The Wheel of Time has spun its last thread as Amazon cancels Prime Video fantasy show after three seasons

• Amazon has cancelled The Wheel of Time after three seasons
• Its production costs and declining viewership led to the decision
• The Prime Video show's cast had been "confident" about a season 4 renewal

The Wheel of Time has spun its last narrative thread following its cancellation by Amazon after three seasons.

Per Deadline, Amazon pulled the plug on the high fantasy series yesterday (May 23) after it determined it would cost too much money to produce more seasons, particularly in light of the show's declining viewership.

Prime Video's top brass reportedly deliberated hard over this decision because executives enjoyed what the program offered. However, a significant drop-off in its viewership during The Wheel of Time season 3's run and its production costs were cited as the primary reasons for scrapping the entire series.

The official confirmation comes over a month after one of the best Prime Video shows' third season drew to a close. Before it did, stars Josha Stradowski and Daniel Henney, who play Rand and Lan, exclusively told me that they were "confident" about a season 4 renewal. Unfortunately, the pair, alongside the rest of the show's cast and crew, won't be back for more outings.

The Wheel of Time's demise is even tougher to take in light of its most recent eight-part installment being considered its best entry yet.

In my review of The Wheel of Time season 3, I called it a "spellbinding return to form for Prime Video's high fantasy TV show underdog" and handed it a four out of five stars rating.

Many critics agreed with me, too. Over on popular review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, season 3 is far and away the show's highest-rated chapter – its 97% critical rating outscoring season 2 (86%) and season 1 (81%) by some distance.

Nevertheless, the writing has seemingly been on the wall for the Amazon TV Original for some time.

As the weeks ticked by following its latest season's finale, fans became increasingly concerned over the lack of updates about the show's future. Some grew so worried, in fact, that they banded together and formed a fan campaign calling on Amazon to finish The Wheel of Time's story.

When Prime Video's Upfront 2025 presentation in mid-May passed without a single mention, it was a case of when, not if, Amazon planned to bring the ax down on its second biggest high fantasy show. The biggest, of course, is The Rings of Power and, following its fantasy sibling's axing, Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series will single-handedly bear the weight of the fantasy genre on one of the world's best streaming services.

There'll be some fans who'll be glad to see the back of Amazon's live-action adaptation of Robert Jordan's book series namesake. Indeed, some have expressed frustration over what they considered to be unnecessary diversions from the source material – changes showrunner Rafe Judkins defended ahead of The Wheel of Time season 3's launch.

Still, this is a sad day for all associated with The Wheel of Time. I didn't expect my season 3 ending explainer to be one of the last major articles I'd write on it, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I just wish the wheel had weaved for a bit longer...

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