It's been two weeks since Prime Video canceled The Wheel of Time after three seasons, and fans simply haven't gotten over the streamer canceling its best show. The underrated fantasy series based on the books by Robert Jordan has had fans outraged and fighting for the show to be saved, creating petitions and starting a renewal campaign. Finally, the showrunner broke his silence.
The Wheel of Time showrunner breaks silence after cancellation
Even though TV Line revealed this week that The Wheel of Time isn't being shopped to other streaming services or networks, showrunner Rafe Judkins shared a lengthy statement on social media on Friday, June 6. He spoke directly to fans and addressed the question on everyone's minds: Why was the show canceled? Simply put, Judkins admitted that he doesn't know.
Before getting into the parts of his statement that everyone will be holding onto (see: those that tease the future), Judkins praised the cast and crew of The Wheel of Time and also deservingly, and respectfully, boasted about the show earning critical praise amassing a beloved, global audience. He noted that the show made a rare ratings feat, which furthers the frustration over its cancellation.
Continuing his statement, Judkins revealed that his goal was the tell the complete story from the book series and that in order to achieve that goal, the cast and crew made a number of creative and personal sacrifices. That's why it's especially a "devastating blow" — not just to him and the show's whole team but to the fans as well — to not cross the finish line and tell the complete story as intended.
Rafe Judkins addresses The Wheel of Time season 4 chances
Judkins also didn't mince words when commenting on the state of television, streaming television in particular, calling out the trend of "fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquiring additional streaming subscibers." It's maddening from the audience's perspective, but it's hard to even begin to imagine what it's like to create under this model.
Regardless of his frustrations with the industry, Judkins addressed the possibility of the show being saved. While he didn't outright give an update about the chances of The Wheel of Time season 4 coming to fruition, the showrunner extended his own hope that the show will be given the opportunity to finish the story for the sake of the books and for the fans:
"Will The Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it's not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after Syfy canceled it. So, who knows, perhaps The Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of 'beginnings' and 'ends.' I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished."
Considering that we learned from TV Line earlier this week that the show isn't being shopped to other streaming services, the likelihood of The Wheel of Time being saved currently seems slim. The show's best bet to finish the story would seemingly be for Amazon to hear the call from the fans and un-cancel the show for a fourth and final season. Again, who knows how likely that would even be.
Now that fans have Judkins in their corner and have some renewed hope that, even though it's "not something that happens often," getting the show back on the air is still something worth fighting for. It does happen, for shows like Lucifer and Manifest on Netflix. Those shows had massive financial and logistical hurdles to overcome, though perhaps not as many as Amazon's expensive high fantasy series. Nevertheless, keep the faith that season 4 could happen, somehow, someway!