Published Jun 29, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, “Movie Monsters of the Deep.”
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
Of all the high fantasy novels that desperately needed a TV adaptation, Robert Jordan’s epic The Wheel of Time was at the top of most lists. The sprawling 14-novel series was originally intended as a trilogy, but grew into one of the best examples of worldbuilding in fantasy, with characters that remain icons in the genre even today. The Wheel of Time’s extensive lore and massive scale made it difficult to adapt, but not impossible, especially when taking into account the many other “unadaptable” works of fantasy and sci-fi that have been made into successful TV shows.
Unfortunately, while the adaptation gave us a visually stunning TV show that resembled “The Lord of the Rings meets The Witcher,” fans of the source material were less impressed. The Wheel of Time changed major characters’ story arcs and did not hold up to other epic high fantasy masterpieces like Game of Thrones when it came to character writing, with some reviewers describing the results as “hollow.” That said, the series attracted an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and appeared to be picking up momentum over its three seasons, but it was canceled shortly after the third season aired.
The Wheel of Time TV show left off at the end of book four, with season three leaving many major characters with cliffhanger endings, including the central Rand, who channels the One Power while Egwene begs him to stop. With Siuan Sanche sentenced to death and several magical conflicts set up, the fourth season of The Wheel of Time looked set to change gear entirely.
With season 3 gaining an impressive 97% positive critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, the show also appeared to be winning audiences over too, with its ratings improving with every season. Still, despite season 3’s audiences rating it 85% positive, this was not enough to save the show. The source material and its many additional books gave the series the potential to rival Game of Thrones in terms of longevity, but The Wheel of Time was canceled after just three seasons for one main reason.
In the eyes of Amazon Prime, the viewership was not high enough to justify the expense of renewing the show. Part of the problem had been the first season, which put potential fans off, and while it is clear from both reviews and Rotten Tomatoes scores that The Wheel of Time was redeeming itself, new viewers still have to watch the first season in order to progress to where it improved. Many fantasy TV shows are clear masterpieces in the first ten minutes, but The Wheel of Time might have ensured its eventual cancelation with its mediocre first season.
This is not the end for the franchise, with new Wheel of Time movies and TV shows officially happening. These include an animated series with Arcane’s Thomas Vu onboard, animated feature films, and a video game. The potential is enormous, with the multimedia approach and new format allowing the new projects to be fully distanced from Prime Video’s live action TV show. Variety reported that these new projects are “aimed at broadening the franchise’s reach across platforms and engaging fans worldwide.” This appears to be a smart approach, giving The Wheel of Time a fresh start.
Despite a fan campaign trying to renew the series, the new show is better than continuing The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. Arcane was a masterclass in character writing, and this strength is precisely what* The Wheel of Time* lacked. Thomas Wu’s influences, combined with a new format that is less likely to be compared to the live-action series, allows the story to begin again. The video game can intrigue an even greater audience, and if the next Wheel of Time series starts off strong, it could mark a new era for the franchise.
Source: Variety
The Wheel of Time ](/db/tv-show/the-wheel-of-time/)
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2021 - 2025-00-00
Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan’s expansive fantasy series is brought to life in Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time. The series follows Moiraine, a member of the all-female Aes Sedai group who utilize a great power. Following an attack, Moiraine heads out to find a villager that may be the reincarnation of an all-powerful dragon that will either save or destroy the world.