Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson explainedThe Wheel of Time’sbiggest issue four years ago, long before it was canceled. Sanderson is an American author best known for creatingThe Stormlight ArchiveandMistborn, though he also gained notoriety in the late 2000s for finishingRobert Jordan’sWheel of Timebooksafter Jordan passed away. Sanderson has repeatedly stated that the works are Jordan’s and not his, buthaving written threeWheel of Timenovels, including the acclaimed final book,A Memory of Light, his opinion carries more weight than almost anyone else’s.
Brandon Sanderson is known for being honest about fictional media on his podcast and other social media platforms, where he’s shared his praise and critiques for Amazon’s adaptation ofThe Wheel of Time. Regarding the show’s cancellation, he expressed his sympathies to the show’s fans, but also explained that he wasn’t going to miss being ignored.Sanderson’sWheel of Timecancellation commentsare consistent with his words throughout the series' four-year run, particularly in a December 2021 podcast episode.
Brandon Sanderson Said Wheel Of Time Is More “Inspired By” Than A Direct Adaptation
This Adaptation Was Never Going To Be Fully Faithful To The Books
For reference, thisIntentionally Blankpodcast episodewas released approximately halfway throughThe Wheel of Timeseason 1, when audiences had already developed a broad range of opinions about the adaptation. In the discussion,Brandon Sanderson discusses the process of Hollywood adaptations, noting that some are intended as direct copies, citing earlyGame of Thronesas an example, while others are more “inspired by.“Using this metric, he explains that Amazon’sThe Wheel of Timeleans more toward the “inspired by” category.
The Amazon Prime adaptation was divisive from the start, and I would agree that the show felt more inspired by than directly adapted, though I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringshad plenty of changes from the books, and they turned out to be some of the best movies ever made. So, while I do think this was an issue forThe Wheel of Time, I have to stress thatI don’t believe story changes were inherently detrimental to the show, but rather the reasons behind them.
Amazon’s Wheel Of Time Story Changes Were Due To Logistical Constraints
Logistical Constraints Are The Primary Cause Of Faulty Writing Choices
Now, I want to emphasize that, while showrunners and writers are easy targets to blame for book changes, I don’t think it’s that simple. Brandon Sanderson says in this same interview that showrunner Rafe Judkins was a fan of the books prior to taking on the show, and he obviously knows the material. The truth is, we have no idea what happens behind the scenes in the writers' room. What we do know, however, is thatan eight-hour TV season is not enough time to cover the material of a 300,000-word book succinctly.
The biggest issue with developing an epic fantasy TV series is that TV production industry standards don’t meet the needs of every story.
When it comes to something like Perrin having a wife whom he accidentally kills… sure, it’s fair to critique the writing choices. Even Sanderson shared his criticisms of that choice. Still, it’s worth noting thatbudget and time constraints are almost always the primary reasons for a changelike this. The biggest issue with developing an epic fantasy TV series is that TV production industry standards don’t meet the needs of every story.
For example, when an esteemed actor like Rosamund Pike is a headlining actor and producer on the show, her contract will likely require that she be in it. This creates an issue because Moiraine is barely in the second book. What results is a mediocre second-season storyline for the main character. That’s certainly a writing problem, but it stems from a logistical issue. Changing beloved material is always going to evoke a variety of emotions, and that’s fine. Nothing is going to please everyone, butwhen writing issues occur frequently due to these constraints, the product will alienate audiences.
Epic Fantasy TV Seasons Need To Be Longer Than 8 Episodes
8 Hours Is Not Enough Time To Adapt A Wheel Of Time Novel
Let’s use another example.House of the Dragonseason 1 was critically acclaimed, with ten episodes, and was often praised for its creative changes from the source material. Season 2 was condensed to eight episodes, and the writers were forced to cut off a major, climactic ending, pushing the action to the start of season 3. This has been a problem withThe Rings of Power,The Witcher, and, of course,The Wheel of Time, with each fantasy adaptation struggling with time management.
Sure, there might have been times when creatives behind the scenes wanted to change things, and then those changes simply didn’t work to the benefit of the story. Most of theproblems are caused by constraints such as time, budget, actor schedules, and other Hollywood norms that limit the freedoms fantasy authors are allowed when writing these novels. Eight-episode seasons are one of the most significant ailments that have consistently plagued recent fantasy adaptations.
Amazon’s Wheel Of Time Prioritized Scenes Over Arcs
The Wheel Of Time Adaptation Constantly Struggled To Organize Its Seasons
In this same conversation, Brandon Sanderson goes on to discuss howThe Wheel of Timewasn’t adapting the books chapter by chapter or even looking to bring particular scenes to life. Instead, the attempt was to write original scenes to capture the characters' arcs. Sanderson has since then shared complaints about the TV series nailing its scenes, but struggling to find success with its ongoing arcs, saying the following (viaWinter is Coming):
“The show is doing a lot of things fantastically, and it’s really good at scenes. But one of the things I keep arguing for is,‘What are the arcs’? What is the theme? And arc and theme seems to fall by the wayside for cool scenes quite a bit, and that worries me.Particularly going into book four, where its the strongest Wheel of Time book and that’s partially because of themes of self-sacrifice and things like this.”
Compiling all this together, we have an adaptation of Robert Jordan’s books that is more “inspired by” than a faithful adaptation, with the intent of creating original scenes that capture the arcs of the books. The end result, according to Sanderson, was a project that succeeded in creating entertaining scenes but struggled with arcs. I’m not writing this to condemn the show, and I certainly agree with many audiences that season 3 was a vast improvement on some of these weaknesses. Still, I believe there are significant underlying issues here that impact the fantasy genre as a whole.
The show needed to be faithful to win over audiences, but faithfully adapting a story likeThe Wheel of Timeis simply impossible under current streaming industry standards.
Setting out to adapt a beloved series is a daunting task, and it’s not as easy as audiences like to make it seem. The problem isn’t that the writers didn’t just stick to the source material; it’s that they couldn’t. Ineight hours of television, with contracts to satisfy, deadlines to meet, and scripts rarely completed when filming begins, what results is a mess. The show needed to be faithful to win over audiences, but faithfully adapting a story likeThe Wheel of Timeis simply impossible under current streaming industry standards.
