It’s been several months now since Amazon Prime Video decided to cancel The Wheel of Time despite a growing and passionate audience. That decision, along with how the streamer handled the show from the beginning, is still a sore point with many fans, including me.
An online petition, endorsed by more than 210,000 fans, wasn’t enough to sway the coldhearted decision-makers at Prime Video. As of now, the series is dead after three seasons.
Upon reflection, Prime Video shouldn’t have taken on the project if it had no intention of supporting it or seeing it through to the end. Instead, they decided to throw all support and resources behind an inferior, more expensive show in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Why I can’t get over The Wheel of Time’s cancellation
The main reason for my ire is that Prime Video KNEW the source material. It was no state secret that the literary series is 14 massive volumes. This is a best-selling series with a huge built-in fan base. Fans assumed a certain level of commitment to the project, and the streamer ignored that.
Right from the start, Prime Video didn’t seem enthusiastic about being fully supportive of The Wheel of Time. Even though The Rings of Power cost approximately six times more per episode than The Wheel of Time, Prime Video only greenlit eight episodes a season. Considering the size of most of the books in the series, this was incredibly miserly.
From the beginning, showrunner Rafe Judkins had one arm tied behind his back. He was forced to compress the storyline into too few episodes each season. At the very least, there should have been 10, probably 12, for each season, and Prime Video should have committed to more seasons. They could have made a full 12-episode season for what it cost to make just two episodes of The Rings of Power.
Forcing such an expansive source into so few installments immediately impeded Judkins and his team creatively, forcing plot decisions that should never have been made. And the pandemic didn't make production any easier. In the middle of season 1, they were forced to make a central character cast change, forcing Judkins to go a much different direction than the books. Lastly, the Hollywood strikes caused even more issues.
There were several issues with the compressed season 1 version of the first book, but slowly the plot lines worked toward getting back on track during season 2. The fallout of the cast change in season 1 left lingering effects on the story in season 2, but by the last episode of that season, it looked like the show was going in the right direction.
Season 3 was the best so far, and it was obvious Judkins had a better idea of how to proceed despite Prime Video’s brutal restrictions. The season featured some spectacular scenes and episodes. Fans were enjoying the show more than ever. A fourth season and beyond commitment seemed like a no-brainer.
Instead, Prime Video decided to cancel the show and turn a deaf ear to all of the clamoring fans, of the books and the show, for it to continue. It is all so puzzling. It was absolutely irresponsible for them to take on the project in the first place if they had no intention of properly supporting it. It all goes back to the fact that EVERYONE knew how big the source material was.
From the beginning, Prime Video could have told Judkins that he’d get 10 episodes a season for eight seasons. If they had given him 80 total episodes, he should have been able to tell the story in its entirety in the way he probably wanted. Instead, it became a total mess.
Sure, Judkins made some mistakes, but it is understandable under the conditions set before him. It is absurd, however, that the show was canceled just as it was getting past all of the bad luck and lack of support, and was producing high-quality episodes that fans were excited about.
Prime Video should never be forgiven for how it treated the whole Wheel of Time team and the fans, all the while fawning over a barely mediocre Rings of Power. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, and it continues to irk me every time I think about it.
Shame on you, Amazon Prime Video. The Wheel of Time and its fans deserved much better than you gave them.
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