Summary
- Fans and critics considered Season 3 of The Wheel of Time the best yet, with a near-perfect rating of 97% from critics and 83% from fans.
- Despite positive reception, Amazon decided not to renew The Wheel of Time for a fourth season after lengthy deliberations.
- Author Brandon Sanderson expressed disappointment for fans over the show's cancellation after its best season and lack of involvement.
After news broke that Amazon Prime Video wouldn't be renewing The Wheel of Time after Season 3 aired its finale last month, fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, who finished author Robert Jordan's book series, expressed his disappointment for the show's fan base, "who deserved better" than its cancellation after a great third installment. The Wheel of Time is an adaptation of the fantasy book series by Jordan, which stars a stellar cast led by Rosamund Pike as the powerful Aes Sedai, Moiraine, whose performance as Amy Dunne in David Fincher's Gone Girl earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Due to some fans of The Wheel of Time books kicking up a fuss regarding controversial changes from its source material, like its rushed pacing, a lack of significant focus on key characters, and its all-important lore, the show's first two seasons were less than favorable among its fandom. However, Season 3 still got the go-ahead and, thankfully, fans felt like this time around, its creators finally got the balance right between good storytelling and engaging scenes between its characters. Sadly, that happy moment was short-lived as Amazon then decided that returning to the series for a fourth run wouldn't make financial sense after "lengthy deliberations" about the future of the fantasy show, even though many executives reportedly liked the idea of continuing it.
The Wheel of Time's Video Game Project Has a Lot to Live Up To
The Wheel of Time is set to receive a new game adaptation in the future, and has its work cut out for it to realize the potential of its vision.
Brandon Sanderson Says The Wheel of Time Fans ‘Deserved Better'
In the comment section of a recent YouTube video talking about Dragonsteel Nexus, author Brandon Sanderson answered a fan's question regarding whether he had anything to say about The Wheel of Time show being canceled. Sanderson surprisingly replied, stating that he didn't know that the show wouldn't be coming back after its third season at the same time as fans did, but he did know that the series' showrunners were "renegotiating" and that they "thought it would work out." Sanderson also said that he thought it was disappointing that fans wouldn't get to see a continuation of the series and that they "deserved better than a cancellation after the best season." Adding in his personal opinion, the fantasy writer did say that now with the show canceled, he "won't miss being largely ignored" by the showrunners, stating that he felt they only wanted his name attached to The Wheel of Time for "legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way."
"I wasn't really involved. Don't know anything more than what is public. They told me they were renegotiating and thought it would work out. Then I heard nothing for 2 months. Then learned this from the news like everyone else. I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancellation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way."
Sanderson wasn't the only one who thought that The Wheel of Time Season 3 was the adaptation's best season yet, as fans and critics also thought the same. While season one received a decent enough 81% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, its audience gave it a mediocre 61%. Thankfully, season 2's score improved quite a bit, with an audience rating of 81% and 86% from the critics. However, season 3 was when the series ironically hit a home run with a near-perfect score of 97% from critics and 83% from fans. Sadly, though, this wasn't enough to save the show as it had already drifted deep into the cancellation pool, even though fans did their best by starting up a website dedicated to a petition called 'Save WOT'.
Fans were then recently hit with another batch of sad news that The Wheel of Time wasn't getting picked up by another network. It now seems as though, at least for the immediate future and maybe ever, that The Wheel of Time TV series really is out of time and that season 3 was likely its last outing.
'Wish I Could Say Something Clear' The Wheel of Time Showrunner Breaks Silence on The Show's Sudden Cancellation
The Wheel of Time showrunner finally opened up about the show's abrupt cancellation, noticing that things aren't looking good for the show's future.
Source: YouTube