Legend of Korra Can Save Us From Ourselves

UPDATE: I have written once again about this singular show, this time for Salon. And right after I did that, Nickelodeon pulled it off television.

Salon’s edit did not include everything, so here is co-creator Bryan Konietzko’s answer to my question about Korra’s sudden appearance, before it suddenly disappeared, right before Comic-Con:

Man, this is the most entertaining and simultaneously difficult interview I have ever done!

As for the release, we just make the show, which is, as you sensed, an incredibly difficult endeavor. The network is obviously in charge of its promotion and release.

Some plans shifted around and they saw a window of opportunity to make Book Three a prominent feature for the channel this summer, which we are happy about. Not only will the premiere be three episodes, but every Friday after the 4th of July will feature two new episodes, 8:00 to 9:00 pm.

That is something we never had the opportunity to do consistently because we were always finishing the episodes rather close to their air dates, even back on A:TLA. The first half of Korra was a bumpy ride on the production side of things, but with Books Three and Four we really caught our stride.

So we actually have enough episodes in the can for the network to air them in these mini bundles. Mike and I are deeply pleased with how Book Three turned out, so the sooner it’s released the better.

I’ll update my interview after the Comic-Con panel. Shame on Nickelodeon.

It’s always hard for me not to cry watching The Legend of Korra‘s wordless, wonderful season trailers. This one for the heavily anticipated third season is even more powerful than the last two, and not just because we are accelerating toward a real-time extinction the show could help us solve, should we choose to embrace it as more than cultural programming.

As I have written many times before, The Legend of Korra is the greatest show on television, in any format, precisely because it strives to correct imbalances of the heart, mind, world and more through stunning animation, meditative philosophy and environmental, elemental apocalypse.

If only we watched, listened and learned hard enough, we might save ourselves from ourselves, before it is too late.

Screen the reel above to begin that hopeful process, then click below to read my past work on The Legend of Korra‘s singular show.


Legend of Korra: You Gotta Deal With It, Television!


Why Legend of Korra Is the Smartest Cartoon on TV


The Legend of Korra Upgrades Avatar‘s Mythic Bending Epic