In response to criticisms under an Instagram post promoting “The Witcher: Blood Origin” (via ScreenRant), Hissrich explained that she is aware of fandom concerns about the creative direction of season 2, and as a result, season 3 will see a “shift back to the books”:
“I did hear the fans. And S3 very much shows that shift back to the books, following Sapkowski’s amazing character journeys of our mains. I’m super excited for people to see it, and to feel heard. (We also answer a lot of questions from the first two seasons — Cahir’s journey, the introduction of the Scoia’tael, and how our family comes back together.)I also think that S3 will calm a lot of the speculation that’s going on right now.”
The first two seasons of “The Witcher” definitely boasts several standout moments, but it would be an exaggeration to state that the Netflix show truly understands what makes Sapkowki’s world work. The ever-evolving lore in the novels never feels rushed or unearned due to genuine investment in character growth and worldbuilding — in contrast, the Netflix series feels like a compilation of random events that occur for the sake of plot advancement alone. This runs the risk of robbing the premise of true charm or depth, and if season 3 truly is closer to the essence of the books, we might be edging closer to a more meaningful, cohesive storyline with worthwhile payoffs.
As Hissrich mentions above, “The Witcher” left a lot of questions unanswered, such as the mystery surrounding Emperor Emhyr, the fates of Fringilla and Cahir, and the true nature of Ciri’s abilities. So far, the series hasn’t ventured too deep into why Ciri is so important to the fate of the Continent. Hopefully, season 3 will change that.