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. Bruterake
    Nov 22, 2020
    6
    É ok, os efeitos especiais minha nossa podres mano. Tem umas parte meio jogada mais o principal é carismático e arrasta a série nas costas para o 6 de 10.
  2. geewah
    Jan 14, 2021
    6
    Was unsure of what to expect from this, but as someone who has played the games, there is a rich and diverse world to work with.
    It's a shame we got a bit of a sprawling mess across to many timelines. Sometimes a more linear approach is the best.
  3. TwiTu
    Jan 1, 2020
    5
    Its watchable. But not that great.
    The virtue signalling undertone is very present and destroys this fantasy with politics from the real world. Thats that. But even if you ignore that, the casting and actors arent that great either, mostly very bad actually. The actors playing Yennefer and Geralt are the best, yet they cant really save this series from mediocrity, and even if they are    Its watchable. But not that great.
    The virtue signalling undertone is very present and destroys this fantasy with politics from the real world. Thats that. But even if you ignore that, the casting and actors arent that great either, mostly very bad actually. The actors playing Yennefer and Geralt are the best, yet they cant really save this series from mediocrity, and even if they are good actors, they were still badly cast. Geralt simply doesnt look like He-Man, like this actor does.

    The writing is bad, too. You feel as if youre dropped into a hot pot of stuff you have to know but dont know. Especially if youre not great with names this will confuse you a lot at the start.

    You never get a feeling of epicness like in the games or books. It feels childish and cheap, best comparable to Hercules or Xena. Even though it uses a lot of nudity and gore. They think (judging from the sad music) that you feel for this or that character, that this or that character dies, yet you dont feel anything for them, because the series never establishes their character well and makes the dialogues very weird and awkward, unnatural. Its worse than on The Walking Dead. The story feels extremely rushed, as if they try to explain the whole Witcher universe in just a few hours. Maybe it should have had 24 episodes instead of just 8. But I guess thats just signs of the time. Characters and their personalities arent important anymore, because we live in a very anti-social time because people are mostly sitting at home, not having much social interaction anymore - and thats me saying, who isnt really the biggest social interactive person either.

    The jokes are unfunny, mostly because you cant really build up a relationship to the characters because of the reasons I already mentioned.

    People comparing this to Game of Thrones have obviously never watched Game of Thrones. I cried like a baby many times when people died in GoT or something bad happened to them. Here I dont even flinch.
    Its like comparing a Lada to a Maybach.
    I get that some people are starved for a fantasy series after the end of GoT, but this is in no way a substitute.

    Oh yeah, and the excessive use of colored contact lenses (sometimes they wear them, sometimes they dont, sometimes they are not centered, sometimes they are) also add to the childishness of this series. It looks completely unbelievable. Directors should know that in the age of 4K resolution.    … Expand
  4. Jenne
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    It's not completely dumbed down and Cavill is actually great. But it looks cheap, writing is mediocre, music forgettable and the trademark Witcher vibe is just not there. It's clear the people responsible saw the show as just another job, instead of a spiritual mission like CD Projekt Red did with Witcher 3.
  5. georgio
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    When I watched the first episode I was hooked. Henry Cavill as Geralt was superb and the show had the dark theme to it that the Witcher deserves. However it all somehow goes downhill from episode 4. The plot dashes from one place and time to another in rapid sequences. Character development seem to be rushed for the sake of moving the story. The acting of some of the new characters isWhen I watched the first episode I was hooked. Henry Cavill as Geralt was superb and the show had the dark theme to it that the Witcher deserves. However it all somehow goes downhill from episode 4. The plot dashes from one place and time to another in rapid sequences. Character development seem to be rushed for the sake of moving the story. The acting of some of the new characters is questionable as is the decision about what to focus on. By the end of episode 5 I had to force myself to watch it to the end. It just does not click.

    I think the show would function much better as monster of the week story. In a way that let's say Supernatural or even Mandalorian does it.    … Expand
  6. TheWaffle
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    Words I never thought I'd say: Henry Cavill is the best part of this show. There is a fight scene towards the end of episode one that got me real stoked for this show, but that turned out to be a flash of brilliance, and not a sign of things to come. And when the bad guys start shooting arrows at a literal castle wall, I realized that there was not much thought going into this show. TheWords I never thought I'd say: Henry Cavill is the best part of this show. There is a fight scene towards the end of episode one that got me real stoked for this show, but that turned out to be a flash of brilliance, and not a sign of things to come. And when the bad guys start shooting arrows at a literal castle wall, I realized that there was not much thought going into this show. The Witcher is fine, but forgettable.… Expand
  7. Turbodowg
    Jan 2, 2020
    5
    The Witcher is okay... it never gets close to brilliance, but it isn't terrible either. It's somewhere in between passable and average.
    It lacks the magic that made both the books and the game so brilliant, but it does have some strong points; mainly Henry Cavill. He play's Geralt to almost perfection and looks exactly like the character in the game. The series would have worked much    The Witcher is okay... it never gets close to brilliance, but it isn't terrible either. It's somewhere in between passable and average.
    It lacks the magic that made both the books and the game so brilliant, but it does have some strong points; mainly Henry Cavill. He play's Geralt to almost perfection and looks exactly like the character in the game. The series would have worked much better if the focus was on Geralt, taking on a new Witcher contracts and fighting a different monster of the week each episode.
    Instead the series attempts to introduce the viewer to a ridiculously large cast of characters over a long period of time within the eight episodes, which ultimately leaves each character feeling flat. The story feels messy and without any on screen dates, or a map it is very hard to follow when and where the story is taking place.

    The other major issue is that they made some strange choices with the casting of characters, forced diversity is squeezed into every shot to fill Netflix's bizarre and over the top diversity quotas. It just looks out of place having POC I a show based on Polish folklore. The show also focuses way to much on the female characters and side-lines Geralt.
    Triss was completely miss-cast and badly written and many of the other characters you will not care about.
    Visually The Witcher looks good, but lacks any grand vistas or scenes that made the game so spectacular. The CGI monsters are ropey and would have looked a lot better if they had been physically created.
    Apart from all the poor stuff mentioned above, I did really enjoy a number of the episodes, Betrayer Moon been amongst my favourites as it feels the most suited to a Witcher TV show.

    As a fan of the games and books I’m pleased they made the show, and hopefully if it gets a season 2 it will be improved. I’d certainly recommend it to fans to watch (for curiosity) but I can’t see any non-Witcher fans getting much enjoinment from it.    … Expand
  8. RiaskoFF
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    Very boring. Was watching it on the second screen while clearing old raids in World Of Warcraft and still almost died of boredom (at least i looted what i want from Black wing Lair). The only nice thing about the series is Henry Cavill.
    Maybe I'm just not a witcher-fan-boy, but thats definitely not my cup of tea.
  9. smentek
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Acting is good but nothing spectacular. Including Cavill as Geralt. But he convinced me, and I think I will see him in more positive light later in show Freya Allan is actually very good.
    It looks to me like most of the comments here giving 10.0 is artificial. Nothing justify that high score! Not if you are fan of books/game and it is even less likely if you new to it. The show is rather bad. But if you are teen or big fan of fantasy, then you may still like it. But giving it 10? No way. I watched first episode and may continue it another day, but without enthusiasm. One of the best short stories from the books, is trimmed mercilessly in order to push some well known 'fall of the kingdom' drama cliche into episode. It could be add later on, in couple of short scenes, as retrospective. But no. We have to say it all "again" at start, to have that "grand opening" that someone envisioned. I'm really open to new ("old" I should say) ideas, but it have to work well. Instead it ends up with utter lack of tension! They had great book do adapt, and safe would be to keep plot close to it. Even if it would end up being miniseries. The problem is: Sapkowski short stories are really well written. There is not much to cut off or trim from it without destroying it utterly.
    Fighting scenes do not work either. All bogus. It lacks of speed it lacks of "reality" - that may not the best word for it, as some better CGI is also needed. But above all much more production time and effort! Also stunt doubles. Martial art masters? Would it be so difficult to hire some? We do not need Cavill doing it all by himself. Without high quality fighting choreography this show will not fly. Unfortunately money went on horses instead. But not for the music, is terrible! Violence and sex all PG-13. That I can understand. But some of the stuff i do not get at all. For instance in first episode Geralt is being told by other characters that he needs new clothes (repeatedly - It may be that they "think" he stinks, after bath in the swamp, but it ended up about cloths in dialogues. Magician door is open for everyone. Guarded only by illusion. But worst is that in last scene Geralt leaves market first, in result allowing Sorcerer to continue his intended work. What kind of men would do that?! So our main character is compromised already. Not the Geralt I like or respect.    … Expand
  10. winzentween
    Jan 25, 2022
    5
    Season 1 review: Im a huge fan of all things witcher so trust me when i say it's not terrible but sadly it's far from good. Though the cgi IS truly terrible at times, as are the shockingly cheap sets. The acting is too often confused and wooden as the script is a complete mess. All likley due to the weak direction and a total lack of quality control. Not sure who to blame but it's likelySeason 1 review: Im a huge fan of all things witcher so trust me when i say it's not terrible but sadly it's far from good. Though the cgi IS truly terrible at times, as are the shockingly cheap sets. The acting is too often confused and wooden as the script is a complete mess. All likley due to the weak direction and a total lack of quality control. Not sure who to blame but it's likely the show runner who has a track record of hit and miss projects. Sadly this is no game of thrones! It does get better as it goes along (but not by much) though it's just so much worse than the books or game or even the anime. The brand deserves so much better. The anime despite it's own problems really nails the feeling of what it is to be a witcher while this show doesn't have a clue. It's embarrassing at times how cheap and lazy the production is. I believe Henry has actually taken tips from fans for s2 because he had as much of a clue who Geralt was.. as the show runner. It's a real shame as the casting is excellent as is the source material. The show is technically based on the books but clearly the games as well even if its not officially acknowledged. The show is much like xena and hercules but not as fun. It's also inexplicably dumb at times but this might be due to the misuse of the giant budget. Also It is all filmed in a weird disconnected order to its detriment as it confuses viewers. I believe this was the show runner attempting to make the missteps in production more interesting in editing. Maybe season 2 will be better now it's so popular. I Hope so. Worth a look but keep expectations low. Like really low...as there are equal good parts as there are clunky stinking ones :.

    Also if you do love the games go watch the nightmare of the wolf anime first. It's meant to help with season 2 but it's just so much truer to the brand than much of season 1. 6/10

    Ggg    … Expand
  11. QACritic
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    TL;DR :Bad choices in story telling and casting make the Witcher series lose what made the Witcher books/games interesting.

    I see a lot of fans reviewing unrealistically either giving it a 10 because they ae fans and love the Witcher games/books and want this to succeed or a 0 by the fans who are pissed of that the show is kind of average virtue signaling bs that does not work with the    TL;DR :Bad choices in story telling and casting make the Witcher series lose what made the Witcher books/games interesting.

    I see a lot of fans reviewing unrealistically either giving it a 10 because they ae fans and love the Witcher games/books and want this to succeed or a 0 by the fans who are pissed of that the show is kind of average virtue signaling bs that does not work with the Witcher setting. The reality is that this show is just average TV with nothing to recommend to anyone new and disappointing for existing fans. So a rating of 5 to 7 is the best it cloud do given the production company the show runner that does not understand the source material and Slavic mentality that produced the Witcher books and what made them unique as compared to the **** of similar fantasy drivel available by native English speakers.

    The only character from this show that are good are: the actors for Geralt, Queen Calante, Mousesack, Eist.Pavetta and Tissaia everyone else is not portrayed well either due to directing/writing or bad acting (although this is not much of an issue).
    Very little left of what made the books and games interesting (read all and played all). I had low expectations due to the "diversity hires" (which make for some WTF moments) but that is the least of the problems in the show. The main problem is the story telling, you get most of the end at the beginning which could work if the series was a movie and moved way faster than it does. The bad interweaving of the different story line makes things even worse because it is just pointlessly confusing especially for people new to the series (if you are one of those please read the books they are much better). The really missed opportunity is that the first two books that this season is based on are composed of short stories that could have made good introductory season.. After that there is enough content for at least 2-3 seasons.
    Yennefer should have been a supporting character until she was needed for the story instead we got a lot of torture porn that ruined her character based on a few lines of guessing by Geralt in the books, it does not help that the actress cannot convey a character that has age and experience hiding behind a pretty face instead we have a petulant child as Yennefer.

    Comparing this to GOT is a joke since this is a 3 compared to seasons 1-4 of GOT and barely better than season 8.    … Expand
  12. starilent
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The story telling is a mess. Too hurry and chaos. The parts of Yennefer and Geralt are good, and the actor and actress perform very well in my opinion. But the timeline and most characters' relationship are not good. They tried to make you feels sad when some character die, but you might not have time to know these character. And even though I think Yen's part are good, this character isn't charming as she is in the original books and games. She's childish, cynical. The show didn't convinced me, that she is the woman who Geralt would suddenly falls in love with her.

    And I don't thing people who hasn't read the original books or played the games will fully understand what happened in the show. Because they cut a lot of important and key in formations out, like what is a witcher, where they come, why people hate them, what is Dryad, why human fears them(they looks like normal human in the show)...etc.

    The musics and battle scene are good. But the visual effects feels very cheap.

    Overall, it's not a bad show, but is not good as well.    … Expand
  13. MadMax09392
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am a huge fan of the books and honestly this adaptation is not as bad as I feared it would be, average is the best way to describe it with some bad some good and a few excellent things.

    First the pacing of the story is all over the place and with the different timelines people will be Lost (pun intended)

    The acting is uneven there are some great performances some very bad ones and the same is true for the special effects and costume design but it does have some amazing moments the striga story is very well done and the practical effects on this monster are great.

    It's watchable and entertaining while not being anything special hoping they improve on things for the next seasons.    … Expand
  14. ali_khunaizi
    Dec 22, 2019
    5
    it's good... surely worth its production and I believe it will get better and better in the future seasons, keeping in mind that it was a tough introductory season, what next is the best.
    unless they ignored what the audiences are saying.
  15. McCorius
    Dec 26, 2019
    5
    I was very excited for this show. I love the Witcher Video Games but haven’t read the books. It would be so easy to turn this into a great show and it may still become one. However, the strange way they lay out the plot jumping in time and place is confusing. Whenever Gerald is on screen it works but other times I found myself struggling to care about what’s happening. Now that allI was very excited for this show. I love the Witcher Video Games but haven’t read the books. It would be so easy to turn this into a great show and it may still become one. However, the strange way they lay out the plot jumping in time and place is confusing. Whenever Gerald is on screen it works but other times I found myself struggling to care about what’s happening. Now that all the characters are laid out it could still settle into a decent show. For now it’s just kinda meh.… Expand
  16. Orestes
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    What I miss the most is good dialogues and good acting. Cavill as Geralt is fine, but the rest of the cast is an abomination. I cannot empathize with any of the characters, they al seem modern actors not prepared to incarnate pithy fantasy characters. The dialogues obviously do not help at all. I don't believe in this mythology that they are trying to convey, their words doesn'tWhat I miss the most is good dialogues and good acting. Cavill as Geralt is fine, but the rest of the cast is an abomination. I cannot empathize with any of the characters, they al seem modern actors not prepared to incarnate pithy fantasy characters. The dialogues obviously do not help at all. I don't believe in this mythology that they are trying to convey, their words doesn't communicate reliability or seriousness. I miss real drama in here. People tend to think that fantasy worlds cannot have dramatic plots, rich narratives and poetic backgrounds, but that was precisely what made Game of Thrones so big. The photography is nice, the setting location was a good choice (thumbs up for the Canary Islands) and even the fighting choreography is pretty decent. I give them that. Nevertheless, I will never take this tv show seriously because it lacks authenticity and credibility. The actors and actresses are not believing in their lines. It's like watching puppets (Not Herson's puppets, that's otherworldly). They are dressed and equipped with fantasy kits but they don't believe in fantasy as a legitimate genre. The show hasn't got a soul. It has beautiful facade but not a single glimpse of heart. It is really dissapointing to see once again how producers take fantasy for granted as a tradable currency. Good fantasy requires a tremendous delicacy and touch and over all good lines for the characters, to make them feel alive and important.… Expand
  17. Igor_Pleshkov
    Dec 25, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Сериал заслуживает 10, но -1 за Трисс Меригольд, -1 за излишнюю толерантность, -1 за броню нильфгарда и Карыга лучника, -1 за музыку я бы мог перечислить ещё много минусов, но не буду. Некоторые моменты получились очень хорошо: Тиссая Де Врие прекрасна именно так я представлял её, Геральт хоть это и сепермэн-геральт неплох, Лютик тоже получился хорошо(кроме песен).Я читал все 7 книг прошел ведьмак 2 и 3 и я не против отступления от канонов. Автор имеет право добавлять что-то от себя немного переделывать сюжет для себя и своего видения, но авторы уж очень перестарались. фильм прекрасен, но его некоторые детали не дают восхищаться им. Жду 2 сезон и надеюсь они исправят многие недочёты хоть героев уже не поменять. Советую прочитать книги они намного интереснее… Expand
  18. oldtimer_za
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    Pros:
    - some genuinely cool fight scenes.
    - great backdrops and environments. - Interesting ideas and world. Meh: - Some wooden acting. - some cheap costumes. - boring filler scenes instead of important ones. Cons: - Super cringey dialogue (especially Yennefer's). - Over acting and forced reactions. - Confusing layering of events timelines.(Only until 4 or 5 episodes in does    Pros:
    - some genuinely cool fight scenes.
    - great backdrops and environments.
    - Interesting ideas and world.

    Meh:
    - Some wooden acting.
    - some cheap costumes.
    - boring filler scenes instead of important ones.

    Cons:
    - Super cringey dialogue (especially Yennefer's).
    - Over acting and forced reactions.
    - Confusing layering of events timelines.(Only until 4 or 5 episodes in does it all click).

    An entertaining watch but it's closer to BBC's Merlin than it is to HBO's Game of thrones.    … Expand
  19. Bubber
    Dec 21, 2019
    5
    It's not horrible, but it's a missed opportunity to make a great series due to poor adaptation and the way they felt the need to add forced diversity to the cast plus other progressive ideas that just don't fit in the Witcher universe.

    Overall disappointed.
  20. 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
  21. Lordwerneo
    Dec 22, 2019
    5
    No doubt, if Netflix were those who screen the Chernobyl tragedy, it would be full of asians and blacks. Same with witcher, did they even try to read the book?

    The special effects look good, the location is chosen more or less well, but the series deviates from the plot, there is no dating, the cast is horrible, the ideology of the characters is wrong, it's a failure!
  22. RHIT
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    Requires a second season to make sense but Henry Cavil was born to play Geralt.
  23. Everything
    Dec 23, 2019
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It could be so good but the stories are rushed, some of the best part have been cut or changed to be worse.
    The sorceresses have been misused as not one of them exudes the confidence and class ascribed to their respective characters in the books. They act more like 19 year olds in their first convincing cosplay than 100 year old mages and Yen bothers me the most. The facial expressions she makes and the manner in which she delivers insults feels bitter and immature, not powerful, confident, and snobbish. This could just be bad writing but one way or another it needs fixed. This is after her transformation, the acting before is good. Some other parts from Yens story will either leave gaping holes in the plot or require extensive revision of it.
    Some characters have been done well though, Geralt and Jaskir are great, Ciri is good as well though there is room for improvement in all 3.
    For the smaller fights the choreography is great but the larger battles are not good and in Sodden Hill's case really is a massive let down compared to what it should be.
    The ending along with the stories have been changed in ways that have lost a lot of the emotional impact that the books had.
    The writing needs a lot of work, sometimes its good and sometimes its bad, sometimes i felt like the writers didn't know what they were making and a few times you can tell what was from the books and what was made up by the writers as it became a lot watered down.
    With Nilfgaard and Fringilla there are a lot of changes and i dont think anyone of them is for the best. There are more points but this is quite long now so overall whilst enjoyable for some parts there are a lot of things that need changing and made better. 5/10    … Expand
  24. LordCrash
    Dec 28, 2019
    5
    People tend to compare the Witcher to Game of Thrones but that's probably the wrong take. The show never wants to be any serious and it never actually tries to achieve any depth or nuanced meaning that would elevate it above the usual cheesy sword and sorcery pulp fantasy. The Witcher is more like a 2019 version of Xena or Hercules. It's an anachronism that acts like Game of Thrones andPeople tend to compare the Witcher to Game of Thrones but that's probably the wrong take. The show never wants to be any serious and it never actually tries to achieve any depth or nuanced meaning that would elevate it above the usual cheesy sword and sorcery pulp fantasy. The Witcher is more like a 2019 version of Xena or Hercules. It's an anachronism that acts like Game of Thrones and other groundbreaking TV shows in the past 10 or 20 years never happened and that shows like Xena or Stargate were still the pinnacle of great TV entertainment. The show can only be seen as naive fun but not as anything with a serious message or story. It's only fitting that its budget seems to be severly limited, resulting in poor costumes, ridiculously poor attle scenes, completely unbelievable medieval weaponry and fighting and bad CGI and special effects.

    The Netflix adaption also shows no respect and has no understanding of its own source material. It lacks all the core strings of the novels, like the Slavic melancholia, its nuanced but very down to earth dialogues, its lifelike and nuanced characters, its complex political and societal elements, and most important, everything about Geralt's and Ciri's relationship and the true meaning of destiny. It only adds to the the show's mediocrity that it has a terrible "telling instead of showing" habit that results in bad dialogues and many repetitions. The show also only rarely cares to show its characters motivations. They just act because they plot needs them to act in a certain way.

    If the prospect of a shallow pulp fantasy show with the flair of the old cheesy sword&sorcery series of the 1990s and early 2000s the Witcher might be exactly your kind of thing. Or maybe you only want the characters from the games be part in a series? Have fun watching it, it won't do you any harm. Anybody looking for a deep and nuanced show that builds upon everything that happend in the genre in the past 10 years or a show that transports the core elements of its source material should maybe skip and watch something else - or just (re-)read Andrzej Sapkowski's fantastic novels.    … Expand
  25. Cesium06
    Jan 1, 2020
    5
    I'm a huge fan of the Witcher. I play Gwent regularly. I've read the some of the books. I've played all of the games. However, this show is still pretty mediocre. Odd pacing. Most parts fairly unenjoyable and unnecessarily drawn out. Anytime Geralt is on the screen it's an enjoyable adventure. I found myself skipping ahead to get back to the parts with him in it.
  26. Hills
    Jan 11, 2020
    5
    1. Henry Cavill isn't well suited for that taciturn role
    2. There wasn't a specific direction of the plot
    3. No Captivating scenes asides the action
  27. busiek
    Jul 3, 2023
    5
    I watched first season - it was... meh, but Henry Cavill was very good as Gerald. "I'll give them a chance!".
  28. kingzardoz
    Dec 23, 2019
    4
    I am reviewing this from the perspective of somebody who has only played the games and never read the books. I just ordered the books in the hopes that I can wipe this show from my memory. My expectations were very low for Netflix's The Witcher. The trailers looked cheap and I can't think of the last time I saw a good netflix produced show. All the woke culture aside, this show fails atI am reviewing this from the perspective of somebody who has only played the games and never read the books. I just ordered the books in the hopes that I can wipe this show from my memory. My expectations were very low for Netflix's The Witcher. The trailers looked cheap and I can't think of the last time I saw a good netflix produced show. All the woke culture aside, this show fails at the basics. There is maybe only one good human vs human fight scene in the whole show. Any fight scene with a monster is poorly executed and lazy. The writing jumps all over the place with way too much time spent revisiting the fall of Cintra. The depiction of magic ranges from ok to terrible. I can overlook many problems but they eventually become too numerous to enjoy the show. If you read the books I can imagine this series becomes unwatchable. The only way you might get a watchable Witcher series is if it got Lord of the Rings money behind it. Unfortunately I think Hollywood would still find a way to mess it all up.… Expand
  29. VonSeux
    Dec 20, 2019
    4
    Don't you feel disconnected from the show when everything, even light, is post processed, and so... Fake? I do not care about book or game fidelity but this is just not good drama.
  30. 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.
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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.
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  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.
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  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!”).
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