A collective cry of disappointment echoed across the internet when Henry Cavill announced that he would no longer lead the Netflix action fantasy series, The Witcher, going into its fourth and fifth seasons. Replaced by Liam Hemsworth as the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, Season 4 has now debuted, and the Rotten Tomatoes scores from critics and audiences reveal if the show is as much of a success now that it’s Cavill-less. Turning to the famous (or should that be infamous?) review aggregator site, The Witcher Season 4 has been met with some seriously divisive reactions from critics, while seemingly crashing and burning where audiences are concerned. While the rest of the cast, including Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Freya Allan as Ciri, return for more action and adventure, Hemsworth dons the white wig to lead as Geralt. And, based on the scores, the latest season is missing…something. On the critics’ side, The Witcher Season 4 has landed a deeply mixed 56%. For context, Season 1 stands at 68%, with Seasons 2 and 3 holding scores of 95% and 79%, respectively. Jamie Parker of CBR did criticize the pacing issues, but concluded that the latest season “is still a lot of fun for fantasy fans.” Aramide Tinubu of Variety, however, was far more enamored, saying, “In a much sharper and less convoluted season than the previous one, “The Witcher” Season 4 is action-packed and full of dazzling characters both old and new.” Sarah Dempster of The Guardian, though, found a lot to dislike in Hemsworth’s iteration of Geralt, saying, “While his predecessor invested Geralt I with a gruff likability, Geralt II is less “valorous man-mountain grappling with responsibilities beyond our ken” and more “bollard in a wig”.” Meanwhile, RogerEbert.com’s Clint Worthington feels the show is ready to come to and end (which it will with Season 5), concluding, “Perhaps it’s fitting that we only have to toss a coin to our witcher once more after this.”
Audiences Have Been Savage in Their Reactions to ‘The Witcher’ Season 4

Netflix

While several critics have found a lot of positives in The Witcher Season 4, audiences have been brutal, with the latest outing landing a score of just 18% on the Popcornmeter. “This is the worst thing I have ever seen … I mean I tried to watch it I really tried but…..it’s bad it’s really bad …bad actor choices ..and the deviation from the books or games, don’t let me start there … Don’t waste your time,” said one user alongside a rating of half a star. As expected, very few viewers have warmed to Liam Hemsworth as Henry Cavill’s replacement. “I can’t change the fact that each time Liam Hemsworth says or does something, i ask myself what will Henry Cavil do, in my mind, Henry would have done it better,” said this user, while another adds, “Hemsworth taking over Henry was never going to be easy but the lazy writing made sure it was impossible. What a way to destroy an amazing series.” Perhaps it’s best that the show will now end with a fifth and final season, as it seems audiences aren’t interested in throwing anymore coins at this this particular witcher.

Release Date

December 20, 2019

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Lauren Schmidt Hissrich

Directors

Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman

Writers

Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia

Anya Chalotra

Yennefer of Vengerberg