The Rings of Power and 4 more disappointing genre shows from 2022

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

You knew we were going to talk about this one, right? Thanks to the staggering amount of money Amazon spent to produce and promote this Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power was one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year. Can Amazon buy a huge hit? Can it buy a great series?

Now that we’re a few months out from the season 1 finale, the answers seem to be: kinda — The Rings of Power did solid numbers even if they weren’t as spectacular as Amazon likely wanted — and probably not. As much money as Jeff Bezos spent on this show, as often as they focus tested it, as long as they spent preparing, the final result was pretty hit and miss.

Personally, I enjoyed spending time with the harfoots and the Stranger. I also liked the friendship between the elf Elrond and the dwarf Durin. On the other hand, pretty much all the time they spent in Númenor was boring, and dragging out the identity of Sauron was more tedious than interesting.

If you’re a hardcore Tolkien lover, The Rings of Power might drive you crazy with all the mythology changes. But if you’re a casual fan, it still may not have the dramatic engine to drive you across the finish line. This was a show of highs and lows, and given the competition in the sci-fi/fantasy space this year — House of the Dragon, Andor, The Sandman, Stranger Things, etc. — that’s not good enough.