Could the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series still be good?

Like many people out there, I was shocked when I read the news that Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko would no longer be showrunning the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is a series that has a lot of fanfare surrounding it. When it was first announced by Netflix, bringing on those showrunners garnered them a lot of good faith. After all, who better to shepherd the story into live-action than those who birthed it in the first place?

Sadly, it was not meant to be. Earlier today, DiMartino and Konietzko revealed that they left the project. And, based on their words, it wasn’t amicable. It sounds like Netflix was pretty heavy-handed with their notes — so much so that the showrunners couldn’t stick around any longer. It’s an all-around bad situation, and fans have understandably turned their backs on the streamer in this instance.

RELATED – Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunners Have Left The Live-Action Netflix Series

Fans who grew up with this series are upset that Netflix clearly didn’t listen to what the creators had to say, and I get that. But let’s take a step back here for a second. What if…this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing?

Yes, Dimartino and Konietzko leaving is a shame, but we don’t know the circumstances of why they left. We don’t really know their live-action vision, and we don’t really know what Netflix had against it. So, what if this move actually resulted in a stronger series? One that had the ability to rise up and dig its heels even further into the mainstream zeitgeist?

Before I get any further, I want to drive home that I’m not defending Netflix suppressing creators’ visions. In my opinion, that’s kind of a cardinal sin. When you hire creators, you hire them for their vision. If they didn’t want what they had to offer, they should have hired someone else. All I’m doing in this piece is posing a question of whether or not this can turn out better than we all expect.

I, for one, always hope for the best when it comes to new films and series. Anyway, let’s get going.

My Experience With Avatar

Okay, so before I dig into the “why” of it all, I think it’s best I share my Avatar: The Last Airbender experience. It’s…very lacking. I tried to watch the show when it first aired, but couldn’t get past the childish humor. I tried again in college, but stopped around eight episodes in for the same reason.

Then, more recently, after some prodding from my brother-in-law, I tried again just last month. I only got through Episode 3.

Now, why do I bring this up? While I have plenty of respect for the fans behind this show, as well as the creative vision, I need to make it clear that I’m simply not as attached to this show as others are. Based on everything I know about the plot, I know it’s a great story, but the execution isn’t for everyone. Aka, the execution in the animated series wasn’t for me.

Yes, I’ve been told several times to push through the first season, but that’s a lot of episodes and silly jokes to get through just to get to the good stuff. And that’s part of the first reason why I think this could be a good thing.

That Comedy, Bro

The comedy in the original animated series was a huge turnoff. As I stated above, it kept me from continuing on three separate occasions. In spite of my love of animation and anime, I couldn’t get through it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a prime candidate for Avatar: The Last Airbender. And yet, it didn’t work for me.

With that in mind, I’m not fully convinced a similar vision from the same showrunners is the way to go. Yes, it could have pleased fans of the original series, but could it have grown its audiences? I’m mainly pointing to myself in this one. Would the humor have struck the same annoying chord with me as the original series? If so, could it alien other, less openminded viewers of its greatness?

Now, to be clear, I have no idea if this was the case. For all I know, the duo of showrunners was pushing for a bold new take. However, based on Netflix’s history, I can’t imagine the streamer being against drastic changes. After all, this is a service that is looking to broaden their audience as much as possible. They’d like want to age up the story slightly to have a broader appeal.

Meanwhile, you have the showrunners, who were likely more focused on maintaining what they feel is the core essence of the show.

I don’t know about you, but as someone who couldn’t get into that first show, I would like something a bit different. And, along those same lines, I have another argument in favor of a new showrunner.

We Already Have The Definitive Story

So, let’s pretend I have seen the entire show. And let’s pretend I absolutely love it. Would a live-action retread be something I’d really want? Absolutely not. As much as I adore live-action cinema, I hate the fact that it’s revered as the “definitive” version of so many different mediums.

This goes for comics, books, and even animation. Why is it that a franchise can have an amazing, well-told story in animation or comic form, and we all have the urge to push it to live-action? It’s almost as though fans of the original crave the validation that comes with a live-action adaptation. And that’s infuriating. And I’m not immune to it either. I love animated films like Your Name and Summer Wars. And yet I’d love to see them in animation. That being said, if those films get Hollywood adaptations, I’d hope the filmmakers were given license to try something different. After all, if I wanted the same story regurgitated, I’d watch the original.

This goes for the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action show as well. I don’t think it’s in its best interest to ape the original. If we wanted a walkthrough of the entire show, we could just watch the original, right? Perhaps this live-action version can be definitive in its own unique way. Sure, it can have the same basic idea, but the execution should be unique to the medium.

Again, I have no idea of the showrunners planned on changing things up significantly in terms of story and plot, but I just get the impression that they were steadfast in their beliefs and rules. If this story is to get a live-action adaptation, I think it should be changed to take advantage of the medium. 

Conclusion

As you can see, I don’t really have a dog in this race, but I can understand the fans’ frustrations. As of this writing, it does feel like Netflix screwed over the creators. They made a show of giving them creative freedom before stuffing them into boxes. 

But, on the other hand, I could also understand their frustration if the showrunners were looking to replicate the story beat for beat. Netflix is essentially a network, and they need subscribers. If they can somehow expand the viability of Avatar: The Last Airbender to include people like me, it could go a long way to ensuring their dollars spent on the licensing and production will be made back in full. 

But, that’s just one man’s opinion — and it’s based on a lot of baseless speculation. From a fan’s perspective, I can’t really blame many of you for swearing off this live-action adaptation altogether. But, as someone who didn’t care for the original, I find myself more willing to give it a chance. Who knows? Whatever this take on Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series ends up being, it may be a shockingly good time.

Or not. We’ll see.

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