The Witcher Is Switching Genres

Published Sep 18, 2026, 9:31 AM 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 preparing for its fifth and final season, and for that, the show will be switching genres. Netflix is now best known for its original content, and it has mostly stood out for its fantasy TV shows. In that branch, Netflix has brought both original stories and adaptations, some of them now ranking among the best TV shows of all time. One of its most popular fantasy shows to date, as well as one of the most divisive ones, is The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series of the same name. The Witcher had a strong debut in 2019, becoming one of Netflix’s biggest releases at the time, and it introduced a new audience to monster hunter Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill, and now played by Liam Hemsworth), sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan). Throughout four seasons so far, The Witcher has followed their individual journeys as well as their combined efforts to stay together and keep Ciri safe, with exciting battles added into the mix, both against monsters and humans. The Witcher is a good blend of drama, action, and fantasy, which has worked perfectly so far, but for its final season, the show is switching genres. Season 5 of The Witcher has two books left to cover – The Tower of the Swallow and The Lady of the Lake –, meaning that it’s about to cover some of the most obscure stories in the saga, especially for Ciri, thanks to which it will have to switch genres and go into horror. The Witcher Will Lean Into Horror For Ciri's Final Stories The Witcher's main focus has been Ciri and the efforts of Geralt and Yennefer to keep her safe from all those wanting to capture her. Despite Geralt being the main image of the show, The Witcher has always been Ciri’s story, with the occasional monster-hunting battle starring Geralt (and, sometimes, Ciri too, as she trained with the witchers in season 2), and though the latter has some horror elements, the show has never been a horror one. Surely, the show has some scenes that have leaned into the genre, such as Cahir’s torture in season 2, the bruxa Vereena in season 2, and Leo Bonhart’s (Sharlto Copley) actions in season 4, but not enough for it to become a horror show. Season 5, however, will see The Witcher venture into psychological horror through Ciri’s stories, as she’s about to face the biggest and most horrifying challenges in her journey. At the end of The Witcher season 4, Ciri was taken by Bonhart after he brutally killed the Rats in front of her, and in The Tower of the Swallow, Ciri is taken into a gladiatorial arena to fight for her life. Ciri manages to escape (but her face is wounded by Skellen), but she later faces Stefan Skellen’s men and Bonhart. On top of that, there are the plans that Ciri’s father, The White Flame (Bart Edwards), has for her, which are very disturbing. Season 5 of The Witcher is about to cover events that belong to psychological horror, with monsters that are much more terrifying than a kikimora, a striga, or any other creature in this universe, as these monsters are humans. The Witcher's New Genre Can Save The Netflix Show Image via MovieStillsDB Despite being one of the best fantasy TV shows of all time, The Witcher has had big problems since its second season. After a great debut, The Witcher made questionable decisions and changes to its characters and their stories in season 2 that led to a lot of backlash and to many viewers and fans losing interest in the show. Seasons 3 and 4 did what they could to make up for the mistakes of season 2, with season 4 of The Witcher being the one that’s more like the books, so season 5 is the final chance to fix the show. Fully leaning into horror in season 5 can save The Witcher, as it’s the best way to address the remaining stories, give depth to the characters, and immerse the audience in the journeys of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. At the time of writing, The Witcher season 5 doesn’t have a release date yet, nor have there been any official hints of the upcoming stories, but hopefully, Netflix will embrace their horror elements and do justice to the remaining stories, thus giving a satisfying closure to the show and its characters. 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