Static Media
In retrospect, it seems almost unbelievable that a television series led by the late Heath Ledger, later immortalized as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” and acclaimed actor Vera Farmiga could be canceled after only a handful of episodes. Yet that was exactly what happened to “Roar,” Fox’s short-lived 1997 fantasy drama.
Created by Shaun Cassidy and Ron Koslow, “Roar” was an ambitious fantasy adventure with echoes of the era’s hit series “Xena: Warrior Princess.” Set in 5th-century Ireland, the show followed Conor (Ledger), a young rebel fighting against Roman control. His chief adversaries were Diana (Lisa Zane), a queen aligned with Rome, and her supernatural enforcer Longinus (Sebastian Roché), a 400-year-old immortal. As the story unfolded, Conor assembled a dependable band of allies: former slave Catlin (Farmiga), the larger-than-life Fergus (John Saint Ryan), and Tully (Alonzo Greer), an aspiring practitioner of magic.
The premise appeared to have plenty of network-TV potential. Fantasy adventure shows had already found an audience, and Fox was reportedly pleased with “Roar” when it launched its summer 1997 lineup. Still, the production was expensive, and its ratings did not draw enough viewers to sustain that cost. Fox canceled “Roar” in September 1997 after broadcasting just eight of its 13 completed episodes.
Roar was an ambitious experiment that didn’t quite work
The show’s collapse did little to derail the careers of its two most recognizable stars. Ledger went on to become a major Hollywood force and received a posthumous Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Farmiga, meanwhile, built a celebrated career across horror and drama, earning a supporting actress Oscar nomination for “Up in the Air.”
Why “Roar” struggled despite its cast and expansive premise remains harder to pin down. In 2009, writer Lawrence Meyers praised the actors’ work and described the series as a daring experiment for the typically quieter summer television season—one that ultimately failed to connect.
Sebastian Roché, however, remembered the production warmly. Speaking to TVLine for its 2017 “Memories from the Set” feature, the actor called the experience remarkable and said the cast quickly recognized Ledger’s potential. “It was really amazing. There was a wonderful cast and a wonderful atmosphere on set. And you knew Heath was going to be a big deal,” Roché said. “We felt like we were on holiday most of the time because we were on this gorgeous location and [doing] what you love doing — in costume, on horseback, swinging swords, turning into 400-year-old men.”
Roché also offered a plausible reason for the fantasy series’ rapid cancellation: formidable competition. “We were up against Buffy, and I think Buffy took the cake,” he said. If “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” truly helped sink “Roar,” it is difficult to fault the series for losing ground to a show widely regarded as one of the greatest fantasy TV series ever made.