Prime Video’s Most Controversial Cancellation Proves Fantasy TV Is in Trouble

In the last few years, fantasy has been the fastest-growing genre on TV, providing some of the most memorable series of the 2020s. House of the Dragon, The Witcher, The Wheel of Time, and many others have shown the extremes of what modern technology can do while bringing other worlds, monsters, and magic to life. But the reign of high-budget fantasy TV seems to be ending, especially with the shocking announcement that Prime Video would not be renewing The Wheel of Time after its recent third season. The decision sparked one of the most passionate fan campaigns in recent streaming memory, with viewers launching petitions, fundraising efforts, and billboards in New York, Los Angeles, and London in hopes of saving the series.

A year later, the cancellation is still a surprise, as the recent season met with its best reception yet. Though certainly expensive with its sprawling narrative and ever-growing cast, The Wheel of Time didn’t deserve to end so quickly. Adapted from Robert Jordan‘s massive 14-book series, The Wheel of Time was nowhere close to running out of stories for Rand (Josha Stradowski), Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), and their allies to explore, and even left some major cliffhangers, which made the audience all the more hopeful of a renewal. The Wheel of Time isn’t the first fantasy series to end suddenly in the current streaming environment, and it won’t be the last.

These shows are some of the most expensive endeavors a studio can undertake, though that hasn’t always been a deterrent. It seems the idea is to try several and see what catches on, but that does a disservice to the stories, which often need time to grow into their potential. The Wheel of Time‘s premature cancellation is part of a concerning trend in the fantasy genre, which is hurting many beloved series.

‘The Wheel of Time’s Cancellation Indicates the End of the Fantasy Boom on TV

Following the undeniable cultural landmark that was HBO’s Game of Thrones, everyone wanted a piece of that audience, so the options for fantasy TV grew rapidly, which led to the announcement of Game of Thrones‘ first spin-off, House of the Dragon, as well as several more shows being announced. Prime Video and Netflix both bought the rights to popular fantasy books, with Prime Video adapting The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, while Netflix made The Witcher and Shadow and Bone. For a while, fantasy TV reached a new peak, with all of these shows running, but none quite filled the Game of Thrones-shaped hole in the cultural zeitgeist.

The first to go was Shadow and Bone, when Netflix cancelled it in 2023 after two seasons. Now, The Wheel of Time has ended, and it has already been announced that The Witcher will soon follow, leaving only The Rings of Power still standing. The Game of Thrones spinoffs have escaped this curse so far, and more seem to be announced regularly. But with the genre as a whole waning, it seems the fantasy TV boom is over.

It shouldn’t be ignored that the shows that are still being made already have a built-in audience, not just comprised of readers. Game of Thrones established a significant following over time, while Rings of Power benefits from the popularity of the Lord of the Rings film franchise. Meanwhile, the rest seem to have fallen victim to the changing tides of streaming services.

Fantasy TV’s Biggest Problem Is the Expense

In some ways, it makes sense that the fantasy genre’s popularity was unsustainable on television. Not only can few stories live up to the expectations set by Game of Thrones, but to be done well, a fantasy series requires a significant budget. The genre usually entails sprawling worlds featuring drastically different locations and civilizations. It also traditionally includes epic battles and more than a little special effects work. All of those things are expensive. Most of these shows rank among the most expensive ever made, with The Rings of Power having a budget of $58 million per episode. That is certainly a lot to spend on a single show, and it seems like streamers aren’t prepared to follow that model anymore.

For a while, streaming services set themselves apart with big-budget series, which was the perfect environment for fantasy to thrive in. These shows boasted major spectacles that demonstrated exactly what modern effects are capable of. But now that these streaming services have made a name for their original content, they don’t want to spend as much. That isn’t to say big-budget TV is going away, but streamers are being more particular about what they drop their money on, and, as popular as they seem to be, these shows aren’t quite cutting it. Cost was one of the major reasons Prime Video cited for The Wheel of Time‘s cancellation, which goes to show the changing priorities of streamers.

Fantasy Shows’ Early Cancellation Prevents Them from Fulfilling Their True Potential

Image via Prime Video

However, with these fantasy series being prematurely canceled, they are not reaching their fullest potential for audiences. Most shows do have growing pains at first; even Game of Thrones wasn’t at its best right off the bat, taking a few seasons (and a growing budget) to reach the status that it eventually enjoyed. Season 4 is often considered Game of Thrones‘ best, showing that these shows can improve over time. Yet, because The Wheel of Time and several other fascinating series were canceled so early on, they won’t earn the same opportunity to reach that point.

It takes a while to build a reputation in the competitive world of TV, especially with so many options available, but starting and then promptly canceling fantasy shows denies the stories any form of opportunity to grow a larger audience. It’s especially noticeable with The Wheel of Time, as the show consistently improved with each season. The Prime Video adaptation had only reached Jordan’s fourth book in a series of 14, leaving several iconic moments untouched. Yet Wheel of Time isn’t the only series whose potential was cut short. Shadow and Bone‘s final season not only left open cliffhangers, but the series set up an adaptation of the next Leigh Bardugo book, Six of Crows, which many fans consider the franchise’s best.

This growing trend of fantasy TV only getting to two or three seasons is concerning, and cancellations are both to the detriment of fans who are left hanging and the shows themselves. While watching the genre take off initially was exciting, few fantasy series are getting the satisfying conclusion they deserve.

The Wheel of Time is streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.

Release Date

2021 – 2025-00-00

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Rafe Judkins

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