Following the success of “Game of Thrones” on HBO, it seemed like every network wanted a piece of the lucrative fantasy pie for themselves. Netflix wanted their slice, too, and in 2019, they launched “The Witcher,” a live-action adaptation of a series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series, which was preceded by a blockbuster series of video games by CD Projekt Red, starred “Superman” alum and avid gamer Henry Cavill as the supernatural hunter Geralt of Rivia. On debut, “The Witcher” was an instant hit. At one point, it even was the streamer’s most-watched series.
In 2025, Season 4 of the series finally arrived after more than two years of behind-the-scenes shake-ups. This included a new lead, with Cavill replaced by fellow big-screen actor Liam Hemsworth. Unfortunately, the latest season of “The Witcher” has been nothing less than a total flop, dropping to horrendous reviews from critics, achieving woefully low viewership numbers, and abominably bad user ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. Well, we’ve found some good reasons why the latest season is struggling, from on-camera issues to behind-the-scenes turmoil.
Don’t take our word for it: We’ve scoured the fan forums for help, where plenty of longtime “Witcher” laid out exactly why Season 4 let them down.
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It couldn’t overcome the loss of Henry Cavill
Geralt walks through a crowd in The Witcher – Netflix
The most obvious reason that Season 4 of “The Witcher” struggled is the loss of Henry Cavill. Making matters worse, his exit from “The Witcher” came shortly before he was dumped from the DC Cinematic Universe, too. This dour sea change for Cavill perplexed fans of both franchises, although at least they could still enjoy Cavill in his best TV shows and movies.
Fans got loud right after the announcement that Cavill was out landed, flatly unwilling to accept anyone but him in the role of Geralt. Then they got wind about who had been chosen to fill Cavill’s sizable boots, and we need to talk about Liam Hemsworth as the Witcher. It’s going to be a tough chat.
When he was first announced, fans were ready to turn off the series entirely. “As much as I love this show I’d rather have it cancelled than have Geralt recast,” said u/rosarosi on Reddit at the time. Hordes of fans were in agreement. The fact that Hemsworth hadn’t had a hit in years didn’t give them much confidence, with flops like “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Killerman” doing little to convince audiences he had what it took to play their beloved monster hunter.
Despite the cast and crew attempting to hype up Hemsworth’s portrayal ahead of the Season 4 premiere, the actor was met with poor reviews from fans as soon as the season dropped. Some weren’t happy with his less imposing physique, and others bristled at his lack of screen presence. Whatever the case, losing the show’s original star simply can’t be overcome.
A lack of Geralt action has audiences throwing up their hands
Geralt looks out across the landscape in The Witcher – Netflix
A certain segment of self-proclaimed “fans” like to scream about a given media franchise “going woke” to explain why it flopped. That audience is trying the same thing with “The Witcher” Season 4, pointing to how a female character has taken over the spotlight. They also went feral over a steamy same-sex kiss as another weak point. The fact that Geralt is largely separated from his comrades during the first portion of the season also wasn’t well received.
We can’t agree that “going woke” had anything to do with the failure of Season 4. There is a misunderstood kernel of truth here, in that the series does seem to be putting a lesser focus on Geralt and giving more time to the show’s other characters. Novel-wise, “The Witcher” is somewhat anthological in places, and, come the later books, Ciri is as much the titular Witcher as Geralt is. But with Henry Cavill out and Liam Hemsworth in, it is also possible that producers wanted to spread the action around, easing the audience into a new status quo. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work.
Whatever the case may be, the fact that so much of the season keeps Geralt away from the action left some fans scratching their heads, wondering if it might have been better just to kill off Geralt instead. As for “going woke,” it is worth pointing out that fans have said the same thing almost every season that the series has been on the air — despite that canonical fact of Ciri’s importance to the stories.
Fans have noticed a big drop in quality
Geralt pulls his glowing sword in the forest in The Witcher – Netflix
Not getting enough Geralt isn’t the only gripe fans have with Season 4 of “The Witcher.” Some have noticed that the fantasy series looks like it took a huge hit in the budget, with sloppy special effects and poor makeup jobs that don’t provide the kind of cinema-level experience as previous seasons. After all, those high-quality visuals are a big reason why audiences tune in for this kind of show, and “The Witcher” had been among the best in the industry. It won a BAFTA for best special effects and several Emmy nods in similar categories.
“I don’t know if the issue was [that] they knew the lead change would be that impactful so they didn’t want to throw good money after bad,” said another fan on Reddit, who noted the reduction in the coolness of the spectacle before them. It isn’t just the visible lack of budget that’s the issue, but also a lower quality across the board. “The directing is so over the top melodrama and self indulgent that I had to fast forward certain parts only two episodes into the new season.”
Worries that the series now feels written by ChatGPT have also been voiced by fans. While that’s probably unlikely, it’s a testament to how lackluster the show now feels, especially when compared to its first two stellar seasons. It may be understandable if producers did slash the budget, as the spin-off “The Witcher: Blood Origin” was one of the most expensive TV flops in history.
There are serious storytelling problems
Yennefer and Francesca clash swords in the court in The Witcher – Netflix
Audiences have noticed plenty of other problems with Season 4. Chief among them are serious issues with the show’s story, pacing, and development. In this, many fans of the source material have also finally had it with the show’s severe departure from the books.
Fans long had gripes about the show’s dubious adherence to the original “Witcher” novels, but star Henry Cavill — a self-professed fan — may have given them the confidence that someone was there to keep things pointed in the right direction. Unfortunately, it’s long been speculated that Cavill got greedy and got fired after making hefty creative demands. Though that’s never been confirmed, the loss of Cavill, probably didn’t help keep the show’s lore on track. Nor did it give fans faith that matters would improve after Season 3, which met with lackluster reviews. Already, it was a common fan complaint that it had diverged way too far from canon.
With Cavill out, Netflix and the filmmakers had nobody left to demand more book loyalty. Season 4 makes even more radical changes, mashing together different books in the series with mixed results. Perhaps this will be a lesson to Netflix that, when an actor is that passionate about the source material, they might be better off listening to them before firing them.
Netflix barely advertised for Season 4
Emiel holds firewood in the forest in The Witcher – Netflix
When the new season of a hit series is barrelling towards its release date, it is expected that its network will flood the zone with trailers, ads, and media coverage to get fans excited, and to prompt new audiences to tune in. Unfortunately, it seems like Netflix dropped the ball on Season 4 of “The Witcher.” The streaming service barely made any waves ahead of the show’s return in 2025, leaving less-interested viewers plenty of room to either miss it, or assume that it wasn’t worth their time.
It’s also fair to wonder if the departure of Henry Cavill prompted Netflix to go for a subdued ad campaign, not wanting to remind casual audiences that their favorite actor was out. That said, Netlix also released an anime spin-off with little to no fanfare. That fact forces us to wonder if the streamer simply no longer believes in the franchise, wanting to move on without any further investment. “They couldn’t hide it any better if they buried it in an unmarked grave in the middle of the woods,” said another Redditor who was struck by the season’s lack of promotion.
It is worth remembering that the previous season of “The Witcher” was also a huge disappointment to longtime fans, with many feeling that it should have ended after Season 3. If Netflix wanted audiences to come back and give the show another chance, they probably would have been wise to invest in some advertising. But that advertising never came — and as a result, neither did viewers.
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Read the original article on Looper.
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