Question:
If you had been given the opportunity, how would
you have made Forever Knight different?

Allison Percy

I would have written it as a comedy. Probably involving lots of silly limericks and Dr. Seuss-like rhyming. Nick would have worn a brightly colored hat and Lacroix would have actually been a scary but somewhat dimwitted woodland creature. Nat would have probably been a baby kangaroo with boxing gloves, like the one that appeared in the Last Knight "blooper" script. The water cooler in the police precinct would have had a *speaking* role as a font of sage advice for all the characters. So I suppose it would have ended up on Saturday morning television, if it ever made it on TV at all. ;-)

Kimberly

I'd have made LaCroix the main character, and in the final episode he seduces Natalie away from Nick.<g> Oh! I mean there wouldn't be a final episode!

Raymond E. Heuer

Lessee.... So many possibilities.... Well, first of all, I would have spent more time "getting the word out". I don't think I've *ever* seen a FK commerical! Then there's merchandising, novels, video tapes, and company-supported fan conventions. All Tri-Star had to do was pay for Ger or Nigel or Catherine or Deb to be there, and the fans would have packed the place!

Jenny

1) More of a role for Vachon. 2) Nat & Nick having a more "personal" relationship in some way, other than the way it was done. 3) Left Screed out, if not completely, almost completely. (I know people like him, but he always gave me the "ickies" & could hardly stand it when he was on.... nothing personal to the actor, just his character!) 4) Would not have killed off Schanke. 5) Would NEVER have ended the way they chose to end it, or not end at all.

Ken Sander

Being a relatively new fan of the show (I have only seen season 3 episodes) I will comment on that season. 1) I would have cast someone else as Tracy Vetter. The chick playing her is simply a bad actress, in my opinion. 2) The character of Vachon was, in my opinion, totally wasted. I would give him a LOT more to do in the series. 3) I would have toned down some of Natalie's bitchiness. 4) There would have been no Divia; or at the very least I would have explained how she survived being decaptitated AND buried for 2000 years. 5) Can you say LaCroix spin-off?

Danielle Laux

Huuummm. That's a toughy. Well, for starter, I wouldn't have made Nick so much of a brickhead. Probably would of had Vachon come in, in the first season. If I could. It wouldn't have been Ben Bass, it would have been Adrain Paul. (Ben is cute, but Adrain is so much cuter) I would have also had Jenette in the 3rd season. And Tracy probably be a lot, lot mellower. But the rest of it could stay the same. Bye, Bye. :):):):):)

Naomi Engle

I would have ended the show with Fallen Idol. Some people have stated that Last Knight was just a hallucination. I'm in a state of denial for that episode too. I hated the blood bath of killing off Schanke, Cohen, Vachon, Urs and then having Nick and Natalie on the brink of death.

Jody Lister

I would have had a British Company co-produce it so I wouldn't have had to wait till 1995 to see the show at all on British TV. I would have had Myra in it at least once - I wanna know what she's like. And... Nick would have grinned at lot more and played more Halloween Tricks.

Ken Kapoor

Bring Janette back. Bring Schanke back. Kill off Tracy (sooner, I mean... like after the first 10 minutes). Have Better special effects. Have Nick stand up to Natalie for once!! Be a man Dickie Nick!!! :) More sex. More sex. More sex.

Kim Fox

Divia would have died earlier, permently. Nat, Nick, Tracy, Vachon, and Urs would still be alive, and the series would continue. Of course, everyone is going to say that.

Sherry van Swaringen

Hmmm.... Well, I hope to be going to Hollywood someday, so I plan on bringing it back ASAP... other than that, the only thing I think I would have done different was... planned a bigger budget for the show (especially in the third season) to cut down the number of flashbacks... (although some of the falshbacks were pretty cool), and of course... there is one more thing I think I would have done differently... I WOULDN'T HAVE LET THE EXECUTIVES CANCEL MY SHOW!!!!!! I'd of put up such a fuss that they would have just said... "The heck with her... let her run the show from here to doomsday!" (I feel much better now...) :)

Andresia

I would make Forever Knight different by making the modern scenes more interesting and change Tracey's personality a bit. But other than that, it's quite perfect the way it is.

Benedict Leba

Oh... that's interesting. I guess the only thing I would've done differently is to keep the same format that worked for the second season. I think what was wrong with the third and last season was the change of format to please USA network. Unlike the first and second seasons which rely more upon the philosiphical thoughts of Nick's eternal struggle b/w light and darkness. In season three, you can see the immediate change to please USA Network. The stories had more sexual themes than the first two seasons. Although there was nothing wrong with this, it was obvious that the show lost its true nature that made it a cult success in the first two seasons. Just a thought.

Sharon Bauman

If I could make things different, I would have kept Janette in the show and expanded Nick & Janette's relationship. The story lines where she (1) left him - and the flashback to their 90+ years together - was great; (2) the one in which she satisfies his need for love and blood was tender; and their interaction in general could have made a whole season in itself. Secondly, I would have made the relationship between Nick & Nat a more mature one and had Nick show more feeling toward Nat. There was so much potential there also. Next, I would have introduced Vachon [and Ben Bass] in the second season so I could develop his story line more and his flashbacks, giving us more insight into his character. I would have also made Screed a tad nicer [and made him talk without that damn accent so we could understand what he said]. Screed's death scene in "Fever" was very touching and Ben Bass played the scene well, showing the bond between friends. Ben was under utilized in the third season and was an interesting addition to the vampire family. I wanted to know more about him. Although I didn't care much for the way the Tracy Vetter character was written, the scenes between the two of them were good and should have been developed in the fourth season [had there been a fourth season]. Fourth, I would never have had Divia kill off Vachon and Urs. How could a vampire survive for so long without any "sustenance" and have more power than LaCroix, who had been out and about, honing his skills? Totally unreal episode! Fifth, I would never have ended the third season with that horrible "Last Knight" episode. Half the show was used up by showing clips we'd seen from other episodes. Plus, I would not have ended the series. There'd be a fourth season. It seemed to me that the third season was so out of tune with the previous two seasons - and I'm not referring to the introduction of all those new characters. That was the only good part. I would have given Nick a new partner in the second season, when Schanke said he wanted to retire to Arizona - I'd have let him and given Nick a new partner then. Notwithstanding all the criticism, I loved the series, watch all the reruns at least twice, and felt terribly betrayed when the show was cancelled! The show was certainly one of the best of the vampire genre on TV -- whether it was compared to other series [Dark Shadows-The Series -- UGH] or any of the movies - except the Dracula version with Frank Langela as Dracula. Now that was a vampire movie!

Karen

I need to answer this in two parts. You'll understand why in a second. First, if one disregards this last season completely, then, Schanke is still alive and Janette still owns the Raven. In that case, Schanke could get a little more closer to the truth(even though I understand he did find out, but didn't know he knew) and Amanda Cohen could start looking at Nick a little differently. I think that Natalie should have come in contact with Janette once or twice, either antagonistically or with Nick's interest in mind. Even though I think the Raven should still belong to Janette, Lacroix did give it an interesting flavor. I'm not sure how to place Lacroix, probably continue the way he has, I guess. I think Lacroix loves to antagonize Nick but at the same time, I saw him change his attitude toward Nick this last season, so, as always, he is difficult. Secondly, if we acknowledge season three, then there is a lot to think about. Did Vachon survive? Do we really kill Tracey? Did Lacroix stake Nick and did Natalie really die? How about Janette, is the entire season a bad dream? I vote that although there was room to improve season three, it did have its redeeming qualities. We would have never met Vachon, Screed or Urs if it wasn't for Tracey, and although her character drove me nuts sometimes, I concede there was and would be a need for her. I would defintely return Vachon. The character has developed quite a following and I think the show would lose a few viewers if he didn't return. Perhaps he would not be quite right at first, after all little Divia did drive him mad and the poor man was staked. But if we resurrect Tracey, then she could be the vehicle to bring him back to normal (whatever that is). Here we would probably need to have Tracey finally find out about Nick, because she couldn't do it alone, obviously. I have written in other boards that I think one of the scenarios immediately following the last scene of LK was that Nick, as he leans over Natalie waiting for the stake, discovers she is not as far gone as he at first thought, and somehow manages to roll himself and Nat out of the path of the stake. I realize this is a little much to swallow, but we have been given alot to deal with too. Anyway, since our heroes are still alive... do we bring Natalie across completely or does Nick chicken out once more? I kind of see Nick becoming furious with Lacroix, what else is new, because he told him Natalie was too far gone and turning on him. Then Nat stirs,and Nicks attention returns to her. He takes her to an ER where she is treated for massive blood loss and recovers. Does she regain her memory of what happened? How is the blood loss explained? I think we could see Tracey's father once in awhile and I wouldn't mind revamping Capt Reeves' personality. If he whined one more time about not understanding human nature I was going to throw a water cooler cup at the TV! There are lots of possibilities here, I could go on forever, but I'll stop here. There's alot more cooking in my head about this since the last episode. Most of the above is pretty newly evolved. Everytime I come up with an idea, a new one comes along to further the string. It's actually been fun to put it down in print!

Carolyn Alutius

I never would have let USA Network get their paws on it. As soon as it was on USA there wasn't one episode where we didn't see a woman in lingerie of some kind. Then they ruined the ratings somehow and got the thing canceled. They didn't know what they had! Were talking people who think a show about beach cops on bicycles is cutting edge, for pete's sake. Now, that said, I don't really think there's much I could improve upon. I would have focused a bit more on vampire and a bit less on cop. More LaCroix, definitely. I never would have let Janette go away. Never would have let the show get cancelled, Spent more dollars on advertising, taken some lessons from the Star Trek people and learned how to create merchandise.

K-A

I would of let Nick and Natalie live a happy, regular normal life, alive together at the end, and I wouldn't of killed off Janette. I would of also made Nick smarter when it comes to Natalie. And I would of let Nick be jealous more. I also would of given Natalie a life besides sitting around and waiting for Nick.

Laura Wiborg

My sister and I think that we would not have changed anything we like it just the way it is. Well that is what we have to say By BY.

Angelica

Emphasize their vampire community story, their relationships.

Missie

How would I make Forever Knight different? Let's see. I guess I would have Nick make Nat a vamp and let Tracey now that Nick is a vampire.

Julie

I would have made Nick more of a Lestat and less of a Louis - not so much whining about the morality of it all. And definitely more of Vachon - certainly not killing him off. And the major thing I would have changed about the show was it's advertising - it certainly would have been nice to know that it was on - instead of discovering it in the third season! Whether you like what USA did to it or not, at least they got the show out to alot more people.

Lee Hickling

I'd have spent more on production, especially for writers and script editing. I'd also have kept the characters of Schanke and Janette for the third season. But most important of all -- I'd have given it better time slots right from the start, and adequate promotion. SONY, USA and TriStar never realized what potential the property had. I'm sure they've been astonished by the reaction to the way they killed it off by literally driving a stake through its heart. The loyalty of its fans and the number, loyalty and vitality of the fan groups shows that, given a fair chance, the series could have been far more successful than, for instance, Highlander, and perhaps than any of the Star Trek spinoffs like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

Beverly Turner

I would have made Tracy a better character. She was just a ditz blond with a chip on her shoulder. She could have been written in as a much stronger character. I would have explored the relationship between LC and Nick more and Nick and Janette. Maybe more flashbacks involving Janette, she was always there but we never see her in the flashes. Perhaps Nat should have been a bit less needy in the third season. She was a strong character in the earlier episodes but she turns into Jelly in the end.

Reva

You mean besides not cancelling the show? I would have given Nick a new male partner. He would be the total opposite of Schanke. I would have made him always leaving without Nick and causing trouble. I would have kept Janette on the show. The new partner could have met her and she could have been drawn to him. This way they could have explored how she could have found her mortality like she did with Richard. Needless to say, Lacroix would disapprove of this relationship and Nick would feel guilty.

Nyx Fixx

You know, this question has a certain sad air in and of itself. First and foremost, I wouldn't have wanted the show to end so abruptly. Or end at all. Of course, nothing lasts forever. Except for vampires. Maybe Nick and the gang are still playing out their passions in some alternate universe. If they are, I hope they are doing the following: A) I hope Natalie has risen as a vampire, and is set to challenge Old World vampire thinking w/ her modern rational/materialist views. I'd like to see SOMEONE advocate the position that vampirism need not be utter damnation, or even neccesarily immoral. Certainly a physician might perceive that immortality could be considered a good thing. Certainly it wouldn't hurt Nick to consider an alternate interpretation of his condition. B) I hope Nick and Natalie have had at least one really devastating blow-up w/ each other, gotten their unspoken issues out in the open, and managed to reconcile afterwards. I hope Natalie's moved into the loft, that Nick is actually happy for the first time in a long time, and that their only remaining problem is how messy she is, and how much Nick hates having his stuff messed up. I have no doubt LaCroix barely recognizes his Nicholas in a good mood, and is made very, very nervous by it. C) I'd like to think that Schanke miraculously survived the explosion. I hope Tracy survived too, and that the two of them have become partners, and are currently driving one another insane. I hope that Commisioner Vetter has vacated his position to run for a higher office, that Reese has been promoted to Commisioner, and that Nick has been made a very unwilling acting Captain. But he's trying to escape; I expect Schanke and Tracy are currently driving him insane too. D) I hope the entire vampire community has agreed upon a two century trial ban on using the "Whammy". E) I hope Janette has surfaced as a women's rights advocate, and that LaCroix has 86'ed her from the Raven in a fit of pique. F) I wish Screed was out there catching rats again, and that Urs and Vachon were still pursuing the barfly lifestyle. Or is that un-lifestyle? Anything else? Sure. More characters, more settings, more dry wit and caustic humor, more flashbacks, more plot-twists. More episodes above all. But I've said that, haven't I?

Genevieve

Made more of the personal relationships between Nick and Nat and Tracy and Vachon. The issue of these two couples "being together" was explored, but never confronted head on.

Ellen Tracy

1) I would never have let Deb Duchene go - Janette provided so much balance (and heat) to the show. 2) I would have focused more of the flashbacks on Nick when he enjoyed being a vampire - it might have provided more insight as to why he carried around so much enormous guilt. Other than that - there's not much I would have changed - FK was, is and shall ever be one of THE BEST dramas on TV. PS. I really enjoyed watching Nick and LaCroix's relationship develop and mature.

Joni

I would have had more of LaCroix and explored his personality and the things that made him what he was or what he appeared to be. I wouldn't have focused as much on Nick searching for his mortality as much as his being a vampire cop. I certainly wouldn't have ended it the way that they did.

Izabela

One thing I would have changed is perhaps having Nick slip once in a while in the present day. TPTB were so adamant about his not killing anymore that even when it looked like he might slip you knew it was never actually going to happen. There would have been alot more suspense if he did slip during a couple of crucial episodes like SoB, FtB or GVP, etc. That way you could always keep the viewers more on the edge of their seats never knowing when or if he was going to kill again. It also would have made his struggle more of a struggle. This way it made it look like resisting his urge to kill was an easy thing to do.

Sheila A. Coneybeer

Tough, very tough. I'm not sure I would have changed the show much at all. Maybe would have developed the personal relationships a bit more, spent a little less time in the past. The flashbacks were nice but sometimes took away from the present events and made them seem trivial. Would have let Nick lighten up a bit. I mean, just how much guilt can one person carry. Might have tried to give LaCroix at couple of redeeming qualities..... NAAAAHHH!!! I like LaCroix just the way he was... is.... whatever!! Would have had Nat a bit more agressive, less whiney. Would have worked on the sexual tension between Tracy and Vachon. Could have added the spice that USA was looking for, without being graphic.

Bonnie Leigh Sberna

If given the opp. I would have encouraged the actors/actresses to think of it as more than just a part. Although I am sure a number of the participants care very much for the show, but maybe with their help in resisting the cancelation, we could beat those nasty sun-lovers who are destroying it! I agree that more could have been done promotion-wise!

Julie Fogel

I like Nick and Natalie as a couple. They should have spent more time together. Nick thought about Janette too much!

Marie

I would have had Nick and Nat fall in love and have Nick bring her across so they could spend eternity together. (Hey, I'm a romantic, so sue me). Vachon would have NEVER died and he would have saved Tracy somehow, or another. (I don't know if she would have made a good vampire, after all she can't stand the sight of blood and other gory stuff). Urs would, well I pity her, she was brought across, when she had wanted to die, but I liked her being in scenes, so I don't know what I would have done with her. AND.... I would have NEVER CANCELLED FOREVER KNIGHT!!!!!!

Ravenstar

I would not have killed off his partner Schanke. At least not at that point in time, or that way.