MOVIE NEWS – Neither critics nor audiences were impressed by The Witcher’s new prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin.

The world of The Witcher has expanded with the arrival of a prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, on Netflix. But after the series premiered, it landed with a bit of a bump. Set more than a thousand years before the events of The Witcher, Blood Origin debuted over Christmas with a four-episode limited series. It explored the creation of the first Witcher and the events leading up to the Conjunction of the Spheres.

While The Witcher enjoyed solid critics and audience ratings for its first two seasons, the same could not be said for the prequel series.

Blood Origin premiered with a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. Most critics gave the series terrible reviews – we weren’t too keen on it either. Even worse, the audience score was much lower. Blood Origin scored a dismal 8%. According to Forbes, this is the worst ratings result for a significant Netflix-originated series.

“Blood Origin does not stand very well on its own or as part of the expanding franchise, managing to focus on some of the least interesting aspects of one of The Witcher’s most fascinating pieces of lore,” wrote Paste Magazine reviewer Joseph Stanichar in his review.

“In a year filled with great fantasy – House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power among them – this ultimately ranks near the bottom,” added Total Film’s, Bradley Russell.

The reviews are not pleasant, but in some ways, The Witcher: Blood Origin is still a winner. The series has achieved high ratings, debuting as the number-one series on Netflix.

Judging by the critical reception, it’s probably for the best that Blood Origin is a limited series, and there are no plans to continue the story in another season.

It may also leave some fans wondering what will happen with season 4 of The Witcher. Henry Cavill will return in season 3 in 2023, but Liam Hemsworth will take over the role after that. Some fans have said they will boycott the new season without Cavill as Geralt. Others say they will give the new actor a chance. It is too early to say how fans will ultimately react to a Cavill-less sequel.

The Witcher: Blood Origin is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: Forbes, Paste Magazine, Total Film

‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ Has Netflix’s Worst Audience Scores Of All Time via @forbes https://t.co/hLqZICkvkg

— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) December 26, 2022