Amazon Prime Video has canceled Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, a prolific fan-favorite series in the genre that consists of fifteen extensive volumes. Adapting it for television was always going to be challenging, but Amazon gave the show extensive resources in an attempt to bring it to life. While the first two seasons had mixed reviews, particularly from fans of the book series, season 3 took massive strides in a positive direction.
As such, The Wheel of Time came as a surprise to the ionate fan base who were really beginning to enjoy the production. A portion of the audience was dedicated to seeing the show renewed, with petitions spreading to demonstrate for the series. Nevertheless, Amazon's decision seems to be final, primarily due to practical reasons that were listed in the initial report.
Wheel Of Time's Viewership Wasn't High Enough For Prime Video To Justify More Seasons
Season 3 Wasn't Performing As Well On Streaming Viewership Charts
According to Deadline's report, The Wheel of Time was one of the most-viewed Prime Video shows upon its launch in 2021. The issue with the television medium is that it's challenging to overcome a poorly reviewed first season. Each time The Wheel of Time's seasons were released, even if audiences claimed that the show had improved, new viewers would still have to push through the earlier episodes to get there. Shows also tend to drop off in viewership with each season, unless it's a massive hit like Game of Thrones.
The Wheel Of Time Series Is Getting An Open-World RPG
Following the success of its current three-season television adaptation, The Wheel of Time is slated to receive an open-world RPG video game.
So, despite a hot start in viewership, The Wheel of Time's numbers continued to slip. Nielsen's Top 10 Originals chart keeps an ongoing list of the weekly minutes streamed by original streaming shows. Season 3 was listed on the top 10 for its first three weeks, then fell off until the week after the season 3 finale. Granted, this chart only reflects viewership in the US, but it's still not ideal to have one of the most expensive shows being made barely holding on to a place in the top 10 shows being watched.
Wheel Of Time's Cancellation Is Disappointing After Season 3's Amazing Reviews
Every Wheel Of Time Season Saw Steady Improvement
Image via Prime Video
The Wheel of Time's seasons saw a notable upward trend in both critic reviews and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's worth examining. The first season premiered with an 81% score from critics and 61% from audiences, while season 3 ended up with a 97% score from critics and an 83% score from audiences. This is meaningful, as it speaks to why there's such an uproar in response to the cancellation.
The Wheel of Time was finally hitting its stride, taking on some of the best of Robert Jordan's material with plenty more to come. Beyond just the writing, season 3 saw improvements in general tone, character prioritization, and production value, hinting that tangible lessons were being learned between seasons. It's unclear how much of a role the improved reviews played in Amazon's decision to cancel the series, but it's worth noting that the more positive reviews also come from a much smaller rating base on Rotten Tomatoes.
What Wheel Of Time Season 4's Story Would Have Been (Based On The Books)
Major Book Spoilers Ahead!
Image via Prime Video
The Wheel of Time season 4 had several plot lines set up, and it seemed like it was going to go all over the place in of adapting different books. The main text they'd be drawing from is The Fires of Heaven, which sees Rand returning from the Aiel Waste and defeating the Forsaken Rahvin, who'd manipulated his way into power over the Lion Throne of Andor.
As for the drastic events surrounding the White Tower, a rebel faction of Aes Sedai would have formed in defiance of Elaida, eventually leading to Egwene becoming the Amyrlin Seat. Perrin and Mat would have continued to develop into becoming some of Rand's chief ers, with season 2 beginning to demonstrate their respective skills as heroes. There was plenty of story left to cover in The Wheel of Time, and I'd certainly recommend that anyone who loved the show try out the novels.
The Wheel of Time
- Release Date
- November 18, 2021
- Network
- Prime Video
- Showrunner
- Rafe Judkins
Cast
Moiraine Damodred
al'Lan Mandragoran
WHERE TO WATCH
- 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
- Franchise(s)
- The Wheel of Time
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