Netflix Just Proved The Witcher Was Never Geralt's Show

Published Sep 3, 2026, 4:45 PM EDT Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. Netflix's The Witcher is led by the title monster hunter, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill and Liam Hemsworth), but the show has just proven that it was never about Geralt. Netflix has delivered some of the best TV shows of all time, especially when it comes to fantasy ones, a genre in which the streamer has found great success and popularity. One of Netflix’s biggest and most popular fantasy TV shows is The Witcher, currently preparing for its fifth and final season. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series of the same name, The Witcher debuted on Netflix in 2019 to great success, but it had a premature decline in its second season. Despite season 2’s flaws and its efforts to fix those mistakes in seasons 3 and 4, The Witcher is still one of Netflix’s most popular TV shows, in large part thanks to the performances of its main cast. Season 4 of The Witcher was special as it was Liam Hemsworth’s debut as Geralt, but it also proved a massive truth about the show. The title of the show alludes to Geralt of Rivia, and he’s at the front and center of all posters, trailers, and promotional material – however, The Witcher was never Geralt’s show, and season 4 proved it. This is completely unrelated to Geralt’s recast, as even if Henry Cavill hadn’t left the show, The Witcher still wouldn’t be Geralt’s show, because it has always been Ciri’s (Freya Allan). The Witcher’s True Protagonist Has Always Been Ciri, & Season 4 Proved It Netflix’s The Witcher has three main characters: Geralt, the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Cintra's Princess Ciri. Throughout four seasons so far, the audience has followed them as they try to stay together and be a family, but they are constantly separated by different threats, all of them wanting Ciri for their own selfish and sometimes disturbing reasons (as is the case for her father, The White Flame). In addition to that, the show has explored the personal struggles of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri, but their main goal is, ultimately, to keep Ciri safe. As the powerful witcher he is, Geralt definitely has a prominent role in The Witcher and is at the front and center of the show’s most exciting action scenes, but season 4 fully confirmed that The Witcher’s real protagonist has always been Ciri, even if she hasn’t had the prominent role she deserves in her own story. Season 1 of The Witcher followed Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri separately and through different points in time, culminating in Geralt and Ciri finally crossing paths as they were looking for each other. Season 2 saw Ciri training at Kaer Morhen while Yennefer almost betrayed her, and Geralt did his best to keep Ciri safe. In season 3, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri finally formed a family, but not for long, as Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) and the Thanedd Coup forced them to separate again. Season 4 saw Geralt looking for Ciri with the help of new allies, Yennefer joining forces with other sorceresses to bring Vilgefortz down, and Ciri becoming one of the Rats. Season 4 of The Witcher finally gave a bigger role to Ciri in her own story, and proved that she can carry the show – the problem is that the show never truly knew how to tell her story. Netflix’s The Witcher has one more season to go, and while it can still do justice to Ciri by giving her the main role she deserves, it should have happened from the beginning. Despite Ending With Season 5, The Witcher Can Still Do Justice To Ciri Fortunately, despite ending with the upcoming fifth season, there’s still a way for The Witcher to do justice to Ciri. Since 2021, The Witcher has been expanding with spinoffs, beginning with the animated prequel movie Nightmare of the Wolf (focused on Geralt’s mentor, Vesemir). Then came the live-action prequel miniseries Blood Origin, the animated movie Sirens of the Deep, and the special feature-length episode The Rats. Netflix’s The Witcher, then, could do justice to Ciri after the show’s end through either a spinoff movie or TV show. A spinoff centered on Ciri can fill in the blanks left by the main show, expand her story, or continue it in some way, as long as she’s the lead character. At the time of writing, there are no Witcher spinoffs lined up, but it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one is announced after the end of the main show – and, hopefully, it won’t forget about Ciri. Release Date December 20, 2019 Network Netflix Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich Cast Anya Chalotra Yennefer of Vengerberg Directors Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O'Gorman Writers Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia Franchise(s) The Witcher