When Netflix announced it was developing an ambitious live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski‘s beloved Witcher fantasy novels back in 2017, expectations among fans were sky-high. On paper, the series seemed to have all the ingredients necessary to become the next Game of Thrones – acclaimed source material, movie-level production values, an enthusiastic global fanbase hungry for more adult fantasy on TV post-Thrones.
Yet three years later, despite a promising first season buoyed by Henry Cavill‘s star power, The Witcher stands as a cautionary tale – an example of how not to adapt a beloved IP. Through a combination of showrunner turnover, deviation from source material, uneven writing and controversy around casting choices, Netflix has squandered much of the initial goodwill and potential of the franchise.
Let‘s analyze the reasons why a series once poised to be Netflix‘s flagship fantasy drama has stumbled so badly.
Season 1 Shows Early Promise
The first season was far from perfect, but offered enough to excite fans. Cavill successfully embodied Geralt, earning widespread praise for his brooding take on the gruff monster hunter. Several episodes directly adapted stories straight from Sapkowski‘s page.
And while reviews were mixed, initial viewership was strong out of the gate, with 76 million member households sampling the show within the first month of its December 2019 release. The seeds were planted for an engaging long-form narrative.
Table 1: The Witcher Season 1 Viewership
| Premiere Date | Viewers (First Month) |
|---|---|
| December 20, 2019 | 76 million |
Positive early reception gave showrunner Lauren Hissrich and her team license to further develop The Continent. But behind the scenes, issues were already brewing.
Behind the Scenes Issues Emerge
Publicly, Netflix was bullish on their new flagship fantasy series entering Season 2. But fans closely following the production began noticing concerning rumblings.
Respected writers declared they were abandoning ship amidst reports of creative friction and burnout under demanding production schedules mandated by Netflix. Lauren Hissrich drew intensifying criticism from fans for greenlighting significant alterations from Sapkowski‘s novels.
And Henry Cavill himself found it necessary to repeatedly defend his advocacy for faithfulness to the source material vision. While reviews and viewership for Season 2 remained decent upon its December 2021 release, cracks were beginning to show behind the scenes of The Continent.
Table 2: The Witcher Season 2 Viewership
| Premiere Date | Viewers (First Week) |
|---|---|
| December 17, 2021 | 142 million |
Hissrich remained secure in her showrunner role. But the departure of key creative talent and choice to deviate from Sapkowski‘s world suggested rocky seas ahead for the ambitious production.
Season 3 Drops the Ball
If Season 2 represented but small cracks in the facade, Season 3 saw the entire edifice come crashing down. Released in summer 2022, the third installment drew scathing reviews from professional critics, with leading reviews aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes reporting a dire 29% approval score.
But far more concerning, general audiences clearly agreed. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score metric plunged an incredible 32 percentage points between the second and third seasons, indicating rapidly declining viewer satisfaction.
Table 3: Rotten Tomatoes Scores Across Seasons
| Season | Critic Score | Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 67% | 84% |
| 2 | 88% | 91% |
| 3 | 29% | 59% |
Public perception aligned with the critics — the show was losing its way. Viewership figures free-falled off a cliff:
While the Season 3 premiere debuted strong to an audience of over 30 million households, by Episode 5 barely 15 million viewers bothered tuning in, shedding over 50% of the premiere viewership in a matter of weeks. A series once held up as Netflix‘s potential Thrones successor was now hemorrhaging viewers at an alarming pace.
Table 4: The Witcher Season 3 Viewership Decline
| Episode | Viewers |
|---|---|
| 301 (Premiere) | 31 million |
| 305 | 15 million |
In retrospect, these dire numbers should have come as no great surprise. In addition to the behind the scenes issues plaguing prior seasons, Season 3 saw further controversial departures, bewildering casting decisions and writing room tensions.
Showrunner Hissrich drew intense criticism for her choice to replace Henry Cavill as Geralt with Liam Hemsworth for Season 4 onward. Writers again threatened to go on strike over demanding production schedules leading to extensive crunch.
And repeated unusual casting decisions like giving Ciri a multi-ethnic group of rescuers drew criticism for inserting strange new elements not present in Sapkowski‘s novels.
Why The Decline?
In analyzing the decline of The Witcher adaptation, two decisions emerge above all else as the key drivers of its issues:
- Showrunner turnover: Three showrunners over three seasons is extraordinarily rare and created a disjointed vision.
- Altering the source material: Strange changes for the sake of diversity fatally eroded fan trust.
Addressing each factor in turn:
Frequent Showrunner Turnover
The showrunner holds enormous power over the creative direction of a series. Consistent vision across seasons is paramount, especially for complex long-form fantasy narratives.
In the case of The Witcher, Lauren Hissrich helmed Season 1, establishing the production style and tone. But she faced immense criticism for deviations from the novels. Rumors swirled the writing staff lacked faith in her vision.
Season 2 showrunner duties were split between Hissrich and a co-showrunner in a bid to course correct. But when ratings continued trending downwards, Netflix restored Hissrich as sole showrunner for Season 3. Still, writing staff discontent persisted amidst reports of punishing production schedules mandated by Netflix.
This level of repeated showrunner turnover and writer room tensions is almost unheard of for a big budget series. Critics believe it created a fatally inconsistent creative vision for the show that eroded trust among fans.
Controversial Deviations From Source Material
While adapting any book-to-screen invariably requires changes for the new medium, successful adaptations retain the core essence of what made the source material so compelling.
Regrettably, Hissrich‘s writers‘ room made controversial fundamental alterations that stripped much of what fans loved about Sapkowski‘s worldbuilding:
- Character backgrounds rewritten: The showrunner felt pressure to increase diversity. But the way this manifested – changing the ethnicity and origin of core cast – rang false for fans. These characters were already beloved!
- Inserting strange new elements: Additions like Ciri‘s multi-ethnic rescuers felt utterly disconnected from The Continent audiences knew. Baffling new dynamics lacking coherent explanation or tie to existing lore.
- Upstaging main characters for novelty: Even lead characters like Geralt get sidelined. The focus shifts strangely to brand new entities like Eskel or the Fire Mage.
These baffling, immersion-breaking alterations eroded goodwill built up by early seasons that adhered closer to Sapkowski’s vision.
Implications: Can Netflix Salvage The Witcher Franchise?
In light of the steep ratings decline and loss of trust among fans, many suggest Netflix faces pressure to overhaul creative approach:
- Stabilize the writer‘s room: Season 4 presents opportunity for fresh vision, but chronic turnover must end. Nurture a supportive environment for strong scripts.
- Recommit to authentic adaptations: Restore fan trust by hewing closer to Sapkowski‘s worldbuilding and aesthetics. The bones are solid!
- Slow down production schedules: Alleviate crunch-driven writing by spacing out seasons. Prioritise quality over quantity.
There remain glimmers of hope. Many fans believe The Witcher: Blood Origin prequel provides a fresh start to right the ship.
But with the main saga floundering after Henry Cavill‘s departure, Netflix faces hard strategic questions on managing this once-great fantasy franchise. Similar decisions await CD Projekt Red; expectations for a Witcher 4 video game hinge greatly on whether they can strike the right tone after missteps observed from the show:
Table 5: Options for Witcher Franchise Stewards
| Steward | Adaptation | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | The Witcher Season 4 | Stabilize writer‘s room; recommit to lore accuracy |
| Netflix | Blood Origin prequel | Closely adhere to worldbuilding in early seasons |
| CD Projekt Red | Witcher 4 video game | Revisit wild hunt narrative; don‘t overreact to show controversies |
Nobody denies the challenges around managing beloved franchises with devoted fanbases. But certain best practices consistently pay dividends: eliminate needless showrunner churn, faithfully adapt what made source material great rather than inserting strange new elements.
Netflix‘s handling of The Witcher beautifully illustrates consequences failing to uphold these tenets – the fastest ratings collapse in modern streaming history. We can only hope stewards heed cautionary lessons before damage becomes irreversible.