| 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 Australia |
| 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 this, he must unite the Celtic clans.
Contents |
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.
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).
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.
Primary Cast
Guest Cast listed in alphabetical order (episodes 1-9)
| Episode # | Date aired | Title | Plot summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–1 | July 14, 1997 | Pilot | When he loses his family and the woman he loves, Prince Conor sets out on a quest for revenge against the ones who killed them. Conor's friend and mentor, the magician Galen, teaches him how to hear the "roar" of the land and shows him another destiny to follow. The Roman legions coming to take over the land are led by Diana, a Roman woman who married a Celtic king and the wizard Longinus, who is the soldier who killed Christ on the cross and is now cursed with immortality. Joined by Fergus, a warrior of his own tribe, Tully, a young man raised by Galen and Caitlin, a former Roman slave, he sets out to unite the Celtic tribes and fight the Romans. |
| 1- 2 | July 21, 1997 | Projector | A traveling merchant tries to sell "atmos", a primitive form of gunpowder, there is a struggle to see who will control this new power called science, the Romans or the Celtic tribes. |
| 1- 3 | July 28, 1997 | The Chosen | A young boy is chosen as the leader of the druids, a mythical magical priesthood of the ancient Celts, known as the "Father". But there are those who wish to control or do the boy harm before he reaches the druid temple. |
| 1- 4 | August 4, 1997 | Banshee | While making an alliance with another clan Conor and the others meet a beautiful woman. She turns out to be a banshee who has foreseen one of their deaths. |
| 1- 5 | August 11, 1997 | Doyle's Solution | Conor and Fergus run into a man named Doyle who has "adopted" a group of children around him including a beautiful young woman Molly. But they soon realize that Doyle may not be as good and peaceful as he seems. |
| 1- 6 | August 18, 1997 | Red Boot | A Roman soldier comes to the island to find a document and conceal the truth that is important to the Christian faith. A big secret is revealed about Caitlin's faith. |
| 1- 7 | August 25, 1997 | The Spear of Destiny | Fergus tells the story of how Conor found the Spear of Destiny, of its power to corrupt and of Loginus's attempt to gain everlasting peace by using the spear to kill himself. |
| 1- 8 | September 1, 1997 | The Eternal | Conor is summoned by the Father who proposes a marriage for him to a druid novice. Longinus swears to bring down Conor's alliance, and begins to build a base of power, forcing Diana and others to swear allegiance to him. |
| 1- 9 | Tash | Catlin accidentally drops a scull while in Galen's home. Shortly after, she is possessed by an evil spirit, a tash. Conor and Fergus race to save her, only to find that the spirit is none other that Catlin's long lost little sister, and the only way to get her out is to turn to Loginus. | |
| 1- 10 | Traps | Conor and Fergus arrive on an island that says they're interested in trading weapons with them. But its not Conor they're selling weapons to. Its Loginus and Dianna. Conor and Fergus are given 24 hours to survive the traps. If they do, they go free. | |
| 1- 11 | Daybreak | When Conor recovers the remains of his family, he makes plans to bury them at his father's village, but thanks to Longinus's interference, he's not welcomed with open arms. | |
| 1- 12 | The Cage | Conor and Molly have a romance, but is it real or not? They travel to Molly's hometown to meet her mother, who has remarried. This husband, not quite so noble as Fergus. He is a spy for Loginus, and plots to kill Conor. In the end, Dianna helps put Loginus in a "cage" that will keep him imprisoned for eternity. | |
| 1- 13 | May 28, 2000 | Sweet Bridget | Newly free from Loginus, everyone celebrates the union of Rome and the Celts. Conor and Fergus, on their way to the celebration meet a man trapped in a hole. Upon helping him out, he leaves them stuck with only the words "Kiss the clay and you'll be free". Conor kisses the clay only to meet a beautiful young woman, who can not speak, and who acts like a child in many ways. They take her in but are soon running from Dianna who was threatened. The girl, who Conor named "Bridget", took a liking to him, but fled one night after setting fire to a soldier. Unable to find her, they went to the man who revealed her to them. He tells them that "Bridget" is a Fire Sprite, and can not be trusted on her own. |
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 |
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.