Outlandish Blends

As a child my father encouraged me to read, and it became one of my greatest loves. What I discovered early on that there was no more thorough way to tell an intricate tale than a good book. There’s no wonder to me why some of the best television series and movie titles are based on intricate source material. If you love storytelling and storytellers then there’s nothing more important than the details. When I pick a new show, the chances I’ll truly love the story increase exponentially if the script is based on an excellent series of novels first. There’s nowhere to hide inside of a written story; every word must shine.

Building a television series on successful, audience-approved source material makes perfect business sense because you begin with a built-in audience. That awaiting fanbase is a gift and a curse of course because now you have their attention, but eventually you’ll also want their approval.

When I hear a TV series is based on best selling novels, I have to watch. The classics don’t stop when you’ve done the work. Look at the success of shows such as a Handmaid's Tale, American Gods, Game of Thrones, Watchmen, Little Fires Everywhere, The Man in the High Castle, The Expanse...just to name a few. Sometimes in the process you discover something new to watch, you discover an author or a genre you never knew you would love! Sometimes you have to trust the author, and their reputation and you take chances. Good television and real life share complexity as a central theme.

Following this trail to new TV series nirvana, let me tell you about one of my favorite discoveries. I never knew how much I would enjoy a series of romance novels until I started reading Diana J. Gabaldon’s Outlander novels. The novels are thick, and great for long trips. Once I started on the first book in the series I understood their appeal. It’s not just Romance, it’s Historical Fiction, and Time Travel.

You wouldn’t think that such an outlandish blend would come together so well but I am here to tell you that it’s fantastic fun. So many years ago when I heard that a lesser known cable TV channel named Starz had produced it, I had to watch, and now there are 4 seasons available on Netflix, and 5 seasons to watch if you subscribe to Starz! I cannot recommend a guilty pleasure more, and if you follow my formula for discovering dynamic content, I know you will keep discovering diamonds.

Stick with me, and stay ahead of the curve. Let’s keep reading and excavating the best stories available. It takes years to write these novels that eventually become seasons of a hit show. We keep witnessing is the power of time. What makes audiences go berserk when they lose their favorite television character? The power of a good series is the amount of time we spend with each character, their narrative becomes a part of our lives. If you were like me once obsessed with Game of Thrones, well then you spent a decade living with those characters in your head and their influence is still part of our culture today.

Outlander’s story is fueled by a passionate love story between Claire and Jaime Fraser. Claire is a time traveler from 200 years in the future transported to 18th century Scotland. Claire fights for her life in inevitable colonial wars, cures the sick, and finds true love. Whether you start it with the novels or watching the show on Netflix, this is a great story in an intense, well-written soap-opera type fantasy and it always delivers! It blends it all so well, and if I hadn’t followed the successful origins I don’t know if I would have organically come upon this kind of material in my reading queue. I discovered a new favorite novelist, and a television series that’s always filled with suspense and intrigue. The characters of Outlander will live inside of you, take it from me, you’ll be practicing your Scottish accent in the bathroom mirror by the time you finish with this obsession-worth series.