The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"

Let’s get this out of the way up front, and for some sections of the audience, you’re not going to like this, but: the Henry Cavill-less Witcher season 4 is the best season of the show yet. It’s more focused, more fun, and a fantastic setup for the end of the series in season 5.

To take a step back, a lot of this probably depends on what you want out of The Witcher… And that’s even more complicated than usual when it comes to the fantasy franchise. There are fans of the books, fans of the video games, fans of the Netflix show, and spinoffs… And definitely fans of Cavill – the latter likely fuming over his absence from season 4, replaced in the role of Geralt of Rivia by actor Liam Hemsworth.

While we won’t speak to the rest, purely on the basis of the show itself, nearly every aspect is vastly improved in season 4, and one of the biggest aspects of that is the simplification of the plot, which has the added benefit of focusing the stakes dramatically. The first three seasons of the show were elevated by some superb monster fights, and Cavill’s growly, monosyllabic Geralt. The cast has also been a highlight, from the conflicted sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra) and witcher/sorceress in training Ciri (Freya Allan), to the stand-out bard Jaskier (Joey Batey).

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But weighing it down was some confusing and unnecessary timeline madness, a mythology that only occasionally made sense or connected to the main action of the characters, and a murky seriousness that was at odds with some of the more stand-out comedic moments, like the always delightful duo of Geralt and Jaskier, or the found family storyline between Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri.

All that gets tidied up in season 4. It may simply be that the show is marching towards its endgame, or less charitably, whatever was happening behind the scenes between Cavill and the production. But the outcome is that each of our main trio has a clear arc, a clear mission, and clear stakes to deal with in season 4.

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In the season 3 finale, Geralt was gravely injured fighting rogue sorcerer Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu), and is now stumbling his way across the Continent to save Ciri from the show’s big bad, Emperor Emhyr (Bart Edwards), not aware that Ciri is actually miles away. In the process, he gathers a fellowship to help him, and through the new group and his actual need for help thanks to the injuries, it gives Geralt a chance to grow and open up in a way he hasn’t for the previous three seasons. It also gives the show the single best episode it's ever done, as the group sits around a fire telling their stories.

Stand-outs include Laurence Fishburne as an absolutely delightful vampire medic named Regis, who keeps popping up like he’s on a Saturday night public access horror movie marathon, and Meng’er Zhang as archer Milva, who made an awkward debut in season 3, but quickly manages to become the heart of the group, and the confidant Geralt needs. Nowhere is the creative refresh more apparent than with Milva, where it feels like the production looked at what went wrong in the previous season and pivoted appropriately.

Meanwhile, Ciri is on an adventure of her own with rogue thieves, The Rats, after rejecting her destiny, as well as her witcher and sorcery training. Look, we all know how this is going to go in the long run, but for the moment, The Rats are a lot of fun, more Apple Dumpling Gang than Ocean’s 11. The plotline also gives Ciri a surprisingly sweet new romance, Allan a chance to show off some killer action moves, and, not to be outdone, the introduction of witcher-hunter Leo Bonhart (Sharlto Copley), who is far and away the most terrifying villain the show has ever introduced – including all of the beasties.

With Geralt barely able to stand and Ciri avoiding her destiny, it’s up to Yennefer to step up and become the hero the Continent needs. Here, too, the often confusing and poorly explained magical politics of the show have been simplified dramatically. Yennfer is building a female force of sorcerers and embracing becoming a leader. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the diabolical Vilgefortz, who has his own cadre of evil sorcerers. Each is bent on the other’s destruction, and they’re headed on a collision course. The outcome? Finally seeing a character we watched often act selfishly for three seasons, step up and fight for something greater for herself. And more importantly? Some absolutely killer magical battles that only get bigger and wilder as they go.

The importance of being earnest

If there is one knock on the season, it’s that Hemsworth does not quite cut the figure that Cavill did. He’s not as wide in the chest, not as sardonically removed from the action, and his “f**k”s don’t carry the same sharp weight. So it’s actually smart that showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich surrounds Hemsworth with a new (mostly) supporting cast, and lets Allan and Chalotra get equal weight in the running time, as well. It’s less about hiding Hemsworth than letting him eventually come into his own as a less gruff, somewhat more talkative Geralt who understands his place and role as someone who can be more than just a monster hunter focusing on the next gig.

In fact, thanks to all this and a brighter, lighter tone throughout – despite the rather dire circumstances everyone regularly finds themselves in – The Witcher season 4 is more reminiscent of another long-running fantasy show than previous seasons of The Witcher. Or rather, two fantasy shows: Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Those two afternoon staples didn’t shy away from the cheesier and sillier nature of some aspects of the fantasy genre, while embracing those tropes and elevating them through an earnest heart and a focus on family. And after all, isn’t that what Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer are? A found family?

It may not be what video game or book fans expected – and even with the improved quality, Cavill-heads will probably still riot – but it is the show we got. And thanks to a delightfully brisk slate of eight episodes that build as they go, full of laughs, huge action, and real danger for our main characters, The Witcher is better than ever – with a great setup that will make you want the final season to be released, right now. We’ll toss a coin to that.

The Witcher season 4 is streaming now on Netflix. For a full spoiler-filled breakdown of the season, dive into our The Witcher season 4 ending explained, or for a look ahead, here's everything we know about The Witcher season 5.