The wheel has stopped turning. Prime Video has pulled the plug on its sprawling fantasy series The Wheel of Time, with the season 3 finale now serving as the series close.
Based on the epic book series by Robert Jordan (and later Brandon Sanderson), the ambitious adaptation launched in 2021 and was once among Prime Video’s biggest hits. Starring Rosamund Pike, the series kicked off strong — becoming the streamer’s most-watched premiere of that year and one of its all-time top debuts. But despite a recent creative upswing, the show’s journey is now over.
Viewership vs. Cost: The Harsh Equation
The decision, as first reported by Deadline, followed “lengthy deliberations” and ultimately came down to finances. While creatively liked by executives and received warmly by critics — season 3 currently sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes — it appears The Wheel of Time couldn’t justify its high production costs in light of waning viewership.
The third season started strong, landing briefly in Nielsen’s Top 10, but it didn’t maintain the same traction as earlier runs. While the series still ranked #1 in several countries and retained a global fanbase, Prime Video and co-producer Sony Pictures Television couldn’t find a way forward financially.
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A Thoughtful (If Unwanted) Exit
Fans won’t be entirely left adrift. Knowing the series might not continue, the team behind the show reportedly crafted the season 3 finale with some degree of closure in mind. Still, for a fandom that has praised the latest episodes as the series’ best, the cancellation is understandably frustrating.
Rafe Judkins served as showrunner and adapted the books for television. The large ensemble cast included Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Josha Stradowski, Zoë Robins, Madeleine Madden, and Marcus Rutherford, among many others.
Prime Video and Sony will continue backing the show’s third season for Emmy consideration — a final victory lap for a series that many believed was only just hitting its stride.
And What of the Video Game?
Interestingly, news of the cancellation lands just weeks after Variety reported that a Wheel of Time video game is in development. The open-world RPG is being built in-house at iwot Studios’ new games division, with a three-year timeline for development.
“It’s an open-world game, and it’ll be everything with the Wheel of Time. Everything that is covered in the books, as well as all the backstory elements of it,” iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage told Variety. “As we build out the world, it’ll be the entire Wheel of Time world, it’s not going to be limited to one area or another or a particular age.”
It’s currently unclear if the TV show’s cancellation will affect the project.
Another Prime Video Series Bites the Dust
The cancellation adds to a growing list of Prime Video originals recently cut short. Just earlier this month, the streamer axed supernatural horror series The Bondsman, which starred Kevin Bacon as a bounty hunter for the devil. In a social media video, Bacon expressed confusion and disappointment over the decision: “I wish I had an explanation for you, but I honestly don’t.”
Though The Bondsman had only just premiered in April, and The Wheel of Time had three seasons under its belt, both titles appear to have fallen victim to shifting internal strategies — and tightening budgets.
Season 3 Laughs
So yes, the cancellation will no doubt be a sting for fans. But to end on a lighter note, here’s the recently released season 3 blooper reel: a cheeky reminder of the joy and chaos behind the epic fantasy.
