''The Witcher'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

. It is based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer

Andrzej Sapkowski Andrzej Sapkowski (; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer, essayist, translator and a trained economist. He is best known for his six-volume series of books ''The Witcher'', which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hunte ...

. Set on a fictional,

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

-inspired landmass known as the Continent, ''The Witcher'' explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri. It stars

Henry Cavill Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill ( ; born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He is known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon in Showtime's '' The Tudors'' (2007–2010), DC Comics character Superman in the DC Extended Universe (2013–2022), Ge ...

Anya Chalotra Anya Chalotra is a British actress primarily known for her role as Yennefer of Vengerberg in the Netflix original series '' The Witcher''. She is also known for appearing in '' Wanderlust''. Early life Chalotra was born in Wolverhampton, En ...

, and Freya Allan. The first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Netflix on December 20, 2019. It was based on '' The Last Wish'' and '' Sword of Destiny'', which are collections of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

that precede the main ''The Witcher''

saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Pl ...

. The second season, also consisting of eight episodes and based on the novel '' Blood of Elves'', released on December 17, 2021. In September 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which will be released in mid-2023. This will be followed by a fourth season, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt of Rivia. An

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

origin story In entertainment, an origin story is an account or backstory revealing how a character or group of people become a protagonist or antagonist, and it adds to the overall interest and complexity of a narrative, often giving reasons for their inten ...

film, '' The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf'', was released on August 23, 2021. A

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

, '' The Witcher: Blood Origin'', was released on December 25, 2022.

Synopsis

The story begins with Geralt of Rivia, Crown Princess Ciri of Cintra, and the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg at different points of time, exploring formative events that shape their characters throughout the first season, before eventually merging into a single timeline. Geralt and Ciri are linked by destiny since before she was born when he unknowingly demanded her as a reward for his services by invoking "the Law of Surprise". After the two finally meet, Geralt becomes the princess's protector and must help her and fight against her various pursuers to prevent her Elder Blood and powerful magic from being used for malevolent purposes and keep Ciri and their world safe.

Cast and characters

Main

as Geralt of Rivia, a magically enhanced monster hunter known as a "witcher". Cintran princess Ciri is his "destiny". *

as Yennefer of Vengerberg, a quarter- elf sorceress. * Freya Allan as Ciri, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, the

crown princess A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

of Cintra, granddaughter of Queen Calanthe and daughter of Pavetta, from whom she inherited the Elder Blood. She is linked to Geralt by destiny. * Eamon Farren as Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, nicknamed the “Black Knight”, a Nilfgaardian army commander who leads the invasion of Cintra and the hunt for Cirilla. * Joey Batey as

Jaskier The fictional universe of '' The Witcher Saga'' was created by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The following is a list of notable characters from the series of book series and its adaptations. Overview * A dark grey cell indicates that the ...

, a travelling bard who befriends Geralt and accompanies him on his path. *

MyAnna Buring MyAnna Buring (; born 22 September 1979 as Anna Margaretha My Rantapää) is a Swedish actress, known for her roles in '' The Descent'', '' Kill List'', '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' and ''Part 2'', '' Ripper Street'', '' The W ...

as Tissaia de Vries,

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

to Yennefer and the Rectrix of Aretuza, a training academy for female mages. *

Mimî M. Khayisa Mimî Michelle Ndiweni (born 31 August 1991), since 2021 credited as Mimî M. Khayisa, is a British actress. She is known for playing Fringilla Vigo in Netflix's '' The Witcher'', Tilly Brockless in the television series '' Mr Selfridge'', and ...

as Fringilla Vigo, a sorceress who trained alongside Yennefer. She eventually leads the Nilfgaardian invasion alongside Cahir. * Anna Shaffer as

Triss Merigold The fictional universe of '' The Witcher Saga'' was created by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The following is a list of notable characters from the series of book series and its adaptations. Overview * A dark grey cell indicates that the ...

, a sorceress, the court mage of Temeria and advisor to King Foltest. * Royce Pierreson as Istredd, an adept sorcerer and historian who befriends Yennefer at Aretuza. * Wilson Mbomio as Dara, a refugee elf boy whom Cirilla befriends after the Slaughter of Cintra. *

Mahesh Jadu Mahesh Jadu (born 26 October 1982) is an Australian actor of Indo-Mauritian ancestry. He is best known for the role of Dr. Doug Harris in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' and the role of Ahmad in Netflix original series ''Marco Polo''. He also po ...

as Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, a charismatic sorcerer who rallies the northern mages to halt the invading Nilfgaardian army in Sodden. * Tom Canton as Filavandrel (season 2; guest season 1), the last king of the Elves. * Mecia Simson as Francesca Findabair (season 2), an elven sorceress. * Kim Bodnia as Vesemir (season 2), the oldest living witcher and Geralt's mentor and father figure. ** Theo James has a vocal cameo in Season 1 as a young Vesemir. He reprises his role in the animated prequel film '' The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf''.

Recurring

Jodhi May Jodhi Tania May (''née'' Hakim-Edwards; 8 May 1975) is a British actress. She remains the youngest recipient of the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, for ''A World Apart'' (1988). Her other film appearances include ''The Last o ...

as Queen Calanthe, ruler of the Kingdom of Cintra and grandmother of Princess Cirilla. * Adam Levy as Mousesack, the court

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Wh ...

of Cintra and advisor to Queen Calanthe. * Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as King Eist Tuirseach, husband to Queen Calanthe and step-grandfather of Cirilla. (season 1) * Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor, resident mage in the town of Blaviken and the Rector of Ban Ard, the academy for male mages. * Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig, a sorceress who trained alongside Yennefer. * Shaun Dooley as King Foltest, the king of Temeria, whose

incest Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity ( marriage or stepfamily), ado ...

uous relationship with his sister created a daughter. * Terence Maynard as Artorius Vigo, court mage from Toussaint and uncle of Fringilla * Judit Fekete as Vanielle of Brugge, a sorceress and one of the mages who fought during the Battle of Sodden Hill. (season 1) * Paul Bullion as Lambert, a witcher at Kaer Morhen and friend of Geralt. (season 2) * Yasen Atour as Coën, a witcher at Kaer Morhen and friend of Geralt. (season 2) * Ania Marson as Voleth Meir, a demon who came to the plane with the Conjunction of the Spheres, who feeds on pain and fear. (season 2) *

Graham McTavish Graham McTavish (born 4 January 1961) is a Scottish actor and author. He is known for his roles as Dwalin in ''The Hobbit'' film trilogy, Vlad Dracula Țepeș in the Netflix animated franchise ''Castlevania'', Loki in various Marvel animated pr ...

as Sigismund Dijkstra, head of the Redanian Intelligence and ally of Philippa Eilhart. (season 2); McTavish also voiced Deglan in the animated prequel ''Nightmare of the Wolf''. * Ed Birch as Vizimir, the king of Redania. (season 2) * Chris Fulton as Rience, a renegade mage set on a hunt for Ciri. (season 2) * Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia van Bredevoort, Rience's liaison who gets him out of prison on her master's orders. (season 2) * Kaine Zajaz as Gage, Francesca's brother. (season 2)

Notable guest stars

Introduced in season 1

* Emma Appleton as Renfri of Creyden, a princess-turned-bandit who leads a gang of brigands and has a bloody grudge against Stregobor. *

Mia McKenna-Bruce Mia Sasha McKenna-Bruce (born 3 July 1997) is an English actress. She gained prominence through her role as Tee Taylor in '' Tracy Beaker Returns'' (2010–2012) and ''The Dumping Ground'' (2013–2018). She has since appeared in the iPlayer ...

as Marilka, daughter of Blaviken's alderman. * Tobi Bamtefa as Sir Danek, a Cintran commander of Calanthe's royal guard. *

Maciej Musiał Maciej Musiał (born 11 February 1995) is a Polish actor, and television personality. Biography The son of actors Andrzej and Anna Musiał, he began his acting career at an early age with a cameo appearance in a 2004 episode of the long-running ...

as Sir Lazlo, a Cintran knight charged with protecting Cirilla. * Natasha Culzac as Toruviel, an elven warrior serving Filavandrel. *

Amit Shah Amit Anil Chandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician currently serving as the Minister of Home Affairs since 2019 and the first Minister of Co-operation of India since 2021. He served as the President of the Bharatiya Jana ...

as Torque, a sylvan ("horned devil") who works for Filavandrel. * Julian Rhind-Tutt as Giltine, the enchanter of Aretuza who brings adepts into their perfect physical forms after they graduate. * Gaia Mondadori as Princess Pavetta, the daughter of Queen Calanthe and mother of Ciri. *

Bart Edwards Bart Edwards is a British actor. Edwards played the role of Jasper Hunt in Lifetime/Hulu drama series ''Unreal'', and starred as Jonathan Kay in NRK drama '' Lykkeland''. Edwards is set to star in Giles Alderson's thriller ''The Dare'', to be ...

as Duny, the "Urcheon of Erlenwald" / Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, Pavetta's lover, once afflicted by a

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

that transformed him into a

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...

man until midnight. His betrothal to Pavetta removes the curse. He is Ciri's father. * Josette Simon as Eithne, the Queen of the

Dryad A dryad (; el, Δρυάδες, ''sing''.: ) is a tree nymph or tree spirit in Greek mythology. ''Drys'' (δρῦς) signifies " oak" in Greek, and dryads were originally considered the nymphs of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved ...

s of Brokilon Forest. * Nóra Trokán as the Dryad General. * Marcin Czarnik as Ronin Mage, an

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

sent to murder Queen Kalis and her baby daughter. * Blair Kincaid as Crach an Craite, a member of a royal clan from the Skellige Isles, who was invited to Pavetta's wedding. * Lucas Englander as Chireadan, a healer elf from the Redanian city of Rinde. *

Jordan Renzo Jordan Renzo (born February 11, 1993) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Matteusz Andrzejewski in the BBC Three ''Doctor Who'' spin-off '' Class'' (2016) and Charlie Brandon in the Starz historical drama '' The Spanish Princess'' ...

as Eyck of Denesle, a virtuous knight. *

Ron Cook Ronald G. Cook (born 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early and personal life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, England, the son of a school cook and a car w ...

as Borch Three Jackdaws, a man who is actually the golden dragon Villentretenmerth. * Jeremy Crawford as Yarpen Zigrin, the leader of a gang of dwarven mercenaries and friend of Geralt. * Ella-Rae Smith as Fola, a young sorceress in Aretuza. *

Francis Magee Francis Magee (born 7 June 1959) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Liam Tyler in British soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1995. He has also appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including ''Sahara'' (2005), ''Layer Cake ...

as Yurga, a travelling merchant in Sodden, rescued from monsters by Geralt. *

Anna-Louise Plowman Anna-Louise Plowman (born 9 May 1972) is a New Zealand actress. Early life and education Plowman was born in New Zealand. She attended Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, Wellington, between 1982 and 1989, and then the London Academy of Music an ...

as Zola, Yurga's wife who offers Cirilla sanctuary in her rural home in Sodden. * Frida Gustavsson as Ma/Visenna, mother of Geralt of Rivia.

Introduced in season 2

* Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen, an aristocrat who has been transformed into a beast through a curse. * Agnes Born as Vereena, a bruxa and Nivellen's lover. * Basil Eidenbenz as Eskel, a witcher at Kaer Morhen and close friend of Geralt. * Jota Castellano as Gwain, a witcher at Kaer Morhen. * Nathanial Jacobs as Everard, a witcher at Kaer Morhen. * Chuey Okoye as Merek, a witcher at Kaer Morhen. * Kevin Doyle as Ba'lian, an elf seeking refuge in the most unexpected places of the Continent. *

Niamh McCormack Niamh Rose McCormack (born 17 January 2001) is an Irish actress and model. Early life and education McCormack is the daughter of makeup artist Annie Gribbin and publican Paddy McCormack. Her parents separated when she was an infant, and she ...

as Lara Dorren, an extremely powerful, ancient Elven sorceress who fell in love with a human mage, Ciri's ancestor. * Adjoa Andoh as Mother Nenneke, the wise High Priestess of the Temple of Melitele in Ellander and an old friend of Geralt. *

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in '' A Room with a View'' (1 ...

as Codringher, an investigator and partner of Fenn who helps Istredd. * Liz Carr as Fenn, an investigator and partner of Codringher who helps Istredd. * Rebecca Hanssen as Meve, queen of Lyria. * Richard Tirado as Demavend, king of Aedirn. * Edward Rowe as Henselt, king of Kaedwen. * Luke Cy as Ethain, king of Cidaris. * Sam Hazeldine as Eredin, king of the legendary Wild Hunt. * Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart, a sorceress and advisor to king Vizimir of Redania, as well as Dijkstra's favored spy.

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

The first season is based on '' The Last Wish'' and '' Sword of Destiny''. A website with timelines for the show, along with in-depth summaries of events, was later created by Netflix.

Season 2 (2021)

The second season is based on "A Grain of Truth" from ''The Last Wish'', '' Blood of Elves'', and the beginning of '' Time of Contempt''.

Production

Development

's ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' ( pl, Wiedźmin ) is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. In Sapkowski's works, "witchers" are b ...

'' book series was initially scheduled to be adapted into a standalone Netflix film, but Kelly Luegenbiehl, Vice President of International Originals at Netflix, dissuaded the producers. She recalled asking them, "How can you take eight novels and just turn it into a film? There's so much material here. Through a number of conversations, the producers got really excited about the idea of using the source material for a longer-running series." In May 2017,

announced the start of production on an English-language drama TV series based on the books. In December 2017, it was reported that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich would serve as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also the ...

on the show. In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the script for the pilot episode was finished, and the first season would be eight episodes long. In 2017, it was reported that Andrzej Sapkowski would serve as a creative consultant on the show, but in January 2018, Sapkowski denied any direct involvement. However, he met with Schmidt Hissrich in April 2018 and in May 2018 she stated that Sapkowski was on the creative team of the project. In August, Andrew Laws was revealed as production designer. In December, ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' reported directors Alik Sakharov and

Charlotte Brändström Charlotte Brändström is a Swedish-French film and TV director. Early life Born in Paris of Swedish parents, Charlotte Brändström graduated from the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link ...

had joined the project. Netflix announced a second season on November 13, 2019, under the working title "Mysterious Monsters", with production set to begin in London in early 2020, for a planned release in 2021. In April 2021, Netflix's co-

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

and

chief content officer A chief content officer (CCO) is a corporate executive responsible for the digital media creation and multi-channel publication of the organization's content (text, video, audio, animation, etc.). The CCO is usually an executive role or senior ...

Ted Sarandos confirmed that the second season is expected to premiere in Q4 2021. In July 2021, it was announced that the second season would premiere on December 17, 2021. On September 25, 2021, Netflix announced that the series had been renewed for a third season.

Writing

The first season was told in a non-linear manner, spanning different time periods. Hissrich said this was inspired by

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&n ...

's 2017 film ''

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label= French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

Casting

Freya Allan, Henry Cavill & Anya Chalotra (48418066562)

In September 2018, Netflix announced that

would play Geralt of Rivia. He was selected from more than 200 actors; Cavill actively campaigned for the role, being a long-time fan of the video game adaptations. In October 2018, Freya Allan and

were cast as Princess Cirilla and Yennefer of Vengerberg respectively, while

, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Adam Levy,

Mimi Ndiweni Mimî Michelle Ndiweni (born 31 August 1991), since 2021 credited as Mimî M. Khayisa, is a British-Zimbabwean actress. She is best known for playing Fringilla Vigo in Netflix's ''The Witcher'', Tilly Brockless in the television series ''Mr S ...

, and Therica Wilson-Read also joined. More casting was announced later that month, including Eamon Farren, Joey Batey, Lars Mikkelsen, Royce Pierreson,

, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte, and Anna Shaffer. In February 2020, Netflix announced Kim Bodnia had been cast as Vesemir, an experienced witcher and a mentor to Geralt. Other additions included Kristofer Hivju, Yasen Atour, Agnes Born, Paul Bullion, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Aisha Fabienne Ross, and Mecia Simson. In September 2020, it was announced that Basil Eidenbenz would replace Rasmussen in the role of Eskel. In November 2020, Rebecca Hanssen was announced for the role of Queen Meve. In March 2021, Kevin Doyle was cast as Ba'Lian, an original character who does not appear in the novels. Cassie Clare, Adjoa Andoh, Liz Carr,

, and Chris Fulton were cast as Philippa Eilhart, Nenneke, Fenn, Codringher, Dijkstra, and Rience, respectively. In April 2022, Robbie Amell,

Meng'er Zhang Meng'er Zhang ( zh, s=张梦儿, p=Zhāng Mèng'er; born April 22, 1987) is a Chinese actress best known for portraying Xu Xialing in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings''. Early life Zhang ...

, Hugh Skinner, and Christelle Elwin joined the cast in the third season with recurring roles. In July 2022, Michalina Olszańska, Ryan Hayes, Kate Winter, Martyn Ellis, Harvey Quinn, and Poppy Almond were cast. In October 2022, Netflix announced that Liam Hemsworth would be replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia from the start of Season 4.

Filming

In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the show would be filmed in

Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in the Baltics, Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Southeast Europe (mostly the Balkans), usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Euro ...

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

for the first season began on October 31, 2018, in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

. Much of the series was filmed at Mafilm Studios near

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

; the outdoor set included the exterior of wizard Stregobor's household. The hall in Cintra was constructed at Origo Studios on the outskirts of Budapest. Fort Monostor (Monostori Erőd) and the nearby forest was used for some exterior scenes in Cintra. The Battle of Marnadal was filmed in the hills of a village in Hungary, Csákberény. The village that was Yennefer's original home was filmed at the Skanzen Village Museum, an open-air site near

Szentendre Szentendre () is a riverside town in Pest County, Hungary, between the capital city Budapest and Pilis-Visegrád Mountains. The town is known for its museums (most notably the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum), galleries, and artists. Due to its h ...

some north of Budapest; this location was also used in scenes with Ciri in an area with a windmill. The production used the exteriors of

Burg Kreuzenstein Burg Kreuzenstein is a castle near Leobendorf in Lower Austria, Austria. Burg Kreuzenstein is above sea level. It was constructed on the remains of a medieval castle that had fallen into disrepair and was then demolished during the Thirty Years ...

, a castle near Leobendorf, Austria, for the abandoned fictional castle Vizima, but the interiors were filmed at Origo Studios. In March 2019, production commenced on

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

, in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

, Spain. Some scenes were to be shot on the islands of

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...

and

La Gomera La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Ten ...

, as well. Scenes of the Sorcerers' Aretuza Academy (Tower of the Gull) were shot on Roque de Santo Domingo in Garafía, an islet, and enhanced with CGI. The interiors, however, used for the graduation ball were at the Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda. The museum was a monastery in the 18th century. This location was also used for the conclave of the Northern Mages. The Barranco de Fataga area on Gran Canaria island was used for some scenes of arid landscapes. Scenes of Ciri traveling in the desert were filmed in the Natural Dune Reserve of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria. Most of episode six was filmed on

island. Filming of the first season concluded in Ogrodzieniec Castle in Poland. The ruins of this medieval castle, dating from the 1300s, were the backdrop for scenes including the fictional Vilgefortz of Roggeveen and Triss Merigold. The ruins were also included when shooting the Battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of Season 1. Filming for the first season wrapped in May 2019. Filming for the second season began in London in early 2020, but was halted for two weeks in March due to concerns over the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

and actor Kristofer Hivju's confirmation that he tested positive for COVID-19. Then, in May 2020, film and television productions that were filming in the UK were given permission to resume filming, including season two of ''The Witcher.'' The show resumed pre-production in July and officially resumed filming on August 12, 2020, with filming for the second season expected to extend into early 2021. On November 7, 2020, production was halted again after a number of crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. Production resumed two weeks later on November 24, 2020, and continued in December despite Cavill's on-set injury. Filming for the second season wrapped on April 2, 2021. Filming locations for the second season were all in the UK and included Cathedral Cave and Hodge Close Quarry in the Lake District, Low Force Waterfall in the North Pennines and Bourne Wood in Farnham. Filming for the third season began on April 4, 2022. It wrapped in September 2022.

Music

Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli composed the soundtrack for the first season. The duo collaborated with several soloists and artists; the soundtrack features many medieval instruments to match the medieval-inspired setting of the series. More than 60 different instruments from around the world were used to create the soundtrack. The original song "

Toss a Coin to Your Witcher "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" is an original song from the Netflix TV series '' The Witcher'', composed by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli with lyrics by Jenny Klein, and sung by Joey Batey (as Jaskier) in the second episode. It became a v ...

", composed by Belousova and Ostinelli and sung by Batey in the second episode, became a viral hit shortly after the series's release. Users have created mods to

patch Patch or Patches may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Patch Johnson, a fictional character from ''Days of Our Lives'' * Patch (''My Little Pony''), a toy * "Patches" (Dickey Lee song), 1962 * "Patches" (Chairmen of the Board song ...

the song into the video game adaptions of ''The Witcher''. All violin solos for the series were performed by Lindsay Deutsch. In October 2021, it was confirmed that Joseph Trapanese would be scoring the soundtrack for the second season. Trapanese, having previously collaborated with Netflix as the composer for '' Shadow & Bone'', replaced Belousova and Ostinelli. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich also revealed that new songs performed by Batey would featured in the soundtrack.

Marketing

Netflix released the first teaser for the series at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

on July 19, 2019. The first full trailer was revealed at

Lucca Comics & Games Lucca Comics & Games is an annual Comic book convention, comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy, traditionally held at the end of October, in conjunction with All Saints' Day. It is the largest comics festival in Europe, and the second ...

on October 31, 2019. Netflix released a final trailer on December 12, 2019. On October 29, 2021, Netflix released the official trailer for season 2.

Release

In April 2019, Netflix's Ted Sarandos told investors in an earnings call that the series would be released in late 2019. The series premiered on December 20, 2019. The second season premiered on December 17, 2021. The third season is set to premiere in mid-2023.

Specials

On August 26, 2020, a

making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) v ...

about the first season of the show titled ''Making The Witcher'' was released on Netflix. On September 2, 2020, the making-of series ''The Witcher: A Look Inside the Episodes'' premiered on Netflix. With the release of the second season, Netflix released on December 17, 2021, ''Making the Witcher: Season 2'', ''The Witcher Bestiary Season 1, Part 1'', ''The Witcher Bestiary Season 1, Part 2'', ''The Characters of the Continent'', and ''The Witcher: Fireplace''.

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

For the first season,

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

collected 91 reviews and identified 68% of them as positive, with an average rating of 6.26/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Though the world of ''The Witcher'' at times feels only half-formed, Henry Cavill brings brawny charisma to a series teeming with subversive fantasy elements and dark humor."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

calculated a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In a positive review of the first season, Erik Kain of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' wrote, "If you're looking for an original dark fantasy with some horror elements, some bare skin and plenty of blood and gore (and monsters) look no further.", while James Whitbrook of '' io9'' said, "if you are willing to sit through those trudging opening episodes, punctuated by a cool fight here or an intriguing character scene there, ''The Witcher'' slowly but surely finds itself a fantastical slice of bloody, schlocky fun." Conversely, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' critic Darren Franich said, "my destiny is to never watch this borefest ever again", awarding the first season an F rating. Franich drew criticism when he confessed to watching only the first, second, and fifth episodes. Raisa Bruner from ''Time'' gave a positive review to the show and commented: "each episode gets stronger as the season progresses, and ultimately satisfies the fantasy itch." Scott Bryan from the '' BBC'', was more negative towards the show by criticizing it for relying too much on the gameplays, and how they didn't know how to properly adapt it into a TV show. Critic William Hughes from '' The A.V. Club'' commented in a positive review: "''The Witcher'' is by no means perfect; even ignoring the earlier structural flaws, its efforts at comedy often come off sounding a bit too modern for the rest of its setting, and the characters’ tendency to monologue to any unspeaking object or person they can find—horses, mute companions, literal dead babies—verges on comedic. But when the worst thing you can say about a series is that every episode ends up being better than the one that preceded it, that leaves an exciting amount of room to grow." ''The Witcher'' author

commented favorably on the show, stating, "I was more than happy with

's appearance as The Witcher. He's a real professional. Just as

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

gave his face to

Aragorn Aragorn is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn was a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of Arno ...

(in ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 c ...

''), so Henry gave his to Geralt — and it shall be forever so." Sapkowski added, "I shall be happy if the viewers — and readers — take anything away, anything that shall enrich them in some way. Also, I sincerely hope to leave the viewers — and readers — hot. In every sense. Not tepid, not lukewarm." Craig Mathieson from ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...

'' compared the series unfavorably to ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the firs ...

'' and criticized the plot and fantasy tropes. Author Tom Long from ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival '' Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Febru ...

'' praised the series for its action sequences an performances, and gave the show a grade of B rating. Matthew Aguilar from ComicBook.com gave a positive response by rating the show with 4 out of 5: "The Witcher brings the world's rich characters, sharp wit, and stylish action to life in a truly delightful way, and whether you're a fan of the novels or the games, you're going to find something to love." Critic Daniel D'Addario was more negative with the show and commented: "This is a show with moments of drama and of gruesome violence cut through with a glancing humor that too often feels tossed-off and out-of-place in the world the show has created."

Season 2

The second season received positive reviews.

reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 62 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "''The Witcher''s second season expands on its first in all the best ways—and most importantly, it remains a whole lot of fun."

calculated a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Critic Sheena Scott from ''

'' favorably commented: "Throughout the episodes, characters repeatedly point out their resemblance—a similar attitude, the same hairstyle—to keep on reminding the viewers of their daughter-father bond. But as the ending of Season 2 indicates, it looks like it is this very bond that may be put into jeopardy in the next season." Angie Han from ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', praised the series for being an improvement over its previous season, although it may not be perfect. She commented the series: "In its second outing, ''The Witcher'' feels confident enough to open itself up to that whole array of feelings." In a more negative review, Roxana Hadadi from ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North a ...

'', stated "In its second season, ''The Witcher'' is most engaging when exploring the alliances and allegiances between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri and when using those three to consider Nivellen’s insistence that “Monsters are born of deeds alone. Unforgivable ones.” But in its attempt to build a bigger world, the series falls prey to more fantasy tropes than it masters." Author Leigh Butler deemed the second season as an improvement over its previous season, praising its deeper themes, better storyline, performances, and finally approaching its potential, and stated: "Season 2 (so far) is better, and working its way toward potentially great. When it comes down to it, there is really only one thing any story needs to accomplish, and ''The Witcher'' has accomplished it." James Whitbrook from '' io9'' said: "The new focus on character-building might mean less focus on specific short stories from Sapkowski’s collection of ''Witcher'' tales, but it makes the show’s world feel more expansive and nuanced in ways it didn’t until late in the show’s first season, while still keeping things centered on the characters as the sense of scale expands." Nick Schager in a negative review stated: "Even by typical fantasy-genre standards, the show indulges in so much make-believe terminology, and at such an incessant clip, that it quickly proves easier to give up trying to make heads or tails of every detail and instead just go with the wonky narrative flow.", while Allison Keene from ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...

'' commented in a positive review: "More than anything though, ''The Witcher''’s excellent Season 2 is a deeper dive into a rich world that shines in its focus on Ciri and Geralt’s relationship, and how that connection influences everything around them. Though there are plenty of things to quibble over from book to screen (or from videogame screen, although the show is expressly pulled from the page), ''The Witcher'' is perhaps best viewed and accepted as a fresh translation of an old fable." Critic Carly Lane from ''Collider'' gave a positive feedback: "By comparison, Season 2 is finally settling into its stride and has an even better sense of what works while discarding more of what didn't — although there are still the occasional unannounced time-jumps forward, or surprise character introductions, that demand attentiveness rather than any distracted background viewing."

Audience viewership

According to Parrot Analytics, ''The Witcher'', in its US debut, was the third most "in demand" original streaming series, behind ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Pr ...

'' and ''

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, beginning five years after the events of ''Return ...

''. Parrot's process measures "demand expressions", which is "its globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit that reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership of a series weighted by importance." On December 31, 2019, Parrot Analytics reported that ''The Witcher'' became the most-in-demand TV series in the world, across all platforms. On December 30, 2019,

issued a number of official lists, including the Most Popular TV Shows of 2019. The series was among the most viewed in the U.S. market, where ''The Witcher'' was ranked second among series. On January 21, 2020, Netflix announced that the first season had been viewed by over 76 million viewers on its service within its first month of release. Netflix had recently changed its viewership metric, from 70% of an episode under the previous metric, down to two minutes under the new metric. The new metric gives viewing figures 35% higher on average than the previous one. The 76million views in its first month based on the new metric (at least two minutes or more) is the largest for a Netflix series launch since the introduction of the new viewership metric. The Witcher was, until the release of '' Bridgerton'' and ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Jo ...

'', Netflix's most watched original series launch at the time, with 541 million hours viewed in the first 28 days of release, and season two achieved 484 million hours watched. Sales of '' The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' in December 2019 were 554% greater than those from December 2018, attributed to renewed interest in the series due to the show.

Accolades

Spin-offs

In January 2020, Netflix announced an animated

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

film titled '' The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf'', focusing on the origin story of Geralt's mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir. Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Beau DeMayo worked on the film, with production by Studio Mir. It was released on August 23, 2021. On September 25, 2021, a second animated feature film was announced. A live-action prequel limited series, '' The Witcher: Blood Origin'', was announced by Netflix in July 2020. Set 1200 years before Geralt's time, it shows the origin of the Witchers. Hissrich developed the prequel as executive producer, and Declan de Barra served as showrunner. In January 2021, Jodie Turner-Smith was set to star in the series. In March 2021, Laurence O'Fuarain joined the cast as a lead role. In April 2021, Turner-Smith left the series due to scheduling issue. In July 2021,

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

and Sophia Brown joined the cast. Filming was scheduled to begin in August 2021 in the United Kingdom, with

Lenny Henry Sir Lenworth George Henry (born 29 August 1958) is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer. Henry gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in '' The Le ...

, Mirren Mack, Nathaniel Curtis, Dylan Moran,

Jacob Collins-Levy Jacob Collins-Levy (born 18 March 1992) is an Australian actor having played the role of Henry VII, King of England, in ''The White Princess'' (2017), and has appeared in ''True History of the Kelly Gang'' (2019), '' ''Doctor Who' (2020), ...

, Lizzie Annis, Huw Novelli, Francesca Mills, Amy Murray and Zach Wyatt joined the cast. The series premiered on December 25, 2022, and consists of four episodes. On September 25, 2021, a family-friendly animated series was announced.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Witcher, The (TV series) 2010s American drama television series 2019 American television series debuts 2020s American drama television series American action adventure television series American fantasy drama television series Dark fantasy television series High fantasy television series English-language Netflix original programming Nudity in television Polish drama television series Polish fantasy television series Serial drama television series Television about magic Television shows based on Polish novels Television shows filmed in Austria Television shows filmed in Hungary Television shows filmed in Poland Television shows filmed in Spain Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom The Witcher Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Nonlinear narrative television series Witchcraft in television Wizards in television Television series based on novels