As they create the upcoming TV shows, the creative teams behind Hulu’s A Court of Thorns and Roses and Amazon’s Fourth Wing need to pay attention to another sexy fantasy adaptation – Outlander. The Empyrean – better known by the name of its first book, Fourth Wing – and ACOTAR are two of the most recent fantasy book series getting TV adaptations. The choice to adapt these two book series is unsurprising given their popularity, with both series going viral multiple times on BookTok over the past few years.
While these adaptations are exciting, they also pose some difficulties with which the writers, directors, and the rest of the creative team will need to contend with. Both books have some problematic elements that will need to be changed or removed in order to succeed. Additionally, they have such huge fanbases that the casting of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses characters will be scrutinized if they don’t get it exactly right. Most difficultly, though, both TV series will need to find a way to balance sex, romance, and fantasy.
8 Challenges The A Court Of Thorns And Roses Show Faces Adapting The Books
Like many fantasy book adaptations, the A Court of Thorns and Roses TV series has many obstacles in its journey toward successful development.
Fourth Wing & A Court Of Thorns & Roses Both Lean Into Romance & Sex
A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Ronald D. Moore
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Showrunner
- Ronald D. Moore
Even though they’re fantasy first and foremost, both ACOTAR and Fourth Wing feature major romances and sexual tension that help move the plot forward. The prose in these books is catered towards adults, including graphic sex scenes for which authors Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros are well known. Due to the frequency of these scenes and the level of detail, the books verge on erotica. If the adaptations want to succeed, Hulu’s A Court of Thorns and Roses and Amazon’s Fourth Wing will need to include the steamier aspects of the books.
However, as they’re adapted into TV shows, these series will need to think about the traditional rules. TV fantasy genre conventions allow for sexual content as long as it doesn’t overpower the rest of the story. It cannot be the only driving force in the narrative. Good examples of this can be found in fantasy book adaptations like Game of Thrones and Outlander. Unlike the sex scenes in Game of Thrones, most of the sex in both book series is consensual, romantic, and focuses on sexual pleasure. In this way, the books are more similar to Outlander.
Balancing Sex Scenes Without Allowing Them To Overwhelm The Rest Of The Show Is Tricky
Fourth Wing
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Rebecca Yarros
- Where To Watch
- Prime Video
Despite having solid source material, Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses will be difficult to adapt for one unifying reason. It’s extremely difficult to incorporate frequent sex scenes in fantasy without overwhelming the rest of the show. A show can easily become dubbed smutty or lewd if it doesn’t walk this line just right. One example of this is the show True Blood, which became better known for being sexy than being good fantasy. By the end of the series, Sookie and Bill’s romance and sex life are more important than the vampires.
On the other side of the coin, when a series is known for its sex scenes, decreasing them too much would alienate many loyal fans who found sexual liberation in these books. Part of the reason these books boomed on BookTok is that its primarily woman fanbase appreciated the way both authors wrote the salacious scenes and focused on mutual pleasure in non-erotica books. The ACOTAR and Fourth Wing adaptations can’t just remove sex scenes in order to prevent them from overwhelming the fantasy plotline.
Outlander Provides The Perfect Blueprint For Sexy Fantasy Without Compromising Quality
Outlander
- Release Date
- August 9, 2014
- Cast
- Caitriona Balfe , Sam Heughan , Sophie Skelton , Richard Rankin , Duncan Lacroix , Graham McTavish , John Bell
- Seasons
- 7
- Network
- Starz
The entire creative team for both the ACOTAR and Fourth Wing TV adaptations should be watching Outlander very closely because it provides a blueprint for both shows. Like the upcoming series, Outlander is based on novels that fall into the sexy fantasy subgenre. The sex scenes in the STARZ show are well-written and steamy. The actors have excellent chemistry that makes the scenes compelling. While sex was always a strong suit of the show, these scenes get even better in Outlander season 6 because Sam Heugan hired an intimacy coordinator (via Glamour). The storylines also build to the erotic moments.
However, Outlander‘s fantasy and historical elements are just as compelling because the writers didn’t neglect the story or character development. The sex scenes add an extra depth to these things, rather than defining them – an important distinction that can explain why other sexy fantasy fails. The writers weren’t relying on the sexier parts to bring in audiences, understanding that the show is a fantasy first and foremost. If they want to succeed, the A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing TV shows need to emulate this approach – making the sex, storyline, and characters equally strong and thought out.
