Better than the books: When does ‘The Witcher’ season 2 come out?

With the advancement of streaming services, we have seen many trends take place in the realm of TV & film. One of them is the shortening of the regular season from twenty-plus episodes down to eight, or even six. Another is the ability for bigger-name actors to take advantage of these shorter seasons and step away from feature films. One series that benefited immensely from these two changes is The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill. 

If the series, based on novels & games of the same name, had been regulated to syndicated TV, audiences would have been presented with something more Supernatural and less Game of Thrones. Instead, Cavill was able to step away from his busy schedule (is he not the most desired actor in Hollywood?) to take the lead. The result was a season 1 that has fans dying for more. 

Now that it has finished filming, when does The Witcher season 2 come out?

The Witcher season 1 recap

The first season largely follows three different protagonists as they move through their individual storylines. The first is Geralt of Rivia (Cavil), a legendary witcher of the School of the Wolf. The second is the sorceress, Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), following her ascension as a mage for the court of Aedirn. Finally, the third follows Ciri (Freya Allan), a royal forced into exile following the Nilfgaardian invasion. 

Throughout the episodes, it’s revealed that these stories that seemingly run concurrently are actually decades apart. As the stories weave in & out of the timeline, the characters begin to see how they relate to each other when they become entwined. Yennefer is known as the love of Geralt’s life, and they form an uneasy relationship. 

Season 1 leaves us with the battle for Sodden Hill. Many mages have died, and Yennefer unleashes a powerful stream of fire, halting the fight. All the while, Geralt defends a random farmer from monsters before being wounded. He’s taken to his farmhouse, where he meets with Ciri. There is an instant connection, and they know their destinies are linked.

The Witcher season 2

Season 2 will attempt to up the fantasy stakes by focusing on some of the more significant, more existential questions about The Witcher universe, from the origins of monsters to why a young princess’s screams create earthquakes. The result could be a show with a more ambitious, epic feel and one that could potentially lose some of the personality that made it such a hit in the first place. 

These issues would mirror the trajectory of the books but would feel more pronounced in a live-action series where so much depends on the characters and their performances. 

The story picks up right after the events of season 1’s final episode, in which two critical things happened. Geralt and his ward Ciri finally reached each other after spending the past eight episodes seemingly running in parallel across an entire continent.

At the same time, a colossal battle ended after the mage and Geralt’s on-again, off-again love interest Yennefer channeled some dark forces to defeat an entire army temporarily. These events left the cast in some exciting places, which is right where season 2 kicks off.

Season 2 introduces some key new faces. Among them: Geralt’s mentor & father figure, Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), who’s desperate to keep witchers from going extinct, a dark mage named Rience (Chris Fulton) tasked with finding Ciri, and Nenneke (Adjoa Andoh), a priestess who helps guide Geralt through this new (for him) territory.

When does The Witcher season 2 come out?

The new season will premiere on December 17th, with all eight episodes airing simultaneously. The trailer for the upcoming season already gives us some early looks at some of the monsters that Henry Cavill’s Geralt will undoubtedly be facing.

Geralt is front and center of the trailer, so he will continue to play a significant role alongside the other two focal figures, Yennefer & Ciri. The trailer implies another world-ending threat for our characters to face, even if Geralt quips that he’s already lived through three supposed ends of the world.

With a bigger budget, we can only assume that Geralt and the rest of the cast will be battling bigger, more brutal monsters than we’ve seen in the season prior.

—

Are you excited to see The Witcher season 2 come out? When will you binge it? Does this take the place of Game of Thrones? Or does this stand on its own?