It's been a weird, difficult few weeks for fans of The Wheel of Time. Last month, Amazon made the shocking decision to cancel the fantasy series based on the iconic books by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, claiming that while they were happy with the creative direction of the show, it wasn't balancing out financially well enough to be worth continuing. It was especially galling because the latest season was far and away the best so far, earning a rare 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and landing well with viewers and critics alike.
Since then, fans have been working hard to either convince Amazon to reverse course, or find another home for the series; as of this writing, a petition urging studios to revive the show has garnered over 130,000 signatures, hundreds of letters of appreciation have been written to the cast and crew, and the SaveWoT campaign raised more than $16,000 in one day to fund billboards and other means of getting their message to executives. And all this in spite of the fact that it was reported this week to TV Line via anonymous sources that Sony Pictures Television is not currently shopping The Wheel of Time to other networks, a crucial step if it's to continue.
Amidst all this, there's one person in particular I and many others have been waiting to hear from: Rafe Judkins, the showrunner of The Wheel of Time. Along with lead actors Josha Stradowski (Rand al'Thor) and Rosamund Pike (Moiraine Damodred), Judkins has been conspicuously quiet since the cancellation. Was he just grieving? Is he working behind the scenes? Is there any hope the show could be saved, or is this really the end?
Judkins took to Instagram early this morning with a heartfelt message for the fans, which is honest and realistic, but also hopeful. He doesn't mince words about the show's chances or the state of the television industry, nor does he rule out the fact that this is The Wheel of Time we're talking about, and The Wheel of Time has always had a history of beating the odds. Read his full statement below (links ours):
"I've been asked the same question many times the last week — why was The Wheel of Time cancelled? And the truth is, I don't know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it's coming to an end, but sadly, I cant.
What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. And we've all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!), but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world, appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.
One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best — get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.
Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling. It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best — bringing great characters into people's living rooms and lives every week.
Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it's not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it. So, who knows, perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of "beginnings" and "ends". I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished."
Rafe Judkins is keeping hope alive for The Wheel of Time
When I saw Judkins had posted a statement about the show, I wondered if he was going to let fans down easy by confirming the TV Line report about The Wheel of Time not being shopped around. Instead, I feel more hopeful, but in a tired, accepting sort of way. We're in this fight for the long haul.
It's baffling to me that Judkins wouldn't have a clear picture of why the show was cancelled...but then again, it kind of fits with the cancellation announcement we got from Amazon last month, which danced around the idea that the studio supposedly loved the show but it wasn't doing well enough, while also including an outright lie that the show's season 3 finale was "designed to offer some closure." (Spoiler: it was not, as anyone with eyes could tell.) To me, it felt like Amazon may have already been considering cancelling The Wheel of Time before season 3 even aired, perhaps because they're already dumping truckloads of money on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and it didn't make sense to have two extremely expensive epic fantasy shows on one network. But that's just speculation.
I can only agree with Judkins that fans of this series "deserve to see the story finished." It doesn't feel like hyperbole to say that if this Wheel of Time adaptation dies fully, it's unlikely that we'll see another one of this scale in the foreseeable future. This story is one of the pillars of the modern fantasy genre, and by this point the show has well and truly found its footing. It may be a long shot to see it saved, but it's somewhat encouraging that Judkins is holding out hope along with the rest of us.
There's been an outpouring of support for his Instagram post, from fans as well as The Wheel of Time cast and crew. Stradowski shared Judkins' statement to his story, which I believe is the first thing he's shared publicly about the show since it's cancellation. Madeleine Madden (Egwene) thanked Judkins in the comments for "allowing us the privilege and honour to play in this world and bring such beloved and exceptionally special characters to life." There are a number of similar messages, from Ayoola Smart (Aviendha), Björn Landberg (Rhuarc), Priyanka Bose (Alanna), and costume designer Sharon Gilham.
It's clear The Wheel of Time has meant a lot to a lot of people. Here's hoping all this noise gets the attention of Sony and Amazon, and they decide to find a way to allow the show to return. I know that if that happens, I'll be seated and ready.
If you'd like to learn more about the campaign to save The Wheel of Time, head over to SaveWoT.com.
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