When Does 'The Shannara Chronicles' Premiere?

Fantasy seems like a strange choice when paired with a network like MTV, but The Shannara Chronicles already has what it takes to be MTV's answer to Game of Thrones, if the trailer that debuted at New York Comic-Con is any indication. Our heroes are Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, and Ivana Baquero, and the world that they explore is not just a haven of fantasy races and magical adventure, but it's also our world. That's right, The Shannara Chronicles is set in the future of our world, when humanity has evolved into many different fantasy races, and demons are poised to make an unwanted return to the land. But when is The Shannara Chronicles' premiere date? Hang on to your butts, because you can watch the two-hour premiere on MTV on Jan. 5.

The show's first season is an adaptation of the second book in the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, The Elfstones of Shannara. Austin Butler plays Wil, a part-elf, part-human who discovers that he is the last of the magical Shannara family. A druid named Allanon reaches out to Wil in order to pull him into a very important question: help save the Ellcrys, the dying sacred tree of the Elven people that have kept demons out of the Four Lands for centuries. He's joined in that quest by elven princess Amberle and human warrior Eretria — and whether or not they succeed is for the audience to discover when they tune in to watch the show in January.

What do we know about the pilot so far? Apparently, it opens with Amberle running a dangerous competition known as the Gauntlet, which qualifies her to join the Chosen and protect the Ellcrys. As we saw from the trailer, she soon becomes the last survivor of the Chosen and the only one (well, the only other one), who can help Will save the Four Lands and the dying tree. From there, the pilot apparently "never slows down" due to their strict "no boredom" policy, so old fans and new fans are in for a wild ride. Then again, if you've ever read the book, or plan to read it ahead of the premiere, then you already knew that.

Image: MTV