On Monday, January 6, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, showrunner for Netflix's The Witcher series, hosted an AMA on Wiedźmin, a subreddit dedicated to "in-depth talk about The Witcher." This gave fans the opportunity to inquire about a myriad of topics, ranging from the design of the show's monsters to the changes that were made to Geralt of Rivia and beyond, and Hissrich's response to one of the many questions that she received may be of particular interest to viewers.
Specifically, Reddit user Panexdeliv probed Hissrich on the decision to make The Witcher Season 1 "only eight episodes," and the series' showrunner plunged into this query headfirst. According to Hissrich, there were several factors that informed the final episode count for The Witcher's first season, and she articulated these considerations as follows: "The number of episodes is based on the story we're telling, our sense of what an audience will watch (and finish), and the budget."
The implication here is that those behind The Witcher ultimately believed that an episode count of eight, which Hissrich states "felt like the magic number," would not only allow the show's narrative to unfold in a desirable fashion, it would do so over a timeframe that would maintain the interest of the audience. Indeed, some viewers may have found it challenging to remain engaged with The Witcher's first season if it was further protracted, and Hissrich makes it clear that this was a consideration during development.
With respect to how budgets ultimately impacted the season one episode count, The Witcher showrunner noted that more episodes would have required that less money be spent on each individual episode. Hissrich further stated that this was simply not an appealing option, suggesting that eight episodes was the sweet spot when considered next to he monetary resources that were available for the show.
While viewers that were most captivated by the first season of The Witcher may have wished that they could have continued their enjoyment with more than eight episodes, the thinking that Hissrich outlines is certainly understandable. Additionally, The Witcher Season 2 is already confirmed for release in 2021, which means that these eight episodes are definitely not the end of fans' time with Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer.
The Witcher is available exclusively on Netflix.