The Wheel of Time's cancellation could signal a worrying change to the TV landscape

With weeks of radio silence and uncertainty of a renewal following the conclusion of the third instalment, fans of the fantasy show were left reeling at the news, especially as the latest season received the highest rating from critics and fans alike, and even landed on the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 Chart (amassing 534 million minutes).

Like many fantasy shows which have been cruelly cancelled in – or even before – their prime, The Wheel of Time fans have launched a hugely popular petition which has quickly garnered over 150,000 signatures, with the hope that the fantasy saga is shipped to other streaming services, (a lá The Expanse, which was ironically picked up at Prime Video).

However, is this latest cancellation – in a long line of more diverse fantasy series being cancelled – a worrying sign of a larger shift in the TV landscape?

It’s undoubtedly hard being a fantasy fan at the moment. As previously mentioned, TV shows within this genre are constantly being cancelled by streaming giants – primarily Netflix and Prime Video – either after their first season or just as they’re hitting their stride.

Aside from The Wheel of Time, this includes popular and genuinely well-rated shows such as The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Acolyte, Lockwood & Co., Kaos, Warrior Nuns, Willow, The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself and most notably, The OA. As a result, audiences are hesitant to commit to starting a fantasy or YA-led show with the fear that they might be cancelled, having a direct impact on viewing numbers.

Aside from the genre, the most prominent – and concerning – theme connecting the long list of cancelled shows is that diverse casts are at the forefront, along with more prominent female characters.

While it’s hard being a fantasy fan, it’s even more difficult being a female, person of colour, and/or queer fantasy fan, due to the rise in misogynistic and discriminatory comments from audiences, co-ordinated review bombings and significant backlash across social media.

The treatment of the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power cast, most notably Morfydd Clark, Sophia Nomvete and Ismael Cruz Cordova, is a prime example.

Due to the controversy over Galadriel’s expanded arc and a person of colour playing Arondir, an elf in a show about a wholly fictional fantasy world filled with Balrogs, orcs and talking trees, the actors received ignorant and downright unacceptable backlash from a certain section of the fan base.

And it’s not just the Rings of Power cast facing this torrid wave of abuse, take for example the wonderfully talented cast of The Acolyte – along with certain actors in the latest big-screen Star Wars trilogy – who have been subjected to awful discrimination.

While this once welcome shift towards more diverse representation in a typically more male-dominated genre was long overdue, certain audiences appear to be pushing against this.

In contrast, the beauty of Robert Jordan’s universe and The Wheel of Time show is the overwhelming acceptance and normality of powerful women, queer relationships and diverse cultures in everyday life. Jordan’s fictional world is one much more tolerant than our own and refreshingly free of hatred.

In fact, both the book and show feature one of the most fascinating shifts in gender roles in the fantasy genre to date, tied to the core take on magic in the universe – the One Power.

As the showrunner Rafe Judkins explained, these elements are an “unquestioned, innate part of this fantasy world” with certain dynamics and relationships commonplace. There’s no backlash or hatred explored within the text or subtext, and it’s all the richer for it.

In fact, Rosamund Pike and Sophie Okonedo's take on Moiraine and Siuan’s expanded loving relationship, spanning years of their lives, was undoubtedly one of the most moving and emotional in the show.

Furthermore, the show had literally just hit its stride with the best season yet, garnering praise from both critics and fans alike.

The third instalment currently sits at its highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 97 per cent, along with the standout fourth episode, The Road to the Spear, quickly becoming the top-rated episode of the show on IMDb with an impressive 9.4/10.

Even star Rosamund Pike noted the improved fan response to the third season, revealing on David Tennant’s podcast that "they loved some things, they hated others, but this third season, they're like, 'This is our show,' and that's very exciting".

The third season of the show left us with plenty more story to tell, as Rand had just become the Car'a'carn, the "Chief of chiefs", with his significant battle with the madness beginning to take shape. There was also the shocking cliffhanger with the White Tower schism significantly altering the Aes Sedai and there’s still the apocalyptic Last Battle to come between the Dragon Reborn and the Dark One.

While the third season adapted book four, The Shadow Rising, there are still 10 more books to go in the expansive saga, with so many more momentous events and arcs to unpack.

It’s so disappointing to see such an accepting fantasy show be cancelled. This certainly feels like a reflection on the current trend of studios unfortunately leaning away from greater representation and more liberal viewpoints, potentially due to the shifting political landscape.

Let’s just hope another streaming service picks up the series – as Robert Jordan wrote, “no one knows the Great Pattern the Wheel weaves, or even the Pattern of an Age. We can only watch, and study, and hope” – as the epic fantasy saga certainly deserves to be told in full.

The Wheel of Time seasons 1 to 3 are available to stream on Prime Video.

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