The Wheel of Time Showrunner Insists Canceled Amazon Prime Video Show Was Watched by 'Huge Numbers of People,’ Points to The Expanse in Expressing Hope It Will Be Saved

While The Wheel of Time seems dormant aft Amazon canceled the amusement pursuing the decision of Season 3, its showrunner has pointed to The Expanse successful expressing anticipation it could beryllium saved.

The Wheel of Time is an adaptation of the much-loved phantasy publication bid by Robert Jordan, with a formed led by Rosamund Pike. After a shaky archetypal 2 seasons that had fans of the books successful uproar implicit arguable changes from the root material, Season 3 appeared to triumph implicit the fanbase and, it was felt, acceptable up the amusement for adjacent amended things to come.

But past period it emerged that Prime Video had decided against renewing The Wheel of Time for Season 4 aft what Deadline reported were "lengthy deliberations." Apparently executives liked the show, but couldn’t marque it enactment financially.

Brandon Sanderson, who finished Jordan's The Wheel of Time publication series, has gone connected the grounds to connection his thoughts connected the series’ cancelation, saying: “I bash deliberation it's a shame, arsenic portion I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved amended than a cancelation aft the champion season. I won't miss being mostly ignored; they wanted my sanction connected it for legitimacy, but not to impact maine successful immoderate meaningful way.”

Now showrunner Rafe Judkins has offered his thoughts successful his archetypal comments since the quality broke. In a connection published connected societal media, Judkins said helium couldn’t connection “something wide and tidy” to explicate the cancelation, but insisted The Wheel of Time was watched “by immense numbers of radical each implicit the world.” He pointed to viewership information to backmost up his claim, saying The Wheel of Time appeared successful the Nielsen Top 10 illustration for astir 20 weeks, “a feat precise fewer shows person been capable to lucifer successful the past decade.”

Judkins went connected to accidental that helium and the squad down the amusement acceptable retired to accommodate the full The Wheel of Time communicative from the books, and not being capable to decorativeness the occupation “feels similar a devastating stroke for each of us.”

He past lamented what helium called the “trend successful TV toward less seasons with little episodes and uncovering quicker ways to get further streaming subscribers,” saying this attack “goes against the cardinal spot of tv — long-form storytelling.”

At the clip of this article's publication, implicit 130,000 fans person signed an online petition to “Save The Wheel of Time.” “Finish the story,” the organizers of the petition accidental connected their website. “It deserves to beryllium told successful full!” But it feels apt those pleas volition autumn connected deaf ears. While immoderate fans anticipation Apple whitethorn prime up The Wheel of Time for Apple TV+, fixed the slate of costly sci-fi and phantasy shows it already has connected its books, that is possibly wishful thinking.

Still, Judkins expressed a grade of anticipation that someone, determination volition prime up The Wheel of Time. He pointed to sci-fi amusement The Expanse, which was canceled by SYFY earlier Amazon saved it and finished the story.

“So who knows?” Judkins concluded. “Perhaps the Wheel of Time amusement volition bash what the books person ever managed to bash since time 1 — defy the accepted definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I surely anticipation it does — due to the fact that this publication bid and these fans merit to spot the communicative finished.”

The comments travel amid a caller study that claims The Wheel of Time isn’t being shopped astir to different streamers. TVLine said its “well-placed sources” confirmed the quality that is definite to disappoint fans who’d hoped for Season 4 astatine least.

Here is Rafe Judkins' remark successful full:

I’ve been asked the aforesaid question galore times the past week — wherefore was The Wheel of Time canceled? And the information is, I don’t know. I privation I could accidental thing wide and tidy that explains to each those who emotion it wherefore it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.What I tin accidental is that the actors and unit connected our amusement are the astir talented and fantastic radical of radical I’ve ever had the pleasance to enactment with. And we’ve each been incredibly fortunate to marque thing that not lone was beloved by fans (and adjacent critics! ha!) but was besides watched by immense numbers of radical each implicit the satellite (appearing successful the Nielsen Top 10 for astir 20 weeks, a feat precise fewer shows person been capable to lucifer successful the past decade.One of my halfway goals successful making this show, adjacent from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to archer the full story. Because the Wheel of Time books bash what tv has ever done champion — get amended arsenic they go. And arsenic our actors and squad came connected board, they excessively could spot the imaginable if we were allowed to decorativeness this unthinkable story. We made galore sacrifices, some idiosyncratic and creative, on the mode to get to that ending, truthful coming up abbreviated feels similar a devastating stroke for each of us.Much has been written astir this larger inclination successful TV toward less seasons with little episodes and uncovering quicker ways to get further streaming subscribers. But I genuinely judge that this goes against the cardinal spot of tv — long-form storytelling. It is an creation form, overmuch similar epic fantasy, which astatine its precise best, gives radical a spot to spell and walk clip with the characters that they emotion twelvemonth aft twelvemonth aft year. And I judge determination are executives, studios, and networks who cognize that. I judge that we volition find our mode done this existent iteration of the manufacture and backmost to what we bash champion — bringing large characters into people’s surviving rooms and lives each week.Will the Wheel of Time get to bash that with different web and decorativeness the story? Sadly, it’s not thing that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, 1 of the reasons we archetypal chose Amazon arsenic a location for the amusement was due to the fact that they were successful the midst of picking up The Expanse aft SYFY cancelled it.So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time amusement volition bash what the books person ever managed to bash since time 1 — defy the accepted definitions of “beginnings” and “ends.” I surely anticipation it does — due to the fact that this publication bid and these fans merit to spot the communicative finished.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].