The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim originally released in November of 2011, and since then it has remained one of the most played games of all time. With a user rating of 96 percent, it must be doing something right. The fifth game in The Elder Scrolls series has a political conflict (as well as a ton of interesting side quest stories) that would make for a great television series.
Skyrim is in the midst of a civil war between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. The Stormcloaks are a rebel group that wants to separate from the Empire, but many still support the Imperials. After Ulfric Stormcloak—leader of the rebellion—kills the High King, the war has reached a stand-still. That is until a dragon named Alduin, known as the world eater, shows up and attacks Helgen. It was foretold by the Elder Scrolls that the conflict amongst the people of Skyrim would lead to the return of dragons, and that's exactly what happens.
This would be a great show because the history and lore in The Elder Scrolls series is so rich and nuanced. Civil conflict within a regional society will always be a relevant topic. Also, just imagine turning on Netflix or HBO Max and seeing a black screen, hearing the familiar sound of carriage wheels and muffled horse hooves clacking on a stone road, and having the words 'The Elder Scrolls V: SKYRIM' come across the screen. Even if the show didn't succeed in terms of storytelling and visuals, the popularity and buzz around this show would be astronomical. After all, Skyrim's fanbase is one of the most diverse groups of gamers out there.
What about the protagonist, though? In the game, the player can choose whatever race, gender, size, and hair color they want. So, who would make a good lead actor, and what should they look like? Multiple times in the game, the player's character is referred to as an 'outsider.' And although the true natives of Skyrim are the Snow Elves, the majority of people in Skyrim are Nords as well as Imperials. So it would make more sense if the lead actor did not look like a typical Nord.
The 'beast races' would also be difficult to do because of either the makeup effects or CGI needed. The Redguard are also foreigners in Skyrim, which would make them a good race to choose. Or, the protagonist could be a completely new kind of race. Whether the protagonist was male or female wouldn't matter as much, but a female lead would give off Daenerys vibes, and if the script was done well, could maybe make up for some hurt feelings after season 8 of Game of Thrones.
Location is everything. And how could a Skyrim series filmed in New Zealand not do well? If Peter Jackson taught the world anything, it's that New Zealand is a beautifully diverse land; and its open fields, mountains, and climate that varies widely would be perfect. Even if the 'beast races' would be difficult to pull off for the main character, seeing an Argonian or Khajiit running around New Zealand would make a lot of people's lives better. It's also the perfect backdrop to see in some live-action Alduin and Paarthunax or dueling dragon scenes.
To add the history and lore that players love about Skyrim into the show, the script could add several fan-favorite side quests in. Some of the NPC's stories are actually very interesting. Skyrim is filled with all kinds of creatures from werewolves to vampires and ghosts. There's even a quest where the player gets sent to another dimension by some Mad Hatter-esque character and has to solve riddles to escape. Skyrim has no shortage of stories to follow and would provide endless script material.
As long as the creators of a Skyrim show were fans of the game, there would be no doubt the series would do well. Just look at the success of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. A fan of Skyrim would know just how important mods are to the community. It would be fun for the video game's fans to get little Easter Eggs throughout the show in reference to popular mods. There are also some jokes to be made around the fact that Skyrim has been re-released and ported many times, even getting a release for Amazon's Alexa gadgets.
The fantasy genre set in a medieval time is always, at worst, going to be entertaining. With the right cast and crew, it could become a major pop culture icon of a show. Though it's unlikely this will happen anytime soon, that's not to say it won't happen someday. Hopefully, before fans are as old as Shirley aka Grandma Skyrim.