What should Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series be about? Here are 13 ideas
By Corey Smith
Shire Stories
Not every series needs to focus on the life or death struggles of the peoples of Middle Earth. Amazon could throw us all a curve ball and center its series on the less violent goings on in Middle Earth’s most peaceful place: the Shire. This would be a show with much lower stakes, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be fun. Picture Brooklyn 99 meets The Office, except everyone has hairy feet and lives in holes.
The Shire is comprised of four separate regions, or farthings, each ripe for exploration. Picture Merry and Pippin drunkenly recapping their daily attempts at mischief over a pint at the Green Dragon. Or how about a detective show focusing on that old hobbit who scowled at Gandalf every time he saw the wizard pass. The grumpy hobbit could solve all manner of heinous crimes, such as finding out who stole Bilbo’s fork, or discovering why Samwise’s future wife Rosie’s daffodils keep dying. We can barely stand the tension.
Whatever the focus, light-hearted comedy is the key ingredient here. Also, showrunners could get creative with a series like this since they wouldn’t need to adhere to the larger Middle Earth mythos beyond following some basic guidelines. Invent your own band of hobbit friends, working the farms and taverns of the Shire and leading inconsequential lives filled with elevenses.