It can be a bit daunting to get into a series that has a long literary history. But if that is what is stopping you from watching The Witcher, worry not.
The new Netflix series premiered on Friday and is based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Set in a fantasy world with three timelines running concurrently, it can easily be confusing. Not to mention it contains a glossary of terms tailor-made for its own universe. But if fantastical creatures and evil humans are your thing, then The Witcher is well-worth pursuing, and its showrunner is confident that you don’t need any prior knowledge to jump into the Henry Cavill-led series.
“What was important to me is starting off and making sure that we understood who Geralt was and who Ciri was, and then, in episode 2, who Yennefer was,” said showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich about the move, which was made to make it easier for viewers, but deviates from the books.
“I think the people that haven’t read the books, that’ll actually be a lot easier for them to get into because they have the Yennefer and Ciri storylines, which are amazingly performed, from the get-go,” Cavill noted.
“With the Geralt storyline, it’s a slower burn. If you’ve read the books, then yes, you have the privilege of knowing the why, the what and the how. But with his storyline, it’s a slower burn and you discover him bit by bit, more and more over the season and through future seasons.”
Season 1 of The Witcher is currently on Netflix, with a second season having already been announced.
