I’m eager to seeThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powersucceed, but that has nothing to do with the show itself.ThisLord of the Ringsadaptation has brought the events ofMiddle-earth’s Second Ageto the screen, but its methods have been met with controversy.Several significant changes have been made to canon, and this has made audience reception rather complicated.
Overall, I have enjoyedRings of Power. ThoughI understand why some changes would be divisive, I haven’t found anything in the Prime Video series to be as blasphemous to J.R.R. Tolkien as some would claim. Still, of all this author’s stories,Sauron’s creation of the titular Rings of Powerisn’t what I’m most eager to see adapted. Regardless, I’m rooting for the series' success.
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The first twoseasons ofRings of Powerwere well received by critics, but audience scores onRotten Tomatoesreflect the dissonance amongLord of the Ringsfans regarding this series. Those critical of the Second Age adaptation have held nothing back, and it’s difficult to say whether it can survive much more of this. Unfortuantely,ifRings of Poweris canceled, there could be little chance of another series getting made.
Beren & Luthien, The Fall of Gondolin, Ainulindalë, and several other Middle-earth tales demand this format, but I won’t get my dream if the current Lord of the Rings TV show fails.
Fantasy TV shows are notoriously costly. IfRings of Powerfails to get through its five seasons, then it seems unlikely that any otherLord of the RingsTV shows would be brought to the screen any time soon. This would be a major disappointment, since TV is the perfect format for Tolkien’s works.
Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies are certainly beloved, but there simply wasn’t enough time to capture the full story in all its detail. I was thrilled to learn that Prime Video was making a TV show, and I hoped thatRings of Powerwould open the door to further stories.Beren & Luthien,The Fall of Gondolin,Ainulindalë, and several other Middle-earth tales demand this format, but I won’t get my dream if the currentLord of the RingsTV show fails.
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It’s difficult to say currently whether I have any real reason to be worried aboutRings of Power. To hear Prime Video tell it, this TV show has been a massive success. However, contradictory reports suggest a decline in viewership from season 1 to season 2. Moreover, the numbers suggest that a smaller fraction of viewers actually finished the seasons after starting them.
THRfamously claimed thatRings of Powerseason 1 had an abysmal completion rate of only 37%. However, it’s rarely mentioned how this compares to other series. For example, the massively successfulStranger Thingsseason 1 had a completion rate of 43%. Clearly, public data can only take us so far. However,there seems to be an eagerness to see the worst inRings of Power.
Tolkien is a legendary author who constructed a massively complex fantasy world, and people are naturally defensive of it.
We can conclude that audiences are going to be critical of any modernLord of the Ringsadaptation. Tolkien is a legendary author who constructed a massively complex fantasy world, and people are naturally defensive of it. I fear that ifRings of Powercontinues to be controversial, any otherLord of the Ringsseries would be just as divisive.
