The 1 Thing I’ll Miss The Most From Netflix’s The Witcher After Season 5’s Ending Announcement
The Witcher season 5 will be the show’s last, and there is one thing I will miss the most from the Netflix adaptation. Following a strong debut in 2019, The Witcher became one of Netflix’s most important original titles. Five years later, The Witcher has released three seasons, a live-action spinoff show, and an animated spinoff movie. In addition to the show’s final two seasons, The Witcher is also getting another animated movie – the upcoming The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
Netflix’s The Witcher series has had highs and lows, with some stories and characters working better than others. Whereas season 1 followed the short stories relatively closely, seasons 2 and 3 were bigger departures from The Witcher books. Whether The Witcher season 4 will be better received than the previous season remains to be seen, but I believe the series can still end on a high note. Unfortunately, the conclusion of The Witcher means that my favorite projects to come out of the Netflix franchise will probably come to an end as well.
The Witcher Ending With Season 5 Means There Won’t Be Other Animated Movies
The fact that The Witcher is ending with season 5 makes me believe the show won’t get any other spinoffs for now, be they live-action or animated. Therefore, it is safe to say there will not be another Witcher animated movie set in the same world as the live-action show after Sirens of the Deep, which premiers in 2024. Considering the divisive reception of season 3 and Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia recasting, The Witcher ending after five seasons makes sense. The show will have two seasons to properly conclude the stories of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri.
There are still a lot of important stories I want The Witcher to cover before it ends, particularly regarding Ciri’s journey. Although visiting other corners and periods of a world as rich as the one depicted in The Witcher’s novel is always interesting, the focus of the Netflix franchise should now be on delivering the best possible final two seasons for the series. The Witcher’s first live-action spinoff, Blood Origin, was also quite disappointing and proved that the main show had yet to find its foot before branching into other stories.
The Witcher’s Animated Movies Have Been One Of The Best Things About The Netflix Franchise
Whereas The Witcher’s live-action spinoff Blood Origin struggled to justify its existence both among fans of the source material and casual audiences, Netflix’s animated The Witcher movie was a great addition to the saga. The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf told the origin story of Vesemir, Geralt’s mentor, who made his live-action debut in season 2. The film was animated by Studio Mir, known for action-packed 2D-animated movies and TV shows like Legend of Korra and Voltron: Legendary Defender. Young Vesemir was voiced by Theo James, and the movie took place in the same continuity as the show.
Nightmare of the Wolf currently has a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated Witcher project on the platform. In comparison, The Witcher: Blood Origin has a 28% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. With stunning animation and a compelling story that expanded on elements not only from the show but also from the books, Nightmare of the Wolf showcased the potential of the Witcher franchise. The movie was full of action and great visuals, perfectly capturing what I felt reading the books or playing the games in a way that the live-action series sometimes struggled to.
What Else Netflix’s The Witcher Franchise Got Right
The Witcher’s animated spinoff movie is my favorite project to have come out of the Netflix franchise, which does not mean the live-action show did not get a lot of things right about the White Wolf and his stories. Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt of Rivia was a highlight of The Witcher’s first three seasons, combining aspects of Geralt’s characterization in the books and the games. The rest of The Witcher’s cast also gives great performances in every season, even though the stories of some characters were significantly changed from the source material.
The first season of The Witcher nailed the episodic aspect of Geralt’s first few adventures from the short stories, whereas season 2 explored more of the world and the politics of the Continent. While The Witcher did a good job in handling a lot of characters and factions, the show was at its best when it focused on the dynamic between Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. With two seasons starring Liam Hemsworth as Geralt and an animated movie yet to come out, Netflix’s The Witcher franchise can end on a high note.
