> If the show sucks, then it sucks - it doesn't take away from the original writing. I disagree. Tolkien's work is not just a story; it is a fictional world. M

> If the show sucks, then it sucks - it doesn't take away from the original writing. I disagree. Tolkien's work is not just a story; it is a fictional world. Merchandise exists outside that world, but new stories in that world become an inherent part of that world. Good stories elevate the value of that world. Bad stories damage the value of that world. Keeping with your first example, imagine if a cheap, ugly, concrete, brutalist structure was added onto the Roman Colosseum. The original structure may still be a work of art, but the addition would detract from it. Imagine putting cheap steak sauce on an expertly prepared, high-quality steak. The steak may still be delicious, but its value would be lessened by the added sauce. The same is true for fictional worlds like Tolkien's. All that said, most of my favorite fictional worlds from my childhood have been tarnished by cheap cash grabs, so I have learned to scrape the sauce off the steak and enjoy the original for as much as I can. It's still a great steak, after all. If Amazon's show bombs - which seems likely - I'll do the same for Tolkien's works.