There have been all kinds of BBC's controversial adaptation of the Night Watch novels, was critically panned for taking too many arbitrary liberties with the setting. Other adaptations have had their own high points and flaws.

There is one thread that explains why none of these adaptations have achieved any lasting success: none of them have quite landed on the tone that makes the original novels so timelessly endearing, even if the Discworld reading order is a little complicated. Emulating Terry Pratchett's unique mix of satire, slapstick, and parable requires an emotional intelligence that even the best adaptations have lacked.

Most Discworld Adaptations Almost Get It Right (But They're Missing Something)

Various Discworld Adaptations Demonstrate Strengths Like Faithful Dialogue & Weaknesses Like Meandering Plots

With studios having spent almost 30 years adapting various Discworld novels, there has been a wide variety of styles and approaches. They have demonstrated varying degrees of faithfulness to the novels, as well as fluctuating success. For instance, in the late 1990s, the animation studio Cosgrove Hall released their versions of the novels Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters as animated mini-series. These contain some of the most faithful renditions of the novels' dialogue, but their relative obscurity means they sadly don't exist in high-definition formats.

In the 2000s, Sky One and the BBC released live-action adaptations of Hogfather, The Colour of Magic (which was interpolated with parts of its sequel, The Light Fantastic), and Going Postal. These films have relatively star-studded casts, including actors like Tim Curry, Sean Astin, and Jeremy Irons. Unfortunately, their pacing is dreadfully slow in comparison with Pratchett's lively prose, and many of the books' plots were changed.

The most prolific actor in Discworld adaptations is Christopher Lee, best known as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings films from the 2000s and Dracula in the 1950s through the 1970s. Before his death in 2015, Lee voiced Death in both of the animated Discworld films and the Sky One version of The Colour of Magic.

Most recently, BBC America attempted a loose adaptation of the Night Watch novels, combining elements of Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, and Night Watch to create a very different aesthetic than the original. This has the notoriety of being the worst Discworld adaptation, with only a 53% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This show tried far too hard to be unique and edgy, alienating new viewers with its hostility and longtime fans with its radical departure from the source material.

All of these adaptations do have their good points, with there being plenty of hilarious dialogue, weird puns, and magical absurdism. However, the Discworld books are about more than jokes about a librarian who just happens to be an orangutan. As a reflection of our own world, the Disc reminds us of our own better angels in a way more serious mediums never could.

Discworld Isn’t About Just Being Silly, It’s About ing To Have Empathy

The Perfect Discworld Adaptation Will Be Funny, But Will Also Prompt Viewers To Reflect

No adaptation of a Discworld book has yet hit the allegorical nail on the head. The books are objectively hilarious, but that hilarity is a counterpart to some very genuine examinations of human nature. In a sense, Pratchett is the opposite of J.R.R. Tolkien; while Tolkien was notorious for his dislike of allegory in fiction, Pratchett's works are dripping with it. This is the power of satire, after all — to hold a funhouse mirror up to nature.

A good Discworld TV show will have more heart than it knows what to do with. It will balance wonder and whimsy, making us laugh more than it makes us cry, but the laughter must be at least a little self-effacing as we see ourselves in the Disc's inhabitants and all their troubles. As human beings, we need to tell stories about other stories so we can recognize ourselves in the shadows. Or as Terry Pratchett himself said in Hogfather:

They walked in silence for a moment.

“Ah,” said Susan dully. "Trickery with words. I would have thought you’d have been more literal-minded than that."

I AM NOTHING IF NOT LITERAL-MINDED. TRICKERY WITH WORDS IS WHERE HUMANS LIVE.

“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need...fantasies to make life bearable.”

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—”

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

“So we can believe the big ones?”

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

Source: RottenTomatoes.com, Hogfather