Amazon’s Most Successful Fantasy Series Is Now Streaming Season 2
Despite keeping fans waiting for over two years since the thrilling premiere of its first season, Amazon’s The Wheel of Time has finally returned for Season 2. The high fantasy series famously boasts massive watch numbers, clocking in as both one of the most-watched Amazon Prime Video series of all time as well as one of the most pirated streaming series of 2021. The Season 2 premiere of The Wheel of Time first aired on September 1 and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Based on the smash hit series by Robert Jordan and, later, Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time Season 2 has finally arrived on Amazon Prime.
The Wheel of Time serves as an adaptation of the Robert Jordan-penned novel series of the same name, spanning 14 volumes beginning with 1990’s The Eye of the World. The series was developed for streaming by Marvel’s Agents of Shield writer/producer and former Survivor contestant Race Judkins. The series’ first season consisted of eight episodes and concluded its historic run on December 24, 2021, with Amazon renewing the show for a second and third season shortly thereafter.
The Wheel of Time stars a massive ensemble of incredible performers, including Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Madeleine Madden, Zoë Robins, Joshua Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Kate Fleetwood, Barney Harris, and Hammed Animashaun. Rosamund Pike is best known for leading roles in massive films such as Gone Girl and I Care A Lot, while other performers such as Daniel Henney and Kate Fleetwood are better known for their work in massive ensemble blockbusters such as the X-Men and Harry Potter franchises, respectively.
A number of actors in The Wheel of Time are not yet household names, though the massive popularity of the series shows that it’s only a matter of time before these names begin popping up in nearly everything. Despite Amazon pouring such a massive budget into series such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Citadel in the hopes of rivaling popular fantasy series such as Game of Thrones, it seems as though The Wheel of Time has the best shot at earning that title.
The television series seems to be pleasing fans and newcomers alike, offering a faithful adaptation of the Wheel of Time novels while expanding upon several of the book’s major plot lines.
The Wheel of Time series follows Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine Damodred, a natural-born magic user capable of channeling her abilities into incredible feats. After encountering five young people with deep magical signatures within their aura, Damodred comes to believe that one of them is the reincarnation of an ancient Dragon spirit, which is prophesied to either save the world as we know it or plunge it into eternal darkness.
The book series was initially hailed as a massive success in the wake of a swath of high fantasy novels that flooded the market following the success of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books.
Interestingly enough, series author Robert Jordan was a close personal friend of George R.R. Martin, who wrote the Song of Ice and Fire novels, which were adapted into HBO’s Game of Thrones series. Given that the pair were both highly lauded in the high fantasy community, the latter half of each author’s novel series frequently offers Easter eggs for one another’s work.
Robert Jordan tragically passed away in April of 2006 after a brief battle with cardiac amyloidosis, having left The Wheel of Time series unfinished. Luckily, popular fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson was able to complete the series using outline notes and unfinished drafts from Jordan, providing fans of the fantasy novels a great deal of relief and satisfaction. Jordan’s widow offered Sanderson the opportunity after hearing his impassioned eulogy for her late husband and meeting with him to discuss the final books in the franchise.
Amazon wanted to make The Rings of Power and Citadel into massive hits, but the Wheel of Time is still setting records for the streamer.
The television series seems to be pleasing fans and newcomers alike, offering a faithful adaptation of The Wheel of Time novels while expanding upon several of the book’s major plot lines. According to IMDb, the fan-favorite character of Logaine Ablar, played by Money Heist‘s Álvaro Morte, is set to be highly expanded upon in the series, allowing fans of the novels to be wowed and surprised by the many twists and turns of his unknown story.
The Wheel of Time premiered its second season on September 1 with an explosive three-episode premiere. The following five episodes in the season are expected to arrive on the streamer every Friday from now until the thrilling conclusion on Friday, October 6. The Wheel of Time is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
