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Amazon Prime Video’s decision to cancel The Wheel of Time has brought forth fresh reactions from parties involved in its production, with fantasy bestseller Brandon Sanderson venting his views on the way the series and he himself were handled on social media.
Amazon formally revealed in late May that it would not be renewing the series for a fourth season, despite Season 3’s near-universal acclaim as its best yet. The move came as a surprise to many viewers, especially given strong performances from its cast and favourable critical reception — The Wheel of Time carries an 88% critics score and a 75% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sanderson, who completed the first Wheel of Time book series following Robert Jordan’s passing in 2007, was credited as a “consulting producer” on all three seasons. However, in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sanderson explained his role as symbolic rather than substantive.
“Yes, I do think it’s a shame,” replied Sanderson. “I had my problems with the show, but it did have a following who were better served than by being canceled after its strongest season. I won’t miss being effectively omitted; they needed my name on it for credibility, but not to include me in any capacity.”
The series was developed for television by Rafe Judkins, who also felt dismayed by its cancellation. According to Amazon, the series was cancelled because of declining viewership and cost factors. The Amazon and Sony studios that co-developed the series apparently do not intend to shop the show to other networks or streamers — essentially snuffing out the chance for a revival.
The cast comprised Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred, among others including Daniel Henney (Lan Mandragoran), Madeleine Madden (Egwene Al’Vere), Zoë Robbins (Nynaeve al’Meara), and Josh Stradowski (Rand al’Thor). Most of them had indicated they wanted to see the story go on, rendering the cancellation as jarring and open-ended for the creatives and viewers alike.
Sanderson’s blunt comments bring to the fore a common source of frustration in the adaptation process, where popular authors watch their artistic input play second fiddle to studio-based choices. With no fourth season in the works, The Wheel of Time ends not with a whimper of quality, but with a lingering feeling of what could have been.
All three seasons of The Wheel of Time are currently streaming on Prime Video.
