Netflix’s The Witcher is suffering a major loss in viewership not only after Henry Cavill announced his departure from the franchise but right after Season 1 premiered. While it’s true that the actor’s exit affected the ratings for the third installment, the second season had already shown signs of disinterest from viewers.
With the news of Liam Hemsworth replacing Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, fans are even more turning away from the series. It seems like the once-famous television show is starting to find its way to the bottom of the ocean.
Netflix’s Data Confirmed The Witcher’s Decline In Viewership
Netflix recently released its engagement report where fans can now see their favorite show’s data, including hours viewed, premiere date, and whether it is available to watch globally. The comprehensive report showed more than 18,000 titles, giving creators and the entertainment industry an insight into the audience’s viewing habits.
As per Netflix’s report, The Witcher’s first season garnered a whopping 72.2 million views. The second installment showed a significant decline with 59.3 million views. The third season only earned 33.4 million views, which also does not come as a surprise anymore.
Henry Cavill leaving the show might have been a good decision after all. With the steady waning of fans’ enthusiasm for the franchise and the actor’s issue with the creative direction, perhaps it is time to give up any hope one may have for the series.
Liam Hemsworth’s casting for Season 4 is not favorable to the majority of the viewers. It would not be a surprise if the ratings won’t even come close to that of Season 3 because the expectations are too low. Nonetheless, only time will tell if the Cut Bank star manages to fully embody Geralt of Rivia.
The Witcher Producer Blames Younger Audience For Show’s Viewership Decline
In an interview with the Polish YouTube channel Imponderabilia, producer Tomek Baginski explained the root cause of the decline in The Witcher’s viewership. Aside from the complex plot, he noted that young audience’s attention span is too short:
“When it comes to shows, the younger the public is, the logic of the plot is less significant… Those people grew up on TikTok and YouTube, they jump from video to video. Okay, so it’s time to be serious. Dear children, what you do to yourself makes you less resilient for longer content, for long and complicated chains of cause and effect.”
The oversimplification of the book’s key plot points in the television series is rumored to be the reason why Henry Cavill left the show. According to Baginski, it was done to cater to huge masses around the world, via Redanian Intelligence:
“When you’re making a series for a vast audience, with different experiences, from different parts of the world, and a large part of them are Americans, these simplifications not only make sense, they are necessary. It’s painful for us, for me too, but a higher level of nuance and complexity will have a smaller reach, it won’t resonate with people. Sometimes it might go too far, but our team has to make these decisions and come to terms with them.”
It looks like even the simplified plot remains complicated for viewers to watch as evident in the decreasing number of views per season. With another installment on the way, The Witcher could be heading for doom.
