Netflix’s The Witcher is currently facing various obstacles, but there’s one project from this universe with a perfect score that shows how the franchise can be saved. Thanks to the popularity of the novels and the video games, The Witcher became one of Netflix’s most popular TV shows when it was released in 2019, and while it has maintained its popularity, the series’ quality has been in decline. The Witcher season 2 faced a lot of criticism and controversy due to its many changes to the source material, especially with Yennefer’s (Anya Chalotra) story, but that hasn’t stopped this universe from expanding.
The Witcher got an animated spin-off movie and a prequel miniseries prior to the release of the main series’ third season, but the miniseries did more harm than good to his universe. Although The Witcher season 3 fixed some of season 2’s biggest mistakes and was a lot more loyal to the source material, season 4 is facing the series’ biggest challenge to date with its Geralt of Rivia recast, putting the series’ future at risk. However, one of the Witcher spin-off media shows how the franchise can be saved, as it has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and was a hit with viewers, as well.
10 Ways The Witcher Season 4 Can Fix The Netflix Franchise’s Failures
The Witcher season 4 might be the series’ final chance to fix the franchise’s failures and save its future, and here’s how this can be done.
The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf Has A 100% Score On Rotten Tomatoes
The Witcher’s animated movie is the franchise’s most successful project to date
In 2020, while the main series was between seasons, Netflix released the animated spin-off movie The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf. The movie took the audience many, many years before Geralt’s time as a famous witcher and instead focused on his mentor, Vesemir (voiced by Theo James). Nightmare Of The Wolf follows Vesemir as he goes on a mission that changes his perspective on being a witcher and on life in general, while also showing parts of his childhood before he traveled to Kaer Morhen to become a witcher. As a way to tie into the main series, Nightmare Of The Wolf ends with the introduction of a young Geralt as Vesemir takes a group of children/young witchers under his wing.
Nightmare Of The Wolf was a success with critics and viewers, with the former giving the movie positive reviews and high scores on different sites. On Rotten Tomatoes, Nightmare Of The Wolf has a 100% score from critics and 83% from the audience, while The Witcher currently has an 80% score from critics and a 54% score from the audience. The prequel miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin has the worst score in both categories, with 28% from critics and 13% from the audience, making it the biggest failure in The Witcher franchise to date.
Why The Witcher’s Animated Movie Was So Well Received
The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf had the winning formula
Nightmare Of The Wolf was different from what The Witcher had brought, and that was key to its success. A different format brought some freshness to the universe of The Witcher, and though there were some worries about how the movie would attract the audience’s attention without Geralt of Rivia, Nightmare Of The Wolf had an exciting and engaging story that proved this universe can survive without focusing on Geralt. Nightmare Of The Wolf knew how to build up tension and paid off every one of its teases and moments of foreshadowing, and it didn’t shy away from graphic scenes and intense action sequences.
Nightmare Of The Wolf also succeeded at adding to the universe of The Witcher and expanding it, and it arrived at the perfect time. The Witcher season 2 finally introduced Vesemir, and releasing Nightmare Of The Wolf before season 2 premiered allowed the audience to get acquainted with the legendary witcher and see why he’s such an important figure in Geralt’s life. The animated format also gave Nightmare Of The Wolf the creative freedom that the live-action format can’t, allowing it to go all the way with its fantasy and magic elements.
Netflix Should Focus On More Animated The Witcher Content After Recent Failures
Nightmare Of The Wolf proves The Witcher can succeed in animation
While The Witcher should continue to be the franchise’s main focus, Netflix should pay more attention to animated content rather than producing more live-action spin-offs, like Blood Origin. The prequel miniseries was supposed to answer some of the biggest questions of the universe of The Witcher but ended up being a forgettable miniseries due to its inconsistent tone, uninteresting characters, and messy plot. More animated content in the same continuity as the main TV series can be the solution to the decline of the universe of The Witcher, through which a variety of stories can be explored.
The Witcher franchise already has another animated project coming soon: The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, which adapts the short story “A Little Sacrifice”. Sirens of the Deep is set between episodes 5 and 6 of The Witcher season 1, and it follows Geralt (voiced by Doug Cockle) as he finds himself at the center of a centuries-old conflict between merpeople and the residents of a coastal village. Sirens of the Deep seems to be following the steps of Nightmare of the Wolf in terms of action, and if it repeats its success, Netflix should consider paying more attention to producing animated content from The Witcher’s universe rather than making more live-action spin-offs, sequels, and prequels.
