Conan the television series was in my opinion every bit as good as the books and the two 1980 movies. Ralph Moeller portrayed a hero that was likable, smart and a natural leader with his friends. The show ended after only one season, but it ended strong with an interesting season finale that would have easily led into a second year. For those who did not get the chance to see the show, Conan was joined by his friends, the axe-weilding Vulkar, the mute staff-fighting Zzeben, the animal-spirit fighter Bayu, the thoughtful and wise dwarf Otli, and the strong and beautiful female theif Karella. Their main goal for the first year was to defeat the evil sorcerer Hissah Zul and the Skull he summoned with red rubies for advice. All of the actors and actresses deserve credit for putting genuine effort into their characters. Jeremy Kemp was good as an evil sorcerer who attacked Conan directly and at times through those who thought to gain his favor. Otli was another character that was developed well.
I think the mark of any good show is if it leaves you wanting more and provides more interesting questions than answers. Conan the series delivered this. The three sorcerers who helped Conan defeat Hissah Zul clearly had their own motives for overthrowing the new king in time. There was the question of why Skull wanted to collect red rubies. A visit to the Black Kingdoms would have been interesting and it would have been interesting to see the details of Karella's army of archers. All things considered, Conan the series is a show that I will miss and would have enjoyed seeing a second season. I am glad to see Ralph Moeller's appearance in the movie Gladiator. I think he did a good job.
