Summary
- The Atlas Six TV show needs to address its unlikable characters, who make questionable choices and lack communication skills because audiences need someone to anchor the story.
- Learning from the mistakes of The Wheel of Time, The Atlas Six needs to give its characters redeeming qualities to create investment and connection for the audience.
- Failure to make this crucial change could risk alienating potential viewers who would otherwise enjoy the plot and world-building of The Atlas Six.
Amazon’s The Atlas Six TV show adaptation needs to fix one massive problem that The Wheel of Time season 1 never fixed. Adapted from the dark fantasy Atlas Series by Olivie Blake, The Atlas Six will follow six young Medians – all of whom have special abilities – who have the chance to join a secret group called the Alexandrian Society. The eponymous first book became a BookTok sensation after Blake self-published it for Kindle in 2020. Tor acquired the book after a seven-way auction for the rights (via Pan Macmillan), allowing Blake to make it a trilogy.
In 2021, Amazon Studios – the production company that made The Wheel of Time – announced that it’s adapting the Atlas Series into a TV show. There are many reasons to be excited about the upcoming adaptation. Shows like Wheel of Time and Syfy’s The Magicians provide The Atlas Six with blueprints and prove that the series has an audience. Additionally, the series includes strong women, BIPOC characters, and LGBTQ+ relationships – providing much-needed representation. However, The Atlas Six will need to make one massive change to the story in order to keep audiences invested in the TV show adaptation.
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One Big Criticism Of The Atlas Six Is The Characters
While the series is popular, the Atlas Series includes wildly unlikable characters that are difficult to care about. They make questionable choices, putting their own desires ahead of others. None of the characters seem to like each other. Each of the characters speaks like they think they’re smarter than they are. Rather than having any communication skills, they bicker about everything. What’s more, the characters never develop into more likable, sympathetic people. It’s crucial that the writers of The Atlas Six TV show need to fix this problem by learning from the mistakes of Wheel of Time season 1.
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The Wheel Of Time Adaptation Shows Where The Atlas Six TV Show Can Improve
The Atlas Series is similar to The Wheel of Time in good ways and bad, so the creative team for The Atlas Six can learn from the mistakes of the other series. Wheel of Time struggled to maintain traction because the characters were simply unlikable. While stories don’t always need likable characters to be good, it’s more crucial in fantasy to have at least one person anchoring the story. Even though The Wheel of Time season 2 improved upon the issues of season 1, new viewers still need to struggle through the first season to get to the good parts.
Instead of faithfully adapting every part of the Atlas Series and struggling with the same issues as The Wheel of Time, Amazon’s The Atlas Six can give the main characters some redeeming qualities. They don’t all need to be likable right off the bat, but they need something for the audience to invest in and connect with. If they don’t make this important change, The Atlas Six will risk alienating potential viewers who would enjoy the enjoyable plot and world-building.
Source: Pan Macmillan
