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The Wheel of Time

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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55

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 516 Ratings

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4.4

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4.4	Your Score
4.4	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 516 Ratings

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The Wheel Of Time: First Look (UK)

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The Wheel of Time

Series Details & Credits

Prime Video | AMAZON | Release Date: November 19, 2021

Summary: Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of a powerful all-female organization and five young people, one who is prophesied to be the one who could save or destroy the world, begin a long journey in this adaptation of the Robert Jordan's novel series of the same name.

Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Recent Episodes

2.0
S1:E8. The Eye of the World
Air Date: December 24, 2021
4.3
S1:E7. The Dark Along the Ways
Air Date: December 17, 2021
4.0
S1:E6. The Flame of Tar Valon
Air Date: December 10, 2021

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

55

Positive:

8

Mixed:

14

Negative:

2

Critic Reviews

100

Collider Carly Lane

Nov 16, 2021

Season 1 Review: The result is a show that satisfyingly deals more in intimate moments rather than overly relying on big action set pieces or CGI'd mythical creatures to conjure excitement. ... Like any good fantasy epic, The Wheel of Time is one that promises very impressive returns, provided audiences are willing to settle in for the long haul. Read full review

85

Paste Magazine

Allison Keene

Nov 16, 2021

Season 1 Review: Pike’s performance is layered and staid, grounding the show alongside other veteran TV actors, which helps the younger set of mostly unknown candidates for the Chosen One. Read full review

70

Decider

Meghan O'Keefe

Nov 16, 2021

Season 1 Review: While Martin’s gritty, skeptical, and brutal look at the genre appealed to an HBO audience, I’m not sure Jordan’s romantic, mystical, and hopeful version will be as ubiquitously embraced. The Wheel of Time can’t be the next Game of Thrones. It’s just not in the source material’s DNA. But Prime Video’s series has the chance to be the first true Wheel of Time, and that excites this all-too-earnest nerd to bits. Read full review

50

Variety

Daniel D'Addario

Nov 16, 2021

Season 1 Review: The result is a show that may well please Jordan’s core fandom from the first but which makes for a frustrating watch for viewers who care less about whether “The Wheel of Time” outdoes “Game of Thrones” for spectacle than about whether the show they’re watching is coherent and well-crafted on its own terms. ... There is potential here: The sixth episode, of six provided to critics, is the strongest of the show’s early run. Read full review

50

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Nov 22, 2021

Season 1 Review: While the lavish first season is eventful, it's burdened with clunky exposition, a deficit of whimsy and wonder, and thinly developed characters. [22 Nov - 5 Dec 2021, p.9]

40

CNN

Brian Lowry

Nov 19, 2021

Season 1 Review: What emerges thus feels like another fantasy-based soap opera, populated by fantastic creatures and stiff dialogue filled with ominous warnings like "The dark one is coming for your friends." Read full review

25

The Playlist Brian Tallerico

Nov 16, 2021

Season 1 Review: It’s a show that is so serious in terms of tone and dialogue as to verge on parody. There’s so little personality here, which is a hole into which almost all of the mediocre “Game of Thrones” riffs fall. Read full review

SEE ALL 24 REVIEWS

Write a Review

4.4

User Reviews

10

Nighteyes

Nov 19, 2021

Very enjoyable so far! Acting is fantastic and visuals are gorgeous.

Some issues in the first episode, especially in the first few minutes, but otherwise looking very strong and I'm excited to see what comes next!

27 of 91 users found this helpful2764

10

ThisIsMeAndMeAl

Nov 23, 2021

Very well adapted. Necessary changes to the Story to fit to a TV format. No drastic changes as some make it seem to have.

3 of 23 users found this helpful320

9

Stryyk

Jan 6, 2022

A fantastic adaptation that brings a new turning to the incredible world of the Wheel of Time! I'm excited for Season 2.

1 of 12 users found this helpful111

2

strongnc21

Dec 31, 2021

It is so sad to see such an amazing book series get so badly butchered. Core lore and characters, just outright change. Key mechanics of this magical world, completely ignored. The producers of this show seem hell-bent on not actually telling the story, but instead using it as a platform forIt is so sad to see such an amazing book series get so badly butchered. Core lore and characters, just outright change. Key mechanics of this magical world, completely ignored. The producers of this show seem hell-bent on not actually telling the story, but instead using it as a platform for pushing their own personal social agendas. And sickeningly, they claim that the author would have written it this way if he were alive today. How dare they sully the magnum opus of Robert Jordan. They are spitting on his grave, by making this show the way they are making it. For shame, Rafe.… Expand

11 of 12 users found this helpful111

1

SenlinHilo

Dec 31, 2021

Though season 1 has its good moments, this 'The Wheel of Time' is a catastrophe in terms of writing and "creative" choices. How Rafe and his team were able to come out with such a disappointing adaption is a mystery; the series is complete, all the material is there, so how did it come toThough season 1 has its good moments, this 'The Wheel of Time' is a catastrophe in terms of writing and "creative" choices. How Rafe and his team were able to come out with such a disappointing adaption is a mystery; the series is complete, all the material is there, so how did it come to this? Sure it could never be a 1:1 adaptation (And hopefully it never comes to that, as the books also have their weak and slow moments), but changing well established concepts, themes and character arcs from the book just doesn't sit well. Some examples: - The whole concept of Saidin and Saidar, which the story of The Wheel of Time pretty much revolves around... isn't present in the show. People who haven't read the books do not know that only men can be tainted. This is why women (with Saidar) are in power and why every one fears the Dragon Reborn and men who can channel. In the show they decided that women could also be the Dragon, which kind of breaks the point of the story.
- Character arcs: Now there's a lot to say here, from Perrin to Agelmar, almost every character arc has been changed, but for worse. Perrin is married at the beginning of the season... okay yeah why not could be an interesting change... but he kills his own wife in the first episode, which could also be an interesting choice to show why Perrin fears his own strength. However, his character development is so bad, that he leaves EFwithout burying his wife (wtf and why would he decide to follow Moraine?, the Departure is extremely rushed). Rand, the Dragon, isn't developed until episode 7, and it's only through flashbacks. The main character of the story is about as bland as it gets, he gets no development (not even his infamous discussion with Tam during the attack of the Trollocs... the flashback we get from episode 7 is pathetic). Loial has literally no purpose in season 1 unlike book 1... which is an odd choice... he's also shorter than Perrin and gets stabbed by The Cursed Dagger so he should be dead. Agelmar, one of the 5 Great Captains, is apparently the most incompetent commander in the show, as his strategy to fight against the Trollocs are just stand and shoot arrows and wait to be killed. - Some "creative" choices are outright bad: Egwene is capable to heal death, this is ridiculous. The final battle of the season, where Rand is supposed to show us his real power, doesn't really happen, instead we get 5 women: 2 untrained but powerful, 1 who wasn't able to finished the training and 2 nameless fodder. These 5 destroy 50K Trollocs and a couple Fades, which is just bad writing, where the books have a hard magic system, the show now has a soft magic system. How do you even get stakes from future battles with Trollocs (or other ennemies) if there are Aes Sedai around? What's the limit of an Aes Sedai? Why would they even need training? - There's too many fake-out deaths in only 8 episodes, to the point where, again, there are no stakes. And now with Egwene's ability to heal death... it's even worse. I honestly cannot see this show having more than 3 seasons, the book fans are pretty much unhappy with the adaptation, the non-book fans might be impressed with the visuals, but cannot understand what is going on, who is who and why they should care that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. I give a 1/10, because it's just that bad. Episode 4 was good, episode 7 was alright, but other than that it's really a bad adaptation. Unless Amazon gets a new team of competent writers, I'm afraid one of the most beloved fantasy series will go to waste.… Expand

10 of 11 users found this helpful101

0

JohnDJD

Jun 4, 2022

Thoroughly disappointing. Making changes to the books that made no sense and effectively destroying characters before the show even starts.

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

0

Saikodemon

Nov 20, 2021

Pretty good rendition of the world of WoT. However, the characters and story are horribly, terribly butchered. I think if I can somehow get into the idea that this is an alternate universe, a different turning of the Wheel, a beginning that was not the beginning described in the book...Pretty good rendition of the world of WoT. However, the characters and story are horribly, terribly butchered. I think if I can somehow get into the idea that this is an alternate universe, a different turning of the Wheel, a beginning that was not the beginning described in the book... maybe I can enjoy the show a bit. You need that sort of copium to endure this.

Newcomers will likely have an OK time if they can turn a blind eye to all the glaring plot-holes and inconsistencies that arise from randomly inserting your fanfic into a story as complex as this one.

I hope this at least brings more people into Robert Jordan's world so I can tell them to read the books, or listen to the audiobooks.… Expand

26 of 40 users found this helpful2614

SEE ALL 304 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

55

Series Overview
Season 1

55
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 19, 2021
- 2.0
  S1:E8. The Eye of the World
  Air Date: December 24, 2021
- 4.3
  S1:E7. The Dark Along the Ways
  Air Date: December 17, 2021
- 4.0
  S1:E6. The Flame of Tar Valon
  Air Date: December 10, 2021
- 4.5
  S1:E5. Blood Calls Blood
  Air Date: December 3, 2021
- 6.0
  S1:E4. The Dragon Reborn
  Air Date: November 26, 2021
- 5.8
  S1:E3. A Place of Safety
  Air Date: November 19, 2021
- 5.9
  S1:E2. Shadow's Waiting
  Air Date: November 19, 2021
- 5.3
  S1:E1. Leavetaking
  Air Date: November 19, 2021