As popular as The Witcher has proven to be in terms of audience engagement, it’s been clear for a while that fans are turning their backs on the series en mass for reasons that aren’t exclusively tied to Henry Cavill’s departure.
Showrunner Lauren Hissrich has been a regular source of ire among a fandom left repeatedly infuriated by her apparent disdain for the source material, matters that aren’t helped by the outgoing Geralt of Rivia being such a noted fan. Liam Hemsworth faces a hell of a job stepping into those shoes, especially when review-bombers are already out in force for a five-episode stint that still boasts Cavill as the title character.
Critics seem fairly enamored with the first volume of The Witcher‘s third season, with the opening salvo holding a stellar approval rating of 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, season 3 is currently the lowest-rated among audiences by quite a distance, with its current user average way down at a measly 49 percent.
Of course, anyone with half a brain could have seen this coming from a mile away given the circumstances, with many demanding that Netflix simply cancel The Witcher altogether instead of carrying on without the actor who embodied Geralt to the letter. Recasting largely only tends to go one of two ways, and to say the knives were out for Hemsworth from the second he was announced as the replacement would be the understatement of the year.
Just because it was predictable, though, it doesn’t mean it won’t sting for the creative team.