THE WITCHER Showrunner Responds to Fan Backlash Over Straying From the Books
Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, the creative force behind The Witcher series, is opening up about the fan backlash surrounding Netflix’s hit fantasy series and the ongoing debate over how closely it should stick to the source material.
As the show prepares to wrap up with its fifth season, Hissrich is reflecting on what it takes to adapt a world as rich and complex as Andrzej Sapkowski’s.
In a recent interview with Dexerto, Hissrich addressed the criticism head-on and explained her philosophy behind shaping The Witcher’s final two seasons. According to her, the series will stay faithful to Sapkowski’s work, and definitely won’t make the same mistake that Game of Thrones did.
“We’re not going to go past the books. We lean so hardcore into fantasy at the end in wonderful ways that Sapkowski introduced us to. So we knew the stories that we needed to end with.”
Both upcoming seasons, which were filmed back-to-back, will adapt Sapkowski’s final novels Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake. For Hissrich, reaching the end of the saga feels like a major milestone.
“A lot of TV shows don’t get the chance to do five seasons,” she said, describing the experience as “an enormous celebration.”
Still, The Witcher hasn’t escaped controversy. From the moment it premiered, the show has faced pushback from purists who feel it strays too far from the original books or CD Projekt Red’s video games.
Hissrich acknowledged those frustrations but emphasized that her job is to tell a coherent, engaging story for everyone, not just one corner of the fandom.
“You have book fans, you have video game fans, and then you have fans that knew nothing about this world until the show existed. We can’t choose one audience. We have to remember what we are doing, which is a television show.”
Adapting The Witcher for Netflix means balancing multiple canons while ensuring the show stands on its own.
“You have to start to weave them together. You have to understand how these adventures lead our characters to be where they are meant to be,” Hissrich said, noting that Netflix’s early renewal for Seasons 4 and 5 gave the team room to “write ourselves to that particular ending.”
And while she knows some fans may never fully embrace her version of Geralt’s world, Hissrich remains confident that there’s room for all interpretations.
“The books still exist. No one is taking the books away. No one is taking the video games away. I think everyone can have their version of The Witcher and this is this version.”
With The Witcher heading into its final chapters, it sounds like the show’s ending will honor Sapkowski’s world, but it will do so on its own creative terms.