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The Witcher season 4 is on our doorstep but, looking a little further afield on The Continent, the fifth and final season is just on the horizon. It's time for goodbyes, too, as showrunner/creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich confirms to GamesRadar+ that filming wrapped just a few weeks ago on The Witcher season 5.
"The good news is I won't say goodbye to it quite yet, because I'm in post[-production] for a very long time for season five," Hissrich tells us.
"I expected to have this period of mourning, frankly. That first sort of Monday morning that you wake up and you don't know where to go… you're not going to see these people that you see every day. I kept waiting for that to hit me."
Instead of feeling dour, Hissrich instead opted to look back on The Witcher's five seasons through a lens of triumph and celebration – especially amid the departure of lead Henry Cavill after the third season and a globetrotting production.
"What happened sort of more and more is this celebration of what we were able to do. I don't think a lot of shows get to do five seasons of a show. I also don't think that a lot of shows get the sort of privilege of knowing when they're going to end," Hissrich remarks.
"Especially with all the adversity with lead changes, [changing] studios halfway through – we've shot in, I think, 11 different countries. But we did it, and we survived. And I think that is what everyone honestly feels – this sense of celebration that we accomplished this."
For the cast, however, it hasn't quite set in. Among those to share their response to saying farewell to The Witcher was Joey Batey, who plays the lovable bard Jaskier. He may always be quick with a song and a joke, but there's little levity to be found after spending so long with the character.
"It's a very slow process, and it's quite an emotional one," Batey says. "There's a lot of conflicting emotions. There's a little bit of relief, there's a little bit of loss and sorrow…Did have a little bit of a cry, if I'm honest? Yeah."
Freya Allan, who plays Ciri, admits she is "excited to go off and play other roles" but is still "going through" the acceptance process of saying goodbye to The Witcher. She adds, "I'm in a place right now where I'm trying to just decompress after a mammoth season."
The Witcher season 4 hits Netflix on October 30, with the fifth and final season to follow at an undetermined date.
For more, check out The Witcher season 4 release schedule and our picks for best Netflix shows.
