Season 3 of The Wheel of Time is set to premiere on Prime Video in just a few weeks, on Thursday, March 13. This season could be a turning point for the show and the fantasy genre in general.
The Wheel of Time is one of three big fantasy shows on at the moment. House of the Dragon, a prequel to the massive hit Game of Thrones, is two seasons deep into its four-season run on HBO and Max. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, finished its second season last year, on Prime Video.
The Wheel of Time is the dark horse series of the three. The Rings of Power has The Lord of the Rings brand behind it and House of the Dragon has the momentum generated by Game of Thrones pushing it. The Wheel of Time is based on a beloved book series, but it doesn't have as much brand recognition among TV viewers; the show hasn't gotten the support from Amazon that's gone to The Rings of Power, despite The Wheel of Time costing a fraction of the price. But its time may be coming.
What makes The Wheel of Time a serious challenger for dominance among these three fantasy series?
House of the Dragon enjoyed a stellar first season but stalled in its storytelling in season 2. The Rings of Power is beautifully produced, but the end product has fallen a bit flat in its delivery. Both have been renewed for a third season.
The Wheel of Time hasn’t gotten anywhere near the attention of the other two series, which is puzzling. There is far more source material to draw from in the case of The Wheel of Time. That material is also easier to digest despite the book series running 14 hefty volumes, not to mention being complete.
As with any translation from page to screen, The Wheel of Time has taken significant liberties with the source material, but it would be impossible to tell the whole story as it is written due to the sheer size of the source books.
Each of these three series have their detractors; often, they are the super-fans of the source material. These folks are the hardest to please and the least understanding about the need for changes. However, The Wheel of Time is telling the most interesting story. The show presents plenty of action, characters the audience can care about, and an intriguing story. The show is fleetly paced, a significant advantage it has over the other two shows. Other than some of the hard-to-swallow changes from the books, its biggest issue is that there aren’t enough episodes per season.
It will be interesting to see if The Wheel of Time can gain a bigger audience as season 3 approaches. The first two seasons, which run for eight episodes each, can be streamed on Prime Video. Anyone who is a fan of the genre who isn’t watching is truly missing out on maybe the best fantasy series since Game of Thrones.
Season 3 is based on The Shadow Rising, one of the best books in the franchise, and the trailer looks very exciting. It could be an important barometer as to how many seasons the series will get. It SHOULD have the biggest audience of these three three fantasy series, based on quality and story, but if people aren’t giving it a shot, that premise won’t matter.
The Wheel of Time deserves a bigger audience and more support from Amazon. If those things fall into place, this series should out-distance the other two by a fair margin.
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