Netflix must have decided that The Witcher would be a big success for the company, because it was renewed for a second season before it even premiered to audiences. Now it seems that the audience of The Witcher is in agreement, as the show has received remarkable scores on the IMDB.
The Witcher premiered just days ago exclusively on Netflix, featuring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. Although it carries the same title as the games, the Netflix production is based on the original novels, which occur before The Witcher games begin.
According to the IMDB, fans can't get enough of The Witcher. The user score is currently sitting at an 8.8 at the time of this writing with over 80,000 votes, giving it the exact same score as Netflix's mega-hit Stranger Things. The score also puts it in the top 100 of all television shows on the IMDB, which is no minor feat.
Surprisingly, many critics weren't in agreement with audiences. Perhaps it's because some were unfamiliar with the books or even the games, but the show received less than stellar reviews from critics, being widely panned as 'half-formed' and 'confusing.' The contrast is quite evident, as Rotten Tomatoes' critic score is also low, still sitting at a mere 55%, but the audiences there have awarded the show a stunning 93% approval. Fans have even appreciated the show enough to mod Henry Cavill into The Witcher 3.
This contrast hasn't gone unnoticed by The Witcher's showrunner, Lauren S. Hissrich. She took to Twitter after being reached repeatedly regarding the show's low scores, noting that they don't bother her and that she's more focused on the audience that's giddy to start another rewatch after marathoning through all the available episodes.
It's surprising to see such a big disparity between critics' and and audience scores, but certainly not uncommon. Since Netflix's ultimate goal is to entice new subscribers to watch, chances are it's achieved this, as fans will be eagerly awaiting Season 2 and new viewers will likely be lured in by the positive viewer scores. The impact has even been felt on the games, as The Witcher 3 has seen a huge uptick in players ever since the show premiered. Clearly, The Witcher's popularity is as high - if not higher - as it's ever been, and a few negative reviews from critics won't put a stop to that.
Netflix's The Witcher is available for streaming now.