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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  1. Nobilis1984
    Dec 21, 2019
    4
    So I don't really know what you wanted here.
    It's optically good and the consequences are all not bad.
    But why do the supporting roles get so little screen time? The supporting character from the first episode is very interesting but is eaten up in 20 minutes. Really great job.
    The three main characters are too much in focus.
    Therefore, this series is also only mediocre.
  2. Aryman
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    A bit too theatrical (lighting, close-ups on faces ... Could use more broad plans), but generally a great series (I write this as a fan of books and games). Henry as Geralt sweeps, also great role of Yennefer and Ciri. The best swordfights I've seen on TV and movies - what a choreography! A few moving moments - the question about the choice in the Renfri case will be forever not only inA bit too theatrical (lighting, close-ups on faces ... Could use more broad plans), but generally a great series (I write this as a fan of books and games). Henry as Geralt sweeps, also great role of Yennefer and Ciri. The best swordfights I've seen on TV and movies - what a choreography! A few moving moments - the question about the choice in the Renfri case will be forever not only in the heart of Geralt ... I highly recommend.… Expand
  3. Uderfrykte
    Dec 21, 2019
    8
    Чот все подахуели мальца с нытьем. Это прекрасно. И смешно, и всерьез, и со своим лицом. Дико интересно, все понятно, все отлично сыграно, дайверсити в кои то веки без нареканий вписано. Праздник же для жанра.
  4. Legionr
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Overall a good series , I was hoping for the worst , but Henry Cavill is perfect fit for the role of a White wolf.
  5. TTeshnik
    Dec 21, 2019
    8
    Well, it is not perfect, and some casting could have be done better, but it is a solid and well made show. Henry Cavil is done a great job IMO, with bringing some vibes from the witcher games. Also, the fight scenes are epic. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with the booksgames, the show is doing very poorly with telling the backround history of the universe. Nevertheless, as IWell, it is not perfect, and some casting could have be done better, but it is a solid and well made show. Henry Cavil is done a great job IMO, with bringing some vibes from the witcher games. Also, the fight scenes are epic. On the other hand, if you are not familiar with the booksgames, the show is doing very poorly with telling the backround history of the universe. Nevertheless, as I said, it is a solid show.
    I can understand why some fans so hating this, but I think it is one of the best screen adaptions of any video game or book.    … Expand
  6. Ferzenand
    Dec 21, 2019
    3
    The flaws of the first episode:
    1. The fight with kikimora was in the middle of nowhere. Instead of the usual swamp area, they decided to use some vomit graphics from the late 90s.
    2. The role of Renfrey completely failed. Instead of a person with a difficult fate and nature, we’ve got an offended “next door girl”. 3. The Witcher’s atmosphere has been **** up. We’ve like it in video    The flaws of the first episode:
    1. The fight with kikimora was in the middle of nowhere. Instead of the usual swamp area, they decided to use some vomit graphics from the late 90s.
    2. The role of Renfrey completely failed. Instead of a person with a difficult fate and nature, we’ve got an offended “next door girl”.
    3. The Witcher’s atmosphere has been **** up. We’ve like it in video games. But we haven't seen any of it on the screen. Btw, blacks in the world of slavic fantasy look as foolish as penguins in the midle of savannah.
    5. Designer responsible for the nilf armor should be kicked out of the profession. And Lauren Schmidt should take less vine and pay more attention to organization of the filming process.
    6. Battle scene - main nominee for the award "Shame of the year".
    7. Soundtracks of the series in quality lose to tracks from free libraries.
    8. The motivation of characters is not disclosed. Actually, nobody tries.    … Expand
  7. geralt1
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    This was well worth the wait. Season one was excellent. Congratulations to everyone involved. I must admit though watching through it the first time was similar to playing through the Witcher 3 game the first time. It's better the second time around.
  8. phasedance
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    As a fan of the books and video games, I couldn't have asked for anything more. Came in with tempered expectations but was blown away as each episode progressed.
  9. Ackwell
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    First of all I have to mention that I am quite the Witcher fan myself. I have read all the books and played all the games several times. As it was evident that Netflix is really putting effort into this and Sapkowski himself was part of the team so I had quite the high hopes. But still it was able to positively surprise me. Even more so now that I have watched the whole season 1 twice.First of all I have to mention that I am quite the Witcher fan myself. I have read all the books and played all the games several times. As it was evident that Netflix is really putting effort into this and Sapkowski himself was part of the team so I had quite the high hopes. But still it was able to positively surprise me. Even more so now that I have watched the whole season 1 twice.

    The series follows books pretty closely. There are a lot of added info on Yennefers back story during the early episodes which I found to be very good to flesh her out as a character. In the end she is one of the 3 main characters in the books and in them she kind of just comes out of nowhere and her backstory is only mentioned as a side note. I think that was something her character actually lacked in the books considering how important one she is. Anya Chalotra also does fantastic job as her. I found her performance excellent especially in the later episodes.

    After that additional story part the series follows the books very closely. Some things do seem to be left a bit vague compared to books which I would attribute to the limitations of the medium compared to books. So many things have to be left unsaid to fit a book into a video format. The most important themes are there though and it is made clear that it is not just the story of Geralt, but his family; himself, Yennefer and Ciri. That might be why some people who only have played the games have seem so critical of the series. In the books and as a result in the series Geralt is A point of view character, not THE point of view character. That is totally the opposite in games so the storytelling is very different.

    I was wondering before the show came out how are they going to implement the short stories from the books and be able to tell a coherent story. They do have to do a lot of timejumping which might be hard to follow sometimes for people not familiar with the books. Especially since they added the early story of Ciri already to the series 1. I am happy to say though that they do manage to do it pretty well. They have a lot of little overlapping scenes to show what part of the timeframe it is and which scene is related to what and it is often easy to see things happen in the past because certain people are still alive. And it all comes together pretty nicely in the end and everyone end in the same moment so it is easy for them to start series 2 and the Ciri epic for good. The timing will be much easier in the following seasons.

    All in all I was very happy with how the series turned out. The team does show clear care and respect towards the original stories of mr. Sapkowski and they did a very worthy adaptation.

    P.S. Some people seem to have issues with the races of some of the cast. There are black people in the world of the Witcher from the beginning, namely the Zerrikanians. Zerrikanians who are right next to the Empire of Nilfgaard and whose mercenaries Nilfgaard is known to use en masse. So how there would not be any black or mixed race people in the Empire? That would just not make any sense. The Zerrikanian units are in the Nilfgaard deck in gwent for god sake.

    EDIT: Bumped up my user score to 10 because all of the crybabies giving it a 0 because they watched one episode and there was a black man in it. Such a horror! My honest score would be an 8.    … Expand
  10. wildorgan
    Dec 21, 2019
    0
    just no, slow boring, poor wardrobe, confusing story, generic characters devoid of personality smh
  11. IMScientist
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    I love the games and this show it's amazing
    Henry Cavill does a really good and as Geralt even his voice is similar to Geralt from The Witcher 3
  12. Germanemil99
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Excelente serie, la manera en que llevan las historias de Geralt, Ciri y Yennefer para unirlo al final es brillante, visualmente es hermoso, aunque lo unico negativo es la actriz que interpreta a Triss, pero no le quita a la narrativa ni a la calidad a la serie, muy recomendada.
  13. Megafireball
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    This is truly an amazing adaptation from the books and games. I highly recommend if you are a fan of the fantasy genre or just looking for a new show to watch!
  14. uncle_wujek
    Dec 21, 2019
    0
    Terrible work, actors play, dialogues, there is no chemistry between the characters, they even delivered the same flooded scenes several times, the characters are not motivated, about their motivation and what happens, only because of the reading of the original. Didn't even try to do well.
  15. YotaXD
    Dec 21, 2019
    9
    The Witcher does not have the Budget of HBO GOT but delivers a very good series.
    All the actors do a fantastic job. Its not a perfect series but still very very enjoyable.
    I like a adult content because its how it is and how it should be.
    I dont understand people who vote 0 / 10 just because some actors dont match the skin colour. Thats just sad. After watching all 8 episodes. Its a 9/10 for me
  16. maxnetyaga
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    I know that my score isn't objective and I can't rate straight... BUT. This serial shows episodes which weren't in the books but which I was rendering in my head. AND IT'S EXCITING! I was just quaking in flashbacks, when I saw some scenes! There are many miscasts and bad graphics but it wasn't stop me to fall back into this marvelous story!
  17. Veay
    Dec 21, 2019
    9
    The Witcher - after binge watching. I really enjoyed it! Sure, many shortcuts, compromises, strange combinations of stories. Some actions are a little cringy, especially for people without experience in reading books. A few weaker moments, costumes or CGI. But other than that - very good acting, extremely good music, great sword swinging scenes, pretty good story construction, once youThe Witcher - after binge watching. I really enjoyed it! Sure, many shortcuts, compromises, strange combinations of stories. Some actions are a little cringy, especially for people without experience in reading books. A few weaker moments, costumes or CGI. But other than that - very good acting, extremely good music, great sword swinging scenes, pretty good story construction, once you understand the idea behind different storylines. And beloved stories with good dialogue, interesting twists and fat Geralt (Superman rules) transferred to the screen. It's nice that it will have the second season, count me in.… Expand
  18. jRafity
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Many have built false expectations about this series. Someone lacks canonicality, someone epic, there are those who were waiting for the film adaptation of the game. This series is not for such people. There is everything for which they do not like netflix. I loved this series because it updates the feelings that I had while reading books and playing the witcher. If you are not a true fanMany have built false expectations about this series. Someone lacks canonicality, someone epic, there are those who were waiting for the film adaptation of the game. This series is not for such people. There is everything for which they do not like netflix. I loved this series because it updates the feelings that I had while reading books and playing the witcher. If you are not a true fan and you did not expect the witcher to become a faded copy of the game of thrones, then you might like the series.… Expand
  19. vCount
    Dec 21, 2019
    1
    No, no, no, it's just ain't right. Also, sorry for bad English, it's not my first language
    I've watched 2 episodes so far and both were just terrible. I could call myself a fan of Witcher, I've read the books several times, I've played the games a little bit. The series so far is not worthy of books and games.
    Miscasts, black elfs and other stuff aside. the show seems incredibly cheap.    No, no, no, it's just ain't right. Also, sorry for bad English, it's not my first language
    I've watched 2 episodes so far and both were just terrible. I could call myself a fan of Witcher, I've read the books several times, I've played the games a little bit. The series so far is not worthy of books and games.
    Miscasts, black elfs and other stuff aside. the show seems incredibly cheap. The very first fight with the monster we see, said monster looks like it came straight from the 90s era television and the fight itself is rather anticlimatic.
    I could tell more, like how some characters are total opposites of books, how the writers keep missing key points in things people say, think or represent. Like, I can clearly see the attempt to make a nod towards the source material, but it just comes out wrong and completely misses the point.
    Maybe some people unfamiliar with the Witcher franchise will like it. But i don't think it's a work for those who are already fans.
    Like honestly, i wouldn't mind miscast, tolerancy which people are complaining about and all of that, if it atleast was interesting to watch AND stayed closer to the books plot.    … Expand
  20. Ieronimg
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    I am a fan of books and I really liked the series. I watched the series until the end and I was interested. The camera work is super and the dialogs are interesting. The monster's graphics are bad but for the first season it's not bad. I'm waiting for season 2
  21. BigTeppa
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Its better than expected. Give it a try. Dont look at critics review. Its ****
  22. Marcospena12
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Muito bacana, como leitor dos livros e jogador de todos os jogos curti bastante a série.
    Contudo não é apenas maravilha principalmente por ser uma primeira temporada e um vasto mundo históricos dos livros a série comete alguns erros principalmente na continuidade e explicação do enredo, que pra essa série é importante...
  23. Diadal
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Very qualitatively filmed the book, many say that this is a minus , but is it possible to change the very beginning of the story ? what's the point of a Witcher if his universe is different from the one we love ?
    In the series there are not so many fights , but great attention is paid to the history of each character, which in turn can not but rejoice.
    The actor who plays the Herald is    Very qualitatively filmed the book, many say that this is a minus , but is it possible to change the very beginning of the story ? what's the point of a Witcher if his universe is different from the one we love ?
    In the series there are not so many fights , but great attention is paid to the history of each character, which in turn can not but rejoice.
    The actor who plays the Herald is chosen very high quality , it is unlikely that somebody would be better. And the music is just fire, great respect for the writers who were responsible for the music, because it creates a unique atmosphere of the world.
    Of the minuses is worth noting that the Witcher had a second sword on the back and the locket is not the one that needs to be    … Expand
  24. Olbery
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The plasticine ears of elves and the red-faced features of the face of their king, who is dressed as a bum. Banquet hall in aretus with loft-style walls of broken brick and tables with crackers at the reception of all the kings of the north is also ok? And the fact that Gerart’s embarrassment simply dragged the castle all night, while she was gutting the rest in a split second, did she fall in love in any other way? And the mine in Temeria where they walked along the floor with a vacuum cleaner - otherwise it is difficult to explain that cleanliness. Black Elf. Nilphs who run scattered on heavy cavalry, and that in turn is waiting until they get closer to a distance of 20 meters are also normal? Yenifer, who fell into a couple of minutes to wait until they brought her sleeping pills and suffered infernal torment - is this justified right? The Volttest, which looks like a greasy unwashed drunk (he was even better in the Polish series) was normal too? Dryads with crossbows, and an intrusive incomprehensible glow in the forest. The dragon looks cartoonish. They killed Myshovur, who lives and lives in the book - why was this done? The battle at Sodden is generally some kind of shame - where is the epic, a hundred nilfgaards - is this the great battle at Sodden?

    P.S. I will add that Geralt, Buttercup and Cyri turned out to be very good. The color palette and the music are very good. The battle scenes look impressive and delight the general plans of nature and Cintra. I hope in the second season there will be more budget and more logic in the script.    … Expand
  25. cicikush
    Dec 21, 2019
    1
    Except Henry Cavill,cast was the worst.I watched it with disgustion.Storytelling was not so good either so i would rather watch the books or play the games because they are masterpieces unlike this **** of social justice warrior ****
  26. Remus23
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    Not perfect, but I really enjoyed it. The narrative is good I thought it was gonna be a bit more convoluted but they managed to keep it simple and introduce all the main characters from the start and when they connect is seamless. Acting is top notch you can see Henry really loves his role and so are Freya and Anya and the rest of the cast. Visually it looks a bit cheap but giving it thatNot perfect, but I really enjoyed it. The narrative is good I thought it was gonna be a bit more convoluted but they managed to keep it simple and introduce all the main characters from the start and when they connect is seamless. Acting is top notch you can see Henry really loves his role and so are Freya and Anya and the rest of the cast. Visually it looks a bit cheap but giving it that is the first season I'm gonna go with it.And the music is a bit off, Jaskier sounds a bit modern, it doesn't have that old school medieval feel to it. In conclusion you either love it and get over the flaws or hate it and be done with it.… Expand
  27. hldr91
    Dec 21, 2019
    9
    Soy lector y jugador de la saga.

    En mi opinión hicieron una excelente adaptación de los relatos cortos y supieron captar la esencia de The Witcher. Se modificaron algunos elementos que sin traicionar a los relatos supieron dar mas agilidad y coherencia a la trama. Lo mejor sin duda son las actuaciones, en todo momento sentí a cada personaje como tal. No vi a Superman con peluca, vi a    Soy lector y jugador de la saga.

    En mi opinión hicieron una excelente adaptación de los relatos cortos y supieron captar la esencia de The Witcher. Se modificaron algunos elementos que sin traicionar a los relatos supieron dar mas agilidad y coherencia a la trama.

    Lo mejor sin duda son las actuaciones, en todo momento sentí a cada personaje como tal. No vi a Superman con peluca, vi a Geralt.

    Otro punto fuerte son las escenas de combate muy bien coreografiadas.

    La música me pareció agradable y me recordó a la de TW3 por momentos.

    Como punto negativo destaco a los monstruos y algunos efectos especiales. Es aceptable para la primera temporada pero es indispensable que los mejoren para futuras entregas.

    También podría mencionar algunos saltos temporales algo confusos pero creo que se esclarecen hacia el final.

    En conclusión creo que es una muy buena primer temporada con aspectos a mejorar pero que a fin de cuentas cumple y supera mis expectativas.

    Tiene el potencial para agradar tanto a jugadores, lectores y a personas ajenas a la saga.    … Expand
  28. MattTS
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    I've enjoyed it a lot. Maybe it doesn't match with some people's vision for the show but it definitely deserves a much higher rating than it currently has.
  29. Mandiven
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    A surprise hit for me. I loved Witcher 3 and read a bit from the books and I definetly recommend this if you enjoyed the lore and story from any of the games, obviously if you read the books also. If your not a fan of fantasy medieval inspired shows then you will probably not enjoy this.
  30. Chabs
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    J'ai adoré le série, je connais bien l'univers et sachant ce qui arrive par la suite je ne peux que me réjouir. LEs effets spéciaux sont vraiments très bon pour une première saison. Henri Cavill joue le personnage comme il doit l'être. Un régal
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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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