All in all, TLW had quite a good infant season IMHO, especially when compared to the struggle many other shows had with their season one, even shows that went on to become quite successful later. The strengths of TLW are a good and varied ensemble cast and a generally high production standard (what Troy calls their "skills of presentation"). These aspects work together to create a sort of old-fashioned charme which I, for one, find very appealing.

On the darker side of things, the scriptwriting was variable, to put it mildly. We've had a significant number of episodes which were, by and large, just poorly written. To be fair, it's not easy when one has to work with new characters and a show that is just beginning to find its place. Still, a writing lapse such as the infamous "Veronica-stabs-Roxton-and-the-episode-ends-without-any-resolution" cannot really be excused. Just to name some of the weak spots in the writing:

- lack of character development
- lack of originality (Vikings, Medieval Knights, Samurai, Goths, Egyptians, Gypsies, Aliens...oops, sorry, that's next season ;-)
- the growing disregard for Challenger and Summerlee over the course of season one (though some blame probably has to go to the producers for this)
- illogical plot devices (anyone remember how they killed the Pharao in "Birthright"?)
- an inability to accomodate the large main cast (just remember some of the "divided cast" episodes)

On the other hand, a number of episodes clearly showed that things can be done differently (=better). All the other elements are usually in place (acting, direction, camerawork, music etc.), so when a good script comes along, we get a very entertaining whole.

So, what should the TLW producers and writers do to improve the show next season? Here's a list of things that might help, most of them have been mentioned on this board before, some as early as late last year (Hey Michael and Fred, do you still remember? :-).

1. Introduce some original TLW coherence and continuity. Create a world in itself with recurring original tribes and characters, get rid of that wildly peculiar mixture of cultures from different places and times we saw in season one (Vikings, Egyptians...... you get the picture).

2. Introduce a recurring nemesis for the group. This would give the show more direction and depth. That doesn't exclude a wide variety of different villains, of course.

3. Define some of the characters more clearly (Challenger, Malone and, to a lesser degree, Veronica). Have some temporary friction occur within the group in order to help bring the characters into better focus. Get Challenger and Summerlee(!) more involved in the storylines than they used to be in the second part of season one. Don't turn Veronica into some kind of invincible "Xena of the jungle". She and Roxton should remain vulnerable in order not to become too detached.

4. Keep up the cheesecake. (Don't complain, I know at least Troy behind me) :-)

These are just some suggestions to start the discussion. I'm looking for many more to come from the rest of you. Maybe it would be a good idea to e-mail the TLW producers some sort of summary of what we eventually come up with, in case they don't follow this board. OK, now it's your time!