This week has been a bit of a rough one for Avatar: The Last Airbender (more on that in a minute), but there’s finally some good news to buoy the spirits of disgruntled fans. As you might know, the original series and its sequel, The Legend of Korra, were recently made available for streaming on Netflix, and to celebrate the occasion, Nickelodeon hosted a livestream over on their Twitch channel, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the show originally came together.
As ComicBook.com reports, to cap off the event, the cartoon giant streamed the original, unaired pilot for the series, which, for whatever reason, isn’t even available on Netflix. While it’s been released in the past (as a digital purchase and bundled with some home video releases), this is the first time it’s been made available for streaming. And as of this writing, you can check it out for yourself over on Twitch.
The pilot episode comes in at just under 45 minutes, and there are several noticeable differences that never made it into the series as we’ve come to know it, including heavier accents and different character designs. And considering how up and down the past week has been for Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, we’re hoping this streaming goodie will help to lift the fanbase’s spirits.
In case you missed the news, the show’s original creators have departed from the live-action adaptation that’s coming to Netflix. They’ve cited creative differences as the reason, but recent reports attribute it to an inflating budget, a push (by the creators) to stay true to the characters’ Asian heritage when casting for the show and a darker, more mature tone. It’s discouraging news, to say the least, but hopefully everything will still turn out alright.