Prime Video’s Record-Breaking Fantasy Series Officially Takes Over The World

Published Nov 14, 2026, 8:57 AM EST Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones, and also writes some features and reviews. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025. Global streaming viewership is being dominated by Prime Video's record-breaking fantasy series. While HBO's Game of Thrones is widely regarded as the genre's gold standard when it comes to television, many of Prime Video's fantasy shows have also proven to be quite popular, including The Wheel of Time, Good Omens, and the animated Critical Role series The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein. The platform also has a major upcoming adaptation for the genre, specifically in romantasy, with Fourth Wing, based on Rebecca Yarros' bestselling Empyrean novels. Another one of Prime Video's most prominent fantasy shows is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a prequel set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the franchise's movies. Galadriel (Moryfdd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Sauron (Charlie Vickers), and Gandalf (Daniel Weyman) are among the iconic J.R.R. Tolkien characters who are in the series, along with the likes of Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and the Orc named Marnûkh (Adam Young), who are new additions to the lore. Now, the series is number one on Prime Video. The Rings Of Power Is Prime Video's #1 Show In The World MovieStillsDBImage via MovieStillsDB After the four-episode premiere of season 3, The Rings of Power is topping Prime Video's global chart, outperforming Campus Drivers, Love in Disguise, The Terminal List, Carrie, Off Campus, Neagley, and Reacher. The fantasy series is also the number one show in 24 different countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Greece, and Mexico. Season 3 has broken numerous records on Rotten Tomatoes as well, as it has the show's all-time lowest critics' score at 81% and the highest audience score at 68%. The Rings of Power season 3 story revolves around Sauron trying to forge the One Ring after conquering most of Middle-earth. The Elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, the Dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm, the eastern lands of Rhûn, and the island kingdom of Númenor are among the only places still free from the villain. When Marnûkh claims to have defected, he goes on a quest with Galadriel and Arondir that has the potential to stop Sauron and change the fate of Middle-earth. Early Streaming Success Is Critical For The Rings Of Power's Future Choose the movie with the higher Rotten Tomatoes score. While having immediately high streaming viewership is always beneficial, it is especially important for the fantasy series to fulfill its five-season plan. Co-creators and co-showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne have been open for years about this being the goal, and even shared with ScreenRant that plans for The Rings of Power's final shot in the series finale have not changed. That being said, the show has not been officially renewed for seasons 4 or 5 yet. Quickly becoming Prime Video's number one show in the world is an important step toward getting a season 4 renewal, though, as will be sustaining high viewership in future weeks. A four-episode premiere, with each installment having an approximately one-hour runtime, definitely helps to get views up from the start. In the coming weeks, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 is releasing episodes 5 and 6 on November 18 and episodes 7 and 8 on November 25. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, episodes 1-4 are streaming on Prime Video. New episodes are released on Wednesays at 3am ET/12am PT. Release Date September 1, 2022 Network Amazon Prime Video Showrunner John D. Payne, Patrick McKay Cast Ismael Cruz Cordova Arondir Directors J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri Writers Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams Franchise(s) The Lord of the Rings Creator(s) Patrick McKay, John D. Payne