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. Andystovall26
    Sep 1, 2023
    10
    The User score is what matters here. These are the people watching the show, paying money to get Netflix going. It was nice to see a character (Witcher) so accurate to the game! Ya know, the people spending $ 60 to play the game and another $20 for netflix. WE were happy with this. Y'all wonder why you're loosing money and bo one think of you as journalists lol.
  2. Angar
    Aug 3, 2023
    1
    I was too dumb to understand plot, please dumb it down more. +1 point because of Henry Cavill still beeing Geralt.
  3. Dechard27
    Jul 19, 2023
    10
    Awesome show and great acting, season 2 was almost as good and season 3 has now killed the show… I couldn’t even finish season 3, it was that bad.
  4. 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.
  5. Ahoythere
    Jul 3, 2023
    10
    I enjoy watching Geralt navigate tricky moral situations like that one time he
  6. 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!".
  7. buhu
    Dec 29, 2022
    10
    A great beginning. Very strony start to the series, bringing us into this amazing world
  8. Rethar
    Nov 3, 2022
    0
    Horrible parasitism on books. Some canonical stories are just for show. The Queen wishes everyone beer and terribly ridicule the ambassadors. Humor gave way to a huge amount of pathos. Yen Mary Sue, Ciri Imba, for which you do not worry... There are many logical inconsistencies even for the original work.
  9. 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
  10. IJustRoastedU
    Jun 15, 2022
    4
    Omg! The first episode was pretty good but everything else just was terrible to watch! This should have a 4/10
  11. RazorNivek
    Jun 9, 2022
    10
    The Witcher Netflix ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
  12. 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
  13. cylun
    Jan 7, 2022
    10
    This season just blew me away. They tried something new with the time jumps and it worked for me. You can try new things without deviating too much from the source material.
  14. Onlyclassicvg1
    Jan 4, 2022
    7
    Geralt acude a un bardo para obtener un consejo mientras Yennefer descubre lo importante que es Ciri. La visita del emperador Emhyr a Cintra aumenta las tensiones.
  15. RichSpider
    Dec 22, 2021
    0
    This is the key for me. If you are going to adapt award-winning source material that's beloved by many fans, whatever changes you make better have either A) a great reason behind it or B) improve the story.

    So far I've watched The Expanse incredibly faithfully adapt the novels to TV as best as they can and why is that show so beloved? The quality of the story is extremely high. For the    This is the key for me. If you are going to adapt award-winning source material that's beloved by many fans, whatever changes you make better have either A) a great reason behind it or B) improve the story.

    So far I've watched The Expanse incredibly faithfully adapt the novels to TV as best as they can and why is that show so beloved? The quality of the story is extremely high. For the non-book readers that in of itself is great. But for the book readers, they know the quality is so damn high because the quality of the novels is so damn high and so the showrunner and writers room (including the book's authors) faithfully adapted it to preserve that high-quality storytelling. I have also watched Game of Thrones in earlier seasons where they were largely faithful adaptations of award-winning novels and how beloved were they? Intensely. Even Dune recently was made highly faithfully and the book readers have loved it.

    I haven't finished this season yet (almost there) but I'm scared seeing how many are saying the last two episodes are the worst of all. But so far, as someone who has read the books twice, loved them but isn't above adaptations taking a different spin (if it improves the story) I am really disappointed. Not by the visuals, the acting, or anything like that. It is entirely due to the showrunner and writer's decision to make changes needlessly that make the story WORSE, not better. Why do they feel the need to add their twists and their own touch? Likely fear or ego. They don't feel creatively excited about translating a story from one medium to another they want to make it "their own." The hubris of that when the source material is award-winning and they're just TV writers is incredible.

    It sucks because I could overlook some shakey acting here and there or a bad costume or average CGI, but when the story is what I have a problem with and it's a story that requires certain things in order to result in other things down the line, it makes watching the show so tough. I end up just feeling bad for Henry who considering what he's said in multiple interviews, just wishes the show was a faithful adaptation from the novels to the screen like The Expanse has been.    … Expand
  16. 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
  17. JavaSquirt
    Dec 20, 2021
    0
    Ждал сериал про вселенную ведьмака, получил киноиспражнение про лгбт, негров эльфов, негров дриад(с арбалетами, дриады, сука, с арбалетами, черные), нереально страшные актрисы, ЙЕн индуска, Трисс негр. Обычные славяне в деревнях тоже негры кста.Ждал сериал про вселенную ведьмака, получил киноиспражнение про лгбт, негров эльфов, негров дриад(с арбалетами, дриады, сука, с арбалетами, черные), нереально страшные актрисы, ЙЕн индуска, Трисс негр. Обычные славяне в деревнях тоже негры кста.
  18. jautja
    Dec 20, 2021
    2
    Просто отвратительно. На оригинал плевать, декорации - крашеный картон, доспехи ведьмака убожество (нильфгардские доспехи из первого сезона курят), эльфы - люди бомжи, все смешано в одну кучу, цири стала БОТЕКСНОЙ дурой, Весемир тупой и т.д.

    It's just disgusting. Don't care about the original, the decorations are painted cardboard, the witcher's armor is squalor (Nilfgard armor from the    Просто отвратительно. На оригинал плевать, декорации - крашеный картон, доспехи ведьмака убожество (нильфгардские доспехи из первого сезона курят), эльфы - люди бомжи, все смешано в одну кучу, цири стала БОТЕКСНОЙ дурой, Весемир тупой и т.д.

    It's just disgusting. Don't care about the original, the decorations are painted cardboard, the witcher's armor is squalor (Nilfgard armor from the first season is smoking), the elves are homeless people, everything is mixed in one heap, ciri has become a BOTEX fool, Vesemir is stupid, etc.    … Expand
  19. tehJo
    Dec 18, 2021
    3
    Yet another atrocity. They really loosely used books. Changing the meaning of stories, added more and more. The script is really bad, dialogs are horrible, characters are butchered. Season one was really bad and due to changes made to the story, they are going deeper and deeper into the world of terrible confusion and at the same time feeding us horrible experiences. Dialogs are writtenYet another atrocity. They really loosely used books. Changing the meaning of stories, added more and more. The script is really bad, dialogs are horrible, characters are butchered. Season one was really bad and due to changes made to the story, they are going deeper and deeper into the world of terrible confusion and at the same time feeding us horrible experiences. Dialogs are written once in the tones of fantasy and in other times modern talk. The political correctness that changed the plot and characters in season one now just makes it unwatchable. The story of Ciri was a story of a child and clearly here she is a woman. I do not see redemption for this series. I like Henry but he should know better not to be part of this atrocity.… Expand
  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. 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
  22. pur__0_0__
    Aug 18, 2021
    10
    The Witcher was the most legendary looking I ever watched at the time. This is something which might actually become a big franchise in the future if used properly. I have never played the game, though I have The Witcher Enhanced Edition on my GOG account. Because of this at first I was hesitant to watch this show, since I thought I won't understand anything. But later I got to know thisThe Witcher was the most legendary looking I ever watched at the time. This is something which might actually become a big franchise in the future if used properly. I have never played the game, though I have The Witcher Enhanced Edition on my GOG account. Because of this at first I was hesitant to watch this show, since I thought I won't understand anything. But later I got to know this is based on the book and not the game, so I was able to enjoy this.
    Geralt of Rivia is my favourite mythological character now. His entry in the first scene was very badass, where he rips out a monster and exits. Initially I had only begun watching this for the memes, but slowly I started liking all the characters. In the first episode itself there is the scene where Geralt kills all the villagers and walks out of there. This precedes a meme template which I'm not allowed to write in this review since it's a cuss word.
    There is a lot of world building here. We have all the landscapes, the creatures, the people, the lifestyle. It really feels like an RPG. The kids who used to ask everyone to watch Game of Thrones must be rolling in their graves after watching this. It clearly did more world building in just 2 episodes than Game of Thrones did in one whole season. There are many concepts that are explained throughout the series and all the background and context that is required to understand what is happening. The character development is also intense, especially for Yennefer when she transforms into a crooked outcast to a beautiful woman.
    My favourite character in the show is the bard. His song, "Toss a coin to your Witcher, oh valley of plenty!" is now stuck in my head and is playing in a loop as I'm writing this review. My favourite episode was the one where all the different characters go out in the mountains to hunt for the golden dragon, and in the end the golden dragon reveals himself before Geralt. It is also the first thing I remember when I think of The Witcher.
    It's good to see video game adaptations are finally getting better, and stories from lesser developed countries like Poland are being heard all over the world. I hope this series never gets ruined by the campiness that eventually haunted DCEU or Game of Thrones. This show needs to stay longer. It has inspired me to play the games once I get a gaming PC. It's a cultural phenomenon for us gamers and we must support it if we want to make ourselves and our hobby more recognised.    … Expand
  23. Lucas565
    Mar 3, 2021
    10
    Uma das melhores séries que existem eu recomendo ela é maravilhosa mesmo.
  24. 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.
  25. abm0
    Dec 24, 2020
    9
    As a first-contact with this franchise, I loved it and want to see more. Best part was the CGI and how much it was used to do mages justice, with large-scale/epic spells (like in Warcraft), not micro-magic BS like in Harry Potter or other kids' Fantasy shows. Then Cavill was impressive for being able to play a very different character, more sombre and brooding than what he's been famousAs a first-contact with this franchise, I loved it and want to see more. Best part was the CGI and how much it was used to do mages justice, with large-scale/epic spells (like in Warcraft), not micro-magic BS like in Harry Potter or other kids' Fantasy shows. Then Cavill was impressive for being able to play a very different character, more sombre and brooding than what he's been famous for. Good and very good acting all around, some weaknesses in the dialogues here and there, some strange choices in the storytelling (mainly the timeline treatment, though I did also enjoy having the challenge to piece it all together - might be something that makes me rewatch it before S2 comes out). Greatest disappointment would be how high my expectations went after seeing the first part of Yen's evolution and finding out online that she's supposedly a very powerful sorceress, only to see her presented as... slightly above-average on confidence, knowledge and power for the rest of the season. Maybe they're reserving the more impressive Yen for later, when we start to get bored of seeing Geralt using the same strengths over and over. Oh, and one of the strongest points of this first season is a certain 1-on-1 swordfight scene that was better than any swordfight I'd seen in the last ~20 years.… Expand
  26. 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.
  27. metacritiqueur
    Sep 2, 2020
    0
    Redhead lives matter ! That cast... seriously Netflix, throw away your political agenda for God sake.
  28. AngryShark92
    Jul 6, 2020
    4
    + Henry Cavill is surprisingly good
    + Subtle nods to the source material
    + Good soundtrack + CGI is passable - The diversity casting really ruins the immersion - Convoluted storyline - Pacing is all over the place - Some of the casting choices are very weak in terms of competence - The time jumping is a bit jarring, especially for newcomers - Does not follow books or games close    + Henry Cavill is surprisingly good
    + Subtle nods to the source material
    + Good soundtrack
    + CGI is passable

    - The diversity casting really ruins the immersion
    - Convoluted storyline
    - Pacing is all over the place
    - Some of the casting choices are very weak in terms of competence
    - The time jumping is a bit jarring, especially for newcomers
    - Does not follow books or games close enough
    - Fails to prioritize the adventures of Geralt and his monster encounters

    Oh boy, I have watched through this for the 3rd time with the books and the games fresh in my mind and it has drastically changed my opinion. I originally gave this an 8, and I feel like that was way too generous.

    I will commend everything that was done well first. Henry Cavill, while some others may not like him, I thought he did a pretty good job at playing Geralt. He seems to portray the game version of Geralt, more than the book version, which will only make sense to those who have consumed both. His range of emotions are not too impressive, but his tone, stature, and look, certainly resemble his in-game version well. I also enjoyed some of the soundtrack and score, as well as some of the monster CGI considering the limited budget a pilot season would have.

    Now into the bad...

    This politically correct, diversity hiring nonsense really has to stop. It hurts this show so much for the fans who actually care deeply for the books and the games. None of these characters outside of the few Zerrikanian or Ofieri characters should be anything but caucasian. It is the same disappointment when Hollywood whitewashes Asian movies, or if we decided Bollywood films should only feature Latinos... it makes no sense, it's not racist, it's just calling out the disrespect to the source material and time period when it deserves it.

    This leads into forcing the actual fans into breaking immersion from what they already know from the books and games. Triss, Fringilla, and the Brokilon elves are the biggest culprits when it comes to this. If you played the games, this is especially jarring for Triss and Fringilla who are now black women. If you've seen Triss or Fringilla in the games, this will look incredibly silly and poorly casted. Triss, a caucasian female, with pale white skin, (book/game respectively) chestnut/fiery red hair, blue/green eyes is now a light-skinned black woman with brown hair and eyes... Fringilla, a caucasian female, with pale white skin, green eyes, and black hair is now a black woman... it is just a complete joke and betrayal to the source material.

    Yen, makes no sense at all, the actress is clearly of Indian descent, and looks way too young and submissive to play someone like Yen. I don't blame Anya for this as it is an incredibly tough role to cast and play, and she certainly looks like she is giving it her best, but none of these characters are casted well.

    There are a few other minor characters here and there like Vilgefortz and Danek who also suffer the same diversity-washing nonsense, but they are not given too much screentime anyways. The only good casting choices seemed to be Geralt, Ciri, Jaskier, and uhh Roach.

    Alongside all of the casting issues, the storyline is just a jumbled mess. There is way too much time jumping that is, even to me, a confusing, convoluted mess of a way to tell these stories. Stories that don't entirely line up with the books or games, which to me, seems like an absolute waste of resources. This alienates fans of the books and games, as well as potential newcomers to the series exclusively through Netflix.

    I also cannot stand how much of a missed opportunity there was with respect to Geralt and his Witcher contracts, I thought these were the best bits of the show, the games, and the books. There are so many interesting contracts that Geralt takes on early, and I was sad to see such little time spent on them. Perhaps the CGI cost too much. I hope we see some more in the second season, where I will try my hardest to ignore all the awful casting choices that have been made.

    Overall, there's potential, but this series needs a lot of work and a bigger CGI budget to keep me interested. I also hate to say it but, a new writing team will be desperately needed to salvage this series if they continue attempting to tell the story this way. The forced diversity cast really is the punch in the gut for this show as well, as it will turn off a lot of the loyal fans of the books and games... and I wonder why even do it? To pander and score points with these critics who gave this a 5? I do not know why the project lead would even consider this as the series should be aimed at the incredibly large and faithful fanbase over these hyper-progressive fanatics that will probably never watch this. Guess we'll see what Season 2 does. This is a failure of a season for me after re-watching a few times. 4/10    … Expand
  29. KUTC
    Jun 19, 2020
    6
    I guess it's okay. As someone who have read the books, the first season seemed not as confusing as for people who just met this series, but at the same time some moments were painful to watch - a lot of adaptation imagination.
  30. belchegors
    Jun 14, 2020
    0
    A spit on european / slavic folklore and culture. It's all cheap, battles are terrible. Horrible cast and storytelling itself. It's an insult to fans. Just a badly written fanfiction with some book stuff sprinkled here and there. It's not worth your time if you are a fan of the books and you want a loyal adaptation.
    Henry is great. Unfortunately, that is not enough. Looks like Netflix    A spit on european / slavic folklore and culture. It's all cheap, battles are terrible. Horrible cast and storytelling itself. It's an insult to fans. Just a badly written fanfiction with some book stuff sprinkled here and there. It's not worth your time if you are a fan of the books and you want a loyal adaptation.
    Henry is great. Unfortunately, that is not enough. Looks like Netflix plans to destroy the magnificent story.    … 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

All reviews »
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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