Netflix’s new fantasy series, The Witcher, seems to be the next big thing in the fantasy genre, offering viewers a world full of the same magical elements that made them fall for HBO’s Game of Thrones. And unfortunately — or fortunately, depending how you look at it — The Witcher’s release being so close to the Game of Thrones series finale meant the two would inevitably be compared to one another. But while that can lead to disappointment in some cases, it’s something The Witcher showrunner, Lauren S. Hissrich is actually grateful for.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Hissrich admitted that she’s happy with the frequent comparisons to the hit HBO series. “The comparison is ultimately incredibly flattering,” Hissrich explained. “Because at the end of the day, for a new television show to be premiering into a world, and for people to be saying, ‘I think it could be as successful or as popular as that other show’ — that’s incredible.”
She’s right about one thing: Game of Thrones was a huge hit, so even the suggestion that The Witcher could grow to find kind of success is a vote of confidence.
In addition to that, Hissrich feels she owes Game of Thrones for even being able to bring a series like The Witcher to life in the first place. After all, large-scale fantasy stories weren’t all that common on television prior to the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels — and they certainly weren’t viewed as mainstream. “I feel like as a writer, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Game of Thrones, because it really blew open the doors for fantasy on television,” Hissrich said. “And it took it away from being a genre that has mostly been dominated by men and sort of been seen as this niche audience of geeks and nerds, and it word of allowed a whole worldwide audience to say, ‘Fantasy is for us as well.’”
Her words ring true, especially given the number of fantasy series that have been greenlit for television over the past year. In addition to The Witcher, His Dark Materials premiered on HBO this year, and series like Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel and The Wheel of Time adaptation are all set to release over the next few years. Following Game of Thrones, it certainly does feel like there’s a higher demand for fantasy stories on TV.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that any of these series will necessarily be “the next Game of Thrones,” even if that’s what the studio’s marketing departments would have fans believe. Hissrich acknowledges that, while she welcomes comparisons between the two shows, The Witcher is an entity all its own. “All of that being said, I think The Witcher stands on its own two feet very, very well,” she concluded. “And it’s a very different story. I think the tone is incredibly different than Game of Thrones. And when viewers come in, I think they’ll see that right away.”
Similarities aside, there’s plenty of room for both series in fantasy fans’ lives — and getting used to The Witcher will likely prepare viewers for all the new worlds and characters that will follow. Before you know it, people won’t even be comparing other works in the genre to the one that started it all.
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