The Witcher showrunner reveals original plans to make the first season’s timeline far less confusing

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"The writers came up with a whole timeline"

(Image credit: Netflix)

2019. A simpler time. One where our biggest headaches stemmed from trying to figure out The Witcher Netflix series and its increasingly complex timeline.

Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer’s stories dovetailed and collided across decades and it became a puzzle in itself trying to figure out when each scene was happening. But it could have been very different according to showrunner and The Witcher series creator Lauren S. Hissrich, who suggested that there were plans in place to clear up the tangled timelines on-screen.

When asked on Twitter whether The Witcher was ever considering putting dates on-screen, Hissrich responded, “Yes. In fact, the writers came up with a whole timeline, based around the fall of Cintra, that they begged me to put on screen. I... well, I refused. I was completely stubborn about not revealing that Ciri and Geralt weren't in the same timeline at the beginning.”

Hissrich has been refreshingly open about what did and didn’t work in the first season – and how that’ll affect The Witcher season 2. Among the changes will be a single timeline.

“Obviously, it was one of the most controversial parts of Season 1 and I didn’t expect it to be as controversial as it was,” Hissrich told The Wrap. “What’s great though is they have intersected now. So what we’ll see in Season 2 is that all of our characters are existing on the same timeline.”

So, you can put your cork boards and timelines away next year. Things will be far, far easier to follow.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.