Why Did Amazon Just Cancel A 97% Scored Prime Video Show?
The Wheel of Time
Amazon
Streaming services work in mysterious ways, and it was indeed pretty stunning on Friday when it was announced that Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time was canceled, and would not be returning for a fourth season.
The show had just seemed to find its groove. Season 1 had an 81% score and season 2 had an 86% score, but season 3? A stellar 97% critic score which you rarely see, especially on Amazon. So what happened here? A few things, supposedly:
The Wheel of Time
Rotten Tomatoes
In a now poorly aged article, I wrote that there shouldn't be much to worry about in terms of the series getting a fourth season. Part of that was based on the confidence of the cast and showrunner. Here's Josha Stradowski (Rand al'Thor) last month:
Then Rafe Judkins on his conversations with Amazon:
Fans began to panic in recent weeks as cast members and the showrunner started sharing a fan-created 'renew Wheel of Time' petition for season 4, implying they too were not worried about it. It turns out everyone was right to worry, as here we are.
It's frustrating for fans because Amazon is also airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, its billion-dollar fantasy series that has had a lukewarm reception and its viewership reportedly dropped by half from season 1 to season 2. It was renewed for season 3, albeit this cancellation of a high-budget family show does raise questions about whether Rings of Power will be able to get to its supposed five-season plan.
So, Wheel of Time fans are sad, book-readers who didn't like the adaption didn't care, but with a stellar third season, I'd consider this a tragedy.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
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