The Winter King and 4 other disappointing sci-fi/fantasy shows from 2023
By Dan Selcke
The Witcher season 3
The Witcher has been on for three seasons, and each one has been a doozy. At first, the show was opened with open arms; people loved Henry Cavill’s performance as taciturn monster hunger Geralt of Rivia, they loved seeing the popular video games and books brought to the small screen, and they loved that song about tossing a coin to your witcher. Netflix came out of season 1 with a lot of goodwill.
Then came season 2, and the dark times. The second season diverged from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books in some weird, go-nowhere ways. But the backlash didn’t begin in earnest until it was announced that Cavill would be departing the show after season 3. People seemed to make up their minds in advance that the show was beyond saving, and eagerly lambasted the new episodes.
It’s hard to disentangle earnest critiques of The Witcher season 3 from the slings and arrows of people upset on Henry Cavill’s behalf. From where I was sitting, season 3 was about as good as the show had always been, maybe even better. The Witcher was always a bit broad and leaden, but at least season 3 more or less followed the books, which is more than can be said for season 2. But, justified or not, the prevailing narrative is that The Witcher season 3 was the worst the show has yet to offer.
Next. 8 Game of Thrones characters who overstayed their welcome. dark
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels