In the years since Game of Thrones ended, there've been a great number of big-budget fantasy shows, each trying to fill the void. Some big ones include Netflix's The Witcher and Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. One of the most promising was The Wheel of Time, also of Prime Video, which adapted Robert Jordan's seminal novels.
It's fair to say that The Wheel of Time got off to a relatively slow start; it certainly wasn't a certified smash hit from the get-go, and viewership didn't hit immense heights. However, when season 2 came along, it really came into its own. By season 3, many viewers cited The Wheel of Time as one of the top fantasy dramas of recent years. The series as a whole holds a very impressive 88% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, and season 3 itself holds an even more impressive 97%.
Sadly, Prime Video decided to pull the plug on the series very prematurely. There was still so much more source material to adapt. Many of the best storylines were still to come. The news was a massive blow for the fantasy community, with petitions being made. There's even an entire website dedicated to saving the show, which contains a petition with over 220,000 signatures.
The cancellation hit a lot of fans very hard. This was a show with an extremely tight-knit and dedicated community. It was so close that even the cast members themselves, most of whom are diehard fans, felt the fallout. Look no further than star Rosamund Pike, who played Moiraine Damodred. In a recent interview with Collider, the actress touched on how much the show meant to people:
"I’ve touched the waters of what it's meant to people, but this was a chance for people to really express, to come with people they’ve met through The Wheel of Time, people who’ve gotten married because of The Wheel of Time, people who've had the courage to come out because of The Wheel of Time. There are people who wanted to end their lives until they discovered The Wheel of Time. It's profound and meaningful, and I just thought, ‘My God, if I could get the heads of Amazon here at stage door with me, listening to these stories…’"
It sounds like Rosamund Pike has made her peace with The Wheel of Time cancellation
Every major studio has been mentioned as a potential suitor to pick up the show for another season, but nothing has come to fruition. “In my dreams, another studio would be wise and pick it up," Pike said. "We have such an amazing team now. We have the ability to make a great final sequence of seasons for this show.”
Realistically, however, the likelihood of another studio picking it up at this point is nothing more than a pipe-dream. “We know what to do with these books now, so who knows?" Pike said, adding that the chapter is closed. "I think we have to accept that it's over.”
Sure, we might move on, but we'll never forgive Prime Video for prematurely ending one of the best fantasy shows on all of streaming.