Prime Video’s Fourth Wing TV Show Will Show Will Fix Rings Of Power’s Original Sin

by

Prime Video didn’t quite get it right with Rings of Power, but its new series, Fourth Wing, is off to a promising start. Based on the popular Empyrean books by Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing will be a fantasy series about dragon riders, similar to Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Prime Video is likely hoping this new show will be as successful as those HBO hits, particularly since their previous attempts at adapting fantasy novels, like Rings of Power, haven’t performed as well.

Prime Video hoped The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power would become as popular as Game of Thrones, but it hasn’t achieved that level of success. The show is incredibly costly, projected to exceed $1 billion after its five seasons. Despite the huge investment, it hasn’t attracted a large, consistent viewership, and many viewers haven’t finished watching even the first two seasons.

Many criticisms of Rings of Power surfaced right when Prime Video announced the series. While some Tolkien fans desired an adaptation of The Silmarillion, this was a small group. Most modern Lord of the Rings fans strongly favored Peter Jackson’s movies and were skeptical of a new TV show with a different creative vision. Fourth Wing, however, has the potential to avoid these issues.

Fourth Wing Fans Actually Want A TV Show

The Empyrean book series is still quite new, so it hasn’t been adapted for television or film yet. Fans of Fourth Wing and the rest of the books have been eagerly hoping to see the characters and dragons come to life. While a movie series was possible, a TV show makes more sense because the Empyrean series is ongoing, with plans for five books total (three are already finished). People have been talking about an adaptation for three years, and now Prime Video is making it happen.

There’s a clear contrast in how fans have reacted to Rings of Power and Fourth Wing. Rings of Power faced criticism from the start, while Fourth Wing has generally been very well-received. Many were worried about Prime Video’s track record after Rings of Power and the cancellation of shows like Wheel of Time. However, with strong source material and a positive, excited fanbase, Fourth Wing offers Prime Video a chance to regain trust after the difficulties with its Lord of the Rings series.

The Rings Of Power Is Fighting An Uphill Battle

Prime Video likely anticipated the challenges with its Rings of Power series. While The Lord of the Rings is incredibly popular, it’s been adapted for the screen many times before. This new show is the first big-budget project exploring the stories before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but the original source material is obscure and often considered difficult to get through, though ultimately satisfying. Because the source material comes from The Silmarillion, a book only the most dedicated fans have read, Rings of Power appeals to a relatively small audience who already understand how hard it would be to create a truly faithful adaptation.

From the start, Rings of Power faced challenges, but its first season made things even harder. As fans of The Silmarillion predicted, the show had to drastically shorten the timeline of events. The entire first season was largely dedicated to explaining the backstory and introducing a large cast of characters. This resulted in a very slow pace, and any exciting moments felt disconnected from the established lore.

Season two of The Rings of Power was better than the first. Despite this, the show only attracted a small audience, largely because many fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies were disappointed. Combined with the ongoing changes to established lore, The Rings of Power will likely always face an uphill battle to win over a wider audience, with each new season scrutinized and debated.

Amazon’s Fourth Wing Needs More Than Just The Fans

Custom image created by Evan D. Mullicane

While Fourth Wing already has a built-in fanbase, Prime Video needs to remember that appealing to a wider audience is crucial for success. Game of Thrones proves this – it became a phenomenon not just by satisfying book readers, but by attracting viewers who hadn’t even considered reading George R.R. Martin’s novels. Prime Video shouldn’t assume existing fans are enough.

Fourth Wing benefits from the current popularity of dragon-rider fantasy, which should attract viewers who aren’t familiar with the books. However, because it’s a romantacy—a blend of romance and fantasy—it might not appeal to as wide an audience as shows like Game of Thrones. The success of the Prime Video series will depend on how it’s promoted. Still, it’s likely Fourth Wing will perform better than Rings of Power.

Read More

2026-02-16 20:28