‘The Witcher’ Is Sadly Going the Way of ‘The Walking Dead’

The Witcher and The Walking Dead probably only have a modest overlap in terms of who loves both shows, but there’s something about the two projects that is making them seem increasingly similar as time goes by. The Walking Dead aired on AMC for 11 seasons between 2010 and 2022, and was based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman. The Witcher Season 4 has only recently dropped on Netflix, and Season 5 of the live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series is on the way.

When The Witcher Season 1 debuted back in 2019, Netflix had an overnight hit on its hands with the latest addition to the iconic multimedia fantasy franchise. Similarly, The Walking Dead‘s first run established the show right away as one of the best on TV. It’s not unreasonable to label both shows as pop culture touchstones, as elements of their stories are routinely discussed and feel part of the zeitgeist. That said, projects that are so widely consumed are very rarely without their critics and their share of issues. Neither The Witcher nor The Walking Dead is immune to this unfortunate phenomenon.

‘The Witcher’ Is Losing Viewers Just Like ‘The Walking Dead’ Did

There was a time when a new season of The Witcher led to social media being saturated with fans’ kind words praising the Netflix adaptation. For the first three seasons, although criticisms started to become more commonplace as the show progressed, Witcher viewers were happy to tune in and then discuss the adventures of Geralt of Rivia. However, The Witcher Season 4 has been the first batch of episodes where said conversations have all but ground to a halt.

Whether a new season of a beloved show is regarded as amazing, okay, or absolutely awful, radio silence among fans is incredibly rare. As such, it seems more likely that far fewer people are watching The Witcher Season 4, rather than everyone being stunned to silence by its execution. The Witcher Season 4 debuted to 7.4 million views across four days. During its first week, Season 2 saw 18.5 million views, while Season 3 accumulated 15.2 million. This is where the show’s comparison to The Walking Dead comes in. The AMC show was always at the forefront of the TV world when new episodes were airing — until it wasn’t.

The Walking Dead‘s Season 7 premiere, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” saw the violent death of Steven Yeun’s Glenn Rhee, which was the final moment in The Walking Dead to sweep quite so dramatically through the fan base. After that, it was a multi-season tumble into obscurity until the show ended. While the show didn’t actually conclude until the Season 11 finale in 2022, the buzz surrounding the AMC project had long since diminished.

‘The Witcher’ & ‘The Walking Dead’ Both Fell Out of Favor for Similar Reasons

AMC

The success of a TV show can often be down to several elements that have combined in a unique way. One of those elements is the group of actors bringing the characters to life. Sometimes, the exit of just one actor can send the entire formula spiraling off in a direction that the producers don’t expect — even if they really should by now. For The Walking Dead, this figure was Steven Yeun, who had become a very popular member of the ensemble cast before his character met a brutal end in the Season 7 premiere.

It’s one of the most memorable moments in TV history, but it also came with the unfortunate side effect of no more Glenn. The Walking Dead‘s immediate storylines in the wake of Glenn’s death were great, but after the twist had been left behind, the show struggled to reassert itself as the juggernaut it had once been. The introduction of new characters and splitting up the original cast into smaller groups all felt like attempts to make up for Yeun’s absence, but none of them really worked.

For those who did continue watching, the Season 9 departure of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) was probably the last straw. For The Witcher, the transition from a fan-favorite on Netflix to something largely ignored happened off-screen. In between Seasons 3 and 4, The Witcher‘s title character was replaced. Liam Hemsworth inherited the role from Henry Cavill, who cut ties with the show after disagreeing with its creative direction.

Netflix believed the show could maintain its reputation by casting Hemsworth, but fans were so upset by Cavill’s departure that many refused to continue watching. A portion tuned in to complain, but if anything, that just boosted the show’s ailing streaming stats. Regardless, Netflix has already committed to what was once one of its flagship shows, and The Witcher Season 5 will see Hemsworth return to lead the final batch of episodes. So, just like The Walking Dead, The Witcher is getting to end on its own terms rather than being canceled.

‘The Walking Dead’ Lasted Way Longer Than ‘The Witcher’ Before Falling From Grace

AMC

As mentioned earlier, The Walking Dead ran for seven seasons before it started shedding viewers. Even after that, it managed to stay in existence for another four runs and air a satisfying finale. Seven seasons in the modern TV industry is a very difficult thing to achieve, let alone 11, so what The Walking Dead achieved on AMC is incredibly impressive. Furthermore, the various spinoff shows launched since prove that the franchise still has a strong enough fan base to keep the story going.

By contrast, The Witcher had only three seasons before a steep drop-off — less than half as many as The Walking Dead and far fewer episodes overall. The rapid shift in the Netflix show’s reputation also sets it apart from The Walking Dead, whose decline didn’t occur at such breakneck speed. In a mixed bag of outcomes for The Witcher, Netflix is giving the show time to wrap up with one more season. However, The Walking Dead has seen far more success with its spinoffs, making it the victor of the two projects in more ways than one. The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix, while The Walking Dead is available to stream on Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Netflix.

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  The Witcher

  Release Date

  December 20, 2019
  

  Network

  Netflix

  Showrunner

  Lauren Schmidt Hissrich

  Directors

  Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman

  Writers

  Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia

  
  

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    Anya Chalotra

    Yennefer of Vengerberg

  
  

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  The Walking Dead

  Release Date

  2010 – 2022

  Network

  AMC

  Directors

  David Boyd, Ernest R. Dickerson, Billy Gierhart, Guy Ferland, Laura Belsey, Jeffrey F. January, Michael Cudlitz, Sharat Raju, Alrick Riley, Michael Slovis, Michelle MacLaren, Rosemary Rodriguez, Seith Mann, Tricia Brock, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Daniel Sackheim, Fred Toye, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jon Amiel, Kari Skogland, Kevin Dowling, Tawnia McKiernan, Larry Teng, Julius Ramsay

  Writers

  Channing Powell, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Glen Mazzara, Jim Barnes, Vivian Tse, Robert Kirkman, Erik Mountain, Evan Reilly, Kevin Deiboldt, Julia Ruchman, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Nichole Beattie, Eddie Guzelian, Geraldine Inoa, Magali Lozano, Curtis Gwinn, LaToya Morgan, Eli Jorne, Adam Fierro, Frank Renzulli, Ryan Coleman, Jack LoGiudice, Charles H. Eglee