I love mini-series. Love love love them. I love how they have the ability to expand on a story, without ruining its integrity because a mini series does not have to worry about being renewed, like a television show. They have a set structure, a beginning, middle, and end, and if done right they’re fantastic ways to tell a tale.

I bring this up because for the past week I’ve been seeing ads for a mini-series called Neverland  on SyFy. Neverland is an origin story to Peter Pan. We meet Peter while he still lives in London, and Hook before he becomes a captain. For those of you who don’t know, J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, did not write a prequel. That means that this is all new.

I adore Peter Pan and it is honestly one of my favorite books of all time. Not only is it beautifully written and imaginative, but I love how Barrie includes very adult themes, but writes them in a way so that people of any age can enjoy the book and at each age have a different type of appreciation for it. The story is very Freudian when you think about it.

With that said, I’m excited to see this creative take on the story. It’s not rewriting the original, it’s expanding the lore, and this is not the first time SyFy has presented an “expanded universe” mini-series. The first one they ever did was Tin Man, which was considered a “re-imagining” of The Wizard of Oz, but really it’s a modern day sequel. The second one was Alice, which was a “re-imagining/sequel” to Alice in Wonderland. Both were directed by Nick Willing, who has written and directed Neverland. I really enjoyed both of those mini-series, so naturally I am looking forward to Neverland.

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