The Witcher showrunner defends upcoming Witcher show for kids

This past weekend, Netflix revealed that it’s expanding The Witcher universe. Not only are we getting another season of the show very soon, we’re also getting a prequel series called Blood Origin, another animated movie in the style of Nightmare of the Wolf, and — and this was the really surprising one — a Witcher kids series.

Now, you might think that a Witcher kids series doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, sure, there are kids in The Witcher…but usually they’re put through deranged experiments and trials that kill off a good percentage of them before a few emerge as superhuman monster hunters abhorred by polite society. There are kids, but it’s not for kids, y’know?

At least one fan made that argument on Twitter, and The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich — who’s always ready to mix it up with the fans online — explained the thinking behind the new show.

“I agree, The Witcher is a dark, mature universe,” she wrote. “I’d go further. It’s controversial. Political. A microcosm of humanity, for all its goodness and evil.”

"But I believe — STRONGLY believe — that the moral dilemmas and ethical grayness that adults love in this universe can be extrapolated to stories that kids in this chaotic world desperately need, and could benefit from. I say this as the mom of an 8 year old and a 10 year old. They’ve begged me to watch the show. They can’t. It’s not appropriate, too mature and dark, as you say. But. If I can sit with them and watch a version they love, one they can laugh at, one they feel ‘gets them’ and their small but meaningful place in the world — but that can also serve as a foundation from which to talk about big topics, racism, sexism, what it means to be a monster? And how we can fight back against those bleak black holes of humanity, so everyone knows there’s a place for them? Then I’m in. And yes, I hope this extends the brand viewership. I love The Witcher world. And I want more people to love it, too, no matter their age. Don’t you?"

Does a Witcher kids series make sense?

What do you think? Does what she says make sense? From my perspective, not really. I agree that kids can use shows that serve as a springboard for talking about sensitive issues, but I don’t think it has to involve The Witcher — there are other shows that serve that function that are built from the ground up to be watched as a family, rather than retrofitted to serve a new purpose.

I suspect this has more to do with what Hissrich says about extending the “brand viewership.” As Netflix recently revealed, The Witcher has been a big hit for them, and they want to franchise that thing. Call it the Marvel effect: ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe became an industry-defining phenomenon, everyone wants their own cinematic universe, and it doesn’t take much to convince them to start a new one.

So Netflix wants as much Witcher content as possible, including a show that reaches a demographic the original series doesn’t reach. It’s not about making a great kids show, although the new series might end up being good; it’s about having a bigger content footprint.

Or at least that’s how my cynical ass sees it. In any case, the second season of The Witcher drops on Netflix on December 17. Witcher Babies, or whatever they call it, doesn’t have a release date yet.

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h/t SyFy Wire