Hulu is quietly developing an adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and it very well could fill a much-needed fantasy gap in TV. The beloved fantasy book series by Sarah J. Maas has had a TV adaptation in the works since 2021, and though it’s flown under the radar since, it already has a loyal fanbase ready to go when it airs. The ACOTAR series has sold millions of copies over the past few years, and has birthed a dedicated group of readers who eagerly await each new release.
A Court of Thorns and Roses centers on protagonist Feyre Archeron, a young woman who spends her days hunting in the forest beyond the village in order to feed her poverty-stricken family. However, when she mistakenly kills a Fae one day while hunting, she’s taken captive on the other side of the Wall, the magical border that separates the human lands from the magical realm, as payment for her crime. On the surface, the plot of A Court of Thorns and Roses doesn’t seem to diverge that much from other YA fantasy fare, but there are a few things that can set it apart from other fantasy series on TV if done right.
Most Fantasy TV Shows Have Struggled For Different Reasons
There’s a wealth of fantasy on TV these days thanks to streaming platforms, but it’s fair to argue that not all of it is good–most of it is only mediocre. For a while, most fantasy shows wanted to be the next Game of Thrones, but thus far, the only fantasy show that has actually achieved that is its spinoff, House of the Dragon. The vast majority of other fantasy series have been met with mixed enthusiasm, such as A Wheel of Time and even The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Other fantasy series, like Cursed, Warrior Nun, and more were canceled after just a few seasons, and still others, like The Witcher, face an uncertain future. Even great, well-received fantasy series hits like Shadow & Bone are on hiatus, possibly for quite some time.
A Court Of Thorns & Roses Is What Fantasy TV Has Been Missing
A Court of Thorns and Roses, originally planned as a Court of Thorns and Roses movie, has a chance to offer something in fantasy series that the rest lack. There’s a real opening for big, splashy, adult fantasy-romance, and ACOTAR fits that niche. For starters, the characters are all interesting and easy to root for, which should take care of the complaints about Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power that the characters just weren’t that compelling. While a story of Fae and humans isn’t new, the world-building of A Court of Thorns and Roses is interesting but simply constructed, meaning it won’t have to be bogged down in tons of exposition for those unfamiliar with the books.
More importantly, however, A Court of Thorns and Roses is one thing that most fantasy series aren’t: it’s sexy. Most fantasy series are geared toward a YA audience; very few are aimed at a much more mature, adult audience. The Game of Thrones world is one of them, but Game of Thrones‘ sex scenes usually comes in the form of assault and rape, an understandable huge turn-off to some viewers and a big point of controversy for the show. The only fantasy-adjacent series that fits the mold of doing sexy romance right is Starz’ Outlander, which attracted a huge audience for offering something other fantasy series don’t: an adult, mature romance story that shows everything that comes with a romantic relationship, including sex scenes.
It’s promising, then, that author Sarah J. Maas is developing the series with Ronald D. Moore, the creator of Outlander. A Court of Thorns and Roses‘ protagonist is 19 when the series starts, which is still young, but still older than most YA protagonists. She’s also far more mature than her age, having been hardened by years of hardship and poverty. Very little about Feyre’s character projects the vibe of the typical YA heroine ingénue who is overwhelmed by the new world in which she finds herself. She carries herself like a mature adult rather than a teenager, and the book series treats her as such. Sex scenes between her and her lovers pull no punches, nor do they refuse to go further than a PG-13 level. In the books of A Court of Thorns and Roses, sex is mature and fully realized. It would be wise for the Hulu adaptation to stick with the books and offer an adult audience the same mature relationships that Outlander did.
What We Know About A Court Of Thorns & Roses’ TV Show
It’s been fairly quiet on the development front of A Court of Thorns and Roses TV show, but that’s not a surprise considering the adaptation was announced by Maas on her Instagram in the middle of the pandemic. Adding to that, there are the actors’ and writers’ strikes to contend with. Hulu is known for taking its time with adaptations, and, if the streaming service is smart, it’s looking to correct the mistakes made by other streaming platforms that have adapted fantasy books to so-so results.
At the time of her announcement, Maas revealed that she was hard at work co-scripting the pilot with Moore. Other than rumors since then, however, there have been no new updates about A Court of Thorns and Roses. It could be that they’re taking their time to get it right, or it could be that there have been conflicts between Maas and the rest of the writers adapting her work. Either way, it would be great for Hulu to give an official update about its A Court of Thorns and Roses TV show.
