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The Witcher — news, coverage & facts — IJR

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Henry Cavill (seasons 1–3) and Liam Hemsworth (season 4) as Geralt of Rivia, a magically enhanced monster hunter known as a "witcher". He is linked to the Cintran princess Ciri by "destiny".

Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, a quarter-elf sorceress and Geralt's closest ally

Freya Allan as Ciri / "Falka", or Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, the crown princess of the kingdom of Cintra, who possesses the Elder Blood gene that is capable of granting her immense magical abilities

Eamon Farren as Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach, nicknamed the "Black Knight", a Nilfgaardian army commander who leads the invasion of Cintra and the hunt for Ciri

Joey Batey as Jaskier, a traveling bard who befriends Geralt and accompanies him on his journey

MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries (seasons 1–3; guest season 4), Yennefer's mentor and the Rectoress of Aretuza, the training academy for sorceresses

Mimî M. Khayisa as Fringilla Vigo, a sorceress who trained alongside Yennefer and later aids the Nilfgaardian Empire

Anna Shaffer as Triss Merigold, the court sorceress of the kingdom of Temeria

Royce Pierreson as Istredd, an adept mage and historian who befriends Yennefer

Wilson Mbomio as Dara (seasons 1–3), a refugee elf boy who befriends Ciri

Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, a charismatic sorcerer who rallies the northern mages to halt the invading Nilfgaardian army. He later becomes the leader of the Brotherhood of Mages.

Tom Canton as Filavandrel (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), the king of the elves and Francesca's husband

Mecia Simson as Francesca Findabair (season 2–present), an elven sorceress, queen of the elves, and Filavandrel's wife, who has made it her mission to lead her people into freedom and independence

Kim Bodnia (season 2) and Peter Mullan (guest season 4) as Vesemir, the oldest living witcher and Geralt's mentor and father figure

Theo James has a vocal cameo in the first season as a young Vesemir. He reprises his role in the animated prequel film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.

Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra (season 3–present; recurring season 2), the head of Redanian Intelligence and advisor to the ruler of Redania. McTavish also voiced Deglan in the animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf.

Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart (season 3–present; guest season 2), the shapeshifting court sorceress of Redania and Dijkstra's ally

Hugh Skinner as Prince Radovid (season 3–present), the prince of the kingdom of Redania and later Jaskier's lover

Bart Edwards as Duny, the "Urcheon of Erlenwald" / Emperor Emhyr var Emreis (season 3–present; guest seasons 1–2), the ruler of the Nilfgaardian Empire and Ciri's father, who was once afflicted by a curse that transformed him into a hedgehog man until midnight

Meng'er Zhang as Milva (season 4; guest season 3), a highly skilled archer and one of the only non-dryad inhabitants of the Brokilon Forest who joins Geralt on his journey

Danny Woodburn as Zoltan Chivay (season 4), a dwarf warrior who befriends Geralt

Christelle Elwin, Ben Radcliffe, Fabian McCallum, Aggy K. Adams, Connor Crawford, and Juliette Alexandra as Mistle, Giselher, Kayleigh, Iskra, Asse, and Reef (season 4; guest season 3), a young gang of street criminals known as the Rats who encounter Ciri

Laurence Fishburne as Emiel Regis (season 4), a mysterious vampire and barber surgeon who accompanies Geralt

Recurring

Lars Mikkelsen as Stregobor (seasons 1, 3; guest season 2), the resident mage in the town of Blaviken and the Rector of Ban Ard, the training academy for male mages

Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe (season 1; guest seasons 2–3), the ruler of the kingdom of Cintra and Ciri's grandmother

Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as King Eist Tuirseach (season 1), Calanthe's husband and the king consort of Cintra

Adam Levy as Mousesack (season 1; guest season 2), the court druid of Cintra and Calanthe's advisor

Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig (seasons 1, 3–4; guest season 2), a sorceress who trained alongside Yennefer and later the court sorceress of the kingdom of Kaedwin

Judit Fekete as Vanielle of Brugge (season 1), a sorceress residing at Aretuza

Terence Maynard as Artorius Vigo (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), a court mage from Toussaint and Fringilla's uncle

Paul Bullion as Lambert (season 2; guest season 4), a witcher at Kaer Morhen who trained alongside Geralt

Yasen Atour as Coën (season 2; guest season 4), a witcher at Kaer Morhen and friend of Geralt

Nathanial Jacobs, Jota Castellano, and Chuey Okoye as Everard, Gwain, and Merek (season 2), witchers residing at Kaer Morhen

Ania Marson as Voleth Meir (season 2), a demon who came to the Continent with the Conjunction of the Spheres and feeds on pain

Kaine Zajaz as Gage Findabair (season 2; guest season 3), Francesca's younger brother

Ed Birch as King Vizimir (seasons 2–3), the ruler of the kingdom of Redania

Chris Fulton (season 2) and Sam Woolf (season 3) as Rience, a renegade mage set on a hunt for Ciri

Aisha Fabienne Ross as Lydia van Bredevoort (seasons 2–3), a disfigured sorceress allied with Vilgefortz who frees Rience from prison

Robbie Amell as Gallatin (season 3), the commander of the Scoia'tael elves, who is vying for leadership over his people

Safiyya Ingar as Keira Metz (season 3; guest season 4), a Temerian sorceress who runs a business specializing in magic portals

Frances Pooley as Teryn (seasons 3–4), a half-elf girl with a strong resemblance to Ciri who was magically brainwashed into believing that she is someone else

Cal Watson as Eva (seasons 3–4), an assassin posing as a handmaiden at the Redanian court and Philippa's lover

Rochelle Rose as Margarita Laux-Antille (seasons 3–4), a sorceress and the new Rectoress of Aretuza

Philip Philmar as Gerhart of Aelle (season 3), the oldest living member of the Brotherhood of Mages

Ryan Hayes as Artaud Terranova (season 3), a mage and associate of Vilgefortz

Jeremy Crawford as Yarpen Zigrin (season 4; guest seasons 1–3), the leader of a gang of dwarven mercenaries and a friend of Geralt

James Purefoy as Stefan Skellen (season 4), a Nilfgaardian spymaster and Emhyr's fixer

Linden Porco as Percival Schuttenbach (season 4), a gnome jeweler and Zoltan's traveling companion

Audrey Kattan as Beata (season 4), a young refugee traveling with Zoltan and Percival

Simon Paisley Day as Xarthisius (season 4), a Nilfgaardian mage and Emhyr's advisor

Edmund Kingsley as Jocephus of Muroc (season 4), a mage who acts as Vilgefortz's lieutenant

Ricky Champ and Miles Jovian as Toothless and Cloggy (season 4), a pair of cowardly villagers seeking to claim a bounty

Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart (season 4), a ruthless bounty hunter hired to find Ciri

Luisa Guerreiro as Ximer (season 4), a dwarven sorceress who answers Yennefer's call for help

Su Douglas as Assire Var Anahid (season 4), an elderly witch who answers Yennefer's call for help

Joelle Rae as Ida Emean Aep Sivney (season 4), an elven sorceress who answers Yennefer's call for help

Notable guest stars

Emma Appleton as Renfri of Creyden, a princess-turned-bandit who leads a gang of brigands and has a bloody grudge against Stregobor

Packy Lee as Nohorn, a bandit and member of Renfri's gang

Mia McKenna-Bruce as Marilka, the daughter of the alderman of Blaviken

Maciej Musiał as Sir Lazlo, a Cintran knight charged with protecting Ciri

Tobi Bamtefa as Sir Danek, the commander of the Cintran royal guard

Natasha Culzac as Toruviel, an elven warrior serving under Filavandrel

Amit Shah as Torque, a sylvan ("horned devil") working for Filavandrel

Shaun Dooley as King Foltest (seasons 1–2, 4), the ruler of the kingdom of Temeria, whose incestuous relationship with his sister created a daughter

Jade Croot as Adda the White, Foltest's daughter, who suffers from a curse that turned her into a striga

Julian Rhind-Tutt as Giltine, the enchanter of Aretuza

Josette Simon (season 1) and Lorna Brown (season 3) as Eithne, the queen of the dryads of Brokilon Forest

Blair Kincaid (season 1) and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (season 3) as Crach an Craite, a nobleman from the Skellige Isles and Eist's nephew

Gaia Mondadori as Princess Pavetta (seasons 1–3), Calanthe's daughter and Ciri's mother

Marcin Czarnik as the Ronin Mage, an assassin sent to murder the queen of Lyria and her infant daughter

Lucas Englander as Chireadan, an elven healer from the city of Rinde

Jordan Renzo as Eyck of Denesle, a virtuous yet pompous knight

Steve Wall as Boholt, the leader of the Crinfrid Reavers, a group of dragon hunters

Ron Cook as Borch Three Jackdaws, the golden dragon Villentretenmerth who disguises himself as a human

Adele Oni and Colette Dalal Tchantcho as Téa and Véa, Borch's Zerrikanian bodyguards

Ella-Rae Smith as Fola, a sorceress acolyte at Aretuza

Francis Magee as Yurga, a travelling merchant who is rescued from monsters by Geralt

Anna-Louise Plowman as Zola, Yurga's wife, who offers Ciri sanctuary

Frida Gustavsson as Visenna, a sorceress healer and Geralt's mother

Jack Bandeira as Caldemeyn, the young alderman of Blaviken

Kristofer Hivju as Nivellen, an aristocrat who was transformed into a beast through a curse

Agnes Born as Vereena, a bruxa and Nivellen's lover

Basil Eidenbenz as Eskel, a witcher at Kaer Morhen who trained alongside Geralt

Rebecca Hanssen as Queen Meve (seasons 2, 4), the ruler of the kingdom of Lyria and Rivia

Luke Cy as King Ethain, the ruler of the kingdom of Cidaris

Richard Tirado (season 2) and Vinny Moli (season 4) as King Demavend, the ruler of the kingdom of Aedirn

Edward Rowe as King Henselt (seasons 2, 4), the ruler of the kingdom of Kaedwen

Antony Byrne as General Hake, a political opponent to Fringilla Vigo

Kevin Doyle as Ba'lian, an elf seeking refuge in the most unexpected of places

Niamh McCormack as Lara Dorren, a powerful, ancient elven sorceress who fell in love with a human mage, Ciri's ancestor

Simon Callow and Liz Carr as Ellis Codringher and Fenn (seasons 2–3), a pair of investigators who help Istredd with finding information

Adjoa Andoh as Nenneke, the high priestess at the Temple of Melitele, who is acquainted with Geralt

Sam Hazeldine as Eredin (seasons 2–3), an ancient elf and king of the legendary Wild Hunt

Beau Holland as Vespula, Jaskier's on-and-off lover

Tracy-Ann Oberman as Queen Hedwig, Vizimir's wife and the queen consort of Redania

Catherine McCormack as Anika, a druid healer and old acquaintance of Geralt

Dempsey Bovell as Otto Dussart, a werewolf who Geralt once spared and Anika's ally

Giuseppe Lentini as Molnar Giancardi (seasons 3–4), a dwarven banker and owner of the Giancardi Bank

Stuart Thompson as Fabio Sachs, an employee at the Giancardi Bank

Michalina Olszańska as Marti Södergren, a sorceress and skilled healer

Nathan Laryea as Valdo Marx (seasons 3–4), a bard and Jaskier's rival

Josh Weller as Boris, one of Valdo's bandmates

Hiftu Quasem as Falka, a half-elven rebel princess who was burned at the stake and appears in Ciri's visions

Clive Russell as Stribog, an old storyteller who entertains children with the legend of Geralt

Sha Dessi as Nimue, a young storyteller seeking her destiny

Mei Mac as Burnita, a sorceress sent to kill Yennefer

Eve Austin as Lady Gilda, a baron's daughter who is robbed by the Rats

Ben Castle-Gibb as Hotspurn, an influential merchant who works with the Rats

Isabel Mackinson as Talver, Beata's sister who is accused of witchcraft

Gary Oliver as Vissegerd, a Cintran marshal who previously served under Calanthe

Development

In May 2017, Netflix announced the start of production on an English-language drama TV series based on the books. In December 2017, it was reported that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich would serve as showrunner on the show. In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the script for the pilot episode was finished and that the first season would be eight episodes long. In 2017, it was reported that Andrzej Sapkowski would serve as a creative consultant on the show, but in January 2018, Sapkowski denied any direct involvement. However, he met with Schmidt Hissrich in April 2018, and in May 2018, she stated that Sapkowski was on the creative team of the project. In August, Andrew Laws was revealed as production designer. In December, Radio Times reported directors Alik Sakharov and Charlotte Brändström had joined the project. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich emphasized that the adaptation would remain faithful to Sapkowski's novels while introducing changes to structure for something that suited television storytelling better. This included the use of a nonlinear timeline within the first season to introduce Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. The first season adapts Sapkowski's short story collections, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, using them to world build and make foundations of characters before transitioning into the main saga.

Netflix announced a second season on November 13, 2019, under the working title "Mysterious Monsters", with production set to begin in London in early 2020, for a planned release in 2021. In April 2021, Netflix's co-chief executive officer and chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, confirmed that the second season was expected to premiere in Q4 2021. In July 2021, it was announced that the second season would premiere on December 17, 2021. On September 25, 2021, Netflix announced that the series had been renewed for a third season. In April 2023, it was announced that the third season would be split into two volumes, to be released on June 29 and July 27, 2023, respectively. In the midst of filming the fourth season, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and final season in April 2024.

Due to the success of the main series, Netflix expanded the franchise with the animated film Nightmare of the Wolf (2021), centered on Vesemir, and the live-action prequel miniseries Blood Origin (2022), set over a thousand years before Geralt's time.

Casting

In September 2018, Netflix announced that Henry Cavill would play Geralt of Rivia. He was selected from more than 200 actors; Cavill actively campaigned for the role, being a long-time fan of the video game adaptations, specifically The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, though he read the books upon taking the role. In October 2018, Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra were cast as Princess Cirilla and Yennefer of Vengerberg respectively, while Jodhi May, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Adam Levy, MyAnna Buring, Mimi Ndiweni, and Therica Wilson-Read also joined. More casting was announced later that month, including Eamon Farren, Joey Batey, Lars Mikkelsen, Royce Pierreson, Maciej Musiał, Wilson Radjou-Pujalte, and Anna Shaffer.

In February 2020, Netflix announced Kim Bodnia had been cast as Vesemir, an experienced witcher and a mentor to Geralt. Other additions included Kristofer Hivju, Yasen Atour, Agnes Born, Paul Bullion, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Aisha Fabienne Ross, and Mecia Simson. In September 2020, it was announced that Basil Eidenbenz would replace Rasmussen in the role of Eskel. In November 2020, Rebecca Hanssen was announced for the role of Queen Meve.

In March 2021, Kevin Doyle was cast as Ba'Lian, an original character who does not appear in the novels. Cassie Clare, Adjoa Andoh, Liz Carr, Simon Callow, Graham McTavish, and Chris Fulton were cast as Philippa Eilhart, Nenneke, Fenn, Codringher, Dijkstra, and Rience, respectively.

In April 2022, Robbie Amell, Meng'er Zhang, Hugh Skinner, and Christelle Elwin joined the cast in the third season with recurring roles. In July 2022, Michalina Olszańska, Ryan Hayes, Kate Winter, Martyn Ellis, Harvey Quinn, and Poppy Almond were cast.

In October 2022, Netflix announced that Liam Hemsworth would be replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia from the fourth season onwards. In January 2024 it was announced that Laurence Fishburne was cast as Regis. Other actors joining the fourth season include Sharlto Copley, James Purefoy, Danny Woodburn, Linden Porco, Eve Ridley and Clive Russell.

The series' casting director is Sophie Holland.

Filming

In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the show would be filmed in Central and Eastern Europe.

Principal photography for the first season began on October 31, 2018, in Hungary. Much of the series was filmed at Mafilm Studios near Budapest; the outdoor set included the exterior of wizard Stregobor's household. The hall in Cintra was constructed at Origo Studios on the outskirts of Budapest. Fort Monostor (Monostori Erőd) and the nearby forest was used for some exterior scenes in Cintra. The Battle of Marnadal was filmed in the hills of a village in Hungary, Csákberény. The village that was Yennefer's original home was filmed at the Skanzen Village Museum, an open-air site near Szentendre some 30 kilometres (20 mi) north of Budapest; this location was also used in scenes with Ciri in an area with a windmill. The production used the exteriors of Burg Kreuzenstein, a castle near Leobendorf, Austria, for the abandoned fictional castle Vizima, but the interiors were filmed at Origo Studios.

In March 2019, production commenced on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, Spain. Some scenes were to be shot on the islands of La Palma and La Gomera, as well. Scenes of the Sorcerers' Aretuza Academy (Tower of the Gull) were shot on Roque de Santo Domingo in Garafía, an islet, and enhanced with CGI. The interiors, however, used for the graduation ball were at the Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda. The museum was a monastery in the 18th century. This location was also used for the conclave of the Northern Mages. The Barranco de Fataga area on Gran Canaria island was used for some scenes of arid landscapes. Scenes of Ciri traveling in the desert were filmed in the Natural Dune Reserve of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria. Most of episode six was filmed on La Palma island.

Filming of the first season concluded in Ogrodzieniec Castle in Poland. The ruins of this medieval castle, dating from the 1300s, were the backdrop for scenes including the fictional Vilgefortz of Roggeveen and Triss Merigold. The ruins were also included when shooting the Battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of Season 1. Filming for the first season wrapped in May 2019.

Filming for the second season began in Arborfield Studios, Berkshire, in early 2020 but was halted for two weeks in March due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and actor Kristofer Hivju's confirmation that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Then, in May 2020, film and television productions that were filming in the UK were given permission to resume filming, including season two of The Witcher. The show resumed preproduction in July and officially resumed filming on August 12, 2020, with filming for the second season expected to extend into early 2021. On November 7, 2020, production was halted again after a number of crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. Production resumed two weeks later on November 24, 2020, and continued in December despite Cavill's on-set injury. Filming for the second season wrapped on April 2, 2021.

Filming locations for the second season were all in the UK and included Cathedral Cave and Hodge Close Quarry in the Lake District, Low Force Waterfall in the North Pennines, and Bourne Wood in Farnham.

Filming for the third season began on April 4, 2022, and wrapped in September. Part of the season was filmed at the Krk island in Croatia, with the help of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC). Some of the scenes were filmed at the Fusine Lakes in Tarvisio, Italy, and at Predjama Castle and Nanos, both located in Slovenia.

The fourth season began filming in April 2024 at Longcross Studios in the UK and wrapped by the end of October.

The fifth season began filming by March 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa and wrapped in October.

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes collected 91 reviews of the first season and identified 68% of them as positive, with an average rating of 6.26/10. The website's critics’ consensus reads: "Though the world of The Witcher at times feels only half-formed, Henry Cavill brings brawny charisma to a series teeming with subversive fantasy elements and dark humor." Metacritic calculated a weighted-average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews by 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

In a positive review of the first season, Erik Kain of Forbes wrote, "If you're looking for an original dark fantasy with some horror elements, some bare skin and plenty of blood and gore (and monsters), look no further", while James Whitbrook of io9 wrote, "if you are willing to sit through those trudging opening episodes, punctuated by a cool fight here or an intriguing character scene there, The Witcher slowly but surely finds itself a fantastical slice of bloody, schlocky fun." Conversely, Entertainment Weekly critic Darren Franich wrote, "My destiny is to never watch this borefest ever again", awarding the first season an F rating. Franich drew criticism when he admitted to having watched only the first, second, and fifth episodes. Raisa Bruner of Time gave the show a positive review, commenting, "Each episode gets stronger as the season progresses, and ultimately satisfies the fantasy itch." Scott Bryan, of the BBC, was more negative towards the show, criticizing it for relying too much on the gameplays, and for not knowing how to properly adapt the novels’ material for television. Critic William Hughes of The A.V. Club commented, in a positive review, "The Witcher is by no means perfect; even ignoring the earlier structural flaws, its efforts at comedy often come off sounding a bit too modern for the rest of its setting, and the characters' tendency to monologue to any unspeaking object or person they can find—horses, mute companions, literal dead babies—verges on comedic. But when the worst thing you can say about a series is that every episode ends up being better than the one that preceded it, that leaves an exciting amount of room to grow."

The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski commented favorably about the show, writing, "I was more than happy with Henry Cavill's appearance as the Witcher. He's a real professional. Just as Viggo Mortensen gave his face to Aragorn (in The Lord of the Rings), so Henry gave his to Geralt — and it shall be forever so." Sapkowski added, "I shall be happy if the viewers — and readers — take anything away, anything that shall enrich them in some way. Also, I sincerely hope to leave the viewers — and readers — hot. In every sense. Not tepid, not lukewarm." Author Tom Long from The Detroit News praised the series for its action sequences and performances, and gave the show a B rating. Matthew Aguilar, of ComicBook.com, had a positive response, rating the show a 4 out of 5: "The Witcher brings the world's rich characters, sharp wit, and stylish action to life in a truly delightful way, and whether you're a fan of the novels or the games, you're going to find something to love." Critic Daniel D'Addario was more negative about the show, writing, "This is a show with moments of drama and of gruesome violence cut through with a glancing humor that too often feels tossed-off and out-of-place in the world the show has created."

The second season received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 62 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Witcher's second season expands on its first in all the best ways—and most importantly, it remains a whole lot of fun." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Critic Sheena Scott from Forbes favorably commented: "Throughout the episodes, characters repeatedly point out their resemblance—a similar attitude, the same hairstyle—to keep on reminding the viewers of their daughter-father bond. But as the ending of Season 2 indicates, it looks like it is this very bond that may be put into jeopardy in the next season." Angie Han from The Hollywood Reporter, praised the series for being an improvement over its previous season, although it may not be perfect. She commented: "In its second outing, The Witcher feels confident enough to open itself up to that whole array of feelings." In a more negative review, Roxana Hadadi from Vulture stated, "In its second season, The Witcher is most engaging when exploring the alliances and allegiances between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri and when using those three to consider Nivellen's insistence that 'Monsters are born of deeds alone. Unforgivable ones.' But in its attempt to build a bigger world, the series falls prey to more fantasy tropes than it masters." Author Leigh Butler deemed the second season an improvement over its previous season, praising its deeper themes, better storyline, performances, and finally approaching its potential, and stated, "Season 2 (so far) is better, and working its way toward potentially great. When it comes down to it, there is really only one thing any story needs to accomplish, and The Witcher has accomplished it."

James Whitbrook from io9 said, "The new focus on character-building might mean less focus on specific short stories from Sapkowski's collection of Witcher tales, but it makes the show's world feel more expansive and nuanced in ways it didn't until late in the show's first season, while still keeping things centered on the characters as the sense of scale expands." Nick Schagerw stated in a negative review, "Even by typical fantasy-genre standards, the show indulges in so much make-believe terminology, and at such an incessant clip, that it quickly proves easier to give up trying to make heads or tails of every detail and instead just go with the wonky narrative flow", while Allison Keene from Paste commented in a positive review, "More than anything though, The Witcher's excellent Season 2 is a deeper dive into a rich world that shines in its focus on Ciri and Geralt's relationship, and how that connection influences everything around them. Though there are plenty of things to quibble over from book to screen (or from videogame screen, although the show is expressly pulled from the page), The Witcher is perhaps best viewed and accepted as a fresh translation of an old fable." Critic Carly Lane from Collider gave positive feedback: "By comparison, Season 2 is finally settling into its stride and has an even better sense of what works while discarding more of what didn't — although there are still the occasional unannounced time-jumps forward, or surprise character introductions, that demand attentiveness rather than any distracted background viewing."

For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reports a 79% approval rating with an average rating of 7.1/10, based on 47 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Capably shouldered by Henry Cavill's gruff charm, The Witcher's plotty third season pays a fittingly fond farewell to this particular Geralt of Rivia." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 14 critics for the first five episodes and a score of 65 out of 100 based on 7 critics for the last three, both indicating "generally favorable reviews".

For the fourth season, Rotten Tomatoes reports a 59% approval rating based on 27 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "While Geralt of Rivia gets a new face, The Witcher overall is beginning to grow stale in a fourth season that dutifully sets up the series' endgame without having enough fun along the way." Metacritic calculated a weighted-average score of 59 out of 100 based on reviews by 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Audience viewership

According to Parrot Analytics, The Witcher, in its US debut, was the third most "in demand" original streaming series, behind Stranger Things and The Mandalorian. Parrot's process measures "demand expressions", which is "its globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit that reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership of a series weighted by importance." On December 31, 2019, Parrot Analytics reported that The Witcher became the most-in-demand TV series in the world, across all platforms.

On December 30, 2019, Netflix issued a number of official lists, including the Most Popular TV Shows of 2019. The series was among the most viewed in the U.S. market, where The Witcher was ranked second among series. On January 21, 2020, Netflix announced that the first season had been viewed by over 76 million viewers on its service within its first month of release. Netflix had recently changed its viewership metric, from 70% of an episode under the previous metric, down to two minutes under the new metric. The new metric gives viewing figures 35% higher on average than the previous one. The 76 million views in its first month based on the new metric (at least two minutes or more) is the largest for a Netflix series launch since the introduction of the new viewership metric.

The Witcher was, until the release of Bridgerton and Squid Game, Netflix's most watched original series launch at the time, with 541 million hours viewed in the first 28 days of release, and season two achieved 484 million hours watched.

Upon the release of the first batch of episodes for the third season, it was reported that the show had experienced a 30% drop in viewership compared to the previous season that finished airing about 1.5 years earlier.

PlumResearch data reported by Media Play News showed that season three of The Witcher drew approximately 5.7 million unique viewers and 15.1 million hours watched on Netflix during the week of 26 June to 2 July 2023.

Sales of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in December 2019 were 554% greater than those from December 2018, attributed to renewed interest in the series due to the show.