The Witcher Season 4 May Have Just Lost A Huge Chunk Of Its Audience
The figures speak for themselves, and ahead of Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill in The Witcher Season 4, the show might've lost a huge chunk of its audience.
22nd Feb 2023 10:20
Netflix
The Witcher Season 4 May Have Just Lost A Huge Chunk Of Its Audience
The figures speak for themselves, and ahead of Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill in The Witcher Season 4, the show might've lost a huge chunk of its audience.
22nd Feb 2023 10:20
Netflix
If Netflix clamping down on password sharing and The Witcher: Blood Origin being the worst-rated show ever to grace the streaming service wasn't enough to contend with, The Witcher might've officially signed its own death warrant.
We know it's all changed in the Witcherverse, with the upcoming Season 3 being the last to star Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. Losing your lead actor would see most shows kick the bucket, but taking it in its stride, The Witcher is recasting with The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth Season 4... that's if anyone watches.
The Witcher Fans Threaten To Boycott Season 4
The Witcher showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has promised she's still powering ahead with plans for Season 4 AND 5 with Hemsworth as Geralt, it could be a case of counting your chickens before they've hatched.
A survey from Culture Crave has shown that The Witcher viewers could be turned off in their droves once Cavill lays down his sword. Although this kind of survey often happens in echo chambers that can skew the figures, a survey asking whether you'll be tuning in for The Witcher Season 4 saw 80% of fans say no.
That's out of 200k people who responded, so while it's not everyone who watches The Witcher, it's a huge number when scaled up. The comments reflect the poll, with one writing, "They better find a way to keep him." Another joked, "8 out of ten. That's not a ratio, there were literally only 10 people left watching it."
Someone else summed up, "Henry was the only person on the show's entire team actively pushing to be as accurate to the books as possible. Now that he’s gone, the team is just gonna whatever they want and not pay the books any mind."
Not everyone was convinced. One wrote, "Not a huge fan of him in the hunger games, but assuming he does well in the role, I'm on board. I love Cavil's acting but I also love the Witcher show. Why don't we wait and see how Hemsworth does."
Another Hemsworth supporter added, "I don't understand why so many people lie on an anonymous poll 😂 The majority of people who watch season 3 will also start watching season 4, and at that point, it's purely up to whether the show is any good and if the recast isn't too distracting whether they watch the rest."
Why Did Henry Cavill Leave The Witcher?
It's all hearsay as to why Cavill left The Witcher, especially as he was such a fan of the source material and was praised as a walking encyclopedia on the set. Apparently, this could've been a deciding factor, with Cavill reportedly unhappy with deviation from the books.
Schmidt Hissrich has recently defended herself against the idea she mocked Andrzej Sapkowski's books. It comes after former The Witcher writer claimed some of his colleagues actively hated the books and games.
Others theorised that Cavill left for a part in House of the Dragon or to reprise his role as Superman in the DC Universe. Sadly, even though the latter has fallen through, he won't be returning as Geralt.
Whatever your views on Hemsworth taking up the mantle as Geralt of Rivia, it's an idea you'll have to get used to. Well, at least for The Witcher Season 4.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
