The Witcher Showrunner Says Book Fans Will Feel 'Heard' Watching Season 3

Once again, it's time to toss a coin to the witcher, folks. With season 3 of Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" novel series just around the corner, fans of the original source material are in anticipation of how the story is going to progress this time around. While "The Witcher" showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has done her best to combine the steady allure of Sapkowski's world with fresh additions to enrich the story, the results so far have been a mixed bag. While some additions, such as Yennefer's (Anya Chalotra) personal arc, have worked in favor of the show, the haphazard incorporation of story threads from various Sapkowski novels in season 2 left much to be desired.

Those familiar with Sapkowski's work will be aware that "The Witcher" is not simply a tale focused on the exploits of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill, who is returning for his final season), the legendary Butcher of Blaviken with a penchant for neutrality. The heart of the novels has always been the Continent, inhabited by warring races with varying goals and ambitions, wherein some characters play a crucial part in molding the future of their world. With Ciri (Freya Allan) emerging as the child of prophecy, Geralt has to shed his neutrality and pick a side, which always comes with difficult choices and necessary sacrifices.

Season 3 is expected to explore the mysterious Wild Hunt, and why Ciri is the key to the phenomenon known as the White Frost. Moreover, Hissrich has assured that book fans will be happy with how season 3 evolves, as it will focus exclusively on snippets of the source material and dive into the lore that has only been teased up till this point.

In response to criticisms under an Instagram post promoting "The Witcher: Blood Origin" (via ScreenRant), Hissrich explained that she is aware of fandom concerns about the creative direction of season 2, and as a result, season 3 will see a "shift back to the books":

"I did hear the fans. And S3 very much shows that shift back to the books, following Sapkowski's amazing character journeys of our mains. I'm super excited for people to see it, and to feel heard. (We also answer a lot of questions from the first two seasons — Cahir's journey, the introduction of the Scoia'tael, and how our family comes back together.)I  also think that S3 will calm a lot of the speculation that's going on right now."

The first two seasons of "The Witcher" definitely boasts several standout moments, but it would be an exaggeration to state that the Netflix show truly understands what makes Sapkowki's world work. The ever-evolving lore in the novels never feels rushed or unearned due to genuine investment in character growth and worldbuilding — in contrast, the Netflix series feels like a compilation of random events that occur for the sake of plot advancement alone. This runs the risk of robbing the premise of true charm or depth, and if season 3 truly is closer to the essence of the books, we might be edging closer to a more meaningful, cohesive storyline with worthwhile payoffs.

As Hissrich mentions above, "The Witcher" left a lot of questions unanswered, such as the mystery surrounding Emperor Emhyr, the fates of Fringilla and Cahir, and the true nature of Ciri's abilities. So far, the series hasn't ventured too deep into why Ciri is so important to the fate of the Continent. Hopefully, season 3 will change that. 

It is important to acknowledge that the Netflix adaptations have birthed worthwhile entries into the franchise, including the beautifully animated "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf," which dives into Vesemir's journey as a young Witcher. Even the critically panned "The Witcher: Blood Origin" has its merits — it is an ambitious foray into expanding the lore and furthering worldbuilding but is unfortunately marred by poor choices that add little to enrich the mothership series. There's potential in these stories to offer something fresh and interesting. However, the issue with these well-meaning creative liberties is that they massively fall short in comparison to the source material, which brims with countless unused storylines and creative avenues worth exploring.

Season 3 will not be the series' final installment, as season 4 will continue Geralt's journey with Liam Hemsworth filling in Cavill's shoes. Although it is premature to speculate what this new development will bring to the series, what truly matters is that the series stays true to its characters, and transports viewers into a world teeming with possibilities. There is so much going on at the moment, including the introduction of the Scoia'tael, the advent of new monsters, the different players involved in shaping the sociopolitical landscape of the Continent, and the role the central trio has to play within these contexts. With so much to explore, Season 3 should potentially focus on these existing threads instead of straying too far away from what the show has already set up. As for whether that truly happens, only time will tell.

Volume 1 of "The Witcher" Season 3 will premiere on June 29, 2023, on Netflix.