One show to end them all
Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings spin-off drama Rings of Power finale has been labelled a ‘masterpiece’ by viewers.
The comments come after it was revealed earlier this month that poor viewership figures could lead to the cancelation of the series.
The Rings of Power is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien which tells a story loosely based on Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth.
Many have sung the praises of season two, describing it as a return to the original The Lord of the Rings film trilogy notably in relation to how it looks, but many others have criticised the show’s dialogue and lack of drama.
As season two reached a climax one fan took to X to declare it a ‘true cinematographic masterpiece’.
They said: “Let’s go! Episode 8. The scene between King Durin and the Balrog was majestic. True cinematographic masterpiece and a great start to this episode. #TROPspoilers #RingsOfPower”
A second fan said: “Oh my god that was the most epic and amazing but completely heartbreaking episode!”
Oh my god that was the most epic and amazing but completely heartbreaking episode! How to find words to even praise them enough for how brilliant it was!!#TheRingsOfPower #RingsofPower
— 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓪 ⁷ 💜 (@mariawithIuv) October 3, 2024
A third commented: “Being immersed once again in my favourite universe is truly a blessing.”
Another declared it the ‘best series’ they’ve ever seen after they were hooked from the opening scene.
Despite a slight critical resurgence in its second season, the improved Lord of the Rings spin off struggled to fend off the diminishing novelty factor that gave the first season enough interest to warrant a follow up.
The problem for the Rings of Power is that the second season has cost £535 million, an insane amount for a TV show.
Deadline reported that, according to Samba TV who track streaming numbers, there has been a massive decline in viewership from Season 1 to Season 2.
Samba TV’s data showed that only half the amount of people tuned into the premiere episode of the first season watched the second at only 902,000 U.S. households.
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Unlike other popular shows like Game of Thrones which saw audiences grow on the opening episode of each season, the Rings of Power has done the opposite, with most viewers not even sticking around to finish the series.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that only 37% of viewers who started the first season never made it to the end, which, ultimately, is an indictment of the shows inevitable failure.
With the numbers not looking promising for the studio a decision will have to be made soon whether Amazon Prime want to commit to the show and try to turn the ship around, but the positive reviews the season finale received may persuade them to reconsider axing the show.
At the time of writing Amazon had not confirmed whether the series had been renewed for a third series but the writers hinted they were working on it.
