The Witcher Season 5: Showrunner Teases A High-Stakes Redemption Arc

The Witcher is sprinting toward the finish line. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich just set expectations for the final season: pain now, payoff later, and a very deliberate two-part structure.

"The finale, I think, is the thing everyone should brace for."

"A redemption for some of these characters... some reunions and at least a little bit of happiness."

First, the bad news (and it is bad)

Hissrich says Season 4 ends on a genuinely rough note, with a heartbreaking twist centered on Ciri. She calls it the darkest point of the story so far and flat-out warns viewers to brace themselves for the finale. It is not subtle.

What Season 5 is actually doing

The final season keeps following Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri across the Continent, but the bigger idea is this: Seasons 4 and 5 were designed as one continuous narrative, adapting the endgame of Andrzej Sapkowski's saga. In the writers room, they treated both seasons as a single, long story about this family finding its way back together. Or, to put it plainly, Season 5 is the natural continuation of everything Season 4 sets up.

Joey Batey (Jaskier) backs that up, saying the whole thing basically plays like Season 4, Part 1 and Part 2. If you felt the structure shifting this year, you were not imagining it.

Liam Hemsworth verdict from the boss

Hissrich is very bullish on Liam Hemsworth's take on Geralt. According to her, he respects what the show already built, but brings a looser confidence to the role. She even says there is such an easy rhythm to his scenes that it feels like he has always been there. Bold promise, but if you are watching Season 4 right now, you can judge that for yourself.

Timeline check

• Season 4: now streaming on Netflix
• Season 5: filmed back-to-back with Season 4; production wrapped in late September; targeting a 2026 release (which should mean a shorter wait than previous gaps)

So the arc here is pretty clear: Season 4 drags everyone to rock bottom, then Season 5 climbs out with redemption, reunions, and at least a little bit of light. Not a full fairy tale ending, but not pure nihilism either.