The Wheel of Time Showrunner Insists Canceled Amazon Prime Video Show Was Watched by 'Huge Numbers of People,’ Points to The Expanse in Expressing Hope It Will Be Saved

Although Amazon has canceled The Wheel of Time following Season 3, its showrunner sees potential for a revival, citing The Expanse as proof that such cancellations aren't always final.

Based on Robert Jordan's beloved fantasy novels and starring Rosamund Pike, the series endured rocky first two seasons filled with fan backlash over changes to the source material. However, Season 3 successfully won back many viewers, suggesting strong potential for future seasons.

Last month, Prime Video announced it would not renew The Wheel of Time for a fourth season, following what Deadline described as "lengthy deliberations." While executives enjoyed the series, they ultimately could not justify its financial viability.

Brandon Sanderson, who completed Jordan's book series after his passing, publicly shared his thoughts on the cancellation. He expressed regret that a show with such strong viewership was cut short: “I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancelation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way.”

Showrunner Rafe Judkins recently offered his first public statement regarding the news. While admitting he couldn’t provide a simple explanation for the cancellation, he emphasized that The Wheel of Time remains widely popular globally. He highlighted viewership metrics, noting its presence on the Nielsen Top 10 chart for nearly 20 weeks—a remarkable achievement in recent years.

Judkins explained that his team always intended to adapt the entire saga from the books. Failing to complete this narrative arc “feels like a devastating blow for all of us.”

He also criticized the current television trend of producing shorter seasons with fewer episodes to quickly boost streaming subscriber numbers, arguing this strategy undermines TV’s core strength: long-form storytelling.

Currently, over 130,000 fans have signed an online petition urging executives to “Save The Wheel of Time” and finish the story. While some hope Apple might acquire the series for Apple TV+, joining their slate of high-budget sci-fi and fantasy titles, this seems unlikely at present.

Nevertheless, Judkins remains hopeful that another network will pick up the show, drawing parallels to The Expanse, which was canceled by SYFY before Amazon rescued it to complete its narrative arc.

“So who knows?” Judkins concluded. “Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”

These remarks coincide with new reports from TVLine, which claims The Wheel of Time is not currently being pitched to other streaming platforms. Sources familiar with the situation confirmed that a fourth season is unlikely, disappointing many fans who hoped for a continuation.

Here is Rafe Judkins' full statement:

I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week — why was The Wheel of Time canceled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.

What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. And we’ve all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!) but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world (appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.

One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best — get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.

Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling. It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best — bringing great characters into people’s living rooms and lives every week.

Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it’s not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.

So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of “beginnings” and “ends.” I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.