Despite the “hype” around Liam Hemsworth stepping in as Geralt of Rivia, the show’s performance for Season 4 on Netflix is off to a rough start.
According to research firm Samba TV, the premiere episode of Season 4 was watched by just ~577,000 U.S. households — a drop of roughly 35% compared to the first episode of Season 3 (885,000 households).
That makes it the weakest opening yet for the series and reflects a steep decline in interest.
Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb Ratings Plummet
Season 4 is currently the lowest-rated season of The Witcher across all platforms:
- The critic score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 61%.
- The audience score is a brutal 20%.
- Over on IMDb, the new episodes are hovering around a 4 and lower, with user reviews overwhelmingly negative.
Much of the backlash centers on the recast of Geralt. While some viewers were willing to give Liam Hemsworth a shot, others say the series has lost its identity without Cavill in the lead.
Showrunner Responds to the Backlash
Series showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich recently addressed the growing criticism over the show’s direction and recasting:
“No one’s taking the books away. No one’s taking the video games away. Everyone can have their version of The Witcher.”
The comment has sparked further backlash, with some fans saying it felt dismissive, as if the showrunner was telling them to go read the books or play the games instead of watching the show. Essentially, “if you don’t like it, don’t watch it.”
