It’s been quite a wait, but the Netflix adaptation ofThe Witcherhas finally arrived. Over the weekend, fans ofAndrzej Sapkowski’s original book serieswere treated to a new take on monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia and the brutal fantasy world he lives in. This has led to several reviewers to offer their verdicts on the show.
Whileearly reactions toThe Witcher’s first two episodes were highly positive, critical reception to the whole of the show’s eight-episode first season has been more broad. Many have enjoyed it for the depth of its world and characters, but others have found it too dense and hard to follow for those unfamiliar with theWitcherfranchise. As such, showrunner Laruen S. Hissrich has shared her opinion on the matter.
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On Twitter, Hissrich touched upon the topic, saying that many had written to her about how upset they were thatThe Witcherwas getting bad reviews. In response, she asked, “Who do I care about? ‘Professional' critics who watched one episode and skipped ahead? Or REAL fans who watched all eight in one day, and are starting their rewatch?”
It’s clear from the language that Hissrich isn’t targeting reviewers who simply didn’t like the show, but rather those who made their verdicts without watching the entire thing. She didn’t point any fingers specifically, but most people agree that her tweet is referencingEntertainment Weekly’s review ofThe Witcher. Aside from calling it a “borefest” and giving it an F grade, reviewers Darren Franich and Kristen Baldwin admitted in their review that they skipped multiple episodes, with Franich saying he skipped episodes 2-4 while Baldwin only watched the first two. That left many questioning the merits of their opinions towards the show, being as they are incomplete.
Of course, one could argue that Franich and Baldwin’s opinions are still a valid examination of howThe Witchercan fail to grab the attention of those who aren’t already invested in the franchise’s deep lore. That’s not what Hissrich was commenting on, though. In a following tweet, she stressed that she “welcomes debate” and has been responding to plenty of critiques over the last few years as the series’ showrunner, but she doesn’t appreciate it when negative opinions are shared just for the sake of harshing on something, like in Entertainment Weekly’s review. “I don’t welcome unsubstantiated meanness,” she wrote.
Despite negative reviews, there’s enough confidence in the series thatNetflix has already green-lit a second season ofThe Witcher, with the possibility of even more seasons to come since Hissrich has at least seven seasons of story planned out. With any luck, future reviews, negative ones included, will be more constructive (and more thorough) in their criticism.
