Let’s Admit The Obvious: The Witcher Series Is A Complete Disaster

It is time to admit the obvious. The Witcher Series is a disaster and won’t get any better. Despite the original excitement surrounding the series, things quickly turned for the worst once Season Two came around. Although The Witcher was never a mainstream story, it did have a fair amount of success. The novels were written by Andrzej Sapkowski, with the first book released in 1989. Since its release, they managed to sell 5 million copies. Although this is no Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, it is still an impressive milestone. However, fortunes eventually changed when CD Projekt Red turned the story into video games.

Like the novel, the success of the video game IP took time. The first two Witcher games fell short of expectations and never became mainstream. However, The Witcher 3 was a massive success and, to date, has sold over 75 million copies. This success catapulted the IP and made it a household name. It is worth mentioning that CD Projekt Red did not follow the source material of the original novel closely. Instead, they added to the original work in a way that most agreed was respectful. Although they deviated from the story, they treated the main characters respectfully.

Most people do not know The Witcher because of the novels but instead due to the video games. Due to this, when many people talk about the source material, they may be slightly misguided. However, there is a reason so many like to bring up this topic. Most people are okay with when writers add to original work. It would be best if you respected the original work to expand on an IP. This is where many people believe Netflix is falling short.

The Wicther Is Suspended

Despite your personal opinion, one thing is clear. The Witcher is going through a hard time, and things are not improving. It has been announced this week that production for this show is officially on hold. Now before you start celebrating, there are a few things that we need to consider. No reason has been given for why the show stopped future production. There are, however, a few very likely possibilities. Firstly, the writers and actors strike. Due to this, most shows are on hold, and The Witcher might not be an exception.

It is worth pointing out that most writers and producers for this show do not belong to the Hollywood writers guild. This means many of these actors and writers are not striking since they belong to a different union in Britain. However, a few are part of the strike, and thus, production might be suspended. Then there is the possibility of reevaluating how they want to take the series forward with Henry Cavill no longer part of the show. Although they did confirm that there will be another season with Liam Hemsworth, working him in will not be easy.

Writers initially promised a massive send-off for Henry Cavill, which never happened. With most people upset over the series and how they wrote off Cavill, writers might be rethinking their approach. This scenario is improbable, though. These writers usually think they are doing brilliant work and blame racism or sexism for their failures. There is also the possibility that the hult in production comes from Netflix.

The Witcher We Hoped For

When The Witcher was first announced for Netflix, many had high hopes for the show. Looking back, the signs of disaster were always there. However, we did not want to see it because Henry Cavill attached his name to the project. Despite the original protest, most people were excited to see him as the Witcher. When the first trailer dropped, most people accepted Cavill as The Witcher. Initially, there was still hope that the show could achieve a miracle. They slowly moved away from the source material, but most were happy with the direction.

The showrunner at the time was also very active on social media, speaking and interacting with fans and critics. She was open to criticism and made a few changes to the show based on fan feedback. It felt like a showrunner who might have her vision for the story but still had a passion for delivering a great show. However, as time passed, most could see things going negatively. I never had a significant attachment to the IP, and thus, I enjoyed both seasons. It was not Oscar-worthy, but still a good watch. I also liked Rings of Power, so my opinion might not be the best.

Despite my opinion, most people agreed it failed to capture the original magic. Henry Cavill agreed with this and decided to leave the show. I realized I had never watched the show because of the story when he left the show. I liked it because I wanted to see Superman play The Witcher. With him gone, I have lost complete interest.

What Could Have Been

I often ask myself what could have been if Netflix never picked up the series. Sadly, they have a horrible track record for recreating IPs. I sometimes think about how this show could have turned out if a network like HBO created the show instead. Although they are not perfect, they may have created something more memorable. With the success of Last of Us, many are wondering the same thing. The writers already had a fantastic world written for them. It takes a particular type of talent, or lack thereof, to screw up a story already written for you.

Most people will argue that it is easier to turn into success than writing your new IP. You only need to take the existing books and direct the series. It is easier said than done, but most of the hard work was already done for you. Sadly, some writers can’t help themselves, and we are in this current situation. While Henry Cavill never gave a reason for his departure, most believe it is due to these same issues; He expected that the series and the novels would match up.

At the very least, most expected the series to follow some of the video game lore. However, Cavill did not like the current direction and might have left the series due to this. The writers for this show already proved that they need a solid foundation to make the series even mildly watchable. Anything they try to add to the story fails. The most significant proof of this is Blood Origin.

Conclusion

It might not be all the same writers who do Blood Origin, but they are all from the same writer’s family on Netflix. No matter how you look at things, the IP on Netflix is losing value fast. The reason for the current suspension is still unclear. However, this does nothing to change the viewership for the show steeply declining. Things are simply going to keep getting worse. Although showrunners might be able to fail upwards a bit longer, eventually, they will have to accept that the show is dead.