Summary
Following the conclusion of season three,Prime Videoannounced the Wheel of Time would not be renewed for additional seasons, leaving the adaptation of Robert Jordan’s 14-book series far from finished.
The cancellation was especially surprising as the show’s third season is widely regarded as its best, holding a 97% critic score onRotten Tomatoesand an 83% audience score. However, the ultimate reasons for the show’s cancellation aren’t especially difficult to guess: Wheel of Time was very expensive to produce, and the “buzz” it generated didn’t justify the investment in Amazon’s eyes. Reportedly, the executives at Amazon like the show but can’t financially to more seasons given the current return on investment (thanks,Deadline).
Still, there are scores of fans who are greatly disappointed by the cancellation. There is currently anonline petition to save the show, which has attracted over 130,000 signatures.
Long Form Storytelling Is Dying
The Wheel of Time’s showrunner, Rafe Judkins, recently releaseda post on social mediaoutlining his thoughts on the unexpected cancellation.
“I’ve asked the same question many times over the last week — why was the Wheel of Time cancelled? 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 can’t,” the post begins.
Judkins says that The Wheel of Time remained in the Nielsen Top 10 streaming shows for over 20 weeks, “a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.”
Judkins says that a show being picked up by another network is rare, but it does happen: “I certainly hope it does. The book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”
The Wheel of Time hasn’t always been in fans' good graces. The first season deviated greatly from the source material in a manner that ensured major knock-on effects later in the story. However, some of this sentiment was reversed by a reasonably good second season and an even better third season.
Unfortunately, this appears to be the end of the road for this particular adaptation of the Wheel of Time.
