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[Draugoth]

Speaking with Polish news site Wyborcza (as translated by fan-site Redanian Intelligence) Baginski gave many reasons for changes to The Witcher show from the books and short stories, including production chaos and unforeseen issues like actors falling ill—understandable reasons—before saying this:

When a series is made for a huge mass of viewers, with different experiences, from different parts of the world, and a large part of them are Americans, these simplifications not only make sense, they are necessary. It’s painful for us, and for me too, but the higher level of nuance and complexity will have a smaller range, it won’t reach people. Sometimes it may go too far, but we have to make these decisions and accept them.

When it comes to shows, the younger the public is, the logic of the plot is less significant…Those people grew up on TikTok and YouTube, they jump from video to videos, young folks gravitate more toward “just emotions.

Baginski continued, saying simplifications of plot points are just as painful for writers as it is for viewers but oversimplifications to an otherwise nuanced and complex topic are often “necessary” so that a show can reach a larger audience.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Nah, it’s just a bad adaptation that got worse with every season. The games are a much better adaptation of those books and its not even close

 

[Clintizzle]

POV of the same director

 

[jm89]

 

[TheDuskwalker]

Literally

 

[kruis]

Boy, that speaks volumes about the contempt these people have for their audience.... "They're all idiots so let's dumb this shit down so even monkeys can understand the plot."

 

[Denton]

I would like to think that this is his veiled way of insulting the writers of this show as well as netflix execs, not the audience. Like, this is what they believe and why the result is what it is.

But maybe I am too charitable and Baginski just went full retard.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Poor leadership through and through. Incapable of taking the blame and accepting responsibility for not doing a good job.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Ha! Novice damage control.

Have fun Liam.

 

[gaming_again]

What a clown.

 

[Fools idol]

All they had to do was follow the books or games 1/1 and they'd have a contender for GoT popularity but nope, they had to give us the shit we got.

baffling. Imagine someone hands you a golden goose and says 'just feed it corn and it will lay golden eggs' and you decide to .. ignore the advice

 

[Topher]

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Dumb producer for making changes....

 

[TGO]

Don't know guys, it sounds like they're actually admitting they change stuff for Woke Points because they believe they had to for it to be successful.
Obviously they was wrong and only just realising that.

 

[Minsc]

So basically they're blaming themselves?

It sounds like they imagined their audience was "Stupid Americans" And "Emotional Young People" and it turns out it wasn't and now they are blaming these people for not existing?

That about right?

I personally signed up to the Witcher for a show about monster hunting but the monsters being not what they seemed. That's the Witcher. This political wankfest in Season 3 and pampered princess Ciri is more Monster High and less Witcher.

Plus c'mon, they are censoring the shit out of this show now. It needs be more like Homelander and less like the Mr Rogers like it has been. Those fights in S3 might have well have been on The Mandalorian for how well they were done (that's an insult btw if you aren't familiar with Mandalorian fights, think old school Power Rangers).

 

[Bry0]

Well evidently that’s not the case. If those concessions needed to be made to reach a wider audience then why did the audience stop watching? Almost like they just made a garbage show and are coming up with excuses or something!

 

[Fuz]

 

[Fuz]

Americans

simplifications

necessary

 

[March Climber]

When a series is made for a huge mass of viewers, with different experiences, from different parts of the world, and a large part of them are Americans, these simplifications not only make sense, they are necessary. It’s painful for us, and for me too, but the higher level of nuance and complexity will have a smaller range, it won’t reach people. Sometimes it may go too far, but we have to make these decisions and accept them.

Keep in mind, we are in the same universe and on the same planet where Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon both reached record audience numbers.

 

[Laptop1991]

Of course, it's never their fault, it's not their forced ideology, or insulting fans calling them everything under the sun for their bad writing, script's etc blaming Americans who have bought the games and books in droves, but don't understand the source material apparently, these people should never have been given the job of making this show in the 1st place, and it's sad to say i'm glad it's failed because of them.

 

[NoLootBoxDev]

what else can you expect, I mean, these people should be creating something for those who liked the games/books but instead decided to burn everything down, with stupid decisions. They butcher everything, but never are to be blamed, because it is someone else fault.

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Mr Hyde]

Watched the first season but then I skipped the rest of the show. It was okay, but not in the same league as the books and games. I'll just stick to them in the future. Netflix can suck it.

 

[kiphalfton]

Can confirm, Americans are stupid. I say this on a daily basis.

 

[RoboFu]

 

[Fuz]

 

[Timberwolf25]

Look at the thumbnail for the Netflix trailer on youtube and the thumbnail for the show on Netflix. Both have "the Witcher" in the very back telling you the show isn't really about the Witcher anymore and he has been relegated to be a side character.

And of course blames the audience for not liking their dumbassery. That Brie Larson-esque blame the audience logic for not liking their BS.

 

[Timberwolf25]

Just cancel S4 already. You already ruined it beyond redemption unless you're going to Thanos Snap the last 2 seasons out of existence.
I did enjoy S1, but it nosedived off a cliff from there.

Not even going to try watching Blood Origins

 

[R6Rider]

Show would have been so much better with each 1 or 2 episodes covering a different "quest" and slaying different monsters.

 

[M.W.]

Season 3...

 

[mitch1971]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

 

[Humdinger]

Always the victim.

 

[LordCBH]

nah. The blame lies with the retards writing the show and who chased off the guy who was a huge fan who was trying everything to make it work. Blaming the viewers is just them trying to shirk off their utter fucking failure onto someone else.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I bought my first gaming PC to play The Witcher Enhanced Edition in 2007. Them saying a younger audience makes me think no one cared about The Witcher until Witcher 3. I’m sure the franchise was known before 2007. It’s just weird how much money makes these decisions. Is this from some old business dude asking for teenager drama just to make more money? I’m guessing so. Teens and young adults sit on their butt all day binging or consuming whatever.

 

[newtypepilot]

These people are beyond delusional. They don't respect the source material, chased away the lead that actually cared, and then attack the fans that call out their BS.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Yeah, nah, the show just did absolutely nothing for me, and I'm sure for a lot of other people too, lmao.

 

[Fbh]

It's funny because this was obviously Netflix wanting to have their own Game of Thrones.

You know, a show that stood out for being medieval fantasy with more "nuance and complexity" than similar TV shows and movies, specially during the early seasons, and became a massive global success because of it.
The same show that then lost the goodwill of a large part of the audience when they made it increasingly dumb and superficial as they ran out of source material.

 

[StereoVsn]

Considering even S1 was not all that, S2 was very mediocre (dropped it), and S3 looks to be worse, I wouldn't be blaming the audience here.

I have read all the books, played all the Witcher games so should be prime audience here and yet...

 

[Timberwolf25]

The problem with the "writers" is that they can never create their own ip for the agenda BS they go after. Instead they pursue established ips/franchises to convert to fit their ideology.
They probably know that nobody would watch their shit so instead they need to bait and switch beloved characters and stories.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

It's past time to admit the source material just isn't that good.

 

[Timberwolf25]

It's past time to admit the source material just isn't that good.

Disagree. I thought the books were pretty good

 

[Hardensoul]

I watch S1 at least twice. S2 I had to push myself to finish. S3 I didn't even bother. Especially know Henry Cavil was leaving.

 

[mckmas8808]

Speaking with Polish news site Wyborcza (as translated by fan-site Redanian Intelligence) Baginski gave many reasons for changes to The Witcher show from the books and short stories, including production chaos and unforeseen issues like actors falling ill—understandable reasons—before saying this:





Baginski continued, saying simplifications of plot points are just as painful for writers as it is for viewers but oversimplifications to an otherwise nuanced and complex topic are often “necessary” so that a show can reach a larger audience.

This is one of the biggest movie blockbusters of the year. STOP WITH THIS NONSENSE!!!

 

[lyan]

Why should the show be targeting those people in the first place when the Witcher name is more well-known among an older age group with more spending power, this excuse just makes the whole thing even more stupid lol

 

[hinch7]

When you piss off the main reason why your show was any good and he (Henry Cavil) had enough of your shit then thats on them.

S3 was trash hence why people dropped it like a pile of stinking shit. Maybe if showrunners stopped caring about politics as much as making a good story (thats literally already written for them) they wouldn't have had to cancel it.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Emotional young people are the problem to a lot of things, but I don’t think this is one of them.

 

[EviLore]

This is one of the biggest movie blockbusters of the year. STOP WITH THIS NONSENSE!!!

Yup. Non-linear scientist biopic about nuclear and quantum physics with about 1000 characters to keep track of in multiple timelines. One of the biggest hits of the year.

 

[HoodWinked]

imagine being Henry Cavil and having to work with this absolute cunt hole. And despite having to work under these conditions Henry Cavil is always with class and never trashed them publicly.

these people don't deserve the guy nor success. the incredible levels of delusion it's mind breaking.

Another thing, how the fuck can this guy make the argument about making the story simpler when Season 1 had the most convoluted method of presenting the story. So he somehow thinks audiences are too stupid but also sophisticated enough to juggle 3 timelines, like how do people like this exist.

 

[Investor9872]

This guy just points the finger and blame everyone else but himself. Now it's a new low for him since he's blaming an entire nation. The fact is over the past 20 years, some of the best shows that ran for multiple seasons longer than his pathetic take on the Witcher series. Shows like The West Wing, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds and countless other law series and crime series were the top shows for decades. All are 1000% more complicated and infinitely better than The Witcher TV series.