The Witcher

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 20, 2019
Season #: 4, 3.5, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2682 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,028 out of 2682
  2. Mixed: 201 out of 2682
  3. Negative: 453 out of 2682

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User Reviews

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  1. MqHappy
    Dec 23, 2019
    9
    Сериал получится хорошим, есть недочеты, но это не критично, это первый сезон, нужно дать шанс этому сериалу, Игра Престолов тоже не была сразу идеальна, дайте шанс.
  2. Blade_Stormd
    Dec 23, 2019
    9
    I really enjoyed the 8 episode Witcher series, and I look forward to the 2nd season. I had some problems with some parts, but all in all, I enjoyed what this series tried to do.
  3. ebosian
    Dec 23, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It is an excellent adaptation of the books. Not outstanding, but excellent. Geralt is portrayed masterfully by Cavil. His mannerisms and motives are spot on. Yennifer is as cunning as ever and her expanded character creation was a very good add. Jaskier is just like I recall from the books. Ciri seemed truly scared and afraid of Cahir while she was on the run. I am interested to see how they portray a more confident bandit Ciri in the coming seasons after her training. The acting all around were superb. Netflix has even raised the countenance on dopplers. They seem to have much more meaningful or scariness to them then in the books. The locations and settings were diverse and believable. Artuza is just as I pictured from the books. I also saw no plastic water bottles on screen:)… Expand
  4. MrSomebody31
    Dec 24, 2019
    9
    это не плохой сериал, не идеал но все равно не плохо. Да у сериала есть недостачи но также есть и плюси !
  5. Staaf
    Dec 24, 2019
    9
    Other than the sometimes confusing shifts of timeperiods, really satisfied with how this turned out. Cavill proves to be a great witcher with some amazing cast for the other aswell.
    Hoping this will get many more seasons!
    Fun to see some scenes from the books in live action, just as how you imagined them!
  6. movingpictures
    May 3, 2020
    9
    Kevin Sorbo's Hercules by way of Game of Thrones aesthetic

    It starts out as episodic tales of the wandering hero who values solitude and few words and it builds to a larger connected more epic adventure story. It grew on me. I'm not gonna lie; I didn't like the first few episodes. But I stuck with it. I got used to the humor and the comic character and just surrendered to the show    Kevin Sorbo's Hercules by way of Game of Thrones aesthetic

    It starts out as episodic tales of the wandering hero who values solitude and few words and it builds to a larger connected more epic adventure story.

    It grew on me. I'm not gonna lie; I didn't like the first few episodes. But I stuck with it. I got used to the humor and the comic character and just surrendered to the show and had fun with it.. and I'm happy I did! The last half of the season is particularly impressive. I can't wait to see what happens next :)

    One request: please stop breaking the 4th wall. That is all.    … Expand
  7. PeterWuzHere
    Dec 24, 2019
    9
    I was skeptical because of the cast they chose but it definitely was worth watching and has me hyped up for a second season.
  8. Modiculous
    Dec 24, 2019
    9
    Was a great show. Not sure where the hate is coming from. If you like Super natural and GOT , etc this is the show for you. It has action, intrigue cool lore
    And fantastic back story. Can’t wait for season 2
  9. ZacnyKnur
    Dec 26, 2019
    9
    I think for a first season it couldn't be done better, there's a room for improvement in next ones, and I'm sure its gonna be done :)
  10. Ipennell
    Dec 26, 2019
    9
    True enough to the books. Pretty good casting. As far as telivision fantasy there is not much better than this, except GOT1-4. Interesting world and there is a lot of room to grow. The dragon looks a little wierd so a 9 instead of 10.
  11. Markibjorn
    Dec 27, 2019
    9
    It is so funny how pro cinema experts are giving so much **** to the show. I read the books and I played the games and this is very enjoyable. They made a show for the fans not for you, pedantic experts with bias opinions. Toss a coin to your Witcher and let the geeks enjoy our **** please and thank you.
  12. Vallic
    Dec 27, 2019
    9
    Honestly better than Game of Thrones. This Ip is genuinely one of the most interesting ips in the last 20 years. Finally it's hitting the silver screen and it does not disappoint. Seriously, this show is a must watch, even if you aren't a huge fan of the fantasy genre.
  13. Dweledji32
    Dec 28, 2019
    9
    Series had some weakness, but still a good series has a lot of potential to be great. Starts out slow with confusing story lines but need a lot of YouTube to understand it. Or rewatch the series to truly appreciate it. Critic reviews are stupid, critics are bought out by big companies. Pay attention to fan reviews and user reviews.
  14. THISISNOTADRILL
    Dec 28, 2019
    9
    I really enjoyed it. Of course, there were some minor flaws but overall it was such a great first season. I would recommend it. The story was captivating and every time an episode ended i wanted to watch the next one as soon as I could. The cast was amazing too. Can't wait for Seasons 2.
  15. Slothonmeth
    Dec 31, 2019
    9
    The Witcher season 1 was an interesting ride if you ask me. Of course, some parts would leave you wondering. You can't understand some parts of the series. You literally can't understand most of the plot going on unless you had prior knowledge of the continent. Most would say to read the books, but maybe season 2 would clear things up, who knows?

    And for all those who are comparing it the    The Witcher season 1 was an interesting ride if you ask me. Of course, some parts would leave you wondering. You can't understand some parts of the series. You literally can't understand most of the plot going on unless you had prior knowledge of the continent. Most would say to read the books, but maybe season 2 would clear things up, who knows?

    And for all those who are comparing it the Game of Thrones, just stop. Just because you love Game of Thrones it doesn't mean that you have to hate The Witcher. I was not that dragged into Game of Thrones after watching it's first few episodes.

    Some also commented on how terrible it is when compared to the book. I never read any of the books but this series seems quite nice to me. Maybe when you compare this to the books, this might seem as absolute garbage.

    Without having played the games and without having read the books, I can honestly say that The Witcher was pretty interesting from the start.    … Expand
  16. Bearpoo
    Jan 3, 2020
    9
    The storytelling is a bit chaotic and some creature design could be better... But the feel of The Witcher is just right! Good acting, good world-building and mostly true too the books make me hopeful for the future of this series. It helps when you know the world and the characters in advance. It's a enjoyable watch for sure. The story buildup needs some work but let's hope the next seasonThe storytelling is a bit chaotic and some creature design could be better... But the feel of The Witcher is just right! Good acting, good world-building and mostly true too the books make me hopeful for the future of this series. It helps when you know the world and the characters in advance. It's a enjoyable watch for sure. The story buildup needs some work but let's hope the next season will fix and mix it up.… Expand
  17. Lahey3
    Jan 4, 2020
    9
    It's really great and interesting fantasy show. It's not GOT, it's something else that only looks simillar. Actors are absolutly GREAT.
  18. isomarcus
    Jan 10, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yes the casting of Triss is wrong... but still.. everything else is 100% true to the witcher saga

    Cavill is a treasure, he portraits Geralt perfectly

    The music is spot on

    And in many aspects the show is truer to the books than the games

    All in all, a must see for every witcher fan    … Expand
  19. Unraed87
    Jan 21, 2020
    9
    Amazing. Henry Cavil nails it as Gerald. great character development in this first season, can't wait for the second one, where things should get more wild.
  20. Jerminator
    Dec 12, 2021
    9
    Henry cavill and the rest of the cast are amazing but the episodes keep going back and forth through time which kinda makes it hard to follow otherwise it's a great show
  21. bluewitch84
    Dec 21, 2021
    9
    Witcher 1 is awesome. I just tried to watch season 2 and was disappointed 4 eps. in. There is no edge or allure like season 1 has. They did away with the sex and nude scenes (even a bath scene with 4 girls including yennifer was shot on purpose so we could no see nudity) - lame! Come on, the formula works well in the 1st season so why change it. I recommend season 1 for a great actionWitcher 1 is awesome. I just tried to watch season 2 and was disappointed 4 eps. in. There is no edge or allure like season 1 has. They did away with the sex and nude scenes (even a bath scene with 4 girls including yennifer was shot on purpose so we could no see nudity) - lame! Come on, the formula works well in the 1st season so why change it. I recommend season 1 for a great action show with cool fights and sexy scenes with nudity.… Expand
  22. Drakonien
    Oct 13, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really enjoyed watching this first season, as it was a season which is really staying close to the books. Every episode I watched, i relatively quickly knew which chapter its source was, and that is good. I also liked the new storyline telling a bit about the background story of Yennefer. The only thing I did not like was the ending: It was my favourite chapter in the book and I don't feel like it has been done justice here.

    I don't get why the second season had to be so bad...
    I'd still highly recommend giving the first one a watch!    … Expand
  23. Dimocracy
    Jul 6, 2023
    9
    Thanks to this series, I got acquainted with the wonderful world of Andrzej Sapkowski - I started reading books and playing games. Thank you, Netflix, for such a pleasant acquaintance. The series itself is a good one. However, the only good casting is in Geralt and Dandellion.
  24. jhonka
    Dec 22, 2019
    8
    It's good. Better than expected. Not great. Swordfighting/Choreography is great, the plot is okay. It has a "confused at first, explain it later" narrative style which isn't my favorite. But its very watchable and enjoyable
  25. truerock
    Nov 22, 2021
    8
    The Witcher is a series loosely based on the action/adventure/fantasy video games of the same name. The video game is based on novels of the same name written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowski's work is often used for source material on various entertainment projects.

    I'll say I was almost shocked at the high quality of this video series. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich was the    The Witcher is a series loosely based on the action/adventure/fantasy video games of the same name. The video game is based on novels of the same name written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Sapkowski's work is often used for source material on various entertainment projects.

    I'll say I was almost shocked at the high quality of this video series. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich was the creator and showrunner for the series - which I did not know until after I watched the first episode. She has a very respectable filmography and I assume she has a very large role in the high quality of the series.

    Obviously, not everyone is going to like an action/adventure/fantasy video series - but, if this is the type of subject material you favor, I would highly recommend that you watch this series.

    It probably needs to be pointed out that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich first noteworthy writing effort was for the liberal/leftest American TV series "The West Wing". Hissrich has a strong liberal/leftest ideology that she imparts to this series. Some viewers may not be able to accept this because they are so strongly opposed to her political and social beliefs and/or because it is not within the original spirit of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski works. Regardless, the series itself is of high quality within the context of writing, casting, acting, directing, editing, costume, set design, etc, etc.

    I just now took a look at the Metacritic user-ratings .This show is obviously not a "10" and it is obviously not a "0" - but, somewhere betwixt. There is an obvious highly emotional reaction to how Hissrich has deviated from the source material and re-imagined the Witcher into a woke/social-justice platform. I'm ignoring that issue for the most part in my review as I prefer to ignore political/religious/social issues in regard to fictional entertainment.    … Expand
  26. Gunmars
    Jan 4, 2020
    8
    I'd give this show a solid 6 if your not a fan of the Witcher universe via Andrzej Sapkowski Books or CD Projekt Reds Video Game adaption. If you are a fan previous to watching the Netflix series I'd give it a solid 8. It is a slow burn to start but mostly lives up to expectations set forth by the books and games. Spends a bit too much time setting up the story, plot and characters, if youI'd give this show a solid 6 if your not a fan of the Witcher universe via Andrzej Sapkowski Books or CD Projekt Reds Video Game adaption. If you are a fan previous to watching the Netflix series I'd give it a solid 8. It is a slow burn to start but mostly lives up to expectations set forth by the books and games. Spends a bit too much time setting up the story, plot and characters, if you are unfamiliar it will be very overwhelming what is happening, who is who and where the current on screen story is taking place due to erratic time skips. Some casting choices are a bit on the safe side but overall Herny Cavill, Freaya Allan and Anya Chalotra are great castings for Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. Only the casting of Triss Merigold is a bit of a head scratcher, while she doesn't play a huge part yet in the series she will judging by the Books and Game. Triss being such a big name in the Witcher universe it was weird not having her play a bigger role in the story.

    Overall I'd recommend anyone to watch until the third episode to give it a real shot, has decent fights, true to lore monsters, politics, nudity and overall good acting. Only major downfall of the first season was the slow burn, plodding story for the first few episodes and 1 or 2 uhhhh okay at best CGI moments but nothing thats a show killer. More budget and time and this could be a great show for years to come.

    Oh and don't let the "critics" reviews give you a bad impression, let those idiots go back to drooling over a meh at best Star Wars Rise of Skywalker and a terrible end to Game of Thrones that they seemed to love. I think they watched completely different things than we did.    … Expand
  27. funkymonkey
    Dec 22, 2019
    8
    Hey Metacritic, do the right thing and take EW's review off your site. The critic only watched 1/4 of the show before giving it a 0. It should be taken down and not have an impact on the overall rating of the show.
  28. SSH83
    Dec 21, 2019
    8
    Rating this show is as difficult as choosing the lesser of two evil. Allow me to demonstrate:

    Action: - Great Human to Human fight scenes. - Amateur-looking monster CGI fights that look like they're from the 80s. Writing: - Lots of good stuff lifted from the novels, and some beautiful original lines - Lot of pure lazy writing that shatters suspension of disbelief. Oh, we can't    Rating this show is as difficult as choosing the lesser of two evil. Allow me to demonstrate:

    Action:
    - Great Human to Human fight scenes.
    - Amateur-looking monster CGI fights that look like they're from the 80s.

    Writing:
    - Lots of good stuff lifted from the novels, and some beautiful original lines
    - Lot of pure lazy writing that shatters suspension of disbelief. Oh, we can't make this work believably... just call it "Destiny"

    Creativity/Imagination:
    - Plenty of original concepts of magic and bestiality. Subverting Netflix tropes (oh you think all women characters are going to be barbie-perfect? Nope). That makes things less predictable.
    - Some crucial scenes are actually the least imaginative and cookie-cutter. Namely the first scene of Ep1 and the last scene of Ep8. It's really sad that the first and last episodes have the weakest moments when they should be the strongest.

    Acting:
    - Great moments delivered by actors for Geralt, Yennifer, Ciri, Jaskier
    - Face-palm cringe from so many supporting cast.    … Expand
  29. Lost_viking
    Dec 22, 2019
    8
    Very good adaptation. If you are not a fanatical fan of the book, then you will definitely like it.
  30. LordoftheDance
    Dec 23, 2019
    8
    Main casting is spot on. We were spoiled a bit by Triss' unique and fantastic depiction in the games, it's a shame they didn't try to follow that. Pacing is relaxed, action is great. A bit disappointed by a few minor thi ngs, again, stuff done better by the games, such as Nilfgaardian armor. Also, we need more dialogue, not less. What makes Geralt a great character is that he is theMain casting is spot on. We were spoiled a bit by Triss' unique and fantastic depiction in the games, it's a shame they didn't try to follow that. Pacing is relaxed, action is great. A bit disappointed by a few minor thi ngs, again, stuff done better by the games, such as Nilfgaardian armor. Also, we need more dialogue, not less. What makes Geralt a great character is that he is the "silent, brooding type" but just can't seem to help but chat with everyone.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
77
#77 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. The Independent
    Reviewed by: Nick Hilton
    Jan 3, 2020
    40
    The Witcher is a messy tangle of plotlines in a world underdeveloped to the point of obscurity.
    Read full review
  2. The Telegraph
    Reviewed by: Ed Power
    Jan 3, 2020
    60
    As a mindless fantasy rollercoaster, Geralt’s journey is five stars all the way to tea-time. Sadly, for those who like brains with their brawn, it may be more of a slog.
    Read full review
  3. Time
    Reviewed by: Judy Berman
    Dec 20, 2019
    30
    It takes a while for viewers to learn how these characters are connected, via an exasperating Westworld-esque narrative knot that takes much of the season to unfurl. ... The Witcher heightens our confusion by fumbling details that would have helped it set a cohesive tone. Dialogue vacillates, from line to line, between theatrical fantasy-speak and modern colloquialisms (“Dragons are, in fact, a thing!”).
    Read full review
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