Amazon’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time was shockingly canceled in May 2025, leading audiences to speculate regarding the show’s fate. The series was adapted from Robert Jordan’s novels of the same name, a beloved, prolific work of epic fantasy with the scale and sophistication to rival The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. While the show’s three seasons prompted a range of emotions from fans, reviews for Season 3 demonstrated a genuine, growing appreciation for the series, making it all the more devastating when it was unceremoniously canceled.
During press for her new movie, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, Rosamund Pike spoke about The Wheel of Time; her first concrete comments since the show ended. She’d previously released a vague but telling Instagram story, expressing “anguish and rage” regarding the loss. Aside from starring as Moiraine, Pike was a producer on the show and had evidently become impassioned by Robert Jordan’s novels and the desire to appease fans with the best product possible. Her recent comment can be read below, and it’s fascinating:
“The fans said season 1 wasn’t good enough, which I think I agree with, for multiple reasons. We were beset by COVID in the middle of our shooting. We had some heads of department change. Then, by season 2, we knew what we were doing, and we offered up a much better season. By season 3, I think we had our wings fully spread, and we were showing where we were capable of going, and there was a really well-acted, well-written, cohesive, deep show that was attracting powerhouse actors to come and play supporting characters. I think we showed what we were capable of doing with that material. Of course, you wonder, had we started off at that place, would we not have been canceled? Maybe. I think we’re possibly victims to the terrible churn factor of people wanting to show that ‘We’ve got a new show.’ It’s all about what’s new.”
There are a few notable components to what Rosamund Pike is saying here. First, she interestingly acknowledged the struggles with the first season, explaining how the COVID-19 Pandemic and management changes led to a wonky start with Season 1. No matter how much one loved the show, it’s impossible to deny that Season 1 wasn’t outstanding television, and struggled for numerous reasons, from poor adaptation decisions to production quality issues. However, she’s also entirely correct in saying that the series learned from its mistakes by Season 3.
Her question, “You wonder, had we started off at that place, would we not have been canceled?” is definitely worth thinking about. With so many TV shows landing on streaming, it’s incredibly hard to stand out, and that first impression matters. A reputation, particularly a negative one, can spread like wildfire on the internet, ruining a show before it has a chance to get off the ground. That said, shows like The X Files and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia prove that it’s possible to survive a mediocre first season, but The Wheel of Time’s first was exceedingly poor. For a massive-budget Amazon Prime Video production starring Rosamund Pike, it’s shocking that the series began at such a low point, resembling a CW or MTV-like fantasy show. Had it been at Season 3’s quality the whole time, it might have had a chance.
The last portion of the quote about the “terrible churn factor” is also interesting. Rosamund Pike suggests that The Wheel of Time was simply a series that Amazon Prime developed to add to a portfolio, celebrating the launch of a new show based on familiar IP, but not planning to commit to a long-term endeavor unless it was an immediate success. This has been the case for numerous projects in recent years, particularly in high-budget speculative fiction genres. Netflix, as an example, has had numerous canceled fantasy shows in the past half-decade.
I would imagine there are more factors involved than this, but it’s evident that there’s a sort of “hit or miss” problem with streaming release shows right now. Studios aren’t looking for steady growers; they want titles that will become overnight phenomena, like Wednesday or Stranger Things. As media generally shifts toward shorter-form internet content, it’s increasingly challenging to maintain audience attention, making it difficult for an extensive narrative like The Wheel of Time to get off the ground.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Rafe Judkins
- Directors
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Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip
- Writers
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Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna
