My fellow bloggers have been doing a fantastic job covering the occurrences of Wicca on television and in the movies.  I am also grateful that these things exist because any exposure to Paganism for “The Mainstream” is a good thing, even when it is poorly represented.  That being said, where is the television for Hard Polytheists, Reconstructionists or other Non-Wiccan Pagans like myself?

There is a very rich pool when it comes to movies and anything that is pre-Christian/historical can fall   into that category.  Television is a harder sell, though, because television viewers tend to have shorter attention spans.  Many shows today are exact replicas of each other.  Once a network finds a formula that works, they exploit it.  For instance, turn on the television and just try to find something that isn’t “Law and Order” or “The Closer” or a similar show with similar themes. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There have been some notable television offerings for the non-Wiccan. I would love to explore them all, and perhaps I will  over time.  A classic would be a little show you might remember that aired on Syfy/Sci-Fi a couple of years ago: Battlestar Galactica.  This re-imagined series (for which the term “re-imagined” was coined) was gritty, powerful and well produced. The human race were hard polytheists living on 12 planets called the 12 Colonies of Kobol.  Their religion resembled that of the ancient Greeks.  Accuracy be damned, too, because they were in another part of the galaxy and who knew what Greek Polytheism looked like in their universe. That being said, the writers seemed to care about their characters and the belief system they portrayed. The spin-off/prequel Caprica is surprisingly enjoyable and begins again in January with its second season.

There are also historical dramas, with heavy emphasis on “Drama.”   HBO’s series Rome is a prime example.  While religion wasn’t a main plot point, it was an important part of the lives of the characters so they were able to treat the subject fairly.  The history was a little sketchier but that is why it was a drama and not a documentary. The show featured a cast of phenomenal actors and characters we could really identify with, in spite of passage of time.

That brings me to another show that would be a draw for non-Wiccan Pagans that I have recently rediscovered.  It was a little show that only lasted 8 episodes in the us and 13 in Australia.  In 1997, Fox Television produced a show intended to compete with the Xena and Hercules franchises.  The show, called Roar, was produced by Shaun Cassidy (yes, THE Shaun Cassidy) and stared a very young and incredibly talented Heath Ledger. The show centered around a young Celtic prince who lost his family to a waring tribe.  The Romans, however, were knocking at the door of Ireland and he feels if the tribes don’t unite they will fall victim to the conquerors.  It is a strange mix between Paganism and Christianity and the show is set in 400 AD.  Though the historical accuracy is lacking, the characters are shown as being connected to the land.  I love the character of Fergus who constantly shows his disapproval of situations by exclaiming “Sweet Brigid!”

On top of the clearly Polytheistic shows, there are other offerings that touch on Pagan topics whether the writers know it or not.  My absolute favorite show on television right now is Fringe, which is about to enter its third season.  There is nothing specifically Pagan about the show, except the archetypes! I love Fringe for the Girls Underground theme.

These are, of course, just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  What other examples of Polytheism or non-Wiccan Paganism are out there on Television?