After a year and a half, The Wheel of Time has finally returned with its highly anticipated third season, and judging by its Rotten Tomatoes score, the series is only getting better. Based on Robert Jordan’s critically acclaimed book series, the Prime Video
adaptation has significantly improved with each episode, garnering impressive responses from critics for both prior seasons.
Set in a high fantasy world where magic is no longer a myth, the story follows Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), a member of a mystical organization who crosses paths with five young men and women and takes them on a life-changing journey, convinced that one of them is the prophesied reincarnation of Dragon, a powerful entity destined to save their withering world from dark forces.
Related
‘The Wheel of Time’ Showrunner Stands By Prime Video Series’ Bold Plot Changes
Showrunner Rafe Judkins stands by them, calling the changes necessary improvements.
With Season 3 now available for streaming, its early ratings are already impressive—earning a critic score of 94% and an audience score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Since the third season has only just begun, these numbers are bound to change when more episodes are released, but the difference will most likely be minimal.
In any case, the ratings have only improved with each season, with the Tomatometer scoring 81% and 86% for the first and second seasons, and the Popcornmeter scoring 60% and 80%, respectively. This steady rise in ratings implies that there has been a significant leap in the series’ overall production, making Season 3 potentially the best one yet. However, with five episodes still to come, the scale could sway to either side.
Why ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Ratings Are Through the Roof
As opposed to many fantasy stories that tend to lose momentum over time, or in the case of many Netflix series are canceled before they have the chance to shine, The Wheel of Time certainly defies the norm. The show’s growing success may lie in the creators’ liberty to make some changes to the original story. Following the premiere of the first three episodes on March 13, fans criticized the adaptation for straying from the books.
In response, Rafe Judkins defended it, quoting, “I’m sure it’ll drive people crazy, but there’s a reason why we do it, and that’s because we want viewers to emotionally understand the relationship between these characters and how each one affects the other.” On the other hand, critics seem to understand his vision better than some fans, as seen by their glowing reviews. Here’s what top critics are saying about The Wheel of Time Season 3:
More sophisticated than The Witcher, more thrilling than The Rings Of Power, and more distinctive than House Of The Dragon, it’s hard to imagine a better version of Robert Jordan’s epic book saga — a series once deemed unfilmable. — David Opie from Empire Magazine
With season three, it finally feels like “The Wheel of Time” can become the show it was always meant to be. — Kaiya Shunyanta from RogerEbert
With a riveting start to Season 3, which has set up Rand and his allies for an epic journey ahead, it seems The Wheel of Time has finally found its mark. So, what are your thoughts on the fantasy series’ latest season?
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
The Wheel of Time
- Release Date
-
November 18, 2021
- Network
-
Prime Video
- Showrunner
-
Rafe Judkins
-
-
Daniel Henney
al’Lan Mandragoran
-
Josha Stradowski
Rand al’Thor
-
Zoe Robins
Nynaeve al’Meara
