If you haven't read Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novels, the Netflix series' first season was undeniably hard to follow. The story simultaneously played out across different time periods, with those not syncing up until the finale.
Even so, it was a solid introduction to The Continent and there was definitely a lot to enjoy about the time we spent with Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia.
Season 2 was more straightforward, but also nowhere near as compelling. As for the latest season, that's proven to be something of a disappointment. Spin-off The Witcher: Blood Origin was also a flop last December, and excitement for Liam Hemsworth's debut as Geralt in season 4 is now somewhat muted.
However, if you're a fan of the books who is disappointed with Netflix's take on the property, producer Tomek Baginski believes you should blame dumb Americans rather than The Witcher's creative team.
"When a series is made for a huge mass of viewers, with different experiences, from different parts of the world, and a large part of them are Americans, these simplifications not only make sense, they are necessary," he tells Wyborcza (via SFFGazette.com). "It’s painful for us, and for me too, but the higher level of nuance and complexity will have a smaller range, it won’t reach people."
This comes after Baginski previously suggested the show was forced to simplify its story for younger viewers who are inspired only by "emotions" rather than plot after being raised on YouTube and TikTok videos.
To say the audience is responsible for The Witcher's declining viewership and negative reviews is certainly a choice, and these comments come across as incredibly condescending and insulting.
The simple fact is, the team working on the series has failed to adapt the material in a way which has fully connected with longtime fans or the general audience. However, that's not overly surprising when one former writer revealed the creative team frequently made fun of Sapkowski's work while adapting it.
Let us know your thoughts on The Witcher's decline in the comments section below.