Terry Pratchett’sDiscworldnovels are some of the most heartwarming, hilarious, and hair-raising fantasy books ever written, and so much of that is thanks toPratchett’s phenomenal characters. All of them are redolent with relatable flaws and failings, and yet even the most long-suffering of them eventually find some kind of peace and joy at the end of their stories.
Overthe 41Discworldnovels, as well as multiple short stories and supplementary books, there are several characters (or groups of characters) that stand out asthe ideal choice of protagonist for a TV series looking to adaptDiscworldto the small screen. While there have beenseveralDiscworldadaptations of varying qualitiesover the years, they’ve only covered a small portion of what the series has to offer modern audiences; these ten characters could all make for a perfectDiscworldseries protagonist, given the right showrunners.
10William de Worde
First Appears In: The Truth (2000)
Technically, the first appearance of William de Worde, Ankh-Morpork’s intrepid investigative journalist, was in 1994’sThe Discworld Companion, but 2000’sThe Truthwas his first appearance in an actualDiscworldnovel. The estranged son of one of Ankh-Morpork’s Lords, William inadvertently becomesthe editor of the Disc’s first newspaper, and while trying to publish it he winds up following a trail of clues that end up with him helping thwart a plot to frame the city’s Patrician, Lord Vetinari, for murder.
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De Worde would make a fantastic protagonist fora series that leans heavily into Ankh-Morpork’s strange approach to modernization, followingThe Truth’s plot to show the strangeness that comes with a chaotic city learning how to incorporate the concept of a free (and relatively accurate) press into its understanding of itself. His story also continues beyondThe Truth, as he and his work for theAnkh-Morpork Timesshow up in numerous later novels, including when he spends a stint as a war reporter on the battlefields of Borogravia inMonstrous Regiment.
9The Unseen University Faculty
First Appear In: The Light Fantastic (1986)
Ankh-Morpork’s Unseen University is the Disc’s premiere establishment of arcane research; as a result,every single member of the faculty is battier than an entire wagonload of guano. Earlier novels likeThe Light Fantasticmention that due to most wizards being octogenarians at best, upward mobility within the university generally comes down to subtle assassinations, putting a very ominous spin on that real-world academic truism, “publish or perish.” Later books take a less murderous view of wizarding academia, portraying the various faculty members as various flavors of buffoonish.
Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography
Librarian
Dr. Horace Worblehat
An Unseen University series has a large amount of source material to draw from. Sky One’s 2008 adaptation ofThe Colour of Magic(featuring the inimitable Tim Curry as the backstabbing wizard Trymon) was a great starting point, but the wizards contribute heavily to the plots of many books after, withplenty of opportunities to show them at their best – and their worst.
Eaten by the Luggage
Thrown off the Tower of Art
Killed by an errant magical staff
Alberto Malich
Trapped forever as Death’s butler
Of particular note are the wizards' roles inSoul Music, where they find themselves behaving with unprecedented adolescent angst thanks to the insidious nature of the Music With Rocks In, which threatens the very stability of the Disc.Unseen Academicalsis another excellent Unseen University novel, and answers the eternal question of what would happenif an orangutan was allowed to be the goalie for a rugby team full of aged nerds.
8Rincewind
First Appears In: The Light Fantastic (1986)
The ever-suffering Rincewind is one of the Disc’sfinest, and possibly most cowardly, protagonists. No one else sets speed records like Rincewind does when he starts trying to run away from the predations of a potential narrative, and that means no one else has the potential to really highlightDiscworld’s beautiful and heartfelt absurdity as his adventures take him far and wide, from Foureks to Howondaland.
Rincewind already got some time in the small-screen spotlight in 2008’sThe Colour of Magic, which covered his nail-biting survival through the events of the first twoDiscworldbooks (with a very faithful portrayal of his knee-knocking terror by David Jason). Yet his adventures continue throughout the rest of the series, and would all make excellent starting points fora series that showcases his ability to run away from threats all over the Disc.
7Polly Perks
First Appears In: Monstrous Regiment (2003)
Polly, the protagonist ofMonstrous Regiment, is a young Borogravian woman who takes upthe time-honored tradition of cross-dressing in order to join her homeland’s army. In her case, she’s looking for her brother, who has gone missing amid Borogravia’s long-running war with most of its neighboring countries, but along the way, she discovers that almost the entire Borogravian military – a notably misogynist institution – is made up of women in drag.
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In terms of its storytelling,Monstrous Regimentbears some similarities toDisney’sMulan. While Polly’s story never continued in other works, makingMonstrous Regimentone of the few standalone Discworld books, the thrilling arc of the book would make a phenomenal miniseries, with plenty of opportunities to lampoon famous war movies.
6Sam Vimes
First Appears In: Guards! Guards! (1989)
Sam Vimes and the men, women, and various other beings of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch have gotten sadly short shrift inDiscworldadaptations so far, particularly with the epic disappointment of the 2021The Watchminiseries, which committed the carnal sin of disregarding effectively everythingDiscworldfans were hoping to see. Vimes deserves redemption, and the best way for that to happen would bea TV series that shows him at his absolute worst.
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At first introduction, Sam Vimes is a miserable, useless drunk, yet despite his own best efforts at self-destruction, he rises over time to be one of the most powerful and respected men in Ankh-Morpork. He is the moral backbone of the entire series, much like how Rincewind is the series' embodiment of spinelessness, and a show that chronicles his ascension would make fora better fantasy political thriller than anyGame of Thronesspinoff could ever dream of being.
5Carrot Ironfoundersson
Carrot is the most likable man in all of Ankh-Morpork, and that isn’t just because of his easygoing smile or simple nature. All evidence throughout theDiscworldbooks implies that Carrot is the long-lost heir to Ankh’s empty throne, right down to his inconspicuously perfect sword that he was found with as a baby, and the sheer amount of nobility in him means that almost everyone who meets him feels a preternatural need to listen to him. Yet for all that, Carrot is content to live the simple life of a Watchman, andtherein lies his potential as a protagonist.
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While a series about the Watch that focused on Vimes would be a story about a man caught between his principles and his vices as he climbs a hostile social hierarchy (and occasionally kicks someone’s head in), a Carrot-centric show would have a lot of potential in seeing how he, both consciously and unconsciously,repeatedly rejects destiny’s efforts to hand him the world on a silver platter. With plenty of potential for both comic hijinks and character-driven drama, Carrot could become the Internet’s nextbeloved himbo.
4Angua von Überwald
First Appears In: Men At Arms (1993)
There are likely as many ways to make a show about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch as there are members of the Watch, but if there’s one Watch character other than Vimes or Carrot who would make a great core protagonist, it’s Angua. Introduced inMen At Armsas one of the Watch’s new “diversity hires” alongside Cuddy the dwarf and Detritus the troll, Angua’s story begins with the implication that her role in the diversity initiative is to be the Watch’s token woman, but as the book continues, it’s revealed thatshe’s actually the Watch’s token werewolf.
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As the daughter of a noble werewolf family from Überwald, Angua is a stranger to Ankh-Morpork, and thereforewould make a fantastic audienceinsert as she learns how to navigate the Disc’s most idiosyncratic city. Moreover, her efforts to keep her lycanthropy a secret from her colleagues – particularly the handsome Corporal Carrot – could provide all sorts of opportunities for dramatic irony and narrative shenanigans. Placing Angua centrally in the narrative would also allow for regular appearances from one of the Disc’s best side characters, the sentient and smart-mouthed stray Gaspode the Wonder Dog.
3Moist von Lipwig
First Appears In: Going Postal (2004)
Much like Rincewind, Moist is one of the Disc’s preeminent survival-focused protagonists; unlike Rincewind, Moist has a tendency to get himself into trouble by walking straight into it instead of getting into trouble because he’s running away from a different, larger trouble with lots of teeth. A con man nonpareil,Moist repeatedly finds himself thrust into the unenviable position of fixing Ankh-Morpork’s various failing industries.
Moist’s efforts to revitalize the Post Office were already shown on-screen in Sky One’s 2010Going Postalminiseries, which put esteemed British actor Richard Coyle in Moist’s trademark winged Postmaster’s hat. Coyle also was the narrator for the recently rerecorded audiobooks for all three of Moist’s novels,Going Postal,Making Money, andRaising Steam; a series adapting either of the latter books would do well to cast him again in the role, ashe clearly has a deep understanding of the character’s innate charm.
2Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick
First Appear In: Equal Rites (1987) [Granny Weatherwax] And Wyrd Sisters (1988) [Nanny Ogg And Magrat]
While we initially meet Granny Weatherwax inEqual Ritesas she helps young Eskarina Smith, the Disc’s first female wizard, get accepted to the nominally all-male Unseen University, it’s inWyrd Sistersthat we meet the full trio of Lancre witches. Pratchett’s spin onthe classic trio of the maiden, the mother, and the croneare all phenomenal characters in their own right, but when the three of them work together, they’re one of the most powerful and stubborn forces on the Disc.
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Adapting the witches' stories to the small screen would make for a show that, in classicDiscworldfashion, wouldplay with a lot of genre expectations.Wyrd Sisters, as the title implies, is Pratchett’s extremely skewed take on Shakespeare’s classicMacbeth, and later novels in the series, such asCarpe Jugulum, pit the witches against more and more eldritch foes. Their story also overlaps eventually with Pratchett’s award-winning YA protagonist Tiffany Aching, who in time becomes the heir of Granny Weatherwax’s legacy (and pointy witch’s hat).
1Death and Susan
First Appear In: The Light Fantastic (1986) [Death] And Soul Music (1994) [Susan]
Anthropomorphic embodiments of Death aren’t unique toDiscworld, but the amount of humanity Pratchett put into his Grim Reaper is beautiful and unique, and Death’s storyline is a fantastic analysis of how nothing can exist without being influenced by its surroundings; often, Death’s novels involve him struggling with how his relationship with humanity has, to his distaste, made him take onthat most shameful of human characteristics – a personality.
More than once, Death grows weary of his duty (or is put on administrative leave by those most vile interdimensional bureaucrats, the Auditors of Reality) and his absence inevitably results in one part of reality or another beginning to unravel. Starting inSoul Music, Susan finds herself having to pick up her grandfather’s scythe; their relationship is front and center in Sky One’s 2006 adaptation ofHogfather, as well as Cosgrove Hall’s 1997 animatedSoul Music, the latter of which would, with its incredible parodies of pop music over the decades, be the idealDiscworldnovel to adapt to live-action.
