The first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Netflix on December 20, 2019. It was based on The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which are collections of short stories that precede the main The Witchersaga. The second season, also consisting of eight episodes and based on the novel Blood of Elves, was released on December 17, 2021. In September 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which also consists of eight episodes, released in two volumes on June 29 and July 27, 2023. This will be followed by a fourth season, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt of Rivia. In April 2024, the series was renewed for its fifth and final season.
The story begins with Geralt of Rivia, Crown Princess Cirilla of Cintra, and the quarter-elf sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg at different points in time, exploring formative events that shape their characters throughout the first season, before eventually merging into a single timeline.
Geralt and Ciri are linked by destiny since before she was born when he unknowingly demanded her as a reward for his services by invoking "the Law of Surprise". After the two finally meet, Geralt becomes the princess's protector and must help her and fight against her various pursuers to prevent her Elder Blood and powerful magic from being used for malevolent purposes and keep Ciri and their world safe.
Freya Allan as Ciri, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, the crown princess of Cintra, granddaughter of Queen Calanthe and daughter of Pavetta, from whom she inherited the Elder Blood. She is linked to Geralt by destiny.
Royce Pierreson as Istredd, an adept sorcerer and historian who befriends Yennefer at Aretuza.
Wilson Mbomio as Dara, a refugee elf boy whom Cirilla befriends after the Slaughter of Cintra.
Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, a charismatic sorcerer who rallies the northern mages to halt the invading Nilfgaardian army in Sodden. He later becomes the leader of the Brotherhood of Mages.
Tom Canton as Filavandrel (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), former king of the elves and Francesca's husband.
Mecia Simson as Francesca Findabair (seasons 2–present), an elven sorceress, the current queen of the elves, and Filavandrel's wife who has made it her mission to lead her people into freedom and independence.
Kim Bodnia as Vesemir (season 2), the oldest living witcher and Geralt's mentor and father figure.
Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra (season 3; recurring season 2), head of the Redanian Intelligence and ally of Philippa Eilhart. McTavish also voiced Deglan in the animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf.[7]
Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart (season 3; guest season 2), the shapeshifting court sorceress of King Vizimir of Redania as well as Dijkstra's partner in crime. She has close ties to the Brotherhood.
Hugh Skinner as Prince Radovid (season 3), prince of Redania, Philippa Eilhart's ally, and Jaskier's love interest.
Bart Edwards as Duny, the "Urcheon of Erlenwald" / Emperor Emhyr var Emreis ("The White Flame") (season 3; guest seasons 1–2), Pavetta's husband and Ciri's father, once afflicted by a curse that transformed him into a hedgehog man until midnight.
Recurring
Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe, ruler of the Kingdom of Cintra and grandmother of Princess Cirilla.
Adam Levy as Mousesack (seasons 1–2), the court druid of Cintra and advisor to Queen Calanthe.
Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as King Eist Tuirseach (season 1), husband to Queen Calanthe and step-grandfather of Cirilla.
Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor (seasons 1–3), resident mage in the town of Blaviken and the Rector of Ban Ard, the academy for male mages.
Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig, a sorceress who trained alongside Yennefer.
The first season is based on The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny.[8] A website with timelines for the show, along with in-depth summaries of events, was later created by Netflix.[9]
Following Geralt of Rivia's battle with a kikimora in 1231, he enters the town of Blaviken and meets Renfri, a cursed princess-turned-bandit. She is hunted by the wizard Stregobor, who believes her evil for being born during an eclipse. Stregobor lures Geralt to his hideout, seeking to hire him to kill Renfri, but Geralt refuses. Renfri later offers Geralt a counter-proposal, but he refuses with an ultimatum: leave or die. Renfri feigns agreement with the ultimatum, but upon waking up the next morning, Geralt realizes Renfri will not stop until Stregobor is dead, and he rushes to stop her. After killing her men, he fights and fatally wounds Renfri, whose dying words tell of a girl in the forest who is his eternal destiny. Stregobor arrives to take Renfri's body for autopsy. When Geralt opposes, the townsfolk forces him to leave, urged on by Stregobor. In 1263, Nilfgaard conquers the northern kingdom of Cintra. Princess Cirilla, also known as Ciri, is sent away by her grandmother, Queen Calanthe, to escape and find Geralt. Cahir, a Nilfgaardian officer, captures Cirilla, but seeing the burning city and castle triggers her powers, allowing her to escape. Based on "The Lesser Evil" from The Last Wish.[8]
2
2
"Four Marks"
Alik Sakharov
Jenny Klein
December20,2019(2019-12-20)
In 1206, hunchback Yennefer from Vengerberg of Aedirn is sold to Tissaia de Vries by her father. She is taken to Aretuza for training in magic, but finds the practice difficult. She forms a friendship with Istredd, even revealing her quarter-elf heritage, which caused her deformity. Unbeknownst to either, Tissaia and Stregobor were using Yennefer and Istredd respectively to spy on each other. Later, Yennefer witnesses Tissaia turning three students into eels to act as conduits powering Aretuza with magic. In 1240, Geralt is hired to investigate grain thefts in Posada and is followed by Jaskier the bard. They encounter a Sylvan named Torque, who knocks them unconscious and takes them to his mountain cave. There, Geralt meets Filavandrel, the elven king, and urges he lead his people to better lands after being banished by the humans. Instead of killing them, Filavandrel frees Geralt and Jaskier, taking the witcher's words to heart. In 1263, Cirilla encounters Dara, a boy in the woods, who guides her to a refugee camp. Dara returns to save her when the camp is attacked by Cahir's forces; she later realizes Dara is an elf. Based on "The Edge of the World" from The Last Wish.[8]
3
3
"Betrayer Moon"
Alex Garcia Lopez
Beau DeMayo
December20,2019(2019-12-20)
In 1210, Yennefer and Istredd become lovers while finishing their training. While Yennefer has the chance to transform her body into her ideal image during graduation, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers discuss the allocation of their newly initiated to their respective kingdoms. Through Stregobor's scheming, Yennefer is assigned to Nilfgaard instead of her preferred Aedirn due to her elven blood. Yennefer angrily breaks off her relationship with Istredd, knowing only he could have told Stregobor about her heritage. Having missed graduation, Yennefer undergoes the painful transformation to be beautiful at the cost of her fertility. With her new body, Yennefer charms Aedirn's King Virfuril into taking her as advisor, sending Fringilla to Nilfgaard instead. In 1243, Geralt enters the kingdom of Temeria to investigate a monster, assisted by Triss Merigold, King Foltest's sorceress advisor. He identifies the monster as a Strzyga, a creature born from a curse he later discovers was placed by the courtier Ostrit who learned about the affair between Foltest and his sister, Princess Adda. Using Ostrit as bait, Geralt battles to contain the Striga until dawn, which lifts the curse. In 1263, Cirilla enters a dense forest in a trance as Dara follows to help. Based on "The Witcher" from The Last Wish.[8]
In 1240, having served Aedirn for thirty years, Yennefer, along with Queen Kalis of Lyria, is ambushed by an assassin. In the ensuing chase, Yennefer flees, unable to save Kalis and her newborn daughter from the assassin. In 1249, Geralt accompanies Jaskier to the betrothal feast of Princess Pavetta, Queen Calanthe's daughter. Urcheon of Erlenwald (also named Duny) interrupts to demand Pavetta's hand through the Law of Surprise, having saved her father's life several years earlier. Urcheon suffers from a curse that transformed him into a humanoid hedgehog creature. Despite Pavetta's acceptance, Calanthe refuses and a brawl ensues. When Calanthe tries killing Urcheon, Pavetta activates her power, unleashing a maelstrom until Geralt and Mousesack intervene. Wanting her daughter happy, Calanthe marries Duny and Pavetta, which lifts his curse. Duny, thankful for Geralt's aid, insists he take a reward. Geralt jokingly invokes the Law of Surprise for something Duny has but does not yet know. The crowd then immediately learns Pavetta is pregnant. In 1263, Nilfgaard's forces resume their pursuit of Cirilla, Pavetta's daughter, with Mousesack as their prisoner. Meanwhile, Cirilla and Dara encounter the dryad queen Eithne in Brokilon Forest, while Cahir and Fringilla track Ciri's location. Based on "A Question of Price" from The Last Wish, and "Sword of Destiny" from Sword of Destiny.[8]
In 1256, seven years after Pavetta's betrothal, Geralt and Jaskier discover a Djinn and accidentally release it. Initially, it seems that Jaskier is the Djinn's 'master', but then he falls seriously ill. Geralt seeks help from the nearest healer, the elf Chireadan, but since they need a mage to heal Jaskier, Chireadan reluctantly refers them to Yennefer. Although Yennefer cures Jaskier, her plan is to use him to capture the Djinn and force it to grant her her wish of regaining her fertility. As Jaskier uses his last wish, nothing happens and it is revealed that it is Geralt, not Jaskier, who has actually gained the wishes. Geralt realizes the Djinn will kill Yennefer, so he uses his third and final wish to save her (but the wish itself is not revealed). The Djinn leaves. Now free and safe, Yennefer asks what his third wish was, but Geralt falls asleep after they have sex without answering. In 1263, Cahir hires a doppler to assume the identity of Mousesack; the doppler copies his physical form and memories, then kills him. Later, Eithne allows Ciri to stay in Brokilon, but "Mousesack" arrives and requests Ciri and Dara leave with him. Based on "The Last Wish" from The Last Wish.[8]
6
6
"Rare Species"
Charlotte Brändström
Haily Hall
December20,2019(2019-12-20)
In 1262, Geralt, Jaskier, Yennefer, and a group of monster hunters are invited on a dragon hunt by Borch and his bodyguards along with a band of dwarves. After camping overnight, they find the Reavers have left. On their way, the bridge collapses, and Borch's group sacrifices themselves to save the rest. Geralt and Yennefer reconcile before finding a dead dragon in its den, guarded by the bodyguards. Borch, revealed as a golden dragon, explains he protected the dragon's egg as he knew the group wouldn't harm it. They defend the egg from the Reavers, and Borch rewards the dwarves with dragon teeth. Geralt reveals his third wish to Yennefer, linking their fates together. Feeling that her emotions are insincere, Yennefer ends their relationship and departs. This leaves Geralt angry and hurt, he blames Jaskier for his misfortunes before leaving him. Ciri quickly deduces that "Mousesack" is an impostor and escapes, but Dara has had enough and leaves her. Based on "The Bounds of Reason" from Sword of Destiny.[8]
In 1263, with Nilfgaard poised to invade Cintra, Geralt decides to invoke his Law of Surprise and claim Ciri to protect her, but Calanthe, unwilling to give up the last remaining strand of her daughter's life, offers a different young girl in Ciri's place. After realising the deception, Geralt confronts Calanthe and is then imprisoned by Eist. After visiting Istredd and failing to reignite their relationship, Yennefer returns to Aretuza with the sorcerer Vilgefortz. When he announces his intention to rally mages to oppose Nilfgaard, she declines. The Brotherhood votes to remain neutral, but Tissaia, Vilgefortz, Triss and other mages resolve to fight. Tissaia convinces Yennefer to join. Nilfgaard invades Cintra, sacking the city and breaching the castle. Calanthe tries to send Ciri away with Geralt, but he has escaped his cell and is nowhere to be found. Ciri fends for herself after escaping Cintra, stealing a horse from a woman who offers her shelter. Later, she is discovered by her old friends who suddenly turn on her, and her powers activate. Based on "Something More" from Sword of Destiny.[8]
8
8
"Much More"
Marc Jobst
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
December20,2019(2019-12-20)
Having escaped from Cintra, Geralt defends a merchant from undead monsters, but is wounded and loses consciousness. Yennefer and the mages reinforce the keep of Sodden Hill, aiming to prevent Nilfgaardian forces from invading the remaining Northern Kingdoms. The Nilfgaardians launch their attack, and a battle starts. Tissaia attempts to talk down Fringilla, but Fringilla disables her. Vilgefortz fights Cahir, but loses and is thrown down a hill. When Vilgefortz wakes up, he kills a Northern sorcerer, revealing himself to be a turncoat. Nilfgaardian soldiers begin to overrun the fort, but Yennefer channels a massive stream of fire, annihilating much of the army before seemingly disappearing. Ciri is awakened by the woman she stole the horse from earlier, and discovers the dead bodies around her. The woman takes her to her farm. Geralt dreams about his mother Visenna, who abandoned him as a child to be made into a witcher, then wakes to find himself on the merchant's cart. When they arrive at the merchant's farm, he hears the woman talk to the man about Ciri. He heads into the forest, where Ciri and Geralt finally meet and embrace. She asks Geralt who Yennefer is. Based on "Something More" from Sword of Destiny.[8]
On the battlefield after the victory of the Northern Kingdoms, Geralt and Ciri encounter Tissaia, who tells them that Yennefer is dead. Traveling with Ciri, Geralt stops to visit his friend Nivellen and discovers that he has been cursed into a beast by a priestess for vandalizing a temple. Geralt investigates the nearby village and determines that a Bruxa, a vampire, caused the villagers to flee. He returns and sees the Bruxa drinking Nivellen's blood. Geralt fights and kills it, which lifts Nivellen's curse. Nivellen reveals that he loved the Bruxa and did nothing to stop her from attacking the village, and that his curse stemmed from him raping the priestess. Nivellen begs Geralt to kill him but Geralt refuses. In Aretuza, Tissaia tortures Cahir for information on Nilfgaard. Fringilla has taken Yennefer captive and is heading towards Cintra, but their party is ambushed on the road. Based on "A Grain of Truth" from The Last Wish.[10]
10
2
"Kaer Morhen"
Stephen Surjik
Beau DeMayo
December17,2021(2021-12-17)
Yennefer and Fringilla are captured by elves, who are digging near a ruined monolith. Their leader, sorceress Francesca Findabair, is having visions of a white-robed figure she believes to be the elven prophet Ithlinne. Yennefer and Fringilla also dream of robed figures, red and black, respectively. The three sorceresses find a hidden a passage leading to a magic hut. There, they meet the Deathless Mother, a mysterious being who takes on a different form for each – Yennefer sees a younger Tissaia, Fringilla sees Emperor Emhyr, and Francesca sees Ithlinne – and reveals the path each must take to achieve their greatest desire. The sorceresses are released. Fringilla joins Francesca to form an elven-Nilfgaardian alliance; Yennefer calls them fools and discovers she has lost her magic. Geralt and Ciri join the remaining witchers at Kaer Morhen. Eskel arrives late, after hunting an leshy. The witchers are partying when their medallions start vibrating, indicating a monster is near. Geralt discovers Eskel was infected by the leshy and has been transformed into one. Unable to control his leshy side, Eskel attacks Vesemir, forcing Geralt to kill him. Realizing Kaer Morhen is not safe, Geralt agrees to train Ciri in combat.
Ciri continues to train in swordsmanship, fitness, and agility. Vesemir investigates the mutated leshy. Yennefer makes her way to Aretuza; Tissaia informs her that her absence has aroused suspicions regarding her allegiance among the Brotherhood, and implores her to lie low. Stregobor interrogates Yennefer, until Tissaia intervenes. She later reveals to Yennefer that she knows that she lost her magic. The Council of the Brotherhood decrees that to prove her loyalty, Yennefer must execute Cahir. During the execution ceremony, in front of an audience of the Brotherhood and the Northern monarchs, Yennefer releases Cahir and the two escape. A pregnant Francesca and the elves settle in Cintra under the protection of Nilfgaard. In Kaer Morhen, Geralt reveals to Ciri that she may have inherited magical powers from her mother. They track down the leshy. During the battle, a centipede-like monster called a myriapod appears and kills the leshy before pursuing Ciri. Geralt kills the myriapod.
12
4
"Redanian Intelligence"
Sarah O'Gorman
Sneha Koorse
December17,2021(2021-12-17)
Triss arrives at Kaer Morhen, having been invited by Geralt to help Ciri in magical training. Geralt, Ciri, and Triss investigate the origins of the myriapod and leshy, finding that they are connected to monoliths. Ciri confesses that she toppled a monolith in Cintra. Triss portals Geralt to Istredd who is known for studying monoliths. Vesemir discovers that Ciri has Elder blood, long thought extinct and rumored to be an ingredient in mutagens used to create more witchers but the art had been lost a long time ago. Now wanted, Yennefer and Cahir escape to the city of Oxenfurt in the North where a pogrom against elves is taking place. In Redania, Sigismund Dijkstra and Philippa Eilhart, spymaster and court mage respectively to King Vizimir, began to plot the seizure of Cintra. They recruit the imprisoned elf Dara as an informant. Meanwhile, Yennefer and Cahir discover that a figure called The Sandpiper, revealed to be Jaskier, is smuggling elves to Cintra. With Jaskier's help, Yennefer, Cahir, and Dara board the ship bound for Cintra. After Jaskier leaves, Yennefer finds that he has gotten into trouble.
Rience, a fire mage, is freed from prison and tasked to find Ciri by the sorceress Lydia, who is serving an unknown master. Geralt and Istredd travel to the fallen monolith outside Cintra. Yennefer, having disembarked from the ship, rescues Jaskier from Rience; they are then separated and captured by city guards. Vesemir reveals his plan to create new witchers to Ciri. Ciri agrees but insists on being the first candidate. Investigating the ruins of the monolith, Geralt and Istredd hypothesize that the monoliths are gateways that, when activated, allow monsters to enter their world. Geralt learns from Istredd that Yennefer is alive. Triss, attempting to dissuade Ciri, conducts a ritual in hopes of discovering Ciri's source of power. They uncover Ithlinne's prophecy, which predicts that a child of the Elder blood will destroy the world. Ciri's powers activate the Cintra monolith, causing a Chernobog to appear, which then flies away. Geralt portals back to Kaer Morhen, stopping Ciri from taking part in the conversion. Cahir arrives at Cintra. Yennefer summons the Deathless Mother and disappears; she is tasked with delivering Ciri to a location outside Cintra.
14
6
"Dear Friend"
Louise Hooper
Matthew D'Ambrosio
December17,2021(2021-12-17)
Geralt and Ciri are attacked by the Chernobog. Geralt kills it, but Roach, his horse, is fatally wounded. At Kaer Morhen, Rience steals mutagens and escapes after ambushing Vesemir and Triss. Geralt puts Roach out of her misery. He and Ciri head to the Temple of Melitele. Yennefer arrives, realizing Ciri's significance for restoring her magic. Francesca gives birth to the first full elf in years. Cahir reveals Emhyr's visit to Cintra. Istredd discovers a connection between Ciri and Lara Dorren, a legendary elven warrior. Yennefer warns Geralt about Jaskier's trouble. Rience, the fire mage, hunts for Ciri. Rience appears at the temple with the Michelet Brothers. Geralt holds him off as Yennefer teaches Ciri to open a portal. Rience escapes, and Yennefer and Ciri disappear through the portal. Triss tells Tissaia about Ciri's Elder blood.
Yennefer and Ciri portal to the home of the woman who took Ciri in and discover the family was murdered by Rience. Meanwhile, Geralt frees Jaskier from prison. Jaskier tells him about Yennefer's lost magic and her muttered incantation. Recognizing the incantation, Geralt realizes Yennefer is in league with Voleth Meir (the Deathless Mother), a demon that feeds on pain. The birth of Francesca's baby causes the elves to focus on rebuilding instead of fighting for Nilfgaard. Frustrated with her slipping grasp on power, Fringilla assassinates four of the White Flame's generals and intimidates Cahir into vouching for her to the emperor. Tissaia tells Vilgefortz about Ciri, betraying Triss. Dara quits spying for Dijkstra. Ciri inadvertently reads Yennefer's mind and sees her betrayal. Upset, she has an outburst that alerts a nearby Nilfgaardian patrol, but Geralt and Jaskier, aided by Yarpen Zigrin's dwarven crew, arrive in time to defeat them. Geralt draws his blade on Yennefer while Yarpen and Jaskier take Ciri to Kaer Morhen. In the castle, Francesca and Filavandrel awaken to find their baby murdered and Francesca's outburst of pain gives Voleth Meir the strength to break free and possess Ciri.
16
8
"Family"
Ed Bazalgette
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
December17,2021(2021-12-17)
At Kaer Morhen, Voleth Meir possessing Ciri's body murders several witchers. Geralt, Vesemir and the remaining witchers are unable to contain her, but Yennefer offers herself as a host to Voleth Meir, freeing Ciri from her control. Ciri teleports herself, Geralt and Yennefer to an unknown world where Voleth Meir leaves Yennefer's body, recreates her own and rejoins the Wild Hunt who threaten to abduct Ciri before she teleports them back to Kaer Morhen. There, Yennefer discovers her powers have returned and Geralt decides they must leave as Ciri's power and right to the throne of Cintra will make her a target. Meanwhile, the Northern monarchs meet with Tissaia and put a bounty on Ciri. In Redania, Francesca, who blames the Northern kingdoms for the loss of her baby, kills human babies in retaliation. Later, she learns of Ciri's Elder blood and resolves to seek her out as the hope of the elvenkind. Emperor Emhyr, revealed to be Ciri's father Duny, arrives to Cintra, reveals it was him who had Francesca's newborn killed, and takes action against Fringilla and Cahir.
Having left Kaer Morhen, Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri are on the run from bounty hunters while continuing Ciri's training in fighting and sorcery. After six months, they settle down in a home provided by Yarpen Zigrin, but when a jackapace attacks on Rience's orders, the exposed trio decide to lure Rience into a trap to deal with him once and for all. Francesca Findabair's Scoia'tael are looking for Ciri whom they see as the destined savior of the elves. In Redania, King Vizimir is disillusioned with his spymaster Dijkstra and his court mage Philippa Eilhart's failure to capture Ciri whom he intended to marry, so he entrusts the task to his brother Radovid. Redanians secretly negotiate about Ciri with Jaskier whom they supported in his altruistic actions as the Sandpiper. At the elven ruins of Shaerrawedd, Geralt, Yennefer, Ciri, Jaskier and Yarpen's party are confronted by both Rience's men and the Scoia'tael. A three-way battle ensues and Yennefer learns Rience acts on behalf of an unknown powerful mage, suggesting they seek help from Tissaia de Vries. Jaskier tells Philippa and Radovid he will help them get Ciri, but they need to win her trust by taking out Rience.
18
2
"Unbound"
Stephen Surjik
Tania Lotia
June29,2023(2023-06-29)
Yennefer and Ciri travel incognito to Aretuza, but Ciri's uncontrolled magic hinders and compromises them, causing conflict between the two until they reconcile over their similar backgrounds. At Aretuza, Triss Merigold, now a teacher, discovers several students to be missing. In Nilfgaard-controlled Cintra, a demoted Fringilla escapes imprisonment and Cahir is saved from attackers by Gallatin, his elf friend and member of the Scoia'tael. Geralt and Jaskier visit Codringher and Fenn for information on Rience and the investigators reveal Rience and his mastermind's base of operations to be a Redanian castle of Vuilpanne. Later, Rience interrogates Codringher and Fenn about Geralt before murdering them, spied on by Philippa. At Vuilpanne, Geralt slays a monster, who turns out to be three women transformed by mutagenic sorcery, and he also saves a distraught half-elven girl from the fortress. After getting to safety, the girl recognizes Geralt and claims to be Ciri.
19
3
"Reunion"
Gandja Monteiro
Haily Hall
June29,2023(2023-06-29)
Geralt brings the half-elven girl to his friend Anika, a druidess, who learns that the girl's name is Teryn and she was subjected to mind-control magic. Geralt tries to extract information from Teryn, but an unknown mage possesses her and attacks everyone. Later, an injured Anika reveals to Geralt that his mother Visenna, her old friend, passed away. In Gors Velen, Yennefer meets Tissaia de Vries while Ciri causes mayhem in the city, drawing attention to herself once more when she exposes a con artist thanks to her witcher knowledge. After slaying a runaway wyvern, she is robbed and while pursuing the thief, she encounters Yennefer and other sorceresses who take her to a bathhouse. Disillusioned and frustrated with their behavior, Ciri runs away after a fight with Yennefer. Istredd is looking for the Book of Monoliths, a tome of ancient and dangerous elven magic. Rience meets with Lydia to discuss their next steps. After Gallatin informs Emperor Emhyr of Francesca's actions, Emhyr instructs Cahir to prove his loyalty which leads Cahir to murder Gallatin, breaking down afterwards. On the run from Gors Velen, Ciri is ambushed by the Wild Hunt, but she is saved by Geralt.
20
4
"The Invitation"
Gandja Monteiro
Rae Benjamin
June29,2023(2023-06-29)
Emperor Emhyr commands Cahir to assassinate Francesca. Upon reaching her and the Scoia'tael, Cahir persuades her to join forces in their search for Ciri. Fringilla enjoys her newfound freedom. Aboard a ship to Aretuza, Geralt, Ciri, Jaskier, and the rest of the crew are attacked by an aeschna which Geralt and Ciri kill. At Aretuza, Yennefer convinces the Brotherhood of Sorcerers to host a conclave for mages to strengthen unity of the North against Nilfgaard. Later, Yennefer visits the Redanian court to invite Philippa Eilhart and try win the support of King Vizimir who orders not only Philippa, but Dijkstra and Radovid to attend as well. On her way back, Yennefer is ambushed. Meanwhile, Triss and Istredd investigate the missing Aretuzan students and Book of Monoliths, respectively. Similarly to Yennefer and Geralt, they arrive at the conclusion that Stregobor is the mastermind behind those events as well as Rience's actions. Ciri and Jaskier are kept in a safe haven outside of Aretuza. There, Jaskier is approached by Radovid and they confess their romantic feelings for one another and kiss. Geralt, Yennefer, and the Northern mages gather at Aretuza to begin the conclave with a banquet.
Once the banquet is over, Geralt and Yennefer discuss the night's events in retrospective. Despite his disdain, Geralt socializes with the revelling sorcerers as Yennefer reminds him they need to lie low in order to expose Stregobor during the following conclave. Their plans change, however, when Yennefer is alerted by Istredd and Triss about Stregobor's possession of the Book of Monoliths. Geralt and Istredd pretend a fight to cover for Yennefer as she breaks into Stregobor's study where they discover the book, as well as apparent evidence of kidnapping half-elven students. Stregobor is arrested by Tissaia, Vilgefortz and Artorius, and the banquet is deemed a diplomatic success. Once Yennefer and Geralt put all the pieces of the night together, however, they realize the mastermind behind Rience's actions and the kidnappings is Vilgefortz who only framed Stregobor. Scouting the halls to clear their path, Geralt is distracted by sounds of a distant fight and ambushed at knife-point by Dijkstra.
Volume 2
22
6
"Everybody Has a Plan 'til They Get Punched in the Face"
Dijkstra takes Geralt prisoner. Redanian soldiers led by Philippa along with Northern mages strike a coup and arrest mages who collaborated with Nilfgaard under Vilgefortz. Disbelieving the accusation, Tissaia frees the apprehended mages only for Vilgefortz to reveal himself as the traitor and flee Aretuza to capture Ciri. Before that, he allows Nilfgaardian and Scoia'tael forces led by Cahir and Francesca to invade Aretuza. This starts a battle between them and the Northern mages. Radovid seemingly tries to kidnap Ciri, but is caught red-handed by Jaskier. Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer are ambushed by Rience, but kill him together. Yennefer then decides to join the battle which leaves Aretuza in ruins as many die on both sides, including Filavandrel and Stregobor. Geralt and Ciri are saved from the Scoia'tael by Cahir who had a change of heart, but soon they are encountered by Vilgefortz. Geralt commands Ciri to run and fights Vilgefortz, who defeats him and follows Ciri. Grievously wounded, Geralt is found by Triss who takes him to Brokilon. Before being captured at the tower of Tor Lara, Ciri taps into a monolith's power, unleashing an explosion which destroys the tower.
23
7
"Out of the Fire, Into the Frying Pan"
Bola Ogun
Matthew D'Ambrosio
July27,2023(2023-07-27)
At Aretuza, Jaskier confronts Radovid about his attempt to capture Ciri for Redania and the two part ways. Jaskier also reunites with Yennefer who reveals that Ciri is missing. In Brokilon, dryads led by Queen Eithné take care of the wounded Geralt. Teleported through a portal at Tor Lara, Ciri appears in the wasteland of the Korath desert. Struggling to find water or food, she is encountered by a unicorn she names "Little Horse" who keeps her company. Wandering the desert for days, Ciri is tormented by visions of the past and future, her loved ones and Falka, a half-elven princess burnt at the stake for her crimes. A desert monster wounds Little Horse and attacks Ciri, who is persuaded by the vision of Falka to use fire magic to heal the unicorn. As she does, a fiery vision nearly consumes her before she relinquishes her magic and loses consciousness, waking up surrounded by bounty hunters. Jaskier visits Brokilon and finds out the forest became a refuge for people escaping the war between the North and Nilfgaard. As he finds a recovering Geralt, he informs him of rumors about Ciri being on her way to Nilfgaard.
24
8
"The Cost of Chaos"
Bola Ogun
Mike Ostrowski & Troy Dangerfield
July27,2023(2023-07-27)
Searching for Ciri, Yennefer meets with Crach an Craite, who heard that Ciri is going to Nilfgaard. Yennefer and other mages raid Vilgefortz's fortress, but find it empty save for the corpses of kidnapped Aretuzan students. Later, they encounter Philippa who blames Tissaia for the tragic outcome of the Thanedd Coup. Guilt-ridden, Tissaia commits suicide in Aretuza. With the old Brotherhood of Sorcerers gone, the remaining mages decide to take over and stop Vilgefortz. In Redania, King Vizimir orders Dijkstra to murder Philippa as a scapegoat for the failed coup, but Philippa, forewarned, orchestrates Vizimir's assassination and crowns Radovid. Geralt, healed by Yennefer, sets out to save Ciri from Emhyr, accompanied by Jaskier and young archer Milva. Fringilla and Francesca arrive in Nilfgaard, plotting against Emhyr, but when Fringilla accidentally reveals the truth about Nilfgaard's part in the murder of her baby, Francesca leaves swearing revenge. Later, Emhyr welcomes Ciri to the Nilfgaardian court but, seemingly unbeknownst to him, she turns out to be Teryn posing as Ciri. Captured by bounty hunters, Ciri is saved by the Rats, a bandit group who encourages her to kill her kidnapper. When they ask her name, Ciri introduces herself as "Falka".
Production
Development
Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher book series was initially scheduled to be adapted into a standalone Netflix film, but Kelly Luegenbiehl, Vice President of International Originals at Netflix, dissuaded the producers. She recalled asking them, "How can you take eight novels and just turn it into a film? There's so much material here. Through a number of conversations, the producers got really excited about the idea of using the source material for a longer-running series."[13] In May 2017, Netflix announced the start of production on an English-language drama TV series based on the books.[14][15]
In December 2017, it was reported that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich would serve as showrunner on the show.[16] In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the script for the pilot episode was finished and that the first season would be eight episodes long.[17] In 2017, it was reported that Andrzej Sapkowski would serve as a creative consultant on the show, but in January 2018, Sapkowski denied any direct involvement.[18] However, he met with Schmidt Hissrich in April 2018,[19][20] and in May 2018, she stated that Sapkowski was on the creative team of the project.[21] In August, Andrew Laws was revealed as production designer.[22] In December, Radio Times reported directors Alik Sakharov and Charlotte Brändström had joined the project.[23]
Netflix announced a second season on November 13, 2019,[24][25] under the working title "Mysterious Monsters",[26] with production set to begin in London in early 2020, for a planned release in 2021.[27] In April 2021, Netflix's co-chief executive officer and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, confirmed that the second season was expected to premiere in Q4 2021.[28][29] In July 2021, it was announced that the second season would premiere on December 17, 2021.[30] On September 25, 2021, Netflix announced that the series had been renewed for a third season.[31] In April 2023, it was announced that the third season would be split into two volumes, to be released on June 29 and July 27, 2023, respectively.[32] In the midst of filming the fourth season, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and final season in April 2024.[33]
Writing
The first season was told in a non-linear manner, spanning different time periods. Schmidt Hissrich said this was inspired by Christopher Nolan's 2017 film Dunkirk.[34] She pointed out that Yennefer's story covers around 70 years and Ciri's only about 2 weeks.[35] Schmidt Hissrich also said that Yennefer and Cirilla were given more prominence to allow the viewers to understand them better. By showing their backstories, along with Geralt's, "we get down to the soul of the story. It's the story of a broken family. It's a story of three people who are on their own in the world, really orphans all living in the margins of society who are determined to not need anyone, and yet of course they do."[36]
Schmidt Hissrich said the story for the second season will build on the foundations of the first season, becoming more focused; the characters will interact with each other more frequently.[37] "When I talk about The Witcher, I always talk about how these three characters coming together — Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer — they come together as a family. It's the most important part of the series for me," Schmidt Hissrich said. "And when you start to imagine someone's family, you also need to understand their family of origin. For Geralt, it's his brothers, it's the brotherhood of the witchers. So I'm really excited to get back in and meet Vesemir, his father figure, for the first time and all of these men that he was raised with since he was seven years old."[38]
In February 2020, Netflix announced Kim Bodnia had been cast as Vesemir, an experienced witcher and a mentor to Geralt.[45] Other additions included Kristofer Hivju,[46] Yasen Atour, Agnes Born, Paul Bullion, Thue Ersted Rasmussen,[47] Aisha Fabienne Ross, and Mecia Simson.[45] In September 2020, it was announced that Basil Eidenbenz would replace Rasmussen in the role of Eskel.[48] In November 2020, Rebecca Hanssen was announced for the role of Queen Meve.[49]
In April 2022, Robbie Amell, Meng'er Zhang, Hugh Skinner, and Christelle Elwin joined the cast in the third season with recurring roles.[51] In July 2022, Michalina Olszańska, Ryan Hayes, Kate Winter, Martyn Ellis, Harvey Quinn, and Poppy Almond were cast.[52]
In October 2022, Netflix announced that Liam Hemsworth would be replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia from the start of Season 4.[53] In January 2024 it was announced that Laurence Fishburne was cast as Regis.[54]
Principal photography for the first season began on October 31, 2018, in Hungary.[44] Much of the series was filmed at Mafilm Studios near Budapest; the outdoor set included the exterior of wizard Stregobor's household. The hall in Cintra was constructed at Origo Studios on the outskirts of Budapest. Fort Monostor (Monostori Erőd) and the nearby forest was used for some exterior scenes in Cintra. The Battle of Marnadal was filmed in the hills of a village in Hungary, Csákberény. The village that was Yennefer's original home was filmed at the Skanzen Village Museum, an open-air site near Szentendre some 30 kilometres (20mi) north of Budapest; this location was also used in scenes with Ciri in an area with a windmill. The production used the exteriors of Burg Kreuzenstein, a castle near Leobendorf, Austria, for the abandoned fictional castle Vizima, but the interiors were filmed at Origo Studios.[57]
In March 2019, production commenced on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, Spain. Some scenes were to be shot on the islands of La Palma and La Gomera, as well.[58] Scenes of the Sorcerers' Aretuza Academy (Tower of the Gull) were shot on Roque de Santo Domingo in Garafía, an islet, and enhanced with CGI. The interiors, however, used for the graduation ball were at the Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda. The museum was a monastery in the 18th century. This location was also used for the conclave of the Northern Mages. The Barranco de Fataga area on Gran Canaria island was used for some scenes of arid landscapes. Scenes of Ciri traveling in the desert were filmed in the Natural Dune Reserve of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria. Most of episode six was filmed on La Palma island.[59]
Filming of the first season concluded in Ogrodzieniec Castle in Poland. The ruins of this medieval castle, dating from the 1300s, were the backdrop for scenes including the fictional Vilgefortz of Roggeveen and Triss Merigold. The ruins were also included when shooting the Battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of Season 1.[59][60] Filming for the first season wrapped in May 2019.[61]
Filming for the second season began in London in early 2020 but was halted for two weeks in March due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic[62] and actor Kristofer Hivju's confirmation that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[63] Then, in May 2020, film and television productions that were filming in the UK were given permission to resume filming, including season two of The Witcher.[64] The show resumed preproduction in July and officially resumed filming on August 12, 2020,[65][66] with filming for the second season expected to extend into early 2021.[67] On November 7, 2020, production was halted again after a number of crew members had tested positive for COVID-19.[68] Production resumed two weeks later on November 24, 2020, and continued in December despite Cavill's on-set injury.[citation needed] Filming for the second season wrapped on April 2, 2021.[69]
Filming locations for the second season were all in the UK and included Cathedral Cave and Hodge Close Quarry in the Lake District,[70] Low Force Waterfall in the North Pennines,[71] and Bourne Wood in Farnham.[72]
Filming for the third season began on April 4, 2022,[73] and wrapped in September 2022.[74] Part of the season was filmed at the Krk island in Croatia, with the help of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC).[75] Some of the scenes were filmed at the Fusine Lakes in Tarvisio, Italy, and at Predjama Castle and Nanos, both located in Slovenia.[76]
The fourth season began filming in April 2024 at Longcross Studios in the UK[77] and wrapped by the end of October 2024.[78]
Music
The Witcher (Music from the Netflix Original Series)
Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli composed the soundtrack for the first season. The duo collaborated with several soloists and artists; the soundtrack features many medieval instruments to match the medieval-inspired setting of the series.[79] More than 60 different instruments from around the world were used to create the soundtrack.[80][81] The original song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher", composed by Belousova and Ostinelli and sung by Batey in the second episode, became a viral hit shortly after the series's release.[82] Users have created mods to patch the song into the video game adaptions of The Witcher.[83] All violin solos for the series were performed by Lindsay Deutsch.[84]
In October 2021, it was confirmed that Joseph Trapanese would be scoring the soundtrack for the second season. Trapanese, having previously collaborated with Netflix as the composer for Shadow & Bone, replaced Belousova and Ostinelli.[1] Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also revealed that new songs performed by Batey would be featured on the soundtrack.[85]
In June 2022, it was confirmed Trapanese would return to score the soundtrack for the third season.[86] Besides new songs performed by Joey Batey, the score features a new song "A Little Sacrifice" performed by Freya Allan and inspired by a short story of the same name from The Sword of Destiny. Many songs also feature the Polish folk metal band Percival Schuttenbach who previously worked on the soundtrack for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Disk 1
No.
Title
Length
1.
"I Importune You" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
1:12
2.
"A Time of Contempt" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
5:59
3.
"Shaerrawedd" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:10
4.
"Shaerrawedd Brawl" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
2:08
5.
"Stay Together"
4:22
6.
"A Mission for You"
2:07
7.
"Changing Destiny is a Weighty Business" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:07
8.
"Extraordinary Things" (feat. Joey Batey)
3:19
9.
"Girl from Cintra" (feat. Sonya Belousova, Giona Ostinelli, Percival Schuttenbach)
3:49
10.
"Vuilpanne" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:19
11.
"Whispers of a Dozen Bounties"
4:29
12.
"Death Itself"
1:15
13.
"Let Me Guess, You Have a Plan?" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
0:31
14.
"He's a Spoon"
1:38
15.
"Emhyr van Emreis"
2:31
16.
"Lessons in Smiling"
1:07
17.
"Aeschna"
1:58
18.
"She Was Gone" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:01
19.
"You Sure About This?"
3:53
20.
"Alone at Last"
1:35
21.
"All is Not as It Seems" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach, Nathan Armarkwei Laryea, GLOR1A, Josh Weller)
3:40
22.
"War is Brewing"
3:35
23.
"The Melange (A Witcher Tango)" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
4:31
24.
"Serious Accusations"
4:01
25.
"Should Have Chosen a Side"
1:38
Total length:
1:12:00
Disk 2
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Break the Bind"
2:36
2.
"Gambit" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
2:22
3.
"Failure of Judgement" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
"Chaos Has Consequences" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
4:47
20.
"Mend What is Broken" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
4:52
21.
"Long Live the King"
1:55
22.
"Auspicious Day"
2:15
23.
"Rats" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:05
24.
"Fair Fight" (feat. Percival Schuttenbach)
3:36
25.
"The Ride of the Witcher" (feat. Joey Batey, Percival Schuttenbach)
3:23
Total length:
1:10:00
Marketing
Netflix released the first teaser for the series at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2019.[87][88] The first full trailer was revealed at Lucca Comics & Games on October 31, 2019.[89][90] Netflix released a final trailer on December 12, 2019.[91] On October 29, 2021, Netflix released the official trailer for season 2.[92][93][94]
Release
In April 2019, Netflix's Ted Sarandos told investors in an earnings call that the series would be released in late 2019.[95] The series premiered on December 20, 2019.[90] The second season premiered on December 17, 2021.[96] The third season was released in two volumes, with the first five episodes premiering on June 29 and the last three episodes on July 27, 2023, respectively.[32]
Specials
On August 26, 2020, a making-of about the first season of the show titled Making The Witcher was released on Netflix.[97] On September 2, 2020, the making-of series The Witcher: A Look Inside the Episodes premiered on Netflix.[98]
With the release of the second season, Netflix released on December 17, 2021, Making The Witcher: Season 2,[99]The Witcher Bestiary Season 1, Part 1,[100]The Witcher Bestiary Season 1, Part 2,[101]The Characters of the Continent,[102] and The Witcher: Fireplace.[103][104]
On July 27, 2023, along with the third season's second-part premiere, Netflix released the making-of special Making The Witcher: Season 3.[105]
Rotten Tomatoes collected 91 reviews of the first season and identified 68% of them as positive, with an average rating of 6.26/10. The website's critics’ consensus reads: "Though the world of The Witcher at times feels only half-formed, Henry Cavill brings brawny charisma to a series teeming with subversive fantasy elements and dark humor."[106]Metacritic calculated a weighted-average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews by 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[107]
In a positive review of the first season, Erik Kain of Forbes wrote, "If you're looking for an original dark fantasy with some horror elements, some bare skin and plenty of blood and gore (and monsters), look no further",[113] while James Whitbrook of io9 wrote, "if you are willing to sit through those trudging opening episodes, punctuated by a cool fight here or an intriguing character scene there, The Witcher slowly but surely finds itself a fantastical slice of bloody, schlocky fun."[114] Conversely, Entertainment Weekly critic Darren Franich wrote, "My destiny is to never watch this borefest ever again", awarding the first season an F rating.[115] Franich drew criticism when he admitted to having watched only the first, second, and fifth episodes.[116] Raisa Bruner of Time gave the show a positive review, commenting, "Each episode gets stronger as the season progresses, and ultimately satisfies the fantasy itch."[117] Scott Bryan, of the BBC, was more negative towards the show, criticizing it for relying too much on the gameplays, and for not knowing how to properly adapt the novels’ material for television.[118] Critic William Hughes of The A.V. Club commented, in a positive review, "The Witcher is by no means perfect; even ignoring the earlier structural flaws, its efforts at comedy often come off sounding a bit too modern for the rest of its setting, and the characters' tendency to monologue to any unspeaking object or person they can find—horses, mute companions, literal dead babies—verges on comedic. But when the worst thing you can say about a series is that every episode ends up being better than the one that preceded it, that leaves an exciting amount of room to grow."[119]
The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski commented favorably about the show, writing, "I was more than happy with Henry Cavill's appearance as the Witcher. He's a real professional. Just as Viggo Mortensen gave his face to Aragorn (in The Lord of the Rings), so Henry gave his to Geralt — and it shall be forever so." Sapkowski added, "I shall be happy if the viewers — and readers — take anything away, anything that shall enrich them in some way. Also, I sincerely hope to leave the viewers — and readers — hot. In every sense. Not tepid, not lukewarm."[120] Author Tom Long from The Detroit News praised the series for its action sequences and performances, and gave the show a B rating.[121] Matthew Aguilar, of ComicBook.com, had a positive response, rating the show a 4 out of 5: "The Witcher brings the world's rich characters, sharp wit, and stylish action to life in a truly delightful way, and whether you're a fan of the novels or the games, you're going to find something to love."[122] Critic Daniel D'Addario was more negative about the show, writing, "This is a show with moments of drama and of gruesome violence cut through with a glancing humor that too often feels tossed-off and out-of-place in the world the show has created."[123]
Season 2
The second season received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 62 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Witcher's second season expands on its first in all the best ways—and most importantly, it remains a whole lot of fun."[108]Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[109]
Critic Sheena Scott from Forbes favorably commented: "Throughout the episodes, characters repeatedly point out their resemblance—a similar attitude, the same hairstyle—to keep on reminding the viewers of their daughter-father bond. But as the ending of Season 2 indicates, it looks like it is this very bond that may be put into jeopardy in the next season."[124] Angie Han from The Hollywood Reporter, praised the series for being an improvement over its previous season, although it may not be perfect. She commented: "In its second outing, The Witcher feels confident enough to open itself up to that whole array of feelings."[125] In a more negative review, Roxana Hadadi from Vulture stated, "In its second season, The Witcher is most engaging when exploring the alliances and allegiances between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri and when using those three to consider Nivellen's insistence that 'Monsters are born of deeds alone. Unforgivable ones.' But in its attempt to build a bigger world, the series falls prey to more fantasy tropes than it masters."[126] Author Leigh Butler deemed the second season an improvement over its previous season, praising its deeper themes, better storyline, performances, and finally approaching its potential, and stated, "Season 2 (so far) is better, and working its way toward potentially great. When it comes down to it, there is really only one thing any story needs to accomplish, and The Witcher has accomplished it."[127]
James Whitbrook from io9 said, "The new focus on character-building might mean less focus on specific short stories from Sapkowski's collection of Witcher tales, but it makes the show's world feel more expansive and nuanced in ways it didn't until late in the show's first season, while still keeping things centered on the characters as the sense of scale expands."[128] Nick Schagerw stated in a negative review, "Even by typical fantasy-genre standards, the show indulges in so much make-believe terminology, and at such an incessant clip, that it quickly proves easier to give up trying to make heads or tails of every detail and instead just go with the wonky narrative flow",[129] while Allison Keene from Paste commented in a positive review, "More than anything though, The Witcher's excellent Season 2 is a deeper dive into a rich world that shines in its focus on Ciri and Geralt's relationship, and how that connection influences everything around them. Though there are plenty of things to quibble over from book to screen (or from videogame screen, although the show is expressly pulled from the page), The Witcher is perhaps best viewed and accepted as a fresh translation of an old fable."[130] Critic Carly Lane from Collider gave positive feedback: "By comparison, Season 2 is finally settling into its stride and has an even better sense of what works while discarding more of what didn't — although there are still the occasional unannounced time-jumps forward, or surprise character introductions, that demand attentiveness rather than any distracted background viewing."[131]
Season 3
For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reports a 79% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 47 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Capably shouldered by Henry Cavill's gruff charm, The Witcher's plotty third season pays a fittingly fond farewell to this particular Geralt of Rivia."[110]Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 14 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews" for the first five episodes[111] and a score of 65 out of 100 based on 7 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews" for the last three.[112]
Audience viewership
According to Parrot Analytics, The Witcher, in its US debut, was the third most "in demand" original streaming series, behind Stranger Things and The Mandalorian.[132] Parrot's process measures "demand expressions", which is "its globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit that reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership of a series weighted by importance."[133] On December 31, 2019, Parrot Analytics reported that The Witcher became the most-in-demand TV series in the world, across all platforms.[134]
On December 30, 2019, Netflix issued a number of official lists, including the Most Popular TV Shows of 2019. The series was among the most viewed in the U.S. market, where The Witcher was ranked second among series.[135] On January 21, 2020, Netflix announced that the first season had been viewed by over 76 million viewers on its service within its first month of release.[136] Netflix had recently changed its viewership metric, from 70% of an episode under the previous metric, down to two minutes under the new metric. The new metric gives viewing figures 35% higher on average than the previous one.[137] The 76million views in its first month based on the new metric (at least two minutes or more) is the largest for a Netflix series launch since the introduction of the new viewership metric.[138][139]
The Witcher was, until the release of Bridgerton and Squid Game, Netflix's most watched original series launch at the time, with 541 million hours viewed in the first 28 days of release, and season two achieved 484 million hours watched.[140]
Upon the release of the first batch of episodes for the third season, it was reported that the show had experienced a 30% drop in viewership compared to the previous season.[141]
Sales of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in December 2019 were 554% greater than those from December 2018, attributed to renewed interest in the series due to the show.[142]
On September 25, 2021, a second animated feature film was announced.[31][163] In November 2023, it was announced that the film would be titled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep and would be based on the short story "A Little Sacrifice" from Sword of Destiny. Studio Mir will return to produce the film, which will be written by series writers Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin, produced by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, and directed by Kang Hei Chul who served as a storyboard artist on Nightmare of the Wolf. It will be released in February 2025.[164][165]
A live-action prequel limited series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, was announced by Netflix in July 2020. Set 1200 years before Geralt's time, it shows the origin of the Witchers. Schmidt Hissrich developed the prequel as executive producer, and Declan de Barra served as showrunner.[166] In July 2021, Michelle Yeoh and Sophia Brown joined the cast. Filming began in August 2021 in the United Kingdom,[167][168] with Lenny Henry, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis, Dylan Moran, Jacob Collins-Levy, Lizzie Annis, Huw Novelli, Francesca Mills, Amy Murray, Zach Wyatt, Minnie Driver, Aidan O'Callaghan and Mark Rowley joining the cast.[169] The series premiered on December 25, 2022, and consists of four episodes.[170]
Notes
↑ Original title of the book series in Polish: Wiedźmin. Previously the name has had a number of different translations, including Hexer and Witcher, but following the release of the video games the word Witcher was selected as the standard translation of Wiedźmin into English.
Related Research Articles
Andrzej Sapkowski is a Polish fantasy writer, essayist, translator and a trained economist. He is best known for his six-volume series of books The Witcher, which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. It began with the publication of Last Wish (1990), and was completed with the publication of standalone prequel novel Season of Storms (2013). The saga has been popularized through television, stage, comic books, video games and translated into 37 languages making him the second most-translated Polish science fiction and fantasy writer after Stanisław Lem.
Blood of Elves is the first novel in The Witcher series written by the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland in 1994. It is a sequel to the Witcher short stories collected in the books The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny and is followed by Time of Contempt. The book won the Janusz A. Zajdel Award in 1994 and the David Gemmell Legend Award in 2009. An English translation was published in the United Kingdom in 2008 (Gollancz) and in the United States in 2009 (Orbit).
Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor. He is known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon in Showtime's The Tudors (2007–2010), Superman in the DC Extended Universe (2013–2023), Geralt of Rivia in the Netflix fantasy series The Witcher (2019–2023) and Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film Enola Holmes (2020) and its 2022 sequel.
The Last Wish is the third published short story collection in Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series. Published by SuperNowa in 1993, it was preceded by 1992's Sword of Destiny, but is officially considered the first entry in the series and Sword of Destiny the second. The collection contains seven short stories interspersed with a continuing frame story: Geralt of Rivia, after having been injured in battle, rests in a temple. During that time he has flashbacks to recent events in his life, with each flashback forming a short story.
Geralt of Rivia is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Witcher series of short stories and novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. He is a magically enhanced monster-hunter known as a "witcher", who possesses supernatural abilities due to his mutations.
Time of Contempt is the second novel in the Witcher Saga written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published 1995 in Polish, and 2013 in English. It is a sequel to the first Witcher novel Blood of Elves and is followed by Baptism of Fire.
The Witcher is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are monster hunters given superhuman abilities for the purpose of killing dangerous creatures. The Witcher began with a titular 1986 short story that Sapkowski entered into a competition held by Fantastyka magazine, marking his debut as an author. Due to reader demand, Sapkowski wrote 14 more stories before starting a series of novels in 1994. Known as The Witcher Saga, he wrote one book a year until the fifth and final installment in 1999. A standalone prequel novel, Season of Storms, was published in 2013.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a 2015 action role-playing game developed and published by the Polish studio CD Projekt. It is the sequel to the 2011 game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and the third game in The Witcher video game series, played in an open world with a third-person perspective. The games follow the Witcher series of fantasy novels written by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Baptism of Fire is the third novel in the Witcher Saga written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in 1996 in Polish and in English in 2014. It is a sequel to the second Witcher novel Time of Contempt and is followed by The Tower of the Swallow.
Sword of Destiny is the second published short story collection and fix-up novel in Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series. Although published in 1992, it is officially considered the second entry in the series, behind The Last Wish, which was published the following year. Sword of Destiny was first published in English in the UK by Gollancz in 2015.
The Tower of the Swallow, published as The Tower of Swallows in the United States is the fourth novel in the Witcher Saga written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland in 1997. It is a sequel to the third Witcher novel Baptism of Fire and is followed by the final entry in the series, The Lady of the Lake.
The Lady of the Lake is the fifth and final novel in the Witcher Saga written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland in 1999. It is a sequel to the fourth Witcher novel, The Tower of the Swallow.
Season of Storms is the sixth novel and eighth overall book in the Witcher series written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, first published in Poland on 6 November 2013. It is not a sequel to the original Witcher Saga, but rather is set between the short stories in the first book in the series, The Last Wish.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine is the second and final expansion pack for the 2015 video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Developed by CD Projekt Red, Blood and Wine was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 31 May 2016, and later released for the Nintendo Switch on 15 October 2019, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions released on 14 December 2022. The expansion follows Geralt of Rivia as he travels to Toussaint, a duchy untouched by the war taking place in the base game, as he hopes to track down a mysterious beast terrorizing the region. The expansion received widespread acclaim from critics, winning a number of awards. Many consider it to be one of the best downloadable content packs of all time.
Anya Chalotra is a British actress. She began her career in a 2017 production of the play Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe, and made her screen debut with BBC dramas Wanderlust and The ABC Murders in 2018. She gained recognition for her starring role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in the Netflix series The Witcher.
Freya Allan is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Princess Cirilla of Cintra in the Netflix series The Witcher, for which she was nominated for two Saturn Awards. She also appears as young Sam in the 2021 film Gunpowder Milkshake, as the younger version of The Widow in the AMC series Into the Badlands, and as Mae in the film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).
"Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" is an original song from the Netflix TV series The Witcher, composed by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli with lyrics by Jenny Klein, and sung by Joey Batey in the second episode. It became a viral hit shortly after the series' release in late December 2019. The song was remixed by fans in YouTube videos and received new covers within days.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is a fantasy television miniseries created by Declan de Barra and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and loosely adapted from the Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski. It serves as a prequel to The Witcher. The series premiered on December 25, 2022 on Netflix, and consists of four episodes.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is an upcoming animated fantasy drama film set in The Witcher universe. It was directed by Kang Hei Chul and written by Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin.
↑ Navarro, Nora (March 2, 2019). "'The Witcher' se rueda en Gran Canaria"['The Witcher' is shot in Gran Canaria]. LA Provincia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
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