Liam Hemsworth in “The Witcher.”
Netflix
The Witcher Season 4, which replaces Henry Cavill with Liam Hemsworth, is getting a harsh reception from Rotten Tomatoes critics and users.
Cavill, of course, played Geralt of Rivia, aka the title character, in the hit Netflix series over three seasons from 2019 to 2023. In 2022, however, Cavill shocked audiences with an Instagram post that announced the third season of the series would be his last.
“My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” Cavill, who also played director Zach Snyder’s version of Superman, wrote in the post. “In my stead, the fantastic Mr. Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam’s take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men.”
At least judging by reviews and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences aren’t entirely fascinated by Hemsworth taking up the mantle of Geralt.
All eight episodes of The Witcher Season 4 arrived on Netflix on Thursday. To date, Rotten Tomatoes critics have given Season 4 a 53% “rotten” rating based on 17 reviews, while the season also received a 19% “rotten” Popcornmeter score based on 100-plus verified user ratings.
The RT Critics Consensus and audience summary are still pending.
By contrast, The Witcher Season 1 received a 68% “fresh” rating from RT critics based on 92 reviews and an 88% Popcornmeter score based on 10,000-plus verified user ratings; while Season 2 earned a 95% “fresh” rating on RT based on 64 reviews and a 54% “rotten” Popcornmeter score based on 5,000-plus verified user ratings.
Season 3 of The Witcher, meanwhile, earned a 79% “fresh” rating from critics on RT based on 47 reviews and a 20% “rotten” score based on 2,500-plus verified user ratings.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘The Witcher’ Season 4?
Joining Liam Hemsworth in The Witcher Season 4 are Anya Chalotra as Yennifer and Freya Allan as Ciri. The official logline for The Witcher Season 4 reads, “After the Continent-altering events of Season Three, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies.
“As their paths diverge and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good.”
Aramide Tinubu of Variety is among the top critics on RT who give The Witcher Season 4 a “fresh” review, writing, “In a much sharper and less convoluted season than the previous one, The Witcher Season 4 is action-packed and full of dazzling characters both old and new.”
Ed Power of the UK’s Daily Telegraph also gives the new season of The Witcher a “fresh” review on RT, but notes that Hemsworth’s “quietly ridiculous turn is nonetheless perfectly attuned to a show that harks back to the days before fantasy was cool and gets by (just about) on sheer silliness.”
Sarah Dempster of the Guardian also calls out Hemsworth in her “rotten” review on RT, writing, “While his predecessor invested Geralt I with a gruff likability, Geralt II is less ‘valorous man-mountain grappling with responsibilities beyond our ken’ and more ‘bollard in a wig.”
Chase Hutchinson of The Wrap also gives The Witcher Season 4 a “rotten” review on RT, writing that where Henry Cavill “brought a real presence to the role — managing to be gruffly funny in one moment and believably brutal in the next — Hemsworth is just an anchor around the entire experience from which The Witcher can’t shake free.
Rated TV-MA, all episodes of The Witcher Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix.
