Henry Cavill Ditched ‘The Witcher’ After the Show’s Weakest Season – And It Only Got Worse From There
Cavill’s absence opened up the door for Liam Hemsworth to take the reins of the show, assuming the role of the silver-haired swordsman, Geralt of Rivia, at the onset of the retooled Season 4. Yet, it already has an anti-climactic tinge to it, as one of the most promising properties, and the fantasy heir-apparent to Game of Thrones, rapidly sours both the cast and viewers. There’s no way to spin it. Through a series of miscalculations, the streamer has alienated the show’s core audience, tainted any goodwill, and perhaps permanently sabotaged potential viewership. Netflix might not care whatsoever about the source material, but they have an unusual amount of faith that the show can still garner big numbers. Here’s a quick refresher on the rise and fall of what was once Netflix’s biggest show.
A “Built-in Fan Base” Plagued by Internal Conflict and Clashing Sensibilities
He did his best to conceal those tensions. The Philippine Star reported in 2021 that he was aware of the dangers of derailing an IP, and hellbent on preserving the essence and integrity of source work, remarking to journalists:
“When it came to the release of Season 1, because I’m a fan of both the games and the books, I knew it had a large built-in fan base, and so, I wasn’t totally surprised by its success. As far as it goes for Season 2, is that added pressure? I mean, I’ve had the good fortune to work on some large IPs throughout my career. And I try not to view it as pressure. I try to view it more as an opportunity.”
This spat over fidelity to the narrative ultimately led to Cavill abandoning the show, refusing a new contract, as the Netflix team took liberties and ran off on some tangents that left readers of the novels and fans of the game perplexed and annoyed. In the long run, the hardcore Witcher fans were overwhelmingly on Cavill’s side, with only a small casual contingent defending the second and third seasons. This all went down just as a shift in personnel was announced. Staying onboard are actresses Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan (as Yennefer and Ciri), which will guarantee a small amount of continuity for those fans sticking around. But it might be too late.
Upheaval Foreshadows Dipping Ratings
By its third season, after announcing Cavill’s planned departure, stats immediately began to plunge, the show first losing the number one spot on Netflix in 2023, according to Deadline. From there, waning interest in the medieval epic universe became painfully evident, with the show dropping out of the Netflix top 10 most-viewed programs, chasing away a demoralizing number of viewers compared to numbers from Season 1.
The spin-off The Witcher: Blood Origin (which was only loosely based on the Sapkowski novels or characters), as of writing, has an atrocious score below 30% from both critics and fans on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, the other Netflix project based on the books — this time an animated film released in 2025 — fared somewhat better. It still earned unacceptably low ratings when compared to the main show’s first season, which hovers around 90% approval from viewers. Cavill’s decision to bounce was undoubtedly a catalyst for fan apathy.
Defying the “Netflix Curse”?
Netflix doesn’t have a wonderful track record for nurturing series, or adapting other media for that matter, throwing a lot of stuff at the wall to see what sticks (most of it hasn’t stuck). Rather, as the examples of canceled shows indicate, they tend to cut their losses after a couple of seasons, much to the chagrin of anyone invested.
However, with the show burning off whatever fuel it had, the entire project teetering on the edge of free fall, Netflix has taken an uncharacteristically encouraging move, allegedly greenlighting Season Five and evaluating further spin-offs. Earlier attempts to expand the universe shouldn’t fill you with hope. Netflix doesn’t understand or know what to do with this IP, and, if we’re being brutally honest, is commanded by a leadership that makes Kathleen Kennedy look good.
