NetflixTable of ContentsTable of ContentsThe first wishA grain of truthA time of contemptHBOs Game of Thrones was a game-changing phenomenonthat dominated the 2010s and single-handedly revived the fantasy genre on the small screen; whatLord of the Rings did for fantasy movies,Game of Thrones did for fantasy TV. It took HBOs competition a while, but by the second half of the 2010s, most streamers had a major fantasy show in the works, ready to claimThrones place as it neared its infamous ending in 2019. However, out of all these shows, perhaps none was more successful or infamous as NetflixsThe Witcher.Starring the reigning king of the nerds and Mr. Franchise himself, Henry Cavill, The Witcher was supposed to be Netflixs main fantasy vehicle, and for a while, it was. Season 1 premiered to huge numbers and generated a ton of conversation; reviews were mixed, but the show seemed like it was everything Netflix wanted to be until it wasnt. Five years and three seasons later, its clear The Witcher not only failed to live up to its lofty expectations but mightve actually hurt Netflixs reputation ever so slightly. On its fifth anniversary, we look back atThe Witchers complicated history and discuss how Netflix mightve put far too much pressure on an IP that was never going to explode in the way it wanted it to.Recommended VideosNetflixIn 2017, Netflix announced it would develop a series based on Andrzej Sapkowskis long-running dark fantasy seriesThe Witcher. Nearly every major trade that reported it made the connection with HBOs pride and glory, not-so-subtly asking, Has Netflix found its Game of Thrones? From the start,The Witcher was meant to act as Netflixs big fantasy IP; on paper, it made perfect sense. The series included multiple books and short stories. More importantly, it had a built-in fanbase from two distinct sources: the books, of course, and the highly successful and acclaimed video game adaptations courtesy of CD Projekt Red, whose 2015 effort The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt soldover 50 million copies as of 2023 and won Game of the Year at the 2015 Game Awards.CD Projekt RedIn September 2018, Henry Cavill was announced to star in the series. At that point, Cavill was at a great place career-wise following the critical and commercial success of Mission: Impossible Fallout, arguably his best performance to date. Moreover, he was ostensibly still Superman, and his name carried a lot of weight in the geek community. Shortly after, newcomers Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan were cast in the key roles of Yennefer of Vengerberg and Cirilla of Cintra, and the show started filming for a later 2019 premiere.Geralt's Butcher of Blaviken Fight in 4K | The Witcher Season 1The Witcher centers on three distinct storylines. Geralt of Rivia (Cavill) is the titular character, a monster hunter with enhanced abilities and magic who traverses The Continent, killing dangerous beasts and charging the reward. Yennefer of Vengerberg (Chalotra) is a powerful sorceress and the unofficial adviser of the Kingdom of Aedirn who sacrificed her fertility to become beautiful. Lastly, Cirilla (Allan) is the young princess of Cintra who escapes into the wilderness following an attack on her homeland and discovers incredible power within. The first season keeps their stories mostly separate, building until their eventual meeting to form the found family thats so popular in both the books and the show.NetflixBefore season 1 had even premiered, Netflix renewed The Witcher for a second season. Cavill, who actively campaigned for the role of Geralt, stated hed happily commit to the shows seven-season arc as long as (they) can keep telling great stories that honor Sapkowskis work. In hindsight, it very much seems that, withThe Witcher, it was always about what was coming rather than what actually was at the moment. The showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, often spoke about the long-term plan, while Cavill kept stressing Geralts future journey. Yet, the present never seemed to be discussed in fact, for this show, the present always seemed to already be the past.RelatedNetflixReception for season 1 of The Witcher was mixed. The performances, particularly Cavills and Chalotras, were praised, as were the fight sequences, visual effects, and overall production values. However, the narrative and its needlessly complicated structure attracted considerable criticism, and for good reason. Season 1 of The WitcherHowever, the novelty, plus Cavills presence and an annoyingly catchy earworm that took over the internet in late 2019, turned The Witcher into an outright sensation. It accumulated 76 million views in its first month on the streamer and pleased most hardcore fans while still attracting a new crowd with its premise, star power, and the promise of another fantasy epic about politics, magic, and sex.Netflix -The Witcher Epic Scene - Jaskier Song -Toss a coin to your witcher -The only issue was thatThe Witcher didnt have much of those three. Yes, there was gratuitous nudity in season 1 and the occasional talk about The Continents larger political situation, but for the most part, The Witcher followed a monster-of-the-week formula while keeping its secrets incredibly vague and unclear. Still, there seemed to be enough here to support a successful show, and it was full steam ahead with season 2, which arrived two years later in December 2021. For starters, thats too much time for a show that was probably binged in 24 hours; that issue, of course, isnt exclusive to The Witcher, but it played a big role in its slow decline.Season 2 was the point of no return forThe Witcher. The series introduced new plots that were met with mixed-to-negative reception from the core audience, who lamented how much deviation from the source material was happening. Crucial choices, like Eskels death and the creation of a new villain, Voleth Meir, were particularly divisive and pretty much split the hardcore audience into two; whereas casual viewers couldnt care less, the built-in fanbase that Netflix depended on did, and they didnot like it.What followed was a prolonged and quite ugly situation where both sides fired shots at each other. To make matters worse, in late 2022, after a year of constant attacks following season 2s premiere, Beau DeMayo, a former writer for the show, claimed that no one on the writing team liked the source material and, in fact, openly mocked it.Season 2 First Look Clip: Geralt & Ciri | The WitcherSuch claims, coupled with Henry Cavills exit from the show in October 2022, pretty much destroyed any goodwill The Witcher had left. Those who already hated it were further empowered, while those on the fence turned their backs on the show. And its a shame because season 3 might just be the best of The Witcher, featuring the most assured and put-together narrative and building toward an actual cohesive story with a clear goal. Alas, no one really cared; by the time season 3 came along, interest in The Witcher had diminished to the point of disappearing, not because of the controversies and not even because of Cavills exit, but rather because it was clear it was not Game of Thrones.Yes, the hard truth is that, as a show,The Witcher is not as great as everyone wanted it to be. Dont get me wrong, its a fine series with good to great performances (Chalotra is really a gift and a revelation, and Cavill delivers some of his finest work, especially in season 3), strong visual effects, and an interesting enough storyline. However, it never strives for greatness; theres very little ambition in its storytelling, which is more Star Trek than Game of Thrones. There are no layers to its world-building, and its narrative structure oscillates between decent and outright clumsy. Game of Thrones succeeded because it embraced fantasy but grounded it in gritty themes that made it addictive politics, betrayal, shocking violence, sex, and everything in between.Geralt - The WitcherThe Witcher has none of that, largely because it doesnt seem interested in doing it. WhereasThrones was expansive,The Witcher seems limited and short-sighted. Whether its a good or bad adaptation of Sapkowskis work is up for debate, but the absolute truth is that, as a show,The Witcheris just fine. And for a project with such high hopes behind it, fine just wont do.NetflixThe Witcher ended its third season with little fanfare. Its unclear at what point in production Cavill negotiated his exit, but his goodbye from the show was only OK bittersweet, for sure, but far from memorable. In his place, Liam Hemsworth will take over, which pretty much says everything about the shows current state that it couldnt secure anyone better than the third and least interesting lead from The Hunger Games. Season 4 will arrive at some point next year, with a fifth and final season already announced. Thus,The Witcher will limp its way to an ending in 2027 not as Netflixs crowning fantasy jewel but as another of the streamers high-profile shows that ultimately amounted to nothing.What is the shows legacy? Well, Cavill will be fine. His reputation did take a bit of a hit, but thats not just because of the show; a string of high-profile flops certainly didnt help. Still, Cavill is largely in a good place, with the Warhammer 40K movie in the works, plus the Voltron and Highlander movies set to film next year and another Guy Ritchie action vehicle. More than any other actor, Cavill seems content with being a franchise player, so hes where he wants to be.NetflixFreya Allan has also made moves outside the series, with 2024 being something of a breakout year for her, thanks to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which might very well get a sequel soon. As for Chalotra, she recently made her debut as Circe in the DCUsCreature Commandos. Since there will apparently be synergy between animated and live-action projects in the DCU, Chalotras Circe might make her live-action debut in a future movie.Netflix, of course, will be fine, too. It will keep trying to launch a big fantasy IP, no matter how many missteps it has whether it actually succeeds is a different matter. But what aboutThe Witcher itself? Well, the IP will probably not return to live action for years following the end of the Netflix show, if ever. In the gaming world, its already preparing for a fourth game,The Witcher IV, which will follow Ciri as the protagonist. Whether the shows divisive reception will impact its gaming counterpart remains to be seen. The truth is, the IP is now caught in the middle of the ongoing culture wars, and only time will tell if it makes it out intact.Top 10 Best Fight Scenes In The Witcher TV SeriesFive years after its release, NetflixsThe Witcher stands as an example of a show that existed in the shadow of another and was unwittingly set up for disappointment. And while it isnt an outright failure under any metric, it cannot be called a success, either.The WitcherThe Witcher is available to stream on Netflix.Editors Recommendations