The Witcher Showrunner Shares Netflix Pitch

The first eight-episode season of Netflix’s The Witcher is available to stream now, and Season 2 is officially happening, but there’s not much in the way of truly new information coming out of the show. Instead, a steady stream of behind-the-scenes content has been making its way online — much of it courtesy of showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich, who has been extremely active on social media, answering questions left and right. Ever wondered how Hissrich sold the show to Netflix? Well, wonder no longer!

“Over two years ago,” Hissrich recently shared on Reddit, “I sat in a Netflix conference room and pitched them what would eventually become the pilot of The Witcher. I’d been grappling for a few months about how to best tell the stories of Geralt, Yen, and Ciri, and then I had a (controversial) idea: tell them in three separate timelines over the first season.”

You can check out the full story, and the corresponding pitch document from the November 29, 2017 meeting, below:

What do you think of Netflix’s The Witcher? Do you feel like the show lived up to the hype of the pitch Hissrich shared? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Netflix describes the series:

“Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”

The first eight-episode season of Netflix’s The Witcher is available to stream on the platform now. It has already been renewed for a second season. Lauren S. Hissrich serves as showrunner. It stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allan as Ciri. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest adaptation right here.