Getting invested in a big-budget TV series is risky because they often end without warning. Now that The Wheel of Timehas been canceled with no conclusion, I’m concerned for Prime Video‘s other huge fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This Tolkien adaptation seems to be a source of pride for the streamer, which dedicates a shocking amount of money to the project, but Prime has also been ruthless in canceling shows. The Wheel of Time isn’t the only example; just look at My Lady Jane, which was popular enough that its single-season fate is baffling. As Prime Video seems to be making difficult choices about what shows to stick with, I worry that The Rings of Power‘s price tag puts it in serious danger.
As divisive as it has been, The Rings of Power improved for Season 2, and with the action ramping up, I believe it can continue that trajectory. Already, the show was earmarked for a five-season commitment, but so far, only two have been released. Plus, the upcoming Season 3 will have a significant time jump, moving through the intended story more quickly. I see several similarities between The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time that don’t bode well for the future of Prime Video’s Tolkien adaptation. However, I hope that if the streamer does divert from its five-season plan, The Rings of Power can ultimately deliver a satisfying ending.
‘The Rings of Power’ Deserves a Satisfying Ending
The series may have received flak for diverging from J. R. R. Tolkien‘s writings, but accurate or not, it tells a compelling story. The Second Age of Middle-earth provides plenty of material for the show to work with, with familiar characters, epic battles, and even answers to some of the world’s greatest mysteries. The series may not be perfect, but I don’t want it to be cut off in the middle of the story it’s trying to tell, especially seeing the direction it’s building in. Season 2 explored the fall of Eregion and the making of the Rings of Power which will continue to shape the world. With Sauron (Charlie Vickers) being the enemy and the heroes of the story as they’ve been presented, the natural conclusion is the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. This is a battle like no other, where a physical Sauron leads his army, only to get cut down by Isildur (Maxim Baldry), who claims the One Ring for himself. This is not only the perfect conclusion for the series, but it marks the end of the Second Age as a whole.
I want to see The Rings of Power reach this battle because, with Eregion, the series proved that it can do something on that scale. Plus, it is one of the most important conflicts in Middle-earth’s history, and only glimpses of it have been shown on-screen, as Peter Jackson‘s film trilogy summarizes these events in the prologue. Whenever a series cuts off without any conclusion, it feels like a waste of time. The Rings of Power has a lot of potential, and I would like to see it fulfilled.
There is an inherent risk for Rings of Power because of the money involved. Prime Video just canceled The Wheel of Time, citing the series’ production cost despite its highest-rated season having premiered this year. That doesn’t serve as a positive sign for The Rings of Power, whichis even pricier, coming in at a budget of $58 million per episode. The cost associated with The Rings of Power means that there is no margin for error. Fantasy TV series are hard to accomplish on a tight budget, but to be worth the money, The Rings of Power has to have a huge audience, and I just don’t know if the show can accomplish that long-term. The viewership for Season 2, while impressive, was reported to be lower than Season 1, and if that trend continues, The Rings of Power could be in trouble.
The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time have another issue in common. Both are based on popular source material but have received a less-than-ideal reception from their established fanbase. If The Rings of Power struggles to hold the interest of dedicated Tolkien fans who already love the world, how can Prime Video expect others to watch it? I fear that if The Rings of Power cannot appeal to its target audience, the streamer will drop it regardless of any ratings or financial considerations.
There’s Another Way To End ‘The Rings of Power’ Early
Credit: Image via Prime Video
In the end, Amazon is going to do whatever makes financial sense, but I hope that, rather than handling it the way they did with The Wheel of Time, they take a path like Netflix did with The Witcher. Though it is yet another big-budget fantasy show that is on the way out, The Witcher will get a proper conclusion because its ending was already confirmed. Netflix announced that The Witcher would conclude with Season 5, while there are still two seasons left to premiere. Knowing when the series will end gives the writers time to wrap things up with a satisfying conclusion, even if it wasn’t the one originally imagined. Admittedly, this may not have worked for The Wheel of Time, which still had a lot of story to get through, but The Rings of Power could skip to the end if necessary.
There is still a lot of ground to cover in the Second Age of Middle-earth, but The Rings of Power is already using time jumps, with Season 3 set to make a large one. If the writing team knows there is limited time left, they can prioritize events like the fall of Númenor, the founding of Gondor, and the Last Alliance in just one or two seasons. Admittedly, some of the world-building storylines and maybe even a few characters would have to be cut or greatly reduced to fit it all in, but I would much prefer that to the series stopping abruptly in the middle of the tale. Amazon has put a lot of effort and money into The Rings of Power, and while it may not be the cultural phenomenon they dreamed of,I want to see it through to the end, even if certain events have to be sped along.
