With its third season officially in the rear-view, the Witcher conversation is finally starting to simmer down.
Fans of the Netflix fantasy are still upset, of course, but they might just have accepted its fate. With Henry Cavill out the door, the show’s future feels unsteady, and many people are already writing it off — and comparing it to another fantasy powerhouse that fizzled out.
That’s not to say the entire Witcher property is doomed, however. Remember that Netflix already drew criticism for altering the original story, which was born of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s brilliant creativity. News that the story will continue — and without Netflix’s meddling — might just be the dose of hope Witcher fans needed in this dark hour.
Or they can just return to some old fantasy favorites, and reexamine their roles in the stories we grew up on. We’ve talked Harry Potter to absolute death over the last few years, but there are still discussions to be had. Or maybe skip the conflicted Potter franchise and just laugh at the exhausting dude-bro behavior of one of the richest men on the planet.
The Witcher’s uninspired third season prompts comparisons to another fantasy disappointment
Look, Game of Thrones still holds a special place in my heart, but I haven’t been able to return to what was once among my favorite shows since it ended in 2019. Its final season — and in particular its final arc — was simply too disappointing, and that disappointment is feeling familiar to fans of Netflix’s The Witcher adaptation.
They’re seeing their own future in us poor, burned Game of Thrones holdouts, and it’s not pretty. There’s also a major difference between the two releases, and one that makes backlash to The Witcher all the more frustrating. Game of Thrones only failed when it ran out of source material and was forced to pave its own way, but The Witcher doesn’t have this problem. There’s a wealth of content out there for Netflix to adapt, and its decision to completely ignore the story its adaptation is based off is an easily avoidable mistake the streamer nonetheless insists on making.
Even as Andrzej Sapkowski teases more Witcher content
With faith in The Witcher all but spent, the show’s future seems predetermined. It’s already confirmed for a fourth season, but without strong viewership — which it will almost certainly lack — the show’s fate is all but sealed. Which may make a different approach to The Witcher story much more advisable, for fans of monsters and monster hunters.
Instead of putting time into an already-doomed show, why not simply turn to the books it’s based on? The story’s original author — Andrzej Sapkowski — is even coming out with fresh content, which leaves even new fans with plenty to look forward to. It may be a safer bet than relying on Netflix for our fantasy needs.
Harry Potter fans rehash Snape’s hero status
Despite its controversy magnet of a creator, Harry Potter remains one of the most impactful franchises out there. It’s woven into countless childhoods and, even as adults, many of the story’s fans struggle to let it go.
Instead, they do their best to distance themselves from J.K. Rowling’s damaging rhetoric, ensure they don’t line her wallet with new purchases, and instead fall back on the existing content for yet another reexamination. And thus, the Snape discussion inevitably rears its head, as newcomers and returning fans once again rehash his status as a hero… or a villain… or, perhaps… both?
Elon Musk is gatekeeping Lord of the Rings now
Elon Musk, stay in your lane. Whether that lane be tanking Tesla, tanking Twitter, or tanking your marriages, we don’t want you over here in our fantasy business. And certainly not The Lord of the Rings, the shining beacon of the genre, and a property that serves, in many ways, as an antithesis of Musk’s… well, everything.
I say all this because it was recently revealed that Musk, upon meeting his former girlfriend Grimes, immediately put her Lord of the Rings knowledge to the test. Like so many gatekeeping neckbeards before him, he insisted — upon learning that Grimes was a fan — that she pass his test to prove her LOTR knowledge.