5 Reasons Why The Witcher Should Have Ended After Season 3

"The Witcher" Season 4 slashes its way onto Netflix on October 30, 2025. Liam Hemsworth takes over from Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, as he marks a new chapter in the popular fantasy drama based on the novels of Andrzej Sapkowski. There's been a lot of debate about this recasting, with some fans thinking the show should be renamed to "The Switcher," but it's time everyone says the quiet part out loud: "The Witcher" should have ended after Season 3.

With every series, there comes a point when the fandom knows it's all downhill from here. This doesn't mean the network/streaming service/executives agree with the sentiment, but anyone with a pair of eyes and a functional brain knows the glory days are well and truly behind them. None of the previous seasons of "The Witcher" feature in the overall top 10 most popular shows on Netflix, and the likelihood of Season 4 changing this is slim to none. In fact, all signs point to it getting worse — unless viewers hate-watch the entire season on the first day and turn it into a mega-hit. Stranger things have happened, but don't hold your breath.

We're among those who believe "The Witcher" shouldn't have bothered coming back for Season 4 at all, and here's why.

The news of Henry Cavill's departure from "The Witcher" came at the worst possible time for the show. In October 2022, seemingly out of nowhere, the news broke that Cavill wouldn't return for Season 4 and would be replaced in the lead role by Liam Hemsworth. The British actor released a statement on his Instagram account, stating that he was bowing out "with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men." It was particularly strange since Henry Cavill had originally committed to seven seasons of "The Witcher," so what went wrong?

Well, there is speculation about creative differences and bust-ups on set, but no one has outright provided a reason yet. The problem is that the news of his departure broke around eight months before the release of "The Witcher" Season 3, Part 1, which cast a shadow over the show and all promotional efforts. Maybe Netflix and the production thought that by announcing the news right out of the gate it would get a bump in ratings from the Cavillites wanting to see their hero as Geralt one last time. It didn't happen that way, as the premiere for Season 3 saw a 15% drop in viewership.

One funny thing about "The Witcher" is that the first season didn't exactly receive a rave response from critics, sitting at only a 68% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the audience rallied behind the season, resulting in it securing 88% on the Popcornmeter. Ironically, Season 2 turned out to be the opposite, as critics gave it 95% and the audience rating dropped to 54%.

"The Witcher" Season 3 saw a further drop in approval from both critics and viewers, as it hit 79% and 19% on the Tomatometer and Popcornmeter, respectively. While it's likely that the sudden tank in the audience rating is due to angry Henry Cavill fans letting their feelings be known about his departure, the plummet in approval — as well as the dwindling viewership ratings — says it all. Season 3 wasn't an improvement from the previous season; it was a decline.

Coupled with this is the fact that some fans of "The Witcher" saw Season 3 as the end, no matter what happened with Liam Hemsworth, which didn't help matters much. The reality is that for a section of the fandom this is the final season — and they will not return to see Hemsworth continue as Geralt.

A lot of people don't view Henry Cavill as an Oscar-level thespian, but let's play a game here: Name a few of Cavill's most memorable performances. Off the top of the head, it should be roles like Superman in the DC Extended Universe, Charles Brandon from "The Tudors," August Walker in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout," and Geralt of Rivia in "The Witcher." Now, do the same with Liam Hemsworth. Difficult, right?

Hollywood has tried to turn Hemsworth into a star, but, for one reason or another, audiences just haven't taken to him. Instead, his brothers, Chris and Luke, tend to be better remembered for their work. Liam, despite his efforts, has become the Stephen Baldwin of his acting family. He's far from the worst actor in the world, but as a leading man, he leaves a lot to be desired with his singular-expression acting style.

At the same time, no one can blame him for taking the role of Geralt. It's a high-profile gig that likely comes with a nice paycheck, and it isn't his fault that Cavill quit the show. What doesn't make sense, though, is that the producers of "The Witcher" selected Hemsworth from all the options out there, because he feels like a downgrade from Cavill. Was Travis Fimmel not available?

"The Witcher" book series consists of nine novels, and the video games also expand upon the source material, taking place later in the timeline. Needless to say, there are a lot of stories to tell from the Continent. This — and the fact that Henry Cavill committed to seven seasons — led viewers to believe that Netflix was in for the long haul with "The Witcher." If you take this into account, it makes sense why there would be a need to recast Geralt of Rivia, since there would be much more story to delve into and explore for years to come. This is a business, after all, and the show must go on.

Then, in April 2024, Netflix dropped the news that "The Witcher" would conclude with its fifth season. The final two seasons were filmed back-to-back, adapting three books into two seasons. So... what was the point of this again? What happened to the ambitious seven-season plan? All of this drama for only two seasons of Geralt of Hemsworthia? On the surface level — and it's purely speculatory here — it looks like Netflix honoring past contractual obligations, but everyone involved surely knew the series was a dead man walking after Henry Cavill departed.

What if the outrage surrounding Henry Cavill's departure from "The Witcher" was blown out of proportion? And what if Liam Hemsworth turned out to be amazing as Geralt? It wouldn't be the first time that the internet was wrong about something. What if the first footage from Season 4 blew everyone away? Well, it didn't — quite the opposite, in fact.

The teaser trailer for "The Witcher" Season 4 that showcases Hemsworth's Geralt fighting a wraith has done nothing to sway the opinions of fans who might have been on the fence about the new season. The comments section under the YouTube video is overwhelmingly negative. One commentator wrote, "Liam pulling [the] heart out of the wraith, quite symbolic of what producers did to the show." Another stated, "Producers are like my ex, never admit their mistakes and never know when to give up."

While the general consensus seems to be that this isn't Hemsworth's fault, excitement for "The Witcher" Season 4 appears to be deader than the Snyderverse. It makes you wonder why the powers that be insisted on pressing forward when the obvious has been staring them in the face for a while now: "The Witcher" should have ended after Season 3.