The world of series can sometimes be cruel, and it's not uncommon - if not increasingly common - for shows to be canceled by major networks and channels. Today, we learned that Amazon Prime Video has canceled one of its major series. We'll tell you everything!
Amazon Prime Video: Is Fantasy Not Meeting the Expected Success?
In the wake of the conclusion of Game of Thrones, the major networks clashed in what critics dubbed "The War of Fantasy". Indeed, major studios and major Hollywood networks have been piling up announcements in order to secure the new fantasy series phenomenon capable of taking over from the famous HBO series. While the legendary cable channel of the Warner group has decided to continue to exploit the exciting universe developed by George R.R. Martin, notably through the excellent series House of the Dragon, Netflix has launched into the production of an adaptation of the novels The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; Disney+ requested the start of a Willow series, which was canceled after its first season - it was also removed from the catalog.
For its part, Amazon Prime Video was perhaps the most ambitious platform. First, it purchased the rights to adapt the appendices of The Lord of the Rings for an astronomical sum in order to launch The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, reputed to be the most expensive series in history. At the same time, the Amazon group platform has been working on an adaptation of the cycle The Wheel of Time by the late writer Robert Jordan. Launched in September 2021, the series was undoubtedly ambitious, but seems not to have sufficiently convinced fans.
Indeed, after a fairly criticized first season, the series had improved in quality over time, but was finally abandoned by Amazon Prime Video at the end of its third season, as we learn in a report published by the very serious American Variety. The reason for this cancellation is quite predictable: unsatisfactory audience figures considering the money invested. While this announcement disappointed many fans of the series, including videographer Captain Popcorn - who had offered detailed analyses of the episodes on his YouTube channel - it was unfortunately expected given how Hollywood works.
Moreover, the cancellation of The Wheel of Time should make us question the overall reception of fantasy series. How can we explain that the vast majority of adaptations of fantasy works are received with such reservations from audiences and critics? Is it because they are fundamentally bad, or is it because the genre is in itself very difficult to bring to the big and small screen without running the risk of appearing kitsch and ridiculous? In this case, how can we explain the exceptional success of HBO's Game of Thrones and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings? Far be it from us to claim to have the answers to these open questions, but we think it's important for Hollywood to think about them. Either way, we're curious to hear your thoughts, and we invite you to share them in the comments section. And to discover all the fantasy works we're eagerly awaiting, click here.
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