Highlights
- Amazon's Fallout show was a big hit, but Bethesda is hesitant to follow suit with an Elder Scrolls adaptation, even though it doesn't need to be.
- An Elder Scrolls anthology show could focus on different eras or races to make the lore more approachable for new fans.
- Mixing both anthology ideas could create a compelling live-action adaptation of the complex Elder Scrolls universe.
Amazon's Fallout show has been an unprecedented success by just about every measure. Within its first 16 days, Amazon's Fallout show drew in 65 million viewers, garnered critical acclaim across the board, and managed to not only reinvigorate interest in the franchise for long-time fans, but bring in a wealth of new fans as well. Amazon's Fallout show was so successful that even Fallout 76 saw tens of thousands of players log in for the first time. But despite all of this obvious success, Bethesda seemingly doesn't want to try to achieve the same with The Elder Scrolls.
Back when Amazon's Fallout first aired, Bethesda's Todd Howard was questioned by IGN about the possibility of future Bethesda adaptations. Howard stated that if a studio approached him looking to make an Elder Scrolls show he'd "probably say no," at least for now. With quite a few high-budget fantasy shows out right now, and great video game adaptations still being rather rare, that hesitancy makes sense. But The Elder Scrolls has plenty of unique hooks, and an anthology structure could work wonders for a live-action adaptation.
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An Elder Scrolls Anthology Show Could Focus on Different Eras
Much like any great high-fantasy series, The Elder Scrolls universe is a vast one, with a history that spans thousands of years. The Elder Scrolls' extensive history is categorized neatly into six different eras, making it the perfect subject of a brief anthology series. Each episode of this hypothetical Elder Scrolls anthology series could focus on one of the main eras, going all the way from the Dawn Era, which sees the mysterious Elder Scrolls gods create the universe, right up until the Fourth Era, which sees the Last Dragonborn rise to defeat Alduin.
While the vast majority of high-fantasy universes have some complex and intricate lore, The Elder Scrolls is particularly tough for newcomers to wrap their heads around. Wars that wage for hundreds of years, empires and dynasties that can be wiped from existence in the blink of an eye, and gods being able to walk among men, The Elder Scrolls has all this and so much more, and it's a lot for a newcomer to take in. This is why an anthology adaptation that focuses on each era in the Elder Scrolls timeline might actually be the best way to ease new fans in.
An Elder Scrolls Anthology Show Could Focus on Different Races
Alternatively, if The Elder Scrolls didn't want to bombard its fan-base with thousands of years' worth of in-universe lore in one fell swoop, then an anthology series that follows each of The Elder Scrolls' races/regions might be a better way to onboard new fans. Another complex wrinkle of The Elder Scrolls' lore is just how many races and factions there are at play. From Nords to Redguards to Argonians to Khajiit, The Elder Scrolls is home to many different races, and all of them deserve their time in the spotlight.
The best option for an Elder Scrolls live-action adaptation might be to merge these two anthology ideas together. The show could follow a handful of key Elder Scrolls races navigating their own distinct way of life, and facing the political challenges of the era. Each new season could fast-forward the show to a new era, showing viewers how the lives of these same races have changed for the better or the worse.
