Netflix’s foul-mouthed fantasy series The Witcher has amassed millions of views across its three seasons, with season 2 among the streamer’s most-viewed shows of all time. Even so, ahead of the release of its fourth season, it sounds like Geralt of Rivia’s journey is coming to an end.
Well, all good things must come to an end, so it’s not exactly surprising to hear that The Witcher, which has been officially renewed for a fifth season as of Thursday morning, is turning in the final chapter in Geralt of Rivia’s story.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment giant confirmed that a fifth and final season of The Witcher has been ordered, marking the end of Geralt and Co.’s monster-slaying adventures. Netflix also announced that production has indeed begun on season 4, with the final two seasons set to film consecutively. According to the streamer, the remaining entries will adapt the last three books in author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy series: Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake.
“It is with huge pride that we begin shooting our penultimate season of The Witcher with a stellar cast, including some exciting new additions, led by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia,” showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring Andrzej Sapkowski’s books to an epic and satisfying conclusion. It wouldn’t be our show if we didn’t push our family of characters to their absolute limit—stay tuned to see how the story ends.”
Based on the popular book series of the same name, The Witcher first launched on Netflix in late 2019, starring self-proclaimed fanboy and the stuff of fanfiction galore, Henry Cavill. In the early episodes, Geralt, a magically mutated monster hunter, sees himself linked by destiny to the Crown Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allan). Along the way, Geralt also falls head-over-heels for the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), who has some, perhaps, unsavory intentions of her own.
The drama series has been something of a guaranteed money maker for Netflix, with seasons 1 and 2 faring generally well with audiences. However, as seen on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score has steadily dropped with each new installment, with season 3 currently standing at a measly 19 percent.
Why is The Witcher ending with season 5?
Given the sheer extent of lore The Witcher franchise boasts across its numerous books and video games, fans have been pretty vocal about their feelings towards the TV adaptation, with many accusing the studio of ditching quality storytelling in favor of rushed dialogue, neglected character arcs, and lackluster VFX, all of which are painfully evident in season 3.
Plus, it’s safe to say that things aren’t looking to good for the final two seasons of The Witcher now that Henry Cavill has jumped ship. The British actor famously quit the series back in 2023, alluding to creative differences that caused him to part ways with the program. He said in a statement, “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for season 4.”
Shortly after, it was revealed that none other than Liam Hemsworth would be replacing Cavill as the title character in upcoming seasons of The Witcher, sparking an all-too-predictable flurry of internet discourse and backlash. Although it’s hard to say if this casting reshuffle was the final nail in the coffin for The Witcher‘s future on Netflix, it sure seems like the creative team is ready to hang up their cloaks and medallions for good.
It’s also important to note that the decision to end The Witcher could be traced back to the critical and commercial failure of its Netflix spinoff series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, which, according to Nielsen viewership figures (via Geeks + Gamers), didn’t even land a spot in the top ten charts following its premiere in December 2022.
Regardless of all the rumored behind-the-scenes drama and “creative differences” that led Henry Cavill to depart the show, The Witcher has had an extremely successful run, and maybe it’s simply time for showrunners to quit while they’re ahead—depending on how you view things. Game of Thrones certainly taught us that lesson the hard way. Ultimately, five seasons is no easy feet, and only time will tell if Geralt and Ciri will get their happily ever after.
(featured image: Netflix)
