I thought The last kingdom I found its replacement series sooner than expected, and was disappointed to hear of its cancellation after only one season. If you’re like me and enjoy a historical fiction/fantasy epic, you’ll know that the good ones are hard to come by, which makes it worth exploring every bit of potential. After these Seven kings Must die Finally, there was a void in my television enjoyment left by the Netflix series. That was what I was thrilled about MGM+’s The Winter King And why I’m bummed it won’t be returning for season 2.
While not as well executed as The last kingdom, I saw some potential that I thought was worth exploring further. With the big-budget costume shows, I often find that they take some time to grow on me. This was the case with foundation And the rings of power, And in both cases, I’m thankful I stuck around. Not every show rallies for its second run, but I’m generally of the opinion that it’s worth giving a series the time to find its stride, especially when it shows flashes of excellence. The Winter King’s Cancellation means it won’t have its chance.
The Winter King was a great replacement for The Last Kingdom
Both shows are based on a Bernard Cornwell novel series
The main reason I would have suggested The Winter King To any fan of The last kingdom is that they are both based on series of books by the same author, Bernard Cornwell. The last kingdom is based on his saga, The Saxon StoriesWhile The Winter King was an adaptation of The Warlord Chronicles. As far as I understand, this is not the closest adaptation to his books that the readers were hoping for, but after not having read the series, I was able to approach it with less fear and enjoy it.
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Although if it takes its creative freedom, The Winter King seems to draw its tone, aesthetic, and narrative style from The last kingdom. In this sense, Cornwell’s writing seems to have shone through. Even the worst adaptations of great novels will be brilliant from time to time, and The Winter King is a decent production. Not similar The last kingdomwhich features many real-world historical figures, The MGM+ series is based on Arthurian legend, with Cornwell’s unique lens on the classic stories.
The Winter King seems to draw its tone, aesthetic, and narrative style from The last kingdom
The Warlord Chronicles Book series examines critical stories and characters from Arthurian legend as if they existed in the actual Dark Ages, posing how the stories might have looked like in the real world. The Winter King Stretches intended historical accuracy in various waysCause it might receive criticism, but I didn’t find it to be an urgent matter. by The Winter King’s Finally, I was primarily enjoying being back in Medieval England, with my biggest complaint only being the instances where the lower budget is more apparent.
Why was The Winter King cancelled?
Low viewership on MGM+ is likely the biggest factor
While there may not be any single reason for the cancellation of the show, there are several possibilities. For starters, I hadn’t even heard of MGM+ at the time of the show’s original release, and I cringed at the idea of ​​another new streaming service entering the fold. If shows on Apple TV+ are struggling to find viewership, it’s no stretch of the imagination to figure MGM+’s viewership numbers aren’t great. They were One of the latest contributions to an already oversaturated streaming market And arrived on the scene just before the 2023 strikes.
The Winter King Arrived at a bad time. If it was released in 2022, it could be given another chance to gather momentum.
It has been clear for years now that some media companies have been throwing money at television production, hoping that they will end up with the next Game of Thrones. However, it seems obvious that many of the shows are not getting the expected viewership. The Winter King is one of many series of this​​​​like to receive less-than-stellar reviewsAnd with so many shows available and recommended to every audience member, there are very few reasons to take a chance on a project that was considered mediocre.
The result of several high-budget productions that did not meet the expected viewers is now shown in Hollywood. Apple TV+ is cutting costs, Netflix has received flak from fans for canceling dozens of series after just one seasonAnd productions on various fantasy projects were stopped. The Winter King Arrived at a bad time. If it was released in 2022, it could be given another chance to gather momentum.
Why the Winter King Season 2 should have happened
The Winter King showed signs of potential
As I mentioned before, I like to give shows like this an extended chance. For a moment, consider Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films as an example of the immense difficulties of constructing a realistic-looking medieval/fantasy production. The films went into production in 1997 and did not begin shooting until late 1999. Building an entire world takes time, and it’s often the case that series don’t have the resources To whip together everything they need immediately. But they often improve time to time, because they can reuse material and expand on it.
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Now, that’s my defense of The Winter King’s visuals, and while I can’t speak to the quality of its adaptation, I found the story to be reasonably entertaining. It’s not my favorite piece of TV in 2023, but it’s good enough to serve as breadcrumbs of The last kingdom While I wait for the BBC King and Conqueror series and Shogun Season 2. I would be open to the opportunity to see The Winter King Make gradual improvements, and who knows, maybe it could have made a more significant jump between seasons 1 and 2.
Could The Winter King Season 2 Still Happen?
MGM+ may be “shopping” the series to other services
MGM+ seems to be in a state of flux beyond just the cancellation of shows like The Winter King And Beacon 23. They changed their name from Epix in early 2023 and were acquired by Amazon in a deal in 2022, so there may be workings behind the scenes contributing to the productions. The Television Line The article announcing their cancellations also says: “Both series may be shopped to other outlets.“
With that in mind, it’s not entirely the end of the road for The Winter KingBut its future is uncertain. Netflix may be interested in the series, given its success The last kingdom and previous failed attempts at Arthurian legend in Cursed. Prime Video may look to add it to their library, given the connections to MGM+. I do not know what the future of The Winter King Will be, and it’s all speculation for now, but I hope to see the show get another chance.
Key background
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Bernard Cornwell’s historical novels often have main characters observing the key events around them. In this case, Derfel witnesses the rise of King Arthur’s legend.
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Derfel, known as Derfel Godarn, was a 6th century Celtic Christian monk who was a saint in medieval Welsh poetry.
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Morgan’s appearance is significantly different from the source material, in the original novels she is scarred from being in a fire and wears a golden mask to cover it.
Sources: Television Line