The Lord of the Rings Officially Returns to Prime Video this Week

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Prepare to witness a pivotal chapter in Middle-earth history with the upcoming third season of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The fantasy prequel based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien has aired two well-received seasons so far, although the show’s run hasn’t been without setbacks. Most notably, The Rings of Power hasn’t exactly turned out to be the culture-defining hit that it was meant to be. And to add to Prime Video’s concerns, there has been a noticeable pushback against the series by a contingent of fans.

The pushback borders on review bombing, which is when a group of viewers makes a concerted effort to influence a film or show’s score on an aggregator platform such as Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb. Usually, this sort of negative campaign is orchestrated against films or shows with progressive themes and inclusive casts. Backward viewers perceive these creative choices as signs of liberal values, and this invariably results in targeted harassment of actors and filmmakers from minorities.

The Rings of Power holds an overall 48% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, even though its overall critics’ score is sitting at 84%. The second season, which aired in 2024, holds an 85% critics’ score and a 58% audience score on the aggregator website. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus for the second season reads, “The Rings of Power‘s sophomore season discovers new virtues while retaining some of its predecessor’s vices, overall making for a more kinetic journey through Tolkien’s world.”

Here’s When ‘The Rings of Power’ Returns to Prime Video

Prime Video made significant changes to the show’s sophomore season, moving production from New Zealand to the United Kingdom. Reports pegged the budget for the first season at a whopping $465 million, after Amazon acquired rights to the series for a reported $250 million. Worryingly, The Rings of Power has struggled with audience retention for both its seasons, with metrics pointing to significant drop-offs even though Prime Video says that the show’s viewership has set records for the platform.

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Amazon MGM Studios

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Amazon MGM Studios

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Prime Video

• Image via Prime Video

The third season will cover an important period in Lord of the Rings lore: the creation of the One Ring by the Dark Lord Sauron. The eight-episode season will debut with four episodes on November 11, followed by two episodes the following week, and two more the week after that. The cast includes Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, and Jamie Campbell Bower. Meanwhile, a new live-action inter-quel to Peter Jackson‘s six Middle-earth movies is currently in production for a 2027 release. You can watch the show on Prime Video and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.