From SRP Author Taylen Carver:
Screenrant have been speculating that The Rings of Power could be canceled, citing rumored pressures over licensing fees from the Tolkien estate.
Whether or not the article is accurate, the idea struck me: perhaps the show is not failing because it’s weak, but because it simply can’t break through the noise.
The Demand Paradox
On one hand, audiences are more discerning than ever. With so many fantasy and high-concept offerings—from Witcher to Wheel of Time to Shadow and Bone and more—fans have grown picky. A few missteps, deviations, or pacing hiccups, and the backlash is savage.
On the other hand: are we just too saturated? Even a beautifully produced show like The Rings of Power (season 2, I thought, was far stronger than season 1) struggles to find its full audience because every potential viewer has dozens of competing series to choose from.
Streaming = Fragmentation
I feel it personally. My “to‑watch” list is so long that I track new episodes in a task manager, lest I miss something that really matters to me. And I know I’m not alone.
This is a phenomenon I’ve seen in the book world, too. Twenty million new books every year, thousands of new fantasy novels, and readers simply can’t keep up. So readership fractures, attention splinters, and only the most fanatic fans remain deeply engaged with a given author or series.
I suspect TV is following the same path now. Back in the old days of 3 or 4 networks, the shared cultural eyeballs were large. You turned on the TV, you picked from a small handful of shows, and discussion was widespread. Now, with streaming, there’s no gatekeeper, and the result is overwhelming choice.
So a show like The Rings of Power, which deserves wide recognition, might be quietly failing not because it’s bad, but because it’s not exactly the drop‑dead favorite of the algorithm gods or the flame‑throwing fandom squads.
What It Means for High Fantasy on Screen
- Big fantasy needs time, investment, patience—and a committed audience. Those things are harder to sustain when everyone is chasing “what’s next” rather than “what’s deep.”
- Cultures of critique and splitting hairs grow louder in social media: one creative deviation or misstep can dominate fan chatter more than months of consistent storytelling.
- Discoverability is a giant barrier: many streaming services are islands, algorithms don’t always push fantasy, and it’s easier for new or complex shows to get lost in the shuffle.
In Conclusion (My Gut Take)
I don’t think The Rings of Power is a bad show. Far from it. I think it’s a show that’s struggling to find enough of me—and enough others like me—in a world of endless alternatives. The rumor of cancellation lit a spark, but it doesn’t surprise me.
Maybe we as an audience have become too hungry, too demanding, too fragmented. Or maybe we simply can’t hold all the stories anymore. Either way, it’s a sad state for storytellers and for fantasy lovers who yearn for sweeping, lush sagas to sink into.
Does this resonate with you? Do you feel the weight of too many choices when you open your streaming app? I’d love to hear how you pick what to watch (or let go of).
.
Taylen Carver
SRP Fantasy Author
Browse Taylen’s books here.
