It's always exciting when our favorite shows get renewed, but sometimes renewals come at the cost of other shows. During Prime Video's Upfronts presentation, the streamer announced the renewal of one of its hit original series, but the fandom of a certain fantasy drama won't be happy about this news. That's right, The Wheel of Time season 4 still hasn't been confirmed yet.
The latest blow comes as The Wheel of Time fans have been circulating a petition and organizing renewal efforts in order to push Prime Video to bring the beloved series back for another season. There's still plenty of time for the streamer to announce a renewal, as the most recent third season only finished its run less than a month ago on April 17.
As for the show that was renewed for two seasons by Prime Video? That would be Beast Games, the competition series that was co-created and hosted by popular online personality MrBeast. The controversial reality competition series debuted on the streamer in December 2024 and, according to Amazon, became the streamer's biggest unscripted series ever.
Beast Games scores renewal from Prime Video, not The Wheel of Time
In that regard, it's easy to see why Prime Video would double down on a show like Beast Games, which reportedly attracted 50 million viewers. The renewal for season 2, and the early renewal for season 3, allows the series to continue to craft compelling competitions that keeps the audience entertained. Still, The Wheel of Time feels like the better investment.
Upon the renewal, Amazon MGM Studios' head of television Vernon Sanders expressed excitement about bringing the "largest reality competition series ever" back for two more seasons"
"MrBeast achieved a significant milestone for our global Prime Video customers, bringing to life the largest reality competition series ever. Following its record-breaking first season, we are thrilled to announce that two more seasons of Beast Games are on the way, and we eagerly anticipate all of the new, jaw-dropping challenges MrBeast has planned for the players."
Beast Games seemingly gained inspiration from the popularity of Netflix's Squid Game, as the series finds 1,000 contestants competing for the $5 million grand prize, which was later doubled to $10. That's a pretty expensive price tag to put on a reality competition series, especially when those who were part of the show have spoken out against the working conditions. MrBeast's company was sued by contestants who participated in season 1 for mistreatment on the set.
That's not slowing down the show from going full steam ahead on seasons 2 and 3, as CEO of MrBeast Industries Jeff Housenbold said that the team behind Beast Games is "excited to raise the bar even higher in the next two seasons."
All things considered, I still can't help but return to frustration that some of that multi-million dollar prize money for Beast Games isn't being adequately distributed to Prime Video's more deserving original series like The Wheel of Time. Maybe it's comparing apples and oranges, but something's still not adding up.
The series has been a game-changer for fantasy television and was beginning to hit its stride as it approached a point in the book series fans were looking forward to seeing adapted. There's still hope for a season 4 renewal, but Beast Games getting the green light for two more before that happens really grinds my gears.