Fifteen new shows that could fill the Game of Thrones void

4. The Witcher (Netflix)

Netflix is tackling the novel series behind the hit video games, about a wandering demon hunter in a richly imagined fantasy world. Henry Cavill is starring as lead character Geralt of Rivia, but we may not get to see him in action until late 2019 or early 2020. Will all that time help build hype, or will interest fizzle out?

Pros

The Witcher is a massive franchise with a massive fan base. This guarantees that at least some folks will be tuning in by the time the premiere rolls around.

This is also relatively new ground! No one has adapted The Witcher into a series of this scale before. There was a Polish television show and a Polish movie, but neither had much pull with American audiences. It’s always nice to see fresh ideas, and this one might draw viewers purely because it’s not a reboot or sequel.

When you take into account the epic scope of the story, the fantasy elements and what will surely be entertaining action scenes, this might be just the fix Game of Thrones fans never knew they needed. Producer/showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has promised on Twitter that “this show is not for five-year-olds.” We’ll see!

Cons

Netflix’s show is not a video game adaptation — Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books have been around since the early ’90s — but The Witcher is famous in the west mostly because of CD Projekt Red’s games, and games don’t have the best reputation on screen. Street Fighter, Tomb Raider, Warcraft. . . need we go on? Because we will. Remember that awful Super Mario Bros flick? Again, Netflix series is based on the novels, not the video games, but even being associated with the games could be a handicap.

Then there’s Henry Cavill’s casting, which isn’t a fan favorite idea. Poor guy has been hounded in online forums. Hopefully he’ll prove the naysayers wrong.