After nearly two years of waiting and a host of controversial news in the interim, Netflix unveiled its first look at season three of The Witcher and Henry Cavill’s swan song as the Geralt of Rivia. Post haste, devotees to Cavill’s White Wolf took to the interwebs with a plan to have their voices heard in a way the streaming juggernaut will finally comprehend: a good ol’ fashion boycott.
On Reddit, fans pointed out that in order to accomplish said boycott, they would need to steer clear of “hate-watching.” Hate- watching is a popular phenomenon whereby entertainment junkies tune in to watch the thing they despise, if only to further corroborate the justification for their disdain. It is fascinating, but The Witcher fans are so devoted to the annihilation of the series that they are willing to suspend any and all hate-watching to ensure season three becomes the lowest-viewed season in the show’s history.
As pointed out by one fan, “hate watching = views and views = $” so there’s no real confusion about the game plan going forward; it doesn’t get more simple than that.
Indeed, The Witcher has seen a steady decline in popularity since it was announced Hemsworth would replace Cavill in season four. Add in the failed The Witcher: Blood Origin prequel series — which bombed so hard it become Netflix’s worst-rated original series of all time — and you have yourself a fandom that wants nothing more to do with The Continent, Witchers, or Elves.
Which is sad when you think about it — The Witcher was once one of Netflix’s most popular TV shows with its first two seasons toppling its global Top 10 list. (Season one still ranks at #9 with 541 million hours watched). There was once a time when the fandom would be happy to hear season three will be split into two parts. Now, they want nothing to do with it.
With all that said, the likelihood that fans will still tune in to see Cavill’s curtain call is high, if not guaranteed. As one fan pointed out, “he’s great.” Still, they would rather have it canceled after his departure than continue with a new actor. The best way to do this is steer clear of it.
Season three of The Witcher finally hits Netflix this summer on June 29.