Since the premiere of the second part of the third season of The Witcher, Netflix’s flagship series for the last four years, fans and critics have been able to confirm what many feared: the series is bad. Or simply put, it is much weaker than what was initially promised to us.
Not following the books to the letter has been a point of contention for many fans, including the series’ lead actor, Henry Cavill.
And according to the executive producer of the series, Tomek Baginski, there are reasons behind this simplification of the plot: the American audience, younger viewers, and social media.
It all started with Henry Cavill, the best Geralt we could have
Henry Cavill announced last October that he would be leaving The Witcher, despite receiving universal acclaim for his portrayal of Geralt.
While it initially seemed that his decision was due to his return as Superman, which never materialized beyond a cameo in Black Adam, there were reports that he was unhappy with the series deviating too far from the books.
It was also claimed that some of the show’s writers had a dislike for Sapkowski’s novels, making it very challenging to create a faithful adaptation that honors the original work.
The simplicity of the U.S. audience is to blame for all the ills
In an interview with the Polish website Wyborcza, Baginski stated that simplifying plot points is often necessary when “a series is made for a large mass of viewers with different experiences from various parts of the world, and a significant portion of them are Americans.”
Baginski did admit that simplifying the plots was painful for both the writers and himself, but he said, “the higher level of nuances and complexity will have a smaller reach; it won’t reach the audience. Sometimes, it can go too far, but we have to make these decisions and accept them.”
This is not the first time Baginski points to a large demographic group. Kotaku highlights an interview he gave to the Polish YouTube channel Imponderabilia, where the producer blamed the low viewership of the second season of The Witcher on young people with short attention spans who grew up on TikTok and YouTube.
“When it comes to shows, the younger the audience, the less significant the logic of the plot,” he said, noting that young people gravitate more towards “pure emotions.”
It seems that Baginski shares similar sentiments with Ridley Scott. In 2021, the director of Blade Runner/Alien/Gladiator blamed the poor box office performance of The Last Duel on apathetic millennials and “their damn cell phones.” Any excuse seems to be good, it appears.
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