The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is in the midst of airing its second season, with just three episodes left to go until it draws to a close.

It has, on the whole, been a pretty decent sophomore season, and yet it does feel like there’s been less fanfare this time around.

That could simply be because during its first season, The Rings of Power went head to head with House of the Dragon’s first season.

The sense of competition between these two fantasy spin-offs certainly wouldn’t have harmed viewing figures.

This time though, The Rings of Power is more, let’s say, trundling along.

In our review, we said, “There are some missteps here and there […] but there’s an underlying passion that can be felt in the bones of everything you see whether that’s in the sublime practical effects and makeup, the sumptuous wardrobes, the heartfelt turns before the camera, or the sweeping vistas once only imagined.”

Despite this, The Rings of Power’s viewership is ‘plummeting’ so reports Forbes, which could explain why a season three renewal is yet to be announced.

According to The Hollywood Reporter though, a third season is already in the works, albeit not officially greenlit, which has left some fans feeling surprisingly disappointed.

You may think that this is a cause for celebration but as it turns out, fans aren’t exactly thrilled with what the show has become.

“They dropped [one] billion bucks into it, so it was guaranteed that they’d force it for as long as they could,” wrote Wild_Control162, their choice of the word ‘forced’ making their stance perfectly clear.

“I like to think the stories were written by my kid making up their own Lord of the Rings stories,” commented one critical user, while another added, “I can’t get past the dialogue. It’s beyond awful.”

Yikes.

It’s a good job perhaps that Andy Serkis’ The Hunt For Gollum has been announced, to restore hope in the franchise and detract attention away from The Rings of Power.

The animated The War of Rohirrim is on its way too, launching on 13 December – so there are plenty of Middle-earth shaped treats still on their way if you haven’t been dazzled by The Rings of Power’s latest turn.