The Wheel of Time Spins Its Last: Series Canceled After Season 3 Finale

Prime Video has canceled The Wheel of Time, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred and Josha Stradowski as Rand al’Thor, after three seasons, with the decision made more than a month after the Season 3 finale aired on April 17, 2025.

The cancellation, driven by financial considerations despite the show’s creative acclaim, followed lengthy deliberations between Prime Video and lead studio Sony Pictures Television, co-producer with Amazon MGM Studios.

Adapted from Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s best-selling fantasy novels, the high-budget series ushered in the fantasy genre on Prime Video, later joined by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The series, which premiered in 2021 as Prime Video’s most-watched series launch of the year and one of its top five ever, featured a stellar cast including Daniel Henney as al’Lan Mandragoran, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al’Meara, Madeleine Madden as Egwene al’Vere, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, and Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon.

Season 3, based primarily on The Shadow Rising, the fourth book in Jordan’s series, introduced new cast members like Shohreh Aghdashloo as Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan and explored settings like the Aiel Waste, Tanchico, and Rhuidean.

Despite a strong start, viewership for Season 3 slipped, with the show dropping out of Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals chart after three weeks, though it briefly returned to #10 post-finale.

Globally, The Wheel of Time ranked #1 on Prime Video in multiple countries during Season 3, but its performance did not justify its high production costs for a fourth season.

Showrunner Rafe Judkins, who adapted the series, expressed hope to “finish this story,” noting the Season 3 finale included “a lot of place-setting” for a potential next season while wrapping major storylines for closure.

Judkins emphasized the series’ strength in longform storytelling, stating, “The books get better as they go and the show is getting better as it goes,” but lamented the industry trend of short-lived shows.

Creatively, Season 3 was the series’ strongest, earning a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, up from 86% for Season 2 and 81% for Season 1, with Prime Video executives praising its growth.

The cancellation is a blow to the show’s passionate fanbase, who lauded Season 3 as the best yet, though the finale was crafted to provide some narrative closure.

The series also starred Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche, Kate Fleetwood as Liandrin Guirale, Natasha O’Keeffe as Lanfear, Ayoola Smart as Aviendha, and others, with new Season 3 additions like Olivia Williams and Nukâka Coster-Waldau.

Executive producers included Judkins, Rick Selvage, Larry Mondragon of iwot productions, Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Mike Weber, Marigo Kehoe, Ciaran Donnelly, Justine Juel Gillmer, Dave Hill, and Rosamund Pike.

Prime Video and Sony Pictures Television will continue to back the Emmy campaign for The Wheel of Time’s third season.