So, we all knew this was coming, right? Season 4 of The Witcher was always going to be the biggest gamble the showrunners have ever taken, pivoting straight into the Liam Hemsworth era after Henry Cavill’s departure. Let’s get the big question out of the way: Is it weird? Yes, absolutely. It takes a solid three or four episodes to stop playing the mental comparison game, but once you let go of the old Geralt, the new one actually starts to click.
Hemsworth plays the White Wolf with a slightly less stoic, less perpetually annoyed energy. He’s still Geralt—he still grunts, he still takes contracts, and he still looks moody in the rain—but the performance feels softer, leaning into the character’s inner decency and perhaps a bit more of the book’s dry wit rather than the intense, brooding powerhouse we were used to. Crucially, the action sequences remain phenomenal. The fight choreography is as brutal and beautiful as ever, and a mid-season battle involving a cave troll and a truly massive amount of oil is a serious highlight.
Where the season really excels is in doubling down on the main story arcs that were already in motion. Ciri’s power trip is officially terrifying, and her storyline this season is the most propulsive and dark yet. She is no longer just a protected asset; she is a dangerous weapon, and watching her training escalate felt genuinely high-stakes. Yennefer, stepping fully into her role as both a mother figure and a sorceress, gets to shed a lot of the earlier seasons’ baggage. Her bond with Ciri is the emotional anchor here, giving Geralt something solid to return to when his journey takes him into the political fray of Nilfgaard.
Jaskier, thankfully, remains the perfect source of levity and a fantastic distraction from the heavy lore. He’s involved in some hilarious B-plots that feel far more self-contained than previous seasons. Overall, Season 4 is a successful, if jarring, transition. It proves that the world and the story can carry the show even after losing its main star.
Hemsworth plays the White Wolf with a slightly less stoic, less perpetually annoyed energy. He’s still Geralt—he still grunts, he still takes contracts, and he still looks moody in the rain—but the performance feels softer, leaning into the character’s inner decency and perhaps a bit more of the book’s dry wit rather than the intense, brooding powerhouse we were used to. Crucially, the action sequences remain phenomenal. The fight choreography is as brutal and beautiful as ever, and a mid-season battle involving a cave troll and a truly massive amount of oil is a serious highlight.
Where the season really excels is in doubling down on the main story arcs that were already in motion. Ciri’s power trip is officially terrifying, and her storyline this season is the most propulsive and dark yet. She is no longer just a protected asset; she is a dangerous weapon, and watching her training escalate felt genuinely high-stakes. Yennefer, stepping fully into her role as both a mother figure and a sorceress, gets to shed a lot of the earlier seasons’ baggage. Her bond with Ciri is the emotional anchor here, giving Geralt something solid to return to when his journey takes him into the political fray of Nilfgaard.
Jaskier, thankfully, remains the perfect source of levity and a fantastic distraction from the heavy lore. He’s involved in some hilarious B-plots that feel far more self-contained than previous seasons. Overall, Season 4 is a successful, if jarring, transition. It proves that the world and the story can carry the show even after losing its main star.
Story
Music
Liam Hemsworth
Jaskier
Summary
It’s not a seamless ride, but it’s a highly entertaining one that manages to survive the biggest recast in fantasy television history. Give it a shot—just go in knowing it’s a different shade of the White Wolf.
