Highlander: The
Series is an English
language fantasy/sci-fi television
series featuring Duncan MacLeod
(Adrian Paul), of the Scottish
Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander of the title. An
offshoot of the
Highlander movies,
Highlander:
The Series centered on the life of Duncan, who is a clansman
to the main character from the movies,
Connor MacLeod (
Christopher Lambert). Christopher
Lambert made a single appearance in the first episode to aid
continuity, and his character
is mentioned in several episodes throughout the six seasons.
The series
was a Canada
/France
co-production that was filmed in both countries. The primary
Canadian location was
Vancouver, British
Columbia.
History
The
pilot episode established
Duncan as a simple man living quietly with his girlfriend
Tessa Noël (played by
Alexandra Vandernoot). They were
co-proprietors of the antique shop
MacLeod & Noël
Antiques. The pilot introduced
Richie Ryan (
Stan Kirsch) as a thief who entered Duncan's
shop and witnessed the confrontation between Duncan, evil Immortal
Slan Quince (
Richard Moll) and Duncan's
fellow clansman
Connor MacLeod, the
hero from the movies.
It was established that Duncan had lived nearly 400 years, and that
there were many such Immortals in the world. Connor had come to
Duncan to ask him to return to
The Game and
help good win over evil, where "The Game" is the term used by the
Immortals to describe their hunting of one another, seeking
"
Quickenings" by
beheading their opponents. Duncan had hidden
from other Immortals for some time, removing himself from The Game.
Hunted by Quince, Duncan had no choice but face him and by the end
of the first episode, Slan had been defeated and Duncan was clearly
caught up in The Game again.
Most of the storylines revolved around Duncan MacLeod and his
relationship with mortals and other Immortals. These relationships
were a common theme in the series, especially Duncan MacLeod's
relationship towards his friends, family, lovers and foes (
see
Duncan
MacLeod's relationships). As the series progressed, there
were some changes in concept and normal growth in the characters
and their relationships. Several recurring Immortal characters such
as
Amanda and
Methos became frequent guests on the show and the
Watchers like
Joe Dawson were introduced in season
2.
In the final episode of season 5, "
Archangel", the
character of
Richie Ryan
was killed off and the
supernatural
demon Ahriman was introduced into the
storyline. Of the 13 episodes of season six, two did not feature
Duncan at all, while a few of them showed him in little more than
cameos while the producers experimented with introducing a new
female Immortal character for a spin-off series. None of these
actresses were chosen, and what came to be
Highlander: The Raven would
feature recurring character "Amanda" in a starring role, though it
would be canceled after one season.
Characters
To view the list of the most important characters of the series,
see
List of Highlander
characters.
Immortals
All Immortals age normally until their first deaths (which are
always violent), at which time they "resurrect" for the first time.
Afterward, they do not age, and can only be killed by beheading.
All Immortals are also
sterile.
Immortals have normal susceptibility to the things that are fatal
to mortal humans, and will "die" from them, only to resurrect
shortly thereafter. Immortals sense the presence of nearby
Immortals, according to the commentary on the first season boxed
set, a phenomenon that the writers of the series called "
The Buzz". This term was,
according to the season one, episode one commentary, never actually
used in the series.
When an Immortal is beheaded, there is a powerful energy release
from their body called
the Quickening. This
energy is signified by tearing winds and electrical arcs, and is
destructive to electrical and mechanical items. This energy is
absorbed by the Immortal who actually took the dead Immortal's
head. When no Immortal is nearby, as in the case of an immortal's
head being removed in an accident, suicide or murder by a mortal,
the Quickening dissipates. It is said to contain the power, wisdom,
and experience of the beheaded Immortal. In a Quickening, although
the basic personality of the victorious Immortal normally remains
at the fore, the personality of the beheaded Immortal can be
imprinted in their personality.
Immortals are engaged in an ongoing struggle they call
The
Game. The ultimate goal is to kill all other
Immortals until only one remains, a concept referenced in the
films, series title sequence, and by the show's characters
themselves using the phrase, "there can be only one." This Immortal
will then receive
The
Prize. No one knows what the Prize actually is,
though many speculate as to its nature. The Game has two firm
rules: that there can be no fighting on holy ground (see
Immortal ) and that
once a battle between two immortals has been joined, no one may
interfere. In the episode "Little Tin God" (Season 5, Episode 8),
Watcher Joe Dawson hinted that in all recorded Watcher history,
there was only one case where two immortals fought on holy ground.
This was
in Pompei in 79 AD, when Mount Vesuvius
erupted.
The Gathering
According to Duncan's introductory voiceover, the series is set
during the time of
The Gathering. However,
as ever more Immortals were introduced as the series continued, the
concept of the Gathering started to lose coherence within the
format of the series and was quietly dropped as a theme.
Watchers and Hunters
The Watchers are a
secret society that covertly observes the
lives of the Immortals without revealing themselves. Each Immortal
is assigned a Watcher, whose sole job is to monitor and record
their activities.
The
Hunters, on the other hand, are an offshoot of the Watchers,
with the stated goal of killing all Immortals.
Location
Although
Immortals are scattered around the world, the events of the series
are most notably located in Seattle
, Washington
, Vancouver
, British
Columbia
and Paris
, France
.
Flashbacks during the series often brought the show to a variety of
locations, however. The series often switched locations from
Seattle/Vancouver to Paris at the midway point of each season, with
the exception of season six.
While in Paris, Duncan lived on a barge
located on the Seine
river. In the Pacific Northwest, Duncan first lived in his
antiques store and then in an apartment above his martial arts
dojo—both in the fictional city of "Seacouver, WA".
Narration
Each episode began with an opening montage of scenes from Duncan's
life, over which was a narration giving a brief overview of the
series' theme. The first few episodes of the first season were
narrated by Duncan himself:
This narration was slightly changed in the show's seventh episode,
"
Mountain
Men" (again by Duncan):
The narration changed again in the second season, when Watcher
Joe Dawson was introduced
(narrative by Joe):
The narration changed again at the beginning of the fourth season,
and remained until the end of the series' run (narrative by
Joe):
Episodes
Home video releases
Production history
Highlander: The Series originated in Europe. Christopher
Lambert, who starred in the first two
Highlander movies,
had previously worked with French leading entertainment
conglomerate Gaumont's president Christian Charret. Lambert knew
that
Highlander producers Peter Davis and Bill Panzer
wanted to make a
Highlander series and connected them with
Charret. Gaumont bought the rights to the series.
Highlander was one of the first project developed by
Gaumont's television branch opened in 1992 and one of its financial
backers was the French bank
Credit du
Nord.
The French leading production company
Gaumont Television bought the rights to
the series to have it produced in syndication in America with a
local crew, a ground-breaking move at the time.
Highlander
marked the first time a French production company was creatively
involved in a show intended for the American market.
The show was co-produced in syndication by
international partners including Gaumont, RTL
Plus (Germany), Rysher
Distribution (United States), Reteitalia Productions (Italy),
Amuse Video (Japan) and TF1
(France). The budget of the first season was US$26.1
million. Keith Samples, president of Rysher, stated that "about 75%
of the guaranteed budget came from overseas sales." The remaining
25% came from United States sales and the producers retained the
distribution rights, which allowed the show to produce $800,000 per
episode only from international income, believed to be the top
result of the 1992-1993 season.
To secure an adequate share of European
content, and as a result of the co-production agreement, each
season was divided into two segments, the first segment was filmed
in Vancouver
, British Columbia, Canada (posing at the fictional
location of Seacouver, Washington, United
States), the second in Paris
,
France. The production of the first segment began in
Vancouver on 13 July 1992, while the production of the second
segment started in December 1992 in Paris and used the studios of
French state production agency Société Française de Production
(SFP) at Bry-sur-Marne
near Paris.
The
executive producers were
Bill Panzer, Peter S. Davis, Gaumont
Television president Christian Charret and Gaumont co-production
chief Marla Ginsburg. Steven Maier, Sheryl Hardy and Guy Collins
were co-executive producers. Kevin Droney and Philip John Taylor
were supervising producers at the beginning of the season; from the
seventh episode onwards, David Abramowitz became supervising
producer instead of Taylor. The
producers were
Barry
Rosen and Gary Goodman. Executives in charge of production were
Marc du Pontavice and Denis Leroy.
Scripts were contributed by both staff and freelance writers,
Brian Clemens among the latter.
Brent-Carl Clackson was
line producer
on the Vancouver segment, from episode one to thirteen. When
production moved to Paris, Clackson was succeeded by Patrick Millet
(with the title of
production
manager) for episodes fourteen to twenty-two. The regular
directors were
Thomas J. Wright, Jorge Montesi and
Ray Austin. The fencing coach was
Bob Anderson, who coined for
himself the title of Master of Swords. Anderson choreographed the
fights on the Vancouver segment, then was succeeded by
Peter Diamond, credited as
second unit director and
stunt coordinator on the Paris segment.
The opening theme was "
Princes
of the Universe" from the 1986 album
A Kind of Magic by
Queen; incidental music was composed by Roger
Bellon..The pilot episode was originally intended to be a third
Highlander Movie (To act as a TV movie),but the low budget and
Lambert agreeing to reprise his role as Conner Macleod late into
production caused the pilot to be written as a 1 hour pilot.
Casting the title character
Alastair Duncan was the original
choice to play the lead before Adrian Paul was cast. Duncan later
appeared as Immortal Terence Coventry in the fifth season. Martial
artist
Gary Daniels was also a hot
favorite for the lead role.
Adrian Paul beat out 400 hopefuls for the lead role.Originally, the
actor was a tough sell to the investors because he was an
unknown(though he played Russian ballet dancer Kolya in
The Colbys) But some of the producers felt that
he would appeal to both men and women fans of the franchise. Paul
reminded them of a young Sean Connery. Adrian said in an interview
that he was drawn to the series because it had so many layers-
History,romance, Adventure, spirituality.
Reception
Critical reaction to
Highlander: The Series has been
generally favorable, and more favorable in general than the film
sequels to the original
Highlander, which have mostly
received negative reviews (with the exception of the animated film
Highlander: The
Search for Vengeance, which has received mostly favorable
reviews).
Rob Lineberger of DVD Verdict said, "The direction is sometimes
uncertain, but
Highlander: The Series gives viewers
something unique and inspiring. Each episode gives us a provocative
glimpse into the trials and concerns of immortality, great
swordfights, stylish flashbacks to bygone eras, and occasionally
wicked immortals with awesome quickenings." Lineberger added,
"These actors, writers, producers, directors, and crew delivered
one of television's great successes, particularly in the fantasy
genre.
Highlander: The Series took us to places we
otherwise could not have gone, and did so with intelligence, style,
and wit." Lineberger gave the six seasons scores of 92, 93, 90, 92,
87, and 70 out of 100, respectively.
Abbie Bernstein of
Audio Video
Revolution said, "Although it would be another two years until
the series fully hit its stride, it was already [in the first
season] offering something out of the ordinary narratively; in
terms of production value, it remains one of the best-looking
quasi-period shows ever to come down the pike, holding its own and
then some against much better-funded product from the major
studios." David Oliver of CHUD said that "whereas the sequels
ultimately strayed from the mythology of the original [film] in the
pursuit of more storytelling (translation: more money), the series
built upon the mythology."
Carlo Cavagna of About Film criticized the series, saying that it
consisted of "pedestrian one-hour confrontations pitting Duncan
MacLeod against one overacting nefarious immortal after another,
each a pale imitation of
Clancy Brown's
delicious overarching villainy in the first film," and felt that
the series featured "a wide array of unappealing supporting
characters" and that "the writers didn't know what to do with the
Highlander concept." Similarly, Danél Griffin of Film as
Art remarked that "the six-season
Highlander: The Series
has a loyal following, but let’s be honest: Adrian Paul, the lead,
is not an interesting actor, and there’s not one moment in the
show—not one—that comes close to matching the wit or liveliness of
the first film."
Critics have pointed to the middle seasons of the show as its best.
Lineberger remarked, "There was a dramatic boost in quality from
season one to season two. Season two had better writing and quality
control, [and] season three is better than season two." Bernstein
claimed that "during season five, [the show] was at the peak of its
creative glory." Kathie Huddleston of
SCI FI
said that "season four was arguably the best season of the series,
as the show said goodbye to characters from the previous season and
delved into what made the regulars and the most notable recurring
characters tick."
Critics have also singled out the sixth and final season as the
worst of the series. Lineberger remarked, "I haven't attempted to
hide my disappointment with this season. For the first time ever in
my life as a
Highlander enthusiast, I found myself utterly
uncaptivated." Oliver awarded the sixth season a score of 3.9 out
of 10, saying: "Like
The
X-Files,
Highlander: The Series simply went on
too long. If the star is wanting to get out of a show as much as
Paul was ready to hang up his katana, then I say let it go."
"To Be or Not to Be"
During the series finale, Duncan MacLeod was thrown into another
reality where he had never been born. In this reality,He shows him
Amanda, who has graduated from theft to murder, and Duncan watches
as she kills her husband, but is then killed herself by the
Watchers. Fitz takes him to a broken Joe Dawson, who was unable to
prevent James Horton from perverting the Watchers and declaring war
on the Immortals. In the midst of the murders, a familiar figure
walks untroubled by the world she never knew - Tessa is alive.Tessa
leads an unsatisfactory life in which she has a husband and
children, but is forced to sacrifice her art and sculpture. In this
storyline she has an affair with MacLeod but feels she has betrayed
her husband.. Distraught, Duncan asks Fitz why he let him see her
like this and Fitz tells him that it is her fate in a world without
the Highlander. As it was his fate to die 280 years ago when Duncan
wasn't there to rescue him from the headsman's axe. Their
conversation is interrupted by a sullen Methos. Fitz shows him the
nightmare of this world - The Horsemen ride, Kronos having rescued
Methos from Horton's killers. They recruited a young Immortal
called Richie Ryan, but when he couldn't bring himself to kill Joe
Dawson, Methos took his head. Now, Methos and Kronos are about to
kill Joe unless he betrays Horton to them. Faced with the world
that was "Not To Be" because he lived, Duncan revives in his own
reality and faces O'Rourke, rather than give up his life. With
O'Rourke dead, MacLeod reflects on his life with his friends and
all that has brought them together.
Spin-Offs
Films
The series continued in
Highlander: Endgame (
2000) and
Highlander: The Source (
2007). The films feature Adrian Paul as Duncan
MacLeod, Peter Wingfield as Methos and Jim Byrnes as Joe
Dawson.
Highlander :Endgame
When Connor Macleod(
Christopher
Lambert) sees his old friend Rachel die in an explosion, he's
had it with his immortal life and the endless pain it brings him
and those he loves. He locks himself inside the Sanctuary, a
Watcher-organized retreat stationed on holy ground, where immortals
who are tired of the game can go to forever escape it, as well as
to ensure that The Prize never falls into the wrong hands. But when
an old enemy, Jacob Kell(
Bruce Payne),
and his posse of assassins attack the Sanctuary and kill everyone
there but Connor, he is forced out into the open and into battle.
Kell and Connor were friends once, and knew each other back when
Connor was cast from Glenfinnan; he returned when news came that
his mother was to be burned at the stake, and in the attempt to
free her, Kell was killed by none other than Connor himself, and
became an immortal, bitter with hate, and devoted to making
Connor's life a living hell. In the present day, Connor's kinsman
Duncan Macleod is attacked by Kell's posse, including Kate, an old
love of Duncan's who seeks revenge for her unwillingly being made
an immortal centuries ago. This attack had something to do with
Connor, and Duncan goes in search of him to find out why. In the
process, he learns that in the 450 years since Connor and Kell's
encounter in Glenfinnan, Kell has taken more than 600 heads and
gained enough power to be called nothing less than the most
powerful immortal alive. To make things worse, neither Connor nor
Duncan are strong enough to face Kell alone.
Highlander : The Source
This movie was instead shown as a TV movie where it premiered on
the
Sci-Fi Channel. The world is
falling into chaos in the near future. As he roams a crumbling
city, Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, remembers happier times
before the love of his life left... Hopeless and alone, MacLeod
finds his way to a band of immortal companions, including his
mysterious friend Methos, and a mortal, Watcher Joe Dawson.
Together this small group sets out on a quest to find the origin of
the first Immortal and The Source of their immortality.The movies
ending had his wife Anna(
Thekla
Reuten) tell Duncan that she is expecting his child. Duncan
simply says that the baby "Is the ONE".Both movies were not
successful. Although Endgame was well recived when the DVD was
released which was re-edited and had a better soundtrack and visual
than the theatrical version. The Source on the other hand was met
with hostility from fans who hated the storyline and the death of
Joe Dawson. Critics also bashed the movie saying that it was like
the second film only worse. There were plans to have the source be
the first in a new trilogy. But the idea was dropped. Adrian Paul
and Peter Wingfield both expressed regret at making the film and as
a result, the film is ignored by fans and producers alike.
Highlander: The Raven
Plans for a spin-off series led to a group of sixth-season episodes
focusing on five new female Immortals (called
Fimmies by
fandom) in the original
Highlander series. The candidates
were introduced; such as Alex Raven (played by
Dara Tomanovich), Katherine (played by
Claudia Christian), Kyra (played
by
Alice Evans), Katya (played by
Justina Vail), and Reagan Cole (played
by
Sandra Hess). None of the new
characters introduced in the spin-off episodes proved satisfactory,
however, and the spin-off went to
Elizabeth Gracen as the popular character
Amanda. The spin-off only lasted
one season due to low rating and the change in the marketing of
syndicated shows.
The Methos Chronicles
The 2001
The Methos
Chronicles was an animated Internet Flash-series based on
Methos, a character drawn from the television
series. Peter Wingfield was the voice actor for the main character
of the short series, which lasted only one eight-episode season.
There was some plan to develop a live-action series in the early
2000s, and
Peter Wingfield was
willing to participate. However, since then there hasn't been any
significant news.
Reunion
In 2008, a [reunion
special]http://www.hulu.com/watch/42573/highlander-reunion#x-4,vclip,1
was filmed starring
Peter Wingfield,
Elizabeth Gracen, and
Jim Byrnes reprising their roles. The 17 minute
special was a low budget project that takes place 10 years after
the series (or between the fourth and fifth movies). Filming took
place at Wingfield's beach home with the actors volunteering in
their roles. The plot involved the characters discussing Methos'
plans to get married and settle down with a mortal woman and her
son.
Audio Plays
Season One
In 2009
Big Finish released a series of
four audio adventures featuring Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod. They
are set sometime after the events of Endgame. These are:
- The Lesson - Of all the sword fights Duncan MacLeod has fought
over the centuries, the toughest have been against an Immortal
named Pieter Gatlan. Starring Adrian Paul and Trevor Cooper.
Written by Trevor Baxendale.
- Love and Hate - A roof-top duel between sword-wielding
combatants becomes the talk of Seacouver – but Duncan is perplexed
when both bodies are found with their heads intact. Starring Adrian
Paul and Beth Chalmers. Written by Colin Harvey.
- The Secret of the Sword - Duncan MacLeod knows a lot about
swords. Everyone knows that. So, when he’s called in to help
Seacouver police value an antique blade. But then, when he sees the
sword – there might be more to his involvement than he originally
thought… Starring Adrian Paul and Toby Longworth. Written by
Jonathan Clements.
- Kurgan Rising - With an increasing number of Immortals
disappearing, Duncan and Watcher Joe Dawson decide to investigate,
but nothing can prepare the Highlander for what he will find: an
ancient terror reborn! Starring Adrian Paul and Toby Longworth.
Written by Cavan Scott & Mark Wright.
Each play in the first season is around an hour long, and contains
a new music score and new Highlander audio theme by
Jamie Robertson
Season Two
A second season of four plays was announced in August 2009, to be
produced by Paul Spragg and script edited by
James Swallow.
Books and Comics
Books
- Highlander: The
Element of Fire, by Jason
Henderson — The chronicles of Duncan's training days with
Connor MacLeod; the friendship between the two Highlanders through
the centuries. A bloodthirsty and immortal pirate Khordas vows to kill the Highlander, making up for a
fearsome enemy that haunts them for hundreds of years.
- Highlander:
Scimitar, by Ashley
McConnell - When Joe Dawson receives an ancient sword, it
triggers Duncan's remembrance of his involvement in the Arab Revolt
in 1916.
- Highlander:
Scotland the Brave, by Jennifer Roberson - Annie Devlin returns to draw Duncan into a new
quest to win independence for Ireland. He is reluctant, given his
history with failed attempts to free his homeland, including his
culpability in the fate of the Stone of
Scone.
- Highlander: Measure of a
Man by Nancy Holder - In
Venice
, Italy
1655, Duncan
meets legendary manipulator - and, apparently, Immortal - Niccolò Machiavelli. Duncan
only narrowly escaped Machiavelli's machinations once; he may not
be so lucky when the Prince of Lies resurfaces in 20th century
North America.
- Highlander: The
Path by Rebecca Neason - In
1781 Duncan meets a different kind of Immortal - the Dalai Lama. Soon the Highlander embarks on the
path to enlightenment and peace. But that peace may be short-lived
when the Immortal Nasiradeen invades
Tibet.
- Highlander: Zealot
by Donna Lettow - Duncan MacLeod was
there when Avram Mordecai fought the enemies of his Jewish people
in World War II, as he has for two
thousand years. Now he finds himself trapped between his honor and
his loyalties when he protects a Palestinian diplomat from his old
friend.
- Highlander: Shadow of
Obsession by Rebecca Neason
- Once Darius was a man of war, laying siege to Rome
.
Centuries later, as a man of God, Darius touched the life of Duncan
MacLeod. Now a spurned lover from Darius' warrior days returns for
revenge against all he called friend.
Comics
In October
2006, a
Highlander comic book series
started, based on the
Highlander movies and TV series and
published by
Dynamite
Entertainment. Following the TV series' continuity, the first
comic arc, written by
Brandon Jerwa
and
Michael Avon Oeming, follows
Connor MacLeod after defeating The
Kurgan. Duncan Macleod is slowly introduced in a one-off issue
teaming him with Connor Macleod, while the second arc
Dark
Quickening pairs the two immortals together. The last arc of
the comic is set after Highlander: Endgame and features Duncan
Macleod as the main character, with a ghostly Connor advising him.
Methos, Joe, Amanda and Ceirdwyn also feature.
After that series ended Dynamite released a shorter mini-series,
Highlander: Way
of the Sword, which can debatedly be set in the
TV Series continuity, and be a stand-alone prequel to the first
film, and
Highlander Origins: The
Kurgan, which similarly can also be set in any
timeline.
Behind the Scenes
- The character of Duncan MacLeod was ranked#11 of Tv Guides list
of 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends(August 2004).
- Alexandra Vandernoot told the producers that she wanted to
leave the series early in the second season. So the writers killed
off her character in the episode "The Darkness".
- The season-one episode Free Fall was
the first episode to be filmed, while Indiscretions was the last episode in the
series to be filmed. In that episode, the quickening scene was the
last shot. Wingfield is said to have suffered a burn on the left
side of his face, which healed later on.
- Musicians who have made guest appearances on the series
include:
- Roland Gift (Xavier St.Cloud)
- Roger Daltrey (Hugh Fitzcairn)
- Joan Jett (Felicia Martins)
- Sheena Easton (Annie Devlin)
- Dee Dee Bridgwater.(Carolin
- Marcus Testory (Caspian)
- Vanity (Rebeca Lords)
- Duncan's dragon-head katana hilt was made out of aluminum
blades which were specially manufactured to fit though the subo
into the hilt. The aluminum was so weak that it broke 2 or 3 times
per fight so they made hundreds of blades.
- Duncan's antiques store and apartment for the first season were
intended to be old world in new world environment-rich &
textured.
- The pilot episode "The Gathering"
is Christopher Lambert's first and only appearence in an american
series. He was repotedly paid $500,000 for 3 days of shooting.
- The name Duncan was chosen at the last minute. It means "dark
warrior" in Gaelic.
- The character of Marcus Constantine, from Pharaoh's Daughter, was originally
envisioned as someone who could replace Darius as an elder to
Duncan younger Immortal. But the role ultimately fell to Methos in
season three.
- Homeland, Revelation 6:8, and The Modern Prometheus were
directed by Adrian Paul himself.
- The series was originally going to follow the first film with
Conner Macleod in the lead role to be played by Paul. However, Paul
wanted the freedom to create his own characterization. So the
writers agreed and thus Duncan Macleod was created.
- Unlike most immortals in the series, Duncan does not use an
alias. The writers considered giving his some aliases like;
Alistair Duncan Ian MacLeod, Daniel Warren and Axel Brosnan.
- Joe Dawson was originally going to be named Ian Dawson and was
conceived to be a bookish historian with less world experience.
David McCallum and Michael York wanted the role.
- The producers wanted to make a spin-off series featuring
Immortal Mathew McCormick (The FBI agent who hunts serial killers).
The concept would have had him traveling the US and England
investigating crimes, while also dispensing Immortal justice. Kim
Johnston-Ulrich (who played Cedirwyn in Take back the Night) and Nicholas Lea
would have had recurring role in the series.
- Amanda originally intended to be a bisexual character. It was
said that the writers were going to have the episode Legacy to reveal that Amanda and her mentor Rebecca
Horne were once lovers. But the producers scrapped the idea,
fearing that the censors would not allow it.
- Methos was originally going to be killed off during the series
finale of season three, but the popularity of the character
prompted the writers and producers to make him a recurring
character.
- During the filming of the episode Epitaph for Tommy, guest star Roddy Piper
sliced Adrian's hand. The on-set nurse wanted him to go to the
hospital, but Adrian refused, wanting to finish the scene
first.
- Werner Stocker(Darius) was unable to shoot the last episode of
season one due to cancer. That episode which opened with the
characters murder edited together with existing footage from
earlier episodes for the first scene. Stocker died by the time the
episode was aired on TV.
- "Arcangel" was to be a cliffhanger setting up season 6. After
Duncan kills Richie,he retreats to a monestary foe a year.Season 6
picks up after that year and Ahriman has taken over most of the
world. There is a rebellion. Joe and Methos find Duncan and talk
him int getting back into the fight. Season 6 was to concern that
struggle. Apparently, Adrian Paul wanted less involvment in
Highlander so that he could pursue a movie career. Thus a new,
ending to the series was designed.
- Many fans of the series had hoped that "Indiscretions" was a back-door pilot for a Highlander
spin-off featuring Methos and Joe. There were attempts to make the
spin-off back in 2000, but the series was never made.
Controversy and Cancellation
The death of Ritchie Ryan in the season five finale and the
introduction of a demonic force after 106 episodes caused outrage
among fans of the series and caused a sharp decline in ratings. The
killing off of Ritchie was said to be the desire of the producers
to make new characters for a proposed spin-off series. Shortly
thereafter, the show was canceled.
See also
References
- Head of Production Denis Leroy, in
- Name from , Bonus Material, Article: "Richie Ryan", in
Highlander: The Series (season 1) (DVD, Anchor Bay
Entertainment, 2001), disk 1.
- Bill Panzer, in episode , Bonus Material, Bill Panzer's
interview, in Highlander: The Series (season 1) (DVD,
Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2001), disk 5.
- Adrian Paul, in
- Sword Master F. Braun McAsh, in
- Highlander: The Series, Season One review, Rob
Lineberger, DVD Verdict, December 17th, 2002
- Highlander: The Series, Season Six review, Rob
Lineberger, DVD Verdict, February 16th, 2005
- Highlander: The Series, Season Two review, Rob
Lineberger, DVD Verdict, March 18th, 2004
- Highlander: The Series, Season Three review, Rob
Lineberger, DVD Verdict, March 29th, 2004
- Highlander: The Series, Season Four, Rob Lineberger,
DVD Verdict, June 8th, 2004
- Highlander: The Series, Season Five review, Rob
Lineberger, DVD Verdict, September 22nd, 2004
- Highlander: The Series, Season One review,
Abbie Bernstein, Audio Video Revolution, November 12, 2002
- Highlander: The Series, Season Six review,
David Oliver, CHUD, 02/10/2005
- Highlander: Endgame Review, Carlo Cavagna, About Film,
October 2000
- Highlander: The Source Review, Danél Griffin,
Film as Art
- Highlander: The Series, Season Five review,
Abbie Bernstein, Audio Video Revolution, August 10, 2004
- Highlander: The Series, Season Four review, Kathie
Huddleston, SCI FI, August 23, 2004
- Episodes "To Be" and "Not To Be", in Highlander: The
Series (season 6) (DVD, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2005).
External links
- Parisian and Scottish locations at:
-
http://www.phys.ualberta.ca/~jdejong/personal/hl/highland.html