| Roar | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Created by | Shaun Cassidy Ron Koslow |
| Starring | Heath Ledger Sebastian Roché John Saint Ryan Lisa Zane Vera Farmiga Alonzo Greer Melissa George Keri Russell |
| Theme music composer | Jon Ehrlich |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Shaun Cassidy |
| Producer(s) | Howard Grigsby |
| Location(s) | Queensland, Australia United States |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
| Original run | July 14, 1997 – September 1, 1997 |
Roar is an American television show that originally aired on the Fox network in the summer of 1997. In the year AD 400, a young Irish man, Conor (played by Heath Ledger), sets out to rid his land of the invading Romans, but in order to accomplish it, he must unite the Celtic clans.
Contents |
Premise
Roar chronicles the extraordinary life of Conor, a reluctant 20-year-old orphaned prince who must rise above tragedy to lead his people to freedom. Conor takes on a band of ragtag allies that include Tully, a teenage apprentice magician; Catlin, a beautiful former slave; and Fergus, Conor's big-hearted, ebullient protector.
Their primary struggle is against Longinus, a supernatural creature whose true essence is that of a 400-year-old Roman centurion ready to do the bidding of evil Queen Diana, an emissary of the Romans.
In this fight for freedom, what is most important for Conor and his people is the Roar—the roar of the land, the roar of the people—a voice that echoes through every living creature and is the power of life.
Show details
Creation and purpose
The show was created by Shaun Cassidy on the heels of the success of the syndicated programs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. However, Roar was not very well received in the US and lasted for only one season (8 of the 13 episodes were aired in 1997, with the last 5 not broadcast until 2000).
Alignment with Christian tradition
One of the major villains in the program was Longinus, played by Sebastian Roché, an immortal cursed by God for interfering with His plans. By Christian tradition, Longinus was the centurion who stabbed Jesus Christ with his spear during the Crucifixion. This spear, the Spear of Destiny, was supposedly the only weapon that could release Longinus from his curse. The show freely mixed Christian mythology, Celtic mythology, Druidism, and smatterings of history.
Show notes
- Whilst the original airing of the show in North America did not broadcast all of the episodes, when syndicated to Australia, Canada and the UK, all episodes were aired.
- Roar: The Complete Series was released on DVD on September 19, 2006. The 3-disc set includes all thirteen episodes, even those which were never aired in the United States.
- The following year, FOX created a similar series, Young Hercules starring Ryan Gosling.
Episode list
| Episode # | Date aired | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1- 1 | July 14, 1997 | Pilot |
| 1- 2 | July 21, 1997 | Projector |
| 1- 3 | July 28, 1997 | The Chosen |
| 1- 4 | August 4, 1997 | Banshee |
| 1- 5 | August 11, 1997 | Doyle's Solution |
| 1- 6 | August 18, 1997 | Red Boot |
| 1- 7 | August 25, 1997 | The Spear of Destiny |
| 1- 8 | September 1, 1997 | The Eternal |
| 1- 9 | Tash | |
| 1- 10 | Traps | |
| 1- 11 | Daybreak | |
| 1- 12 | The Cage | |
| 1- 13 | May 28, 2000 | Sweet Bridget |
Awards
The show was nominated for and won several awards.[1]
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) Jon Ehrlich |
| 1998 | Won | Golden Reel Award, Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Dialogue & ADR Norval D. Crutcher III (supervising dialogue and adr editor) |
| 1998 | Nominated | Golden Reel Award, Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing - Television Episodic - Dialogue & ADR Robb Navrides |
| 1999 | Won | Award of Distinction, Australian Cinematographers Society | Telefeatures, TV Drama & Mini Series John Stokes |
Other media
Books
Two books were written based on the Roar universe. Published in 1998 and written by Sean Kiernan, Roar: A Novel (ISBN 0-0610-5914-5) gives a backstory leading up to the pilot episode, and Roar: The Cauldron (ISBN 0-0610-5936-6) tells the story of Conor's quest to find the legendary Cauldron.
References
- ^ "IMDB Awards". Roar. IMDB. http://imdb.com/title/tt0118451/awards. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
External links
- Roar at the Internet Movie Database
- Roar at TV.com
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