Successfully maintaining the level across multiple seasons is an underrated, understated feat in the world of television. Not many shows, and least of all in the current media landscape, can deliver the goods in a consistent recurrent manner. They either bow out before running out of gas or, in the case of the two fantasy shows getting singled out in a recent Reddit thread, unceremoniously plummet after a good start.
The Witcher, whose third season has recently made its way to Netflix, was a massive hit in its first season – a success that rippled through season 2, before fizzling out in parallel with the exit of its main star Henry Cavill. While the fantasy epic didn’t even manage to hold out longer than a couple of years, its downward trajectory is drawing comparisons to one of the most successful television shows of the century, which, unfortunately, was also unable to stick the landing.
On Reddit, those still tuning in to the Netflix live-action adaptation of the beloved book series and video game are calling the show “a forgettable tale” that didn’t live up to its potential. Confusing, dragged-out storylines and the lack of monster-fighting action are some of the causes behind the show’s failure, according to one user.
In the comments, many share the same sentiment and are even experiencing déjà vu.
There is one major difference, though. Game of Thrones only lost its way when it could no longer fall back on the books written by George R.R. Martin. That is not the case with The Witcher, whose producers have intentionally chosen to drift from the source material, which eventually led to the fallout with Cavill.
A lot of fans lost interest in the Netflix show when it veered into the same sort of political playground that worked so well for Game of Thrones, but which the writers couldn’t exactly replicate this time. “Walmart GoT” is a tough tagline.
Stick to the monster fighting next time, Netflix. Not even Game of Thrones could make it to the finish line without a novelist like R. R. Martin leading the way.
