Here's Why Netflix Went With Split Release for The Witcher Season 3
And, fans are really getting tired of this s**t.
Netflix recently debuted the season 3 teaser for The Witcher and, what was designed to be a glorious event, has actually turned into a debacle. There is no secret that the prequel miniseries was an underwhelming disappointment, leading many to believe that the upcoming season is a make or break for the Netflix series.
Unfortunately, what is known of the upcoming may simply not be enough to entice viewers back to the program. Netflix has confirmed that the upcoming third season will get divided into two parts, which just seems nonsensical.
The Witcher: Blood Origin reintroduces Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) along with a series of other fascinating yet destructive characters. The upcoming third season is the final for Cavill, who is slated to get replaced by Liam Hemsworth in the fourth season of The Witcher.
Accordingly, fans have never been as excited or demoralized by the upcoming installment. For starters, viewers are not exactly happy that The Witcher is taking the step to split the third season into two different releases.
The new teaser for season three of The Witcher announces that the fantasy series will be divided into two parts. It's been a marketing tactic that studios and networks have utilized over the last few years to draw out a final season of a popular TV series.
However, that doesn't make sense as season three is not the final season of The Witcher. Furthermore, the previous two seasons of the fantasy show have not been split into two separate releases. Why, then, the need for separate releases for season three?
The easy answer: money. Studios and networks love split releases because it drags on the length of time - in essence creating two 'premieres' and 'finales' for the same season. As a result, the networks and streaming services benefit financially while fans dwell in agony.
Speaking to Collider in December 2022, showrunner Lauren Hissrich hinted at a split release, saying: "We haven't discussed that yet, but at this point I think what we see happening across all sort of streamers, I wouldn't rule it out."
She then added: " I do think that obviously we don't put anything out that we're not incredibly proud of. So that dictates our entire launch date."
The irony here is that this interview was meant to promote the universally panned The Witcher: Blood Origin, and we can only wonder if the third season of The Witcher will repeat the fate of that show.
In any case, The Witcher will suffer due to the delay between installments and that may not bode well for a TV series that is in desperate need of a resurrection. Nonetheless, Netflix obviously wants to send Cavill off with a strong last impression, which appears to fuel the need for dividing the episodes into two parts.
Part 1 of The Witcher, season 3, returns to Netflix June 29, 2023. Meanwhile, the second half of the series resumes on the streaming platform, July 27.
Source: Collider.