‘The Wheel of Time’ Fans React to Show’s Cancellation
Amazon has decided to pull the plug on one of its most ambitious fantasy adaptation series after three seasons. The Wheel of Time will not return for Season 4, and fans are sharing their reactions to the news online.
The streaming series adapted Robert Jordan’s book series of the same name and told the story of Rand al-Thor (portrayed by Josha Stradowski in the show), whom prophecy foretold was the reincarnation of the Dragon — called the Dragon Reborn — who had to face the Dark One and decide whether to save the world or destroy it altogether. The adaptation featured Rosamund Pike in the lead as Moiraine Damodred, who belonged to a group of women with the ability to channel the One Power and sought out the Dragon Reborn.
The series was developed by Rafe Judkins, who also served as showrunner, and its cast also featured Daniel Henney as Moiraine’s companion al’Lan Mandragoran, Zoe Robins as healer Nynaeve al’Maera, Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Kate Fleetwood as Liandrin Guirale, Priyanka Bose as Alanna Mosvani, Hammed Animashaun as Loial, Sophie Okenedo as Aes Sedai leader Siuan Sanche, Kae Alexander as Min Farshaw, Fares Fares as Ishmael, and more.
“The way I love the cast so much that I can’t even bring myself to be snarky about Rafe. The cast and crew deserved better and Wheel of Time deserved better,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote in response to the news. “I’m actually really sad because I don’t think television will have the guts to pull off what The Wheel of Time did with Moiraine and Siuan again (lesbian impossibility and desire in every episode),” another wrote. “So tired of fantasy/sci fi shows being cancelled. Season 3 of wheel of time was brilliant and beautiful. This isn’t fair,” added a third.
Some fans of the books expressed that they weren’t surprised by the series’ fate, given the creative direction it took in adapting the stories. “The Wheel of Time should have been Prime Video’s Game of Thrones, but the entire direction of the show was creatively mishandled. Especially tragic because the show actually started to get good in Season 3 after finding its footing,” one person wrote. “Hoping Wheel of Time is able to find a new life in animated form somewhere down the line, but the entire tone and direction of the show needs to be closer to the books instead of this angsty teen CW vibe the show started with,” added another.
One fan speculated online that the series might be shuttering so that Prime Video can invest more in its similarly sprawling epic Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: “I think Prime Video wants to put all its resources on ROP, at least for now…” they wrote.
The series premiered in 2021 with its first eight episodes and was renewed for Season 2 ahead of its premiere. Season 2 then arrived in September 2023, with a renewal for Season 3 coming well ahead of the sophomore debut. Season 3 arrived in March of this year, with no Season 4 renewal preceding the premiere.
According to Deadline, which first reported the news of the series’ cancellation, this was a result of its hefty production price tag and waning viewership numbers.
The Wheel of Time books consisted of 14 books, the final three of which were completed after Jordan’s death by Brandon Sanderson.
How do you feel about The Wheel of Time‘s cancellation? Let us know in the comments section below.
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