'The Wheel of Time's' Cancelation Is a Painful Blow for Female-Focused Fantasy TV

In the latest update from what feels like a never-ending stream of bad news for genre fans everywhere, Prime Video has announced that its prestige adaptation of The Wheel of Time won't be returning for a fourth season. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills and all that, but it's hard not to be surprised and frustrated by this decision, for a multitude of reasons. The show, which wrapped its third season earlier just a little over a month ago, was far from finished. It had adapted just four of the fourteen books in author Robert Jordan's sprawling fantasy saga and left many of its characters in far from satisfying endings. 

The news of The Wheel of Time's cancellation is certainly unexpected; its third season was the series' most critically acclaimed to date. It had a rabidly loyal fan base that constantly advocated for the show, and, most importantly, it seemed to finally hit its stride in Season 3, deftly balancing spectacle, exposition-heavy lore dumps, and emotional character beats in a way that (mostly) felt satisfying and thrilling. (Outside of that one momentum killer of an episode with Perrin that was set entirely in the Two Rivers, this was by far the most straightforwardly entertaining season to date.)

But perhaps its ultimate end isn't as surprising as it should be. The series often felt stuck in the shadow of the other dozen or so fantasy adaptations released in Game of Thrones's wake. It never quite broke into the mainstream in the same way that House of the Dragon or The Witcher managed. Say whatever you want about its Prime Video sibling, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Tolkien adaptation has certainly kept people talking (for good or ill). The Wheel of Time felt like an afterthought in many ways, and that's a real shame, given that it was one doing some genuinely original things in the fantasy genre space.

A familiar chosen one narrative in which time is cyclical, magic exists, and only a powerful organization of women known as the Aes Sedai can control it, the show follows Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), on a quest to find the Dragon Reborn, the latest incarnation of the only person who can face off against the evil Dark One and either save or destroy humanity in the process (depending on the choices they make when the time comes). What follows is a story that spans continents, kingdoms, political factions, and religious groups, as everyone scrambles to choose a side before the long-prophesied Last Battle arrives. 

The show's cancellation means that its story ended on multiple cliffhangers, as Dragon Reborn Rand al'Thor claims his power over the Aiel, Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche is executed, Moiraine defeats Lanfear in battle, and Nynaeve finally unlocks her channeling ability. But while viewers will certainly mourn that they never got to find out whether Rand can hold back his inner darkness or what will happen to the Aes Sedai now that Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan rules in the White Tower, the loss of The Wheel of Time is bigger than that. 

While the fantasy genre has come a long way since Eowyn of Rohan was required to carry the hopes of an entire gender on her back through the Lord of the Rings films, female representation in this space is still... let's call it complicated. There are more women in these shows now, which is a welcome shift; however, those characters are often victims of everything from sexual violence to the sort of pointless objectification that only ever exists to serve the male gaze of the audience watching at home. 

But that's not how The Wheel of Time rolls. Set in a world where only women can safely channel the magical One Power, female characters are everywhere in this story and the primary drivers of its larger narrative. From powerful sorceresses and gifted politicians to rural blacksmiths and village healers, this is a show with plenty of space for different varieties of female experiences and perspectives beyond the traditional roles of wife and mother. Women occupy complex moral and narrative spaces, running the gamut from good to evil and everywhere in between. It's difficult to overstate what a genuine breath of fresh air that is in this genre space, but it's one that's certainly difficult to imagine giving up now that we've had it. 

Rand is technically the Dragon Reborn and therefore the person who will ultimately break or save the world, but he's nothing without the women around him, and the show never lets you forget that fact. 

Season 3 featured over a dozen major female characters, most of whom are the sort of experienced, mature women whose lives we rarely get to see on television at all, let alone on a show like this (outside of the occasional wise crone). Here, their stories encompass a complex web of political intrigue, personal betrayal, romance, dangerous side quests, and more, and they were each allowed to be complex, capable, and deeply flawed by turns, and none of them are torn down to build male characters (or one another) up. 

It's precisely the sort of fantasy series we need more of, not less. The show occasionally still struggled to balance its enormous cast of characters, but it ultimately gave almost everyone a moment to shine this year, and there's little doubt its third outing was the series' strongest effort to date. Somehow that still wasn't good enough. But why?

Well, per the Deadline article that broke the story of the cancellation, the answer is a simple one: Money. Though executives reportedly liked the show, the third season's "overall performance was not strong enough compared to the show’s cost for Prime Video to commit to another season."  

It's obvious Wheel of Time isn't a cheap show to make. With its sizeable cast, lavish costumes, multiple filming locations, and extensive special effects and post-production needs, the price tag per episode has to be pretty hefty. But it's still deeply frustrating to realize that Prime Video has decided that this is the show where that suddenly matters. It's common knowledge that Prime Video's The Rings of Power is the most expensive show ever made. Each episode reportedly costs over $50 million, and rumor has it that by the time production, rights, and marketing costs were included, the first two seasons cost at least $1 billion. (Billion, with a B. Not a typo.) It'll return for a third season in 2026. 

It's also not Prime Video's only big splurge. Spy thriller Citadel reportedly cost $300 million for its six-episode first season, and though the streamer desperately tried to make a franchise happen, greenlighting not one but two spinoffs, the entire attempt was a fairly embarrassing (and very expensive) flop. Yet, that series somehow still has a second in the works (though, to be fair, both Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny) were scrapped. Video game adaptation Fallout clocked in at over $150 million, but relocated its Season 2 production to California to take advantage of tax credits.

It's certainly not a surprise to anyone that it's rough out here in these entertainment streets. Hits are hard to come by, and television is steadily getting more expensive to make. It's always frustrating when a show you loved gets abruptly ended without finishing the story it was aiming to tell. But it's also difficult not to notice the obvious fact that, when push came to shove, it's the female-focused fantasy show that's getting the ax, rather than any of Prime Video's other (often very) pricey projects. 

Other factors were involved; the show was co-produced by Sony Pictures TV, which may have had different financial considerations. But it's still difficult not to feel as though genre programming aimed at women is little more than an afterthought, even though female viewers and fantasy fans voraciously (and loudly) support what feels like every piece of this type of content. 

Now that The Wheel of Time has failed, isn't it more likely we won't see its like on our screens again — or at least not anytime soon? Galadriel is still holding it down for the fantasy girlies on Rings of Power. But it's starting to feel uncomfortably as if she will be the last one standing.

The Wheel of Time Seasons 1 through 3 are streaming on Prime Video. 

Ed. Note: If there is a lobbying campaign to get Netflix to rescue the series, please email us.