Amazon acquired the television rights to The Lord of the Rings in November 2017 and made a multi-season commitment for a new series. A second season was ordered in November 2019, and writing began during an extended first-season production break that started due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon announced in August 2021 that filming for the series would move from New Zealand to the United Kingdom starting with the second season. Filming began in October 2022, with Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Louise Hooper directing. Much of the series' large international cast returned from the first season, as did composer Bear McCreary who started work when production began. Location filming took place around Surrey and Berkshire as well as in the Canary Islands, and filming was completed in early June 2023 amid the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
The season premiered on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on August 29, 2024, with its first three episodes. The other five episodes were released weekly until October 3. Third-party analytics companies estimated viewership to be high despite a significant drop from the first season, and Amazon said it was one of the five most-watched seasons on Prime Video. Reviews were generally positive, with praise for the visuals and McCreary's score but mixed thoughts on whether the writing and pacing had improved. Audience responses were more positive than for the first season.
At the dawn of the Second Age, the Dark Lord Sauron is seemingly killed by an army of Orcs and their leader, Adar, but his spirit endures and forms a new body over thousands of years. Taking the name "Halbrand", he helps the Elves forge three Rings of Power before his identity is revealed. High King Gil-galad believes they have no choice but to use the rings against Sauron while his herald, Elrond, objects. Elrond escapes with the rings and takes them to Círdan, the oldest and wisest Elf in Middle-earth, who agrees to help until he sees the rings and believes them to be true perfection. Círdan, Galadriel, and Gil-galad put them on and the power of the Elves is restored. The Stranger—a Wizard who is regaining his memories—and the Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot get lost on their way to the land of Rhûn. They are followed by Nori's friend Poppy Proudfellow, who brings Harfoot maps to help them find their way. In Mordor, Halbrand is brought to Adar and reveals that Sauron has returned. He offers to go to Eregion—the Elven realm where the rings were forged—while Adar raises his army to attack Sauron.
The ongoing eruption of Mount Doom causes an earthquake in the Dwarven realm of Khazad-dûm that destroys their infrastructure and leads to the withering of their crops. King Durin III and his son, Prince Durin IV, refuse to reconcile despite the crisis. Galadriel has a vision of Celebrimbor's death and asks to go to Eregion. Gil-galad agrees if Elrond leads her company, and Círdan convinces the reluctant Elrond that it would be better for him to guide his friends rather than abandon them. In Rhûn, a Dark Wizard sends a group of riders to capture the Stranger. Using a staff that he finds, the Stranger summons a sandstorm which drives the riders off. He loses control, the staff disintegrates, and the storm sweeps Nori and Poppy away. Sauron poses as Halbrand at the gates of Eregion and refuses to leave. Though he promised Galadriel he would never talk to Halbrand again, Celebrimbor does not know he is Sauron and eventually approaches him. Halbrand convinces Celebrimbor that he is Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts", an emissary from the Valar who has come to help make Rings of Power for Dwarves and Men.
Though Isildur is presumed dead in the eruption of Mount Doom, his horse Berek finds him alive in a nest of giant spiders and helps him escape. On his way to Pelargir, an old Númenórean colony, Isildur comes across a young woman named Estrid who secretly bears Adar's brand. They are attacked by Wild Men who steal Berek, and are saved by the Elf Arondir who is grieving the loss of Bronwyn, the woman he loved. Bronwyn's son, Theo, dismisses Arondir's attempts to comfort him and offers to help Isildur steal Berek back. As they are doing this, Theo and the Wild Men are captured by something unknown. In Númenor, Isildur's sister Eärien causes outrage when she reveals that Queen Regent Míriel has been using an Elvish palantír (crystal ball). A Great Eagle arrives at Míriel's coronation—following the death of her father, King Tar-Palantir—and Lord Belzagar, a supporter of Míriel's cousin Pharazôn, claims that this is a sign of support for Pharazôn. Celebrimbor and Annatar ask the Dwarves for mithril so they can make more Rings of Power. Durin III provides it, despite Durin IV's distrust of Annatar.
Elrond and Galadriel set out for Eregion. They come to a bridge that has been destroyed by lightning and are forced to take a more dangerous path. The Stranger meets a mysterious man named Tom Bombadil while Nori and Poppy find a community of halflings called Stoors living in a desert canyon. The Harfoots are descended from a Stoor who left Rhûn in search of the Sûzat, a place of green hills that he dreamed could be the home of halflings. Arondir deduces that Estrid is one of the Wild Men. She earns back Isildur's trust when he and Arondir are sucked into a mud pit inhabited by a nameless creature and she helps free them. They are confronted by two Ents who captured Theo and the Wild Men in retribution for the felling of trees by Wild Men and by Adar's army. Arondir promises to protect the forest and the Ents free their prisoners; one of the Wild Men is Hagen, Estrid's betrothed. After fighting off Barrow-wights, Elrond and Galadriel find Adar's army. Galadriel gives her ring, Nenya, to Elrond and tells him to warn Gil-galad. Galadriel stays to hold off the Orcs and is captured by Adar.
Durin III uses one of the new Rings of Power to help rebuild the Dwarves' infrastructure and bring sunlight back to Khazad-dûm. The ring also makes the king greedy, and he dismisses a warning from Disa that they could be awakening something evil that lives beneath the mines. In Eregion, Annatar insists that they start work on Rings of Power for Men but Celebrimbor refuses to be involved. When Durin IV expresses his concerns about the Dwarven rings to Celebrimbor, Annatar suggests that the negative impacts are being caused by Celebrimbor lying to Gil-galad about making more rings. Celebrimbor agrees to help make rings for Men in an attempt to redeem his work on the Dwarven rings. The new king of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn, tasks his son Kemen with cracking down on members of the Faithful who remain loyal to Míriel. Kemen interrupts a memorial service that members of the Faithful are holding, leading to a fight with Isildur's friend Valandil that ends with Kemen killing Valandil. Isildur's father Elendil is blamed for starting a riot and arrested. Elrond arrives in Lindon and warns Gil-galad.
Celebrimbor focuses on making rings for Men. Annatar offers to take care of Eregion's administration and gives him a container which he claims to hold mithril. Outside the city, Adar tells Galadriel that the crown of Sauron's master, Morgoth, was able to destroy Sauron's previous physical form. He believes that together, the crown and the Elven Rings of Power could destroy Sauron for good. Elendil refuses to pledge his loyalty to Ar-Pharazôn and is sentenced to trial by abyss, in which he would be thrown into the sea to face a sea monster called the Sea Worm. Míriel claims the right to be tried in Elendil's stead; the Sea Worm spares her life and the Faithful hail her as the "Queen of the Sea". Tom takes the Stranger to a forest of dead trees where he is meant to find a magic staff. The Stranger has a vision of Nori and Poppy being threatened by the Dark Wizard and must decide between helping his friends and fulfilling his destiny. Galadriel realizes that Sauron has lured Adar's army to Eregion because he does not have one of his own. Adar ignores her concerns and begins besieging Eregion.
The Orcs aim their trebuchets at the mountains beyond the city, causing a rockslide that blocks the river upstream and allows them to assault the city's walls on foot. Elrond comes to Khazad-dûm and asks Durin IV to send aid to Eregion. Durin IV decides not to when Durin III attempts to mine more mithril, which could awaken the evil that lives beneath the mine. As Celebrimbor creates nine Rings of Power for Men, he notices signs that he is trapped in an illusion. He confronts Annatar, who ends the illusion and reveals that Celebrimbor has made the nine rings using Sauron's blood rather than mithril. Elrond, Gil-galad, and the forces of Lindon arrive and attack the Orcs. That night, Galadriel escapes with the help of Arondir, who followed the Orcs' trail. The pair sneak into Eregion. Celebrimbor attempts to escape with the nine rings and finds Galadriel, who takes them while Celebrimbor stays to delay Sauron. As the sun rises, a small number of Elves are faced with a new wave of Orcs led by Adar. Elrond is disappointed when Durin IV does not arrive. Adar stabs Arondir and takes Nenya from Elrond.
Durin III is attacked by the Balrog that lives below the mithril mine. He names Durin IV king before fighting back as the cavern collapses. The Stranger confronts the Dark Wizard and rejects his offer to supplant Sauron. The Dark Wizard destroys the canyon, forcing the Stoors to migrate; Nori and Poppy join them. The Stranger finds a staff in the canyon and believes he will come to be known as "Gandalf". Ar-Pharazôn learns from the palantír that Halbrand is Sauron and accuses Míriel of aligning herself with him, discrediting the results of her trial. All of the Faithful are arrested except Elendil, who escapes to the island's west with the sword Narsil. Kemen claims Pelargir as a military outpost. Isildur asks Estrid to return to Númenor with him, but Kemen does not allow this and Isildur leaves Estrid with Hagen. In Eregion, Sauron kills Celebrimbor and takes the nine rings from Galadriel while Adar is killed by disillusioned Orcs. Durin IV sends his army to aid the Elves, allowing Gil-galad, Elrond, Arondir, Galadriel, and other survivors to escape to a valley north of the city where they resolve to stand against Sauron.
In August 2022, Amazon explained that the deal with Tolkien's estate required the company to keep the series distinct from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) film adaptations.[45] Despite this, the showrunners intended for it to be visually consistent with the films.[46] In December, the second season's directing team was revealed: Charlotte Brändström returned from the first season to direct four episodes, with Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper set to direct two episodes each. Brändström was also made a co-executive producer for the season, which was executive produced by Payne, McKay, Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison.[43] Several key creatives did not return from the first season, including producer Ron Ames, costume designer Kate Hawley,[47] and production designer Ramsey Avery.[48]
Writing
The series' writers' room was disbanded once production on the first season began in February 2020, but a longer-than-usual four- or five-month production break was planned following the filming of the first two episodes to allow the writers to reconvene, review the early footage, map out the second season, and write the majority of its scripts.[40] This break began earlier than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, taking place from mid-March to the end of September.[49][50][51] Writing for the second season was expected to be completed concurrently with post-production on the first between August 2021 and June 2022.[52][53] The showrunners said most of the second season was written before the first was released.[54] The writers' room for the second season included Payne, McKay, Justin Doble, Gennifer Hutchison, Jason Cahill, Helen Shang, Glenise Mullins, and Nicholas Adams.[55]
After introducing the Second Age of Middle-earth and its heroic characters in the first season, the showrunners said the second season would focus on the villains and go deeper into the "lore and the stories people have been waiting to hear".[46][56] Following the reveal that the Dark Lord Sauron was posing as the human Halbrand,[57] he disguises himself as an Elf named Annatar in the second season.[58] The story involves him deceiving the people of Middle-earth into creating Rings of Power that he can use to control them,[59] leading to a three-episode battle between the Orcs and the armies of the Elves led by Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galad.[56][60] The showrunners said the Elf-smith Celebrimbor was the "principal protagonist" of the season and his relationship with Sauron is central to its story.[58][56] McKay felt the season would be more impactful because of the time Sauron spent with other characters posing as Halbrand, compared to if they started the series with Sauron as a prominent antagonist.[57] The showrunners added that Sauron would be exploiting "serious cracks" within the societies that the first season introduced,[61] including the Dwarves. Expanding on Tolkien's explanation that the Rings of Power stoked the Dwarves' greed, they decided to explore King Durin III going mad and becoming a villain after receiving a ring.[6]
The showrunners wanted to explore locations and characters from Tolkien's novels that had not been seen onscreen before,[62] including the eastern land of Rhûn,[57] and the Númenórean colony of Pelargir.[63] The season also features the whimsical character Tom Bombadil and the wraith-like Barrow-wight creatures from The Lord of the Rings. Both were omitted from Jackson's films but were previously adapted in the Soviet television miniseries Khraniteli (1991).[7][64][65] Because Tolkien kept Tom's origins and intentions mysterious, the showrunners interpreted his descriptions to create a reason for the character's inclusion. The showrunners saw Tom as a rare light for the season,[7] and felt it was important to embrace the hope and earnestness in Tolkien's works rather than let the season's darker story become nihilistic and cynical.[66] Rhûn is visited by the Stranger and the Harfoots Nori and Poppy,[7] where they encounter a tribe of Harfoot-like Stoors, Tom Bombadil, and a Dark Wizard.[6] The season confirms that the Stranger is the Wizard Gandalf following speculation about his true identity.[67][68] The showrunners wanted this reveal to be a journey of self-discovery for the character rather than a surprise for the audience,[69] with hints throughout the season allowing most viewers to be "several episodes ahead of him".[68]
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in June 2018 that the series could be produced in New Zealand, where Jackson's films were made, but Amazon was open to shooting in other countries;[70] Scotland was also considered.[71][72] Amazon confirmed in September 2019 that filming would take place in New Zealand.[73] Production for the first season ended on August 2, 2021, at which point the New Zealand crew were unsure when filming for the second season would begin.[52] Amazon considered filming the two seasons back-to-back, as was done for the films,[40] but there was now expected to be a hiatus of at least a year. This was to allow post-production on the first season and writing for the second to be completed. Amazon retained its lease on the series' Auckland film studios so the sets could remain there for the duration of the hiatus.[52]
The week after filming wrapped for the first season, Amazon announced that it was moving production to the United Kingdom starting with the second. The company was in the process of booking studio space in the UK,[53] and Scotland was reported to be the frontrunner for new shooting locations.[74] Amazon planned to ship the first season's sets from New Zealand to the UK and hire a new UK-based crew since the majority of the first season's crew was New Zealand-based.[53] Factors that played a role in the change included Amazon already heavily investing in UK studio space for other productions; a belief that the UK would be a more economical choice following the high cost of producing the first season in New Zealand;[75] the opportunity to film in European countries near the UK as was done for the series Game of Thrones (2011–2019);[53] Tolkien's estate wanting the series to be filmed in the UK since Tolkien was inspired by locations there;[74] and New Zealand's restrictive pandemic-era border policies which prevented Amazon executives from visiting and monitoring the production and forced many international cast members—more than half of whom are British—to stay in the country for nearly two years during filming for the first season.[53] Amazon had offered in August 2020 to pay for the use of hotels and rental properties as private quarantine facilities to give the production more flexibility with travel, but this idea was rejected by the New Zealand government due to the supposed need for additional services related to quarantining.[76]
The cast and crew expressed regret that they were not returning to New Zealand for the second season. Weber said it was difficult to leave and they would not have been able to make the first season without the New Zealand crew, many of whom previously worked on the films.[77] In contrast, McKay felt they would be "bring[ing] the property home" to the UK. He added that the new lands being visited within Tolkien's world would justify new filming locations,[78] and Amazon's television head Vernon Sanders confirmed that the second season would take advantage of the new locations available in the UK and across Europe.[79] Pre-production was expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022. Production was set to be primarily based at Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield Studios outside of London,[80] and the showrunners were scouting for additional locations in June 2022.[81] In the UK, 80 percent of expenditure was eligible for a 25 percent tax rebate through the government's high-end television tax relief program.[82][83]
Casting
Daniel Weyman portrays the Stranger, who is revealed in the season finale to be the Wizard Gandalf. This came after speculation about the character's true identity since the series began.
In August 2022, the showrunners said the Tolkien character Círdan would be introduced in the second season.[86] The character briefly appeared in the Lord of the Rings films portrayed by Michael Elsworth.[87] On December 1, Sam Hazeldine was revealed to have replaced Joseph Mawle in the role of Adar for the second season. The decision had been made several months earlier and Mawle did not participate in promotion for the first season. Amazon also announced the casting of Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen "Zates" Atour, Ben Daniels, newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, and Nicholas Woodeson in recurring roles.[19] On December 7, Amazon further announced the casting of Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch in recurring roles.[88] After the diversity of the first season's cast received backlash online,[89] Sanders was asked about the casting approach for the second season and said, "The series continues to be cast from all around the world. We think that represents the show that we created in season one... we are trying to find the best actor for the role."[79]
Amazon announced in March 2023 that Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, and Tanya Moodie would also have recurring roles in the season.[90] The roles for several new cast members were announced in mid-2024, including Kinnear as Tom Bombadil,[7] Daniels as Círdan,[18] and Jim Broadbent and Olivia Williams as the voices of Ents.[91] The showrunners revealed in July that one of Sauron's forms would be portrayed by an actor other than Vickers;[69]Jack Lowden portrays Sauron's previous form for a flashback in the season premiere.[17] The finale confirms that the Stranger is an earlier version of Gandalf,[92] who was portrayed by Ian McKellen in Jackson's films.[93] Other Tolkien characters that were adapted for the season include the Dwarf Narvi (Eldon),[22] Tom Bombadil's wife Goldberry (voiced by singer Raya Yarbrough, the wife of composer Bear McCreary),[38] and another of Tolkien's Wizards (Hinds) whose identity is not confirmed during the season.[68]
Design
Kristian Milsted and Luca Mosca took over as production designer and costume designer, respectively, for the second season.[7] Mosca had joined as an additional costume designer late in the first season.[94] 70 shipping containers were used to move physical elements that were built for the first season from New Zealand to the UK. 120 physical sets were used for the second season, with two thirds of those being completely new builds. The other third of sets were re-used from the first season and were updated and expanded by the design team.[48][95] Brändström felt Milsted brought Scandinavian influences to the series' sets and locations.[96] Barrie and Sarah Gower led the season's prosthetics department, and created around 1,500 sets of prosthetics for the Orcs.[66] The Orcs' armor was designed to look like it was pieced together with items stolen from other cultures.[97]
The land of Rhûn was imagined for the series as once being a Garden of Eden-style paradise that has become a "dead wasteland" by the events of the season.[7] The showrunners were excited to depict the first on-screen Middle-earth desert.[63] The arid canyon that the Stoors live in was designed to be very different from the Shire where the descendants of Harfoots and Stoors live in The Lord of the Rings. It features abodes dug into the rock, including a library.[28] The showrunners described Tom Bombadil's house in Rhûn as the character's "summer cottage" since his actual home in The Lord of the Rings is not in Rhûn. Milsted wanted it to be in an oasis within the Rhûn desert, surrounded by trees, animals, and bees. He incorporated a star map into the house's ceiling to show the character's connection to the Stranger's journey and the wider universe. Mosca's costume for Tom was based on Tolkien's description of the character: a blue jacket, yellow boots, and a feather in his distinctive hat.[7] Pelargir was designed to look like a Númenórean settlement that had been adapted to the style that was established for the Southlanders in the first season. The Elven realm of Lindon was expanded to include the Grey Havens, while new areas of the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm and the city of Númenor are also explored in the season.[63]
Filming
Charlotte Brändström directed four episodes of the season and served as co-executive producer
The cast was preparing to travel to the UK in August 2022.[98] Filming began on October 3,[99] under the working titleLBP,[100] and was set to continue for around eight months.[101] Brändström, Hamri, and Hooper were directing their episodes simultaneously based on the availability of locations and sets.[102] Alex Disenhof returned from the first season to work with Brändström as cinematographer,[48] with Laurie Rose and Jean-Philippe Gossart as the other cinematographers.[103]Vic Armstrong returned as the stunt coordinator and second unit director.[104] Vickers and Edwards filmed their scenes in chronological order, allowing them to build the relationship between Sauron and Celebrimbor throughout the season.[6]
Milsted noted that many productions in the UK film from April to October to avoid poor weather, but he felt the opposite schedule worked well for the season because the "snow and the sleet and the rain and the wind" were appropriate for its darker tone.[97] A key location was Buttersteep Rise in Windsor Great Park, where 12 sets were built including a castle and trebuchets. Buttersteep was chosen for its combination of woods and open fields.[95] By late October, filming was taking place on Hankley Common in Surrey. A set for a ruined village was built on the reserve's "barren black landscape" which resulted from two wildfires earlier in 2022. This led to speculation that the common was being used to portray the dark land Mordor.[105] Location filming in Tenerife, Canary Islands, began in early March, specifically in the Teide National Park.[106][107] The production used Tenerife to capture the desert landscapes of Rhûn.[6] By March 17, filming was taking place at the Tenerife town of San Juan de la Rambla, including at the Charco de la Laja coastal pool.[106][107] McKay said the production spent five weeks filming in a "far-flung overseas location".[63]
On March 21, a horse died of cardiac arrest during rehearsals on the season's UK set. It was one of around 30 horses provided for the scene by film industry horse outfitter the Devil's Horsemen. This was the first on-set death in the company's 50-year history, and the horse had been standing among 20 other horses when it died. Animal rights organization PETA called for the production to use visual effects and other techniques rather than risk the lives of real horses.[108] Filming at Bray Studios was interrupted for about an hour on April 3 when a fire broke out in a warehouse.[109] Filming for the season's large battle between Orcs and Elves took place in Windsor Great Park throughout April.[66] Clark said on April 15 that she was in the middle of four weeks of night shoots.[110] The next week, Nicole McBride at Bracknell News reported on the concerns of local residents regarding damage done to the environment by the production. In response, the Crown Estate said they would work with the production to "fully restore the area of woodland... includ[ing] the creation of new habitats".[111] Supervising location manager Finlay Bradbury said Windsor Great Park would be improved once this work was complete, which he said would take a year or two.[97]
After the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike started in May, the showrunners and other writer-producers were no longer able to be on set. The season reportedly had 19 filming days left as of May 4, when the production was revealed to be continuing under the supervision of Brändström and Weber. This approach had been planned ahead of the strike confirmation.[112][113] The production officially wrapped in early June.[48]
Composer Bear McCreary received scripts for the season the day after he completed work on the first season's music. He began composing music for the second season by November 2022, including some that was needed during filming.[114]:47:20–52:37 McCreary composed eight hours of music for the season.[115] In addition to the themes that he composed for the first season, McCreary wrote new themes to represent Rhûn, Eregion, Estrid, and the Barrow-wights.[116]
Two songs from the season were released as digital singles: Roadrunner Records released "The Last Ballad of Damrod" featuring Jens Kidman on August 8, 2024;[117] and Amazon Music released "Old Tom Bombadil" featuring Rufus Wainwright on August 15.[118] A soundtrack album featuring selections from McCreary's score was released digitally by Amazon Music on August 23 and is set to be released on CD and Vinyl by Mutant on November 29. Additional albums featuring the full score for each episode were also released.[116][119]
"The Last Ballad of Damrod" (featuring Jens Kidman)
3:18
20.
"Battle for Eregion"
11:33
21.
"Durin's Bane"
8:38
22.
"Last Temptation"
7:12
23.
"The Staff"
4:17
24.
"Old Tom Bombadil Reprise" (featuring Rory Kinnear and Daniel Weyman)
2:20
25.
"The Sun Yet Shines"
4:35
Total length:
1:40:50
Marketing
Amazon announced the season's premiere date and released the first teaser trailer and poster at its upfront presentation in May 2024. The teaser and poster both prominently feature Vickers's Sauron.[120][121] Valerie Wu and Adam B. Vary of Variety described the teaser as "action-packed",[120] which Martin Miller at The Playlist felt was in response to criticisms of the first season's lack of action.[122] Writing for Deadline Hollywood, Dominic Patten said it was "grittier and darker" than the first season.[121] James Dyer at Empire said the teaser was a reminder of the series' large scope, showing many of its characters and various creatures,[123] though James Whitbrook of Gizmodo and Susana Polo of Polygon both noted that it mostly focuses on Sauron and the Rings of Power,[124][125] showing only brief glimpses of other storylines.[124] Polo added that it was "light on specific plot details".[125]
The series was promoted at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024 with a "press and influencer reception", a panel featuring the showrunners and cast, and a fan meet-and-greet with the cast held in conjunction with the Tolkien fan website TheOneRing.net. The latter featured costumes and props from the season.[126] The panel was moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown and opened with a performance of choir and drums conducted by McCreary. The showrunners and members of the cast discussed the season, showed behind-the-scenes footage, and debuted a new trailer that was also released online.[60] Whitbrook said the trailer showed much more of the season's storylines than the teaser and felt the season was responding to fan concerns of the first season regarding the lack of action and events.[127] Zosha Millman at Polygon felt the trailer looked like "the Lord of the Rings show we were promised" and highlighted the various Tolkien characters and creatures that appear in it.[128] Leon Miller at The Escapist called the trailer "undeniably impressive" while Jennifer Ouellette of Ars Technica said it was one of the highlights of the convention.[129][130]Gizmodo listed the series as one of ten "winners" at Comic-Con 2024, praising the panel for getting fans excited for the season and stating that the trailer was one of the best of the convention.[131]
A final trailer was released in mid-August ahead of the season's premiere.[132] Whitbrook and Polo both said the trailer continued the marketing approach of focusing on Sauron's deception of Celebrimbor and the escalating conflicts in the season,[133][134] leading to the Siege of Eregion.[132] Polo felt the large amount of action in the trailer was because the producers wanted audiences to know that "season 1 was just a preamble".[133] Whitbrook was intrigued by the suggestion that Galadriel could join forces with Adar in the season,[134] as was Rebekah Valentine at IGN who said the trailer was a "doozy" but wished that it showed more of the storyline featuring the Stranger and Tom Bombadil.[135] Fay Watson at GamesRadar+ described the trailer as epic, dark, and moody. She highlighted the reveal that there would be a confrontation between Galadriel and Sauron in the season.[136] The next week, IGN released a featurette focused on Sauron which revealed Lowden's role as the character's previous form. This was also available to people who watched eight other character featurettes on Prime Video's explore page.[17]
Release
The season's world premiere was held at BFI Southbank in London on August 20, 2024.[137] The season premiered on Prime Video in the United States on August 29 with its first three episodes. The other five episodes were released weekly until October 3.[138] Episodes of the series are released on the streaming service around the world at the same time as the US release,[139] in more than 240 countries and territories.[140]
Reception
Episode-specific reception information can be found at each episode's article.
Viewership
Analytics company Samba TV—which gathers viewership data from three million smart TVs, weighted based on the US census—calculated that the first episode was viewed by 902,000 US households in its first four days. Katie Campione at Deadline Hollywood said this data "doesn't tell the whole viewing story" but did indicate a significant drop in interest from the premiere episode of the first season, which Samba found to be viewed by 1.8 million US households in its first three days.[141]Luminate, which also gathers viewership data from smart TVs,[142] said the first three episodes were watched for 63.2 million minutes on their first day of release, less than the premiere of the fourth season of Prime Video's The Boys (79.9 million minutes viewed),[143] and for 553.5 million minutes over the following four-day Labor Day weekend. The analytics company said the first season was watched for 1.2 billion minutes over its Labor Day weekend opening, and contrasted this drop with that of HBO's House of the Dragon which it found to have 10 million viewers for its first season premiere and 7.8 million for its second.[144]
Before the season premiered, Amazon's television head Vernon Sanders said the company would only be releasing official viewership data for it "if there are things that feel like they really stand out". He added that, in addition to viewership, the company measured the series' success based on new signups to Prime Video and impacts on other areas of their business such as retail sales and music streaming.[145] In an internal memo weeks later, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said the season had been watched by 40 million viewers globally in its first 11 days of release, making it one of the top five most watched television seasons on Prime Video in that timeframe, with particular success in markets outside of the US. Campione characterized the season as "picking up steam" with the reveal of this data.[146]Variety's Selome Hailu described it as "lagging behind" the first season, which had 25 million viewers in just one day of release according to Amazon.[147]James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter said Amazon's "spin" on the season's initial viewership was that a drop was inevitable due to how high the first season's numbers were.[148] Ahead of the season finale's release, Salke said 55 million viewers had watched the season globally and the company expected more "growth and momentum" for it over time.[149]
Luminate said the series was watched for 764.7 million minutes during the week ending September 5—covering the six days after the three-episode premiere as well as the fourth episode's release day—which put it second on the company's weekly streaming chart. The series remained on Luminate's chart for the next four weeks, through the release day of the season finale, with an average of 370 million minutes viewed each week.[150] It was also included on Samba TV's list of top streaming programs for each week of its release.[151]Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, listed the series in the top three of its weekly US streaming chart for each week of release. It dropped to seventh place in the week after the season ended.[152]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on US television screens, estimated that The Rings of Power was the most-watched original streaming series for the week of its premiere with 1.02 billion minutes viewed in its first four days. This was below Nielsen's estimation for the first season's initial four days (1.25 billion) and included rewatches of first-season episodes. Nielsen listed the series in the top five of its most-watched original streaming series for the rest of the season's run.[153]
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes calculated that 84% of 170 critics reviews were positive and the average rating for the season was 7.25 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Rings of Power's sophomore season discovers new virtues while retaining some of its predecessor's vices, overall making for a more kinetic journey through Tolkien's world."[154]Metacritic assigned a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" response.[155] Critics broadly felt that the series' production value remained high in the second season, with praise for the visuals, design work, and McCreary's score. The season was also seen to be more confident in its storytelling than the first, though some critics said the series still had pacing issues and too many storylines—including multiple new characters and creatures.[156][157][158]
Empire's Helen O'Hara praised the season and awarded it five stars out of five, saying every element was designed to "transport us to Middle-earth and carry us through its most horrifying, inspiring and sentimental moments... if you're a Tolkien fan, it's hard to imagine what more you could possibly ask for."[159] Nick Schager at The Daily Beast called the season "suspenseful, graceful, and frequently breathtaking", and particularly praised Vickers's performance as Sauron. He considered it to be better than the second season of fellow fantasy series House of the Dragon, with no "stagnant placeholder" episodes.[160] Similarly, Melanie McFarland of Salon said the producers of House of the Dragon could learn from The Rings of Power's second season about pacing and ending a season leaving the audience anticipating the next.[161] Kaiya Shunyata, reviewing the season for RogerEbert.com, found it to be a "major leap forward" for the series, with a tighter narrative, and called it "the most striking fantasy show of the year". She said Edwards and Vickers gave the best performances.[162] Ben Travers of IndieWire graded the season a "B+", praising its themes, the time taken to develop key characters, and the ending, but finding the storylines focused on Men and the Stranger to be less interesting.[163] Chase Hutchinson reviewed the season for The Seattle Times and called it a "welcome step up" from the first season, but said the series still struggled to balance all of its storylines and found the Stranger's story to be particularly extraneous.[164] Keith Phipps, writing for TV Guide, said the season was "sometimes frustrating but just as often rewarding", praising the visuals in all storylines even though some are more interesting than others. He was particularly positive about Edwards, the Dwarves, and the Rhûn storyline.[165] Several critics praised the depiction of the Siege of Eregion in the season's final episodes.[160][162][163][166]
Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter described the season as "too epic for its own good", praising the visuals but saying there were too many storylines and not enough focus on endearing the characters to the audience.[167] Of critics who scored the season three stars out of five, The Guardian's Jack Seale said Sauron's manipulations provided drama in what is otherwise mostly lore;[168] James Jackson at The Times also said Sauron's deception of Celebrimbor was the best part of the season, with particular praise for Edwards, while the other storylines were "hopelessly overcooked, thrilling and even scary at times, a real slog at others";[166] and Maddy Mussen of The Standard said there were too many storylines and the season had similar pacing issues to the first, criticizing the approach of "one battle for every eight hours of television" but praising Vickers's performance.[169] For The Washington Post, Lili Loofbourow said the series "improves in its second season. But not enough". Loofbourow was positive about some of the performances but criticized the slow pacing and the morality of the Orcs' storyline.[170] Bob Strauss at TheWrap found the season to be boring despite the "sumptuous" visuals. He criticized the characters and dialogue, but praised the performances of Edwards and Mullan. While Strauss found House of the Dragon to be superior, he said The Rings of Power delivered on its climactic battle where the second season of that series did not.[171] Other negative responses include Nick Hilton's two star review for The Independent, in which he called the season a "mirthless rollercoaster ride, rarely fraught with any tension",[172] and Alison Herman's review for Variety which called the season a "boring slog" made only for people interested in Tolkien's lore. Herman was unable to follow most of the storylines and locations, other than Sauron's scenes which she said were the most compelling.[173]
Audience response
The day after the season premiered, its audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes was nearly double that of the first season. Hibberd noted that the first season's low rating had been partially attributed to review bombing amid a backlash to its diverse cast and other elements that were deemed to be "woke". He questioned whether the second season was considered "less woke" than the first and this had resulted in the improved rating. He also considered whether viewers were becoming more accepting of the series' take on the source material, or if people who disliked the first season had simply chosen not to watch and rate the second.[156] Two weeks later, Hibberd described the second season's audience rating as "disappointing" despite the improved response. He said some of the viewers who gave the series negative reviews were "angrily determined to watch every episode while simultaneously insisting the show is unwatchable". Showrunner J. D. Payne said these were "trolls" and the creatives were focused on the "millions of people [who] are watching this and responding so positively to it".[148] Sanders said the second season had not faced the same "racist hostility" as the first and Amazon found the majority of viewers to be open minded, engaged with the series, and not following an "agenda that's separate from the show itself".[174]
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The series is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age. It is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema.
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