It was the news that no one was really expecting. On Saturday, Netflix announced that the hit fantasy series The Witcher was being renewed for a fourth season. So far, so good. But there’s a catch: Henry Cavill would be stepping down from the lead role, to be replaced with The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth. Cavill had played the grey-haired demon slayer Geralt of Rivia for two seasons (with a third forthcoming) to a warm reception from fans. To fans of the Witcher books, or the massively successful video game adaptations, Geralt is a Big Deal, and Cavill had thrown himself into the role with gusto and all the requisite reverence. Reactions to the news have, then, been predictably sour, ranging from doom-mongering predictions of creative decline to threats of a boycott. But is this really justified?
After all, The Witcher is hardly the first TV series to recast a character. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air famously recast Janet Hubert as “Aunt Viv” after season three, with Daphne Maxwell Reid taking over. Loads of shows have done it, whether we’re talking sitcoms (Arrested Development; Family Guy) or prestige dramas (Mad Men; Game of Thrones; Better Call Saul). While it’s rarer for a TV series to recast its sole lead, it’s far from unheard of. Back in 2021, Ruby Rose stepped down as the lead of the CW’s Batwoman after just one season; Javicia Leslie was quickly embraced by fans as her successor.
