How Netflix’s The Witcher Could Have Been Saved After Henry Cavill’s Exit

November 18, 2025

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The Witcher has been steeped in controversy since Henry Cavill’s departure, and Netflix had limited options to correct it. Things were already going rough for the fantasy series, since season 2 moved so far away from the canon story that audience approval plummeted. If there was any hope that season 3 could fix The Witcher‘s many problems, it was entirely lost when Cavill announced that he was leaving the show.

Cavill made his announcement in October 2022, about a year before his final season with the series hit Netflix. The actor’s social media post also revealed that Liam Hemsworth would be taking over the role of Geralt. It quickly became clear that this new member of the Witcher cast was set up for failure. Fans were angry, so there was really no way that season 4 could have turned things around.

Between the massively unpopular changes in The Witcher season 2 and the controversial recasting, it’s difficult to say whether Netflix could have done anything to save itself. Season 4 was fairly book-faithful, and Hemsworth wasn’t a bad pick for the role. Still, the general discomfort of The Witcher‘s changes left critics divided, resulting in a 58% Rotten Tomatoes score. If anything could have tipped this particular scale, however, it would have been a shift in The Witcher‘s central protagonist.

The Witcher Season 3 Should Have Phased Out Geralt’s Lead

There’s no better way to rip viewers out of the immersive experience of fantasy TV than recasting the central protagonist. Hemsworth could have given viewers the perfect Geralt, but The Witcher‘s continuity would still be irreparably damaged. The best thing Netflix could have done was to use season 3’s story to push Geralt into a supporting role, while putting Ciri in the lead.

Though Cavill announced his departure from The Witcher after filming for season 3 was completed, the show’s writers were likely already aware of the change beforehand. It would have been the perfect opportunity to make Ciri the show’s central protagonist, something already achieved in some of The Witcher books and video games. Then, going into season 4, when Hemsworth took over, the shift might not have been so uncomfortable. It’s not a perfect solution, but it was the best Netflix could have done.

Ciri Becoming The Witcher’s Central Protagonist Would Still Come With Problems

Ciri as Falka looking angry in The Witcher season 4

The Witcher season 4 was especially faithful to Ciri’s story. Her time with the Rats was, more or less, just as it was in the books. However, this story was somewhat slow-moving. The whole arc was a buildup to Ciri’s greatest adventure in the Witcher novels, which will likely be explored in season 5—her traveling through time and space and her mission to save Yennefer and Geralt. Had Geralt been put to the side, season 4 could have focused on this part of Ciri’s development. Still, this comes with problems.

Though the focus of the later Witcher books shifts more toward Ciri, just the events of The Witcher season 3 wouldn’t have been enough to make such a change feel entirely organic. Cavill’s Geralt was the show’s crowning jewel, and there would have been discomfort moving away from this, regardless. Additionally, Geralt’s adventures with Regis, Milva, and all the rest are still an essential part of his story.

Any approach from Netflix would have come with problems. Viewers were guaranteed to be extra critical of The Witcher. Still, season 4’s critics’ score might have been improved with a different route. As it is, we can never know for certain.