Summary
- Amazon Prime Video canceled The Wheel of Time despite Season 3's high ratings, sparking concern among fans for the future of fantasy shows.
- The series was one of the most expensive on Amazon, with season development costs sky-high, making further investment unviable.
- Fans fear other fantasy shows like Rings of Power may meet the same fate due to a trend of canceling successful shows.
Following Amazon Prime Video's cancellation of the development of any further seasons of The Wheel of Time, which is an adaptation based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling novels, fantasy fans are up in arms regarding the streaming giant's dismissal of the series and are now concerned that this could now mark the end of future high-fantasy shows.
The Wheel of Time follows the character Moiraine Damodred, played by Rosamund Pike, as she arrives in the town of Two Rivers and joins a powerful organization of an all-female group called the Aes Sedai. Moiraine's world takes her on epic adventures and dangerous roads as she travels with five young men and women, one of whom is believed to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either rescue or allow humanity to crumble. Season 1 of the series debuted in November 2021 to fairly mixed reviews, with many book readers feeling let down due to too many bigger changes taking place from its source material and seemingly lacking in the character development department. However, further seasons of The Wheel of Time proved to be a much better experience for fans, with season 3 even scoring a series high of 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83% from audiences. However, surprisingly, this wasn't even enough to save it.
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The Wheel of Time Fans Worried About the Future of Fantasy Shows After Cancellation
After the news broke last week regarding The Wheel of Time getting the ax, fans have taken to social media to voice their concerns and disappointment over the beloved fantasy series getting tossed in the trash, even though season 3 has been widely praised by fans and critics, giving hope for a fourth season. "I don't see the point of starting TV shows anymore if they're all gonna just get cancelled. Hope whoever decided to cancel Wheel of Time never knows peace," said one emotional viewer on Twitter/X, while another fan exclaimed that they were worried that due to the show getting the boot, there won't be any worthwhile fantasy shows on the horizon to look forward to. "Wheel of Time cancelled. Now we’re gonna be in a drought of good big-budget magical fantasy series."
"For real, there are no fantasy shows out there to scratch that itch at all."
Many have even called for The Rings of Power to be cancelled instead, stating that the Middle-earth show is nowhere near as good as Wheel of Time, but for some reason, it received a much bigger production budget and has been greenlit for a third season. According to Deadline, the reasons behind the show's cancellation all came down to money, as it usually does. The Wheel Of Time is one of the most expensive shows on Amazon, with the first season coming in at a whopping $80 million to develop, and its further seasons even more expensive. As devoted as its fan base is, the streaming numbers weren't there to justify piling even more cash into the series, leaving Amazon with seemingly only one option on their hands.
It seems fair that fans are now worried about the future of fantasy shows now that The Wheel of Time, which became successful, has been cancelled. This trend seemingly follows other fantasy shows like Netflix's Shadow and Bone, which scored a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 83%, but before it could reach season 3, the streaming platform promptly put a pin in it. Lockwood & Co., despite receiving high praise and a score of 94%, was also cancelled by Netflix after only one season. Only time will tell if Rings of Power will also fall victim to this cancellation curse and be next on the chopping block, but it seems as though, after the incredible success of Game of Thrones, the days of pouring copious amounts of money into fantasy series may be coming to an end.
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.
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Rafe Judkins
- Directors
- Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip
- Writers
- Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna
Cast
-
Rosamund PikeMoiraine Damodred -
Daniel Henneyal'Lan Mandragoran
- Franchise(s)
- The Wheel of Time
Source: X/Deadline