Merlin co-creator addresses the low response from fans to the show's finale 

Merlin co-creator Jake Michie is expressing his views on the show's finale, which was met with mixed reactions.

Michie admitted the show's failure to meet the expectations of the viewers while speaking on a fan podcast. He also shared why the makers think a reboot would be a bad option.

The BBC fantasy show wrapped up in 2013 with the two-part finale titled The Diamond of the Day, per IMDb. The finale shows the tragic death of King Arthur, on whom the show is based. This ending deviates from the typical plot of triumph and hope, which a king's journey usually follows.

Read on to know what the co-creator said about the ending of the tale of Arthur King.

Here is what Merlin's co-creator spoke about the divisive response from the fans to the ending of the show

As mentioned, unlike any other period drama, this show doesn't portray the victorious ending, filled with optimism and hope for the king the viewers have been rooting for all this time. The creator chose to end his life, tragically shattering the expectations of the fans. This also led to low response among the fans for the show, and the co-creator, Jake Michie, addressed the same on the latest episode of the fan podcast, Ladies of the Lake. He said:

"[It's} quite fraught when you write something that’s simultaneously a fiction that [also] has to honour certain kinds of expectations to do with the myth and legend. How far can you stray from those moments, and in a sense, how do you want to leave it?"

By the end of the show, King Arthur is seen dying from the wounds he sustains from the battle with Mordred, while Merlin, living in the modern day, is still waiting for Arthur's return.

For many fans, this conclusion was jarring, and this is what Michie also acknowledged. A more conventional ending might have seen Arthur survive.

"So a certain kind of ending would have been Arthur doesn't die... the proscription of magic has ended, Merlin’s secret is out in the open and that’s all fine and Merlin and Arthur carry on bickering away in a sort of glowing Camelot where all the foes have been vanquished and all the goals have been achieved and destinies have been negotiated and outsmarted."

When Michie was asked about a potential reboot for the show, the co-creator asserted that this would need a complete reimagining. In the finale, keeping up its modern take, it shows the immortal being still waiting to guide Arthur in a different era. Michie revealed that the team had discussions about the same and didn't choose to carry the concept for any future adaptations as of now.

Having the reboot reimagined would mean a set of new cast members. The viewers are too attached to the original cast and the way they have chosen to play their characters, particularly James and Morgan.

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"The trouble with that is we and the audience have become pretty wedded to Colin and Bradley. If Colin popped up as Merlin in another timeline surrounded by new characters, you could do it, but I think the success of the show was those characters and those actors in the time and place that they were in."

This reflects how it is highly unlikely that any reboot could happen, continuing the story. The creators think that the reason behind the success of the original show was its cast, and the reboot might not be able to do the same magic if Merlin is seen in a different timeline surrounded by new faces.

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