“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend.” So wrote Robert Jordan in The Path Of Daggers, the eighth book in his eponymous epic fantasy cycle. And it is with great sadness that we share the news that the age of Prime Video’s The Wheel Of Time has indeed come and passed, leaving three seasons behind that will doubtless become legend. Yes, per Deadline‘s reporting, Amazon’s other sprawling fantasy series has been cancelled after a critically acclaimed and fan-beloved Season 3.
According to Deadline‘s sources, deliberations over the future of the streamer’s ambitious adaptation of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s books have been ongoing for some time — hence why it’s taken over a month since the finale of Season 3 aired for fans to have confirmation of the show’s future. In another depressing sign of the times, it appears that the reason for the series’ cancellation isn’t any creative tumult (the show’s execs were all happy with the latest season), but rather money based. With The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power commanding an overall billion-plus dollar fee across its planned five seasons, and other Prime Video shows like Fallout outstripping Wheel Of Time in the Nielsen rankings, it seems that there simply isn’t enough money in the show to continue to justify its high-end cost to produce. And despite ongoing efforts by Amazon to hash out a way forward with lead studio Sony TV, discussions have clearly proven futile.
In our review of The Wheel Of Time Season 3, critic David Opie made the case that showrunner Rafe Judkins and his team had reached a level with their series where it had become “more sophisticated than The Witcher, more thrilling than The Rings Of Power, and more distinctive than House Of The Dragon,” with the once thought unfilmable story of Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) and Dragon Reborn Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) having hit its stride in considerable style. But sad as news of the show’s cancellation may be, we defer back to Jordan’s The Path Of Daggers: “There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.” And what a beginning it was. The Wheel Of Time — gone but not forgotten.
