Coming Soon To Your Television Sets: ‘Camelot’ on Starz / ‘Merlin’ on SyFy

Starz seems to be on a roll with its string of historical portrayals having such success with shows like the Spartacus series as well as The Pillars of Earth. Coming in April, Starz will unleash its newest period piece following the story of King Arthur in Camelot. Check the break for details.

On April 1st, 2011 Starz will be premiering its newest original series Camelot. If you are like myself, I’m sure you see this news as something to celebrate. The mythologies that accompany King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, as well as that of Merlin, are so intriguing that I can’t help but already be a fan of this show.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would not know the basics of the King Arthur story, but in case I’m wrong in my assumptions here is a brief description of what the show will entail released by the good folks at Starz:

“In the wake of King Uther’s sudden death, chaos threatens to engulf Britain. When the sorcerer Merlin has visions of a dark future, he installs the young and impetuous Arthur, Uther’s unknown son and heir, who has been raised from birth as a commoner. But Arthur’s cold and ambitious half sister Morgan will fight him to the bitter end, summoning unnatural forces to claim the crown in this epic battle for control.

These are dark times indeed for the new king, with Guinevere being the only shining light in Arthur’s harsh world. Faced with profound moral decisions, and the challenge of uniting a kingdom broken by war and steeped in deception, Arthur will be tested beyond imagination. Forget everything you think you know…this is the story of Camelot that has never been told before.

I love all things Arthurian. I have spent a lot of time researching Arthur and Merlin because I find the pair to be just so damn fascinating. Whether you believe them to be truth or just fantasy, the stories are still enjoyable.

With the conclusion of the six-part mini series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena approaching we will get our first look at Camelot. On February 25th, following the finale of Gods of the Arena, Starz will air a special preview of the Arthurian epic. Don’t worry if you wont be around to catch it because they are replaying it on February 27th. Usually these previews are the first episode of the series, give or take a few scenes.

Camelot stars Jamie Campbell Bower as King Arthur, Eva Green as Arthur’s power hungry half sister Morgan, and Joseph Fiennes as the worlds greatest sorcerer Merlin. While I’m not a huge fan of Bower because of how lame he was in New Moon and basically because he just looks goofy, I did like him in Sweeney Todd. Plus he plays a young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, so psh game over right there; HP trumps anything in my book! I’ll give him a shot as King Arthur.

While the wait for the complete season of Camelot is quite a bit away you can always indulge your Merlinian/Arthurian fix with SyFy’s “original” series Merlin which airs on  Fridays at 10/9c. I put original in quotes because it is a BBC show that airs on SyFy in America. Does that seem original to anyone else? I never understood that (let me know if you know the reason), but I digress.

The show Merlin is another I enjoy; but unlike Camelot, this series follows the younger years of Arthur and Merlin. Merlin is a servant to Arthur in the court of Camelot who must keep his magic a secret because magic is forbidden by Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon. Merlin is told that it’s his destiny to protect and see Arthur become King where he will then unite the people of Britain under his noble rule. While the show takes drastic steps outside of the Arthurian legend, it does show us pretty cool events. Featured is the meeting of Knights of the Round Table, their back stories, as well as the growing love affair between Prince Arthur and the lowly servant girl Guinevere.

Camelot premieres April 1st on Starz but can be previewed February 25th following Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Also Merlin airs Friday’s at 10/9c on SyFy.

Are you excited for Camelot and the rise of King Arthur?  Think it has potential? Already a fan of SyFy’s Merlin? What do you think?