Showrunner Says 'The Witcher' Season 3 Could Be Released in Two Parts
Showrunner Lauren S. Hirrisch has teased that season 3 of The Witcher may follow a two-part release format, but notes that no official discussions have taken place yet.
As the streamer continues to do so for other titles, showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has indicated that season 3 of The Witcher may follow a two-part release model. The next chapter in the Netflix series will be the swansong of Henry Cavill's Geralt of Rivia, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role for The Witcher season 4 as the actor leaves. Plot details for The Witcher season 3 are currently unknown, but Cavill's Monster Hunter is expected to face off against Wild Hunt. Be teased in the season 2 finale and help Ciri embrace her emerging powers and learn how they are connected to the mysterious monoliths around the continent.
In a discussion with Collider about the recently released prequel series, Lauren S. Hissrich provided an update on The Witcher season 3. When asked if Netflix would offer it a two-part release model like other shows, producers said that hasn't been properly discussed, but they aren't ruling it out as post-production on the season continues. Check out what Hissrich had to say below:
We haven't discussed that [splitting the season] yet, but at this point I think what we see happening across all sort of streamers, I wouldn't rule it out. 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. And I think it'll be interesting. Again, we have a way still a very long time, eight-ish months or so until Witcher Season 3 comes out. So God willing, we get it all out at the same time. But who knows, we'll see what happens.
Why Netflix Keeps Splitting Seasons Up
While there's no official word on The Witcher season 3 just yet, Netflix's splitting the fantasy series into two parts would mark the latest in a trend of their recent titles doing so. Season 4 of Stranger Things was one of their most notable shows of late, in which the showrunners opted to split new episodes into batches, but instead of splitting the season straight down the middle, it was divided into first Episodes 1-7 and Episodes 8 and 9. However, because the latter episodes contain movie-length runtimes, they still provide rich storytelling to captivate viewers and set a new record for Netflix.
Even before Stranger Things season 4, Netflix had a history of splitting multiple shows into batches, including Lucifer season 5, ending the show they saved from cancellation, Manifest season 4, and A final season rescued from primetime TV, as well as next year's season 4 of You. The consensus on Netflix's division of episodes seems to stem from the fact that it has enough episodes and material in its various titles that releasing them at multiple points in time justifies better viewership for the show. Given Netflix's recent struggles to preserve subscription numbers, it's understandable that they would Want some sort of distribution model to keep viewers coming back and make the big bucks they spend on the show worthwhile.
Is Splitting The Witcher Season 3 Up A Good Plan?
While it has generally proven to be a successful streaming format, the question on many viewers' minds must have been whether splitting The Witcher season 3 in two was a good idea. Considering that the new season is expected to be eight episodes, like previous seasons, the series will take longer to justify separating them, but given the divergence in the future of the show, led by Hemsworth, trying to introduce Many viewers across multiple releases may be all that's needed to convince Netflix of its future. Only time will tell when The Witcher season 3 premieres in mid-2023.
