

[Dmon4u]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6540656.html

"Disney-ABC’s new one-hour science-fiction series, Wizard’s First Rule, is cleared for fall 2008 in 84% of the country and all of the top 50 markets, the company said last week."

[Sirius Black]

Dragonlance movie??!!!

Chronicles or legends?

[DLiquid]

I started reading Wizard's First Rule after hearing this news. I like it so far, but it's very different from The Song of Ice and Fire books I took a break from to read it.

So this comes from the team that brought us Xena and Hercules? Ugh, that kills a lot of my anticipation. Sam Raimi is involved, that is promising. Maybe he'll throw Bruce Campbell in there. :)

[Dmon4u]

"Wizard's First Rule"

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-wizardsfirstrulepremieredate,0,2846275.story

November 1st

[SteveInNC]

Bridget Regan seems to have the right "look" for her character, as I would have imagined her: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4022112768/nm2125623

Note that there are apparently a musician and a photographer of that same name, so Google searches yield mixed results.

I still think that they'll have trouble pulling off the plot line as-written. They'll have to substantially water it down, if they don't just skip the whole torture plot point altogether. I would suspect that the target audience is expecting something more along the lines of Harry Potter.

IMDB lists the series as being 22 episodes.

[ronbo]

Weird, I'm in the middle of the series right now and was thinking of dropping it. I really liked the first few books, but currently in the middle of 'Faith of the Fallen' and getting kind of bored. Probably shouldn't have tried to read them all in a row. Maybe a break after this book will rekindle the interest, but it just seems to be the same story over and over, some situation separates Richard and Kahlan and they strive to overcome it. Drama and misunderstandings ensue.
The character development in the first books and the +/- magic and new vs. old worlds was really interesting to me. Now it just seems like each book's baddie is out to rid the world of a) Magic, b) Richard, c) All of the Above.

[Zevida]

I'm excited to see what they do with it. I'm not sure I like the actor picked for Richard, he doesn't seem substantial enough - Richard should be tall, powerful and intimidating.

Regarding the books, I agree they lost steam somewhere around the 5th/6th. I thought the 5th was poor, it picked back up with Faith of the Fallen and then took a nosedive. My mom has been enjoying the trilogy that will end the series, but I don't feel it is worth my effort to get caught back up.

[Dmon4u]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844653/faq#.2.1.1

"Tribune outlets, representing 35% of the country and seven top ten markets, will air it. Wizard's also will have a concurrent run on Tribune's cable superstation WGN, "

[footballdude]

My mom has been enjoying the trilogy that will end the series, but I don't feel it is worth my effort to get caught back up.

Actually, you don't really need to do any catching up. If you've read the first three books, you can skip to the last three and not really miss anything worthwhile. When you first start reading the ending trilogy, it seems like you missed something important. I actually wondered if I had missed a book in the series somehow. But it all gets explained before too long.

This series of books started to get under my skin but I was happy with the ending.

[justen_m]

Actually, you don't really need to do any catching up. If you've read the first three books, you can skip to the last three and not really miss anything worthwhile. When you first start reading the ending trilogy,
There's an ending trilogy?! Awesome, I might have to look those up. I figured this series was a neverending saga like Wheel of Time, which I gave up on many years ago. I might just finish this one.

[hummingbird_206]

There's an ending trilogy?! Awesome, I might have to look those up. I figured this series was a neverending saga like Wheel of Time, which I gave up on many years ago. I might just finish this one.

Same here on the Wizard's series. I gave up. But if there is an actual conclusion, I may have to check it out. Now as for the Jordan series, I did stick that one out. I'll be glad when the final book comes out next year.

[WinBear]

Aren't there supposed to be a set number of rules of wizarding and each book is the next rule?

[crowfan]

Beware the IMDB page for Craig Horner. It gives away a major plot point from (IIRC) the first book.

[Zevida]

Beware the IMDB page for Craig Horner. It gives away a major plot point from (IIRC) the first book.

Richard Rahl?

I noticed that too.

[crowfan]

Yup. It's been years since I read the books, and I only read the first 3 or 4, but IIRC the reveal of that piece of info was super important at the end of the first book. If the first season of the show follows book 1, then that would ruin a major plot point for season 1.

[kb7sei]

Maybe he'll throw Bruce Campbell in there. :)


"Staring Bruce Campbell as Darken Rahl!"

:eek:

"Good, bad, I'm the one with the boxes of Orden!"

[rjay717]

Actually, you don't really need to do any catching up. If you've read the first three books, you can skip to the last three and not really miss anything worthwhile. When you first start reading the ending trilogy, it seems like you missed something important. I actually wondered if I had missed a book in the series somehow. But it all gets explained before too long.

I would agree with this. The last trilogy, Chainfire Trilogy, picked it back up, especially with part 2, Phantom.

[sieglinde]

Anything that is fantasy based ought to be better than most the stuff on TV. I have never read the books.

[slydog75]

There's an ending trilogy?! Awesome, I might have to look those up. I figured this series was a neverending saga like Wheel of Time, which I gave up on many years ago. I might just finish this one.

Last book of the Wheel of Time series should be coming out towards the end of next year.

[TivoFan]

Sure I can work out Richard

How long did it take you to work that one out? :)

[Dmon4u]

???

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6581641.html

The show has been renamed: " Legend of the Seeker "

[slydog75]

???

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6581641.html

The show has been renamed: " Legend of the Seeker "

OK, that's retarded. Makes it sound very generic.

[dansee]

You know you've been on TCF too long when, at first glance, you read it as "Legend of the Smeeker..."

[footballdude]

Last book of the Wheel of Time series should be coming out towards the end of next year.
How's that gonna work? The author is dead. Did they get a ghost writer to try and bring it all to a close?

[crowfan]

Brandon Sanderson will be finishing it. RJ had extensive notes done, some writing, and the plot was sketched out. Sanderson will be doing the rest of the actual writing, editing, etc.

[Zevida]

The show has been renamed: " Legend of the Seeker "

Well, I never much liked Wizard's First Rule as a name and if they plan to continue on following other books in additional seasons, that title makes more sense.

[hummingbird_206]

You know you've been on TCF too long when, at first glance, you read it as "Legend of the Smeeker..."
:up:

???

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6581641.html

The show has been renamed: " Legend of the Seeker "

Guess maybe that name makes more sense since the TV show covers more than just the Wizard's First Rule book, but it's going to make it a lot harder for fans of the books to realize there is a TV series based on the books. Also will make it harder for me to remember what to search for in the TiVo guide to set up an SP.

[crowfan]

Here's a pic of the two leads:

http://blogs.wizardsfirstrule.com/2008/07/richard-kahlan.html

Apparently there's a trailer up here, but it must be blocked for me at work:

http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/

[DLiquid]

Apparently there's a trailer up here, but it must be blocked for me at work:

http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/It actually looks pretty cool. If nothing else, it will be pretty in HD.

She's very much like I pictured Kahlan, but he's not at all how I pictured Richard. He looks more like a thief than a warrior.

[crowfan]

Yeah I agree, I think she looks great. He looks a little smaller than I pictured Richard.

[slydog75]

How's that gonna work? The author is dead. Did they get a ghost writer to try and bring it all to a close?

Sorry, just saw your post today. Jordon told a very in depth synopsis of the rest of the story to his wife. She's since found a professional writer who she's telling the story too and he's going to put it down on paper. So it will be Jordan's story in someone elses words. Here's more info:

http://www.dragonmount.com/Books/Memory_of_Light/

[Zevida]

It actually looks pretty cool. If nothing else, it will be pretty in HD.

She's very much like I pictured Kahlan, but he's not at all how I pictured Richard. He looks more like a thief than a warrior.

Yeah I agree, I think she looks great. He looks a little smaller than I pictured Richard.

+1

Richard should be much bigger and bulkier than the actor they've got playing him. I'm not sure how well that will translate. I always pictured Riley from Buffy as a good Richard. I'm afraid that with the syndicated show budget, things will look a little too goofy at times. Also not sure how much I like Kahlan fighting because I don't recall her doing that much in the books.

[Dmon4u]

Yes, it seems the show has gone the way of 'Robin Hood' in it's choice of a smallish looking Lead Actor. Is there a new rule that says imposing Actors need not apply for these kinds of roles ?

[jpwoof]

are they gearing up towards younger audience? :\

Richard should be as bulky as on this cover:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Stone_of_Tears.jpg

[Zevida]

Maybe he will impress us with his acting chops. I have a hard time picturing in him the boiling fury that Richard needs, but you never know.

[kb7sei]

+1

Richard should be much bigger and bulkier than the actor they've got playing him. I'm not sure how well that will translate. I always pictured Riley from Buffy as a good Richard. I'm afraid that with the syndicated show budget, things will look a little too goofy at times. Also not sure how much I like Kahlan fighting because I don't recall her doing that much in the books.

Perhaps not much in the first few, but she does quite a bit of fighting in the later books. Including leading an army. In those scenes in the trailer, she's running from the quad. Alone, she wouldn't be much match for them, but she does make a good effort of it in the first book.

Anyone know what stations are planning to air this thing? I want to check it out. Hopefully a local OTA will broadcast it in HD. Hopefully it does OK, and if they make it that far, the FX for things like the Slyph don't suck too badly.

I do agree that Richard should be bigger. I really like Kahlan though.

[bettyoops]

The girl cast as Kahlan is lovely, but doesn't remind me of Kahlan at all. The most prominent characteristic of Kahlan was her floor length blonde hair.

I really like these books. They become repetitive I think, because Goodkind always tries to catch people up on what went on before. Hopefully, the series will be able to streamline that.

I would like to see them produce Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series. Really good writing and holds your interest, with a lot of historical background, mixed with travel through time.

[JoBeth66]

I haven't seen either of these actors in anything before, but just watching the trailer I'm not sure either of them meets my expectations of Richard and Kahlan. Richard should be a Kevin Sorbo type character (to stay in a Raimi universe). He needs to be a big guy. Not to say I'm not going to give it a chance, but when you've invested, literally, years in characters, you have a mental image of how they're supposed to appear. At least TRY to find actors that fit the characteristics of the authors vision.

[WinBear]

I really hope they aren't going to call the show "The Legend of the Seeker" especially since we just had a completely unrelated movie called "The Seeker." I would much rather they called it "Wizard's Rules" with the concept that each season would cover one or two of the books and hence one or two of the rules.

[Dmon4u]

Thinking of The Seeker:

What if they use music from "The WHO" as a theme song ?

Just kidding....
I hope !

[hummingbird_206]

The series premiere for "Legend of the Seeker" is Saturday, Nov 1, at 6 pm, on KMYQ (Comcast channels 10 and 110) in Seattle. There's a "Making of..." show on Saturday 10/25 at 6:30 hosted by Lucy Lawless. Since it's syndicated I don't know if this matches up with any other markets?

[crowfan]

Here on Long Island it's scheduled for 11/1 at 8 PM on WPIX.

[Sirius Black]

No such luck here. BrightHouse St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL. According to i.TV app on the iPhone. It may or may not have data that is out that far though. I just installed the application.

[justen_m]

Here in Boise, it appears to be on at 10pm on Sundays on the local Fox affiliate.
On 10/26 there is a 30 minute episode called Prophecy.
On 11/2 it is scheduled for 2 full hours, and listed as Prophecy; Destiny.

So I assume Prophecy is the "making of" episode, and Destiny is the 90 minute series premiere.

This is cool, because two days ago I finished reading the series. I had sort of quit after book six, figuring it would never end. After learning (in this very thread!) that it does end, I finished the series (thanks library!). I really liked the last three books, despite an initial reluctance at the premise. I liked how he referenced things from throughout the series as he wrapped it up.

I'm very curious to see how all the frequent and various tortures are handled. The books are all pretty gruesome.

[Incognito]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h222/nicolethompson11/Misc/sot_temple.jpg

Or like this.



I gonna try and forgive them on the Richard casting. If the show goes - say 9 seasons for the 9 books (unless they do Debt of Bones or Pillars of Creation **how will they add Jennson?**) then the actor will grow up on the show. Hopefully he'll get bigger? wishful thinking maybe? at least from the clips he looks ripped.

[sieglinde]

Books, shouild I read the books or just watch the series?

[jhowell]

No such luck here. BrightHouse St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL. According to i.TV app on the iPhone. It may or may not have data that is out that far though. I just installed the application.

It is on WTOG (channel 44) in Tampa.

[Sirius Black]

It is on WTOG (channel 44) in Tampa.

I'll look for it. Thanks! Maybe WTOG has an HD equivalent. That would be even better. I don't think I watch anything on WTOG at the moment.

[DLiquid]

Books, shouild I read the books or just watch the series?The series will probably be canceled before you finish the first book. :p

[alansh]

It's on WGN if you get that on your cable system. It's on KASW Sundays at 9pm here in Phoenix.

The "making of" episode appears on TiVo as a separate series. It looks like the premier is two episodes for two hours, "Prophecy" and "Destiny".

By the way, the moderators might want to rename this thread with the show's actual title.

[DLiquid]

In the SF Bay Area they're playing this on independent channel 36. I don't think I've watched anything on that channel since... ever. Maybe a Leave it to Beaver rerun 30 years ago? Luckily my antenna is still up and connected to a couple DVRs, so based on a quick test this morning I can watch this in HD. I could also get it in SD on DirecTV either on channel 36 or WGN.

[tivogurl]

It is on WTOG (channel 44) in Tampa.
If you can, watch it on WGN. It's on earlier (5p vs 8p) and won't be delayed by WTOG's college football broadcasts.

[scooterboy]

Their website claims it will be on a certain channel on 11/1-2, but my cable schedule grid says otherwise. We'll see.

[Zevida]

Books, shouild I read the books or just watch the series?

Definitely read at least the first book. As a stand alone book it does just fine and it is my favorite book. I don't even like fantasy and I loved this book.

[gschrock]

Bah, I don't know if it's going to be in HD or not, but if it is, I can't get it as such. Looks like my only option for it is detroit CW channel, and I can't get that in HD. (Wish Directv would add that one in HD).

[dcheesi]

Until I looked up this show, I hadn't realized that Cox got rid of WGN here (at least from analog-Basic). And somehow my TiVo still doesn't realize... :confused:

Fortunately a local is carrying it as well; but I almost picked the WGN feed... :eek:

[DLiquid]

Bah, I don't know if it's going to be in HD or notIt is (available) in HD according to the DirecTV guide data.

[scooterboy]

It finally showed up in the Comcast schedule, but starting at 1 in the morning.

ETA: Scratch that, starts at midnight.

[Zevida]

I'm so excited about this series!

I've got it set to record an HD showing at 8pm Saturday, but I might set it up to record another showing earlier in the day just in case.

[justen_m]

Here in Boise, it appears to be on at 10pm on Sundays on the local Fox affiliate.
On 10/26 there is a 30 minute episode called Prophecy.
On 11/2 it is scheduled for 2 full hours, and listed as Prophecy; Destiny.

Aack. It was a freakin' infomercial. Hopefully it will be the real thing on 11/2.

[Magister]

Thanks to this thread I was able to setup a season pass. It is showing on WGN and a Fox affiliate. So I should be able to catch it.

[Zevida]

Thanks to alansh's post above referencing two episode names, I realized they are showing two episodes Saturday and I'm now recording both of them.

I saw a preview while watch a L&O rerun and I'm really stoked now. I still think Richard is too exotic-looking* and too small, but I think I'll adjust. They showed a scene where an arrow is shot at Kahlan on horseback and she ducks down as it goes over her - looks like they are really trying with the special effects! I now wish I had reread the book recently, it's probably been a few years since my last read through. I will probably start on it this weekend once I get it back from my brother. My paperback copy is so worn out that it broke into four pieces! I have to read the hardback. (Both are signed by the author.)

(*To clarify this, the actor playing Richard seems darker and with more interesting features than Richard - his eyes and the way his face is built. I always imaged Richard as like Riley from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, handsome, but very midwestern, plain handsome as opposed to exotic movie star handsome.)

[zordude]

I went to setup a recording for this, and realized that the premiere is at 12:05AM Sunday morning. That's a heck of a way to get an audience.

Z

[sieglinde]

Weirdly, the third episode is not being shown in order. The next episode is 104 Bounty.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Weirdly, the third episode is not being shown in order. The next episode is 104 Bounty.
Bear in mind that often episodes of shows are shot out-of-order. 104 may have always been intended as the third episode.

[zordude]

Bear in mind that often episodes of shows are shot out-of-order. 104 may have always been intended as the third episode.

I agree that stuff is often shot out of order, and networks often fiddle with the order, but I was always under the impression that the numerical ordering of the episodes was at the very least the INTENDED order of the episodes by the showrunners.

Z

[Rob Helmerichs]

I agree that stuff is often shot out of order, and networks often fiddle with the order, but I was always under the impression that the numerical ordering of the episodes was at the very least the INTENDED order of the episodes by the showrunners.
No, the production numbers are the order in which they are made.

Look at, e.g., Season 4 of Stargate Atlantis (http://www.epguides.com/StargateAtlantis/), where the production numbers are all out of whack, including multi-part stories shot out of sequence.

[tivogurl]

I went to setup a recording for this, and realized that the premiere is at 12:05AM Sunday morning. That's a heck of a way to get an audience.
Do you get WGN? They premiere at 5 pm.

[zordude]

Do you get WGN? They premiere at 5 pm.

The only affiliate I get is WCVB, and its basically college football ALL day til 11pm :)

Z

[scooterboy]

The only affiliate I get is WCVB, and its basically college football ALL day til 11pm :)

Z

No WMUR (Manchester) in Medford? I guess that would be too far away. I get WCVB and WMUR, and this will be on WMUR at 12:05 sunday morning (hopefully in HD).

[tivogurl]

The only affiliate I get is WCVB, and its basically college football ALL day til 11pm :)
WGN has affiliates? I didn't know that. I thought most cable TV systems carried it.

[alyssa]

No WMUR (Manchester) in Medford? I guess that would be too far away. I get WCVB and WMUR, and this will be on WMUR at 12:05 sunday morning (hopefully in HD).

WMUR seems to be listing "legend of the seeker" in that time slot...

[Rob Helmerichs]

WMUR seems to be listing "legend of the seeker" in that time slot...
That's what the show is called.

[Dmon4u]

Not in HD on my local Fox Channel.

I guess I'll wait to see if I can find it in HD somewhere...

[alyssa]

That's what the show is called.

many thanks-

[rgr]

Not in HD on my local Fox Channel.

I guess I'll wait to see if I can find it in HD somewhere...

Not sure how big a diff it'll make. It's on HD here on channel 706 in San Francisco Comcast, but it's not widescreen, it's still 4:3. Crisp, clear, but still 4:3.

[pantherman007]

High-def here in Houston.

I enjoyed the first two eps. Not great, but decent. In the Hercules/Xena genre, but much less cheese. I'll be interested to see how much of the sex and violence from the novels make it onto the screen.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Not sure how big a diff it'll make. It's on HD here on channel 706 in San Francisco Comcast, but it's not widescreen, it's still 4:3. Crisp, clear, but still 4:3.
Then chances are it's not real HD, but upconverted SD.

Is anybody showing it in true HD? (I'm recording it overnight on the local ABC affiliate, so I don't know what to expect.)

[Graymalkin]

I don't know if it was filmed in HD, but it appeared on WPIX's HD channel here.

[hummingbird_206]

16x9 glorious HD here in Seattle.

Shirtless Richard in HD, yummy.;)
Naked old Zedd in HD:eek:

[madscientist]

It looked like full HD to me (WCVB ABC in Boston, MA, coming on at 12:05am on Sunday). But, I'm not an expert so maybe it was just upconverted. It was full widescreen and looked pretty good.

Unfortunately, due to the football games the news was pushed out 30 mins. so I ended up not recording the last half hour. I'll have to pre-emptively pad next weekend (I was out camping last night so there was nothing I could do about it).

[Zevida]

I've only watched the first couple of minutes, but definitely appears to be full HD. Excellent quality and widescreen.

[Magister]

Wasn't in HD here in Columbia SC on the Fox channel. I don't get cable HD, just OTA hd, so I couldn't tell if WGN was HD.

I really enjoyed it. Not bad at all.

[Rob Helmerichs]

It wasn't in Minneapolis, but that doesn't surprise me...the ABC affiliate here apparently doesn't want to pay somebody to flip a switch in the middle of the night. The same thing happens when their prime-time (HD) programming is delayed for a local sports event; they use the SD feed.

[DLiquid]

It's on HD here on channel 706 in San Francisco Comcast, but it's not widescreen, it's still 4:3. Crisp, clear, but still 4:3.I just watched the first 15 minutes so far, but it was 4:3 SD on San Francisco 36-1 OTA, even though the guide data said it would be in HD. The show is pretty cheesy, which I guess I expected. HD would help make watching it more enjoyable.

[madscientist]

Turns out ABC is re-running it early Monday morning (or at least they did this week). So I recorded that one (only had to pad about 5 mins.) and got to see both episodes in full. Both definitely looked full HD to me.

I've not read the books so I have no idea what I'm getting into. Some of the dialog was cringe-worthy but it's not that bad for TV. I'll keep it.

[kb7sei]

It was about as good as I expected. It appears to be in 4:3 HD here, somewhat irritating if a 16:9 feed is available. This same station broadcasts "Supernatural" in 16:9 HD, so I know they can transmit in that format if they want to. Hopefully future episodes will be widescreen.

Dialog and acting is a little cringe-inducing at times, but the story is developing reasonably well. Some differences with the books that I'm a little curious how they will work out though. One I remember being critical to the plot in the books. I'll keep watching for now.

[Rob Helmerichs]

It was about as good as I expected. It appears to be in 4:3 HD here, somewhat irritating if a 16:9 feed is available. This same station broadcasts "Supernatural" in 16:9 HD, so I know they can transmit in that format if they want to. Hopefully future episodes will be widescreen.
As I noted earlier, the ABC affiliate here that the show is airing on routinely shows HD stuff in the SD version when it's late-night. I assume it's so they don't have to pay somebody to stick around and switch back and forth between HD and SD during commercial breaks.