Wheel of Time boss rails against Prime Video cancellation – calls hopefully for series to continue elsewhere

Well, showrunner Rafe Judkins has now spoken out about the decision, posting a lengthy statement to his Instagram. He wrote: "I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week — why was The Wheel of Time cancelled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.

"What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.

"And we’ve all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!), but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world, appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade."

Judkins continues: "One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best – get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story.

"We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.

"Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling.

"It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that.

"I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best – bringing great characters into people's living rooms and lives every week."

Read more:

• Black Doves, Game of Thrones and Peaky Blinders stars cast in Dublin Trilogy adaptation
• Tulsa King gets new spin-off from Taylor Sheridan – starring movie A-lister

He concluded: "Will The Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it's not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.

"So, who knows, perhaps The Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one – defy the traditional definitions of 'beginnings' and 'ends'. I certainly hope it does – because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished."

So, like the fans, it seems as though showrunner Judkins is also hoping to continue working on The Wheel of Time, despite not currently knowing exactly how that might happen.

Similarly, Brandon Sanderson (the author who is known for finishing The Wheel of Time books) shared his thoughts on the news of the show's axe in a comment on one of his YouTube videos.

He said: “I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancelation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way.”

As for now, fans will just have to cross their fingers in spite of the cancellation to see if anything can be done to change the course of the show's future.

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

Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.