Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season

Loosely based on Terry Goodkind's bestselling Sword of Truth fantasy-adventure novels, the syndicated series Legend of the Seeker takes advantage of New Zealand's verdant beauty as it follows Richard Cypher (Craig Horner) through his transformation from humble woodsman to powerful leader, aided by the beautiful and mysterious resistance fighter Kahlan (Bridget Regan) and his “crazy old man” neighbor, Zeddicus (Bruce Spence), who turns out to be a wizard. After Zedd reveals that a prophecy has proclaimed Richard to be The Seeker—a figure born to bring peace to the land through his compassion and the magical Sword of Truth—the three set out to destroy the evil Lord Darken Rahl (Craig Parker), who lives in the land of D'Hara and is bent on dominating the neighboring Midlands and Westlands. When the demonic emperor offers a reward for Richard's head, bounty hunters appear in droves, generating plenty of action opportunities for the central threesome. Amidst war, Richard and Kahlan struggle in vain to hide their growing romantic feelings for each other. Legend of the Seeker is the kind of genre entertainment that gets better—and makes more sense—as it progresses. The 22 episodes of this 2008–09 first season leaven dark themes with doses of fun and humor reminiscent of Xena: Warrior Princess (whose executive producer, Sam Raimi, is also one of the producers here). DVD extras include audio commentaries, a “making-of” featurette, deleted scenes, and an interview with Goodkind. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)