While TV series get cancelled all the time, one of the sadder ones of late was Amazon Prime Video’s fantasy epic “The Wheel of Time”.
The news broke on May 23rd that the series had been cancelled, despite the third season having garnered critical acclaim with a 97% on RT and 77/100 on MC, making it the best-reviewed fantasy-style series on air in recent years.
Ratings wise it slipped slightly – the first two seasons were on the Nielsen Top 10 charts for their entire runs, but the third’s first three episodes didn’t make it. The third season ranked as #1 on Prime Video in multiple countries.
The series also had some big supporters within Amazon, but ultimately, it appeared the cancellation came down to a question of money.
Rafe Judkins served as showrunner and primary creator since the beginning but had been quiet about the cancellation until today. In a lengthy posting on Instagram, he spoke about the cancellation and how it came as a surprise:
“I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week – why was The Wheel of Time cancelled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.”
He goes on to praise his cast and crew, before addingt he show was watched by huge numbers of people all over the world and “appeared in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks – a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.” He also says a core goal in making the series was to tell the whole story:
“As our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.”
He then goes on to criticise a larger trend both in TV and streaming these days of shows getting only a handful of seasons and less overall episodes per season:
“Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television – long-form storytelling.
It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best – bringing great characters into people’s living rooms and lives every week.”
Could the show ever come back? At last report by TV Line, Amazon has no plans to shop the series, but Judkins says it’s potentially possible (albeit unlikely):
“Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it’s not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.
So, who knows, perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one – defy the traditional definitions of “beginnings” and “ends”. I certainly hope it does – because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”
Following the cancellation, an online petition went up at SaveWot.com asking people to “Save The Wheel of Time” and in less than two weeks it has managed to garner over 137,000 signatures.
