Despite reports of a ratings downturn, Prime Video’s lavish Tolkien adaptation is apparently still following its intended path.

Yesterday, Amazon Prime Video shared early numbers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season, trumpeting that “40 million viewers” tuned in across its first 11 days. That statistic—shared by Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke in a memo obtained by Variety—sounds impressive, but it doesn’t specify, for instance, how many minutes those millions of eyeballs actually watched, an important consideration in light of how season one lost viewers as it progressed. It’s also not as good as season one’s numbers. But it’s seemingly enough to convince Amazon to stick with its original game plan for the Middle-earth series.

In a Hollywood Reporter piece examining the trials and tribulations of Rings of Power—as well as the current soap opera drama swirling around HBO’s House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin—the trade notes that “a third season [of Rings of Power] has been in the works for months, though it has not been officially greenlighted.” What’s more, “after seeing season two’s premiere ratings, sources tell THR the company remains committed to the show’s original five-season plan,” despite, as the trade writes, “third-party services show a steep drop [in ratings] from the series’ debut season.”

io9 reached out to Prime Video to ask if there are updates on season three, as well as whether or not the “five-season plan” report is accurate; we’ll update this post if and when we hear back.

Set thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings stories people are most familiar with—through J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, of course, but also Peter Jackson’s highly popular, Oscar-winning feature films—Rings of Power premiered in 2022 to great excitement from diehard fans, TV critics, and even casual viewers curious to get a look at what’s been called the most expensive show ever made (THR calls it “the $715 million series”). Across season one, however, dazzling production values weren’t always enough to elevate a plot many found too slow-moving; the titular rings didn’t even enter the story until the last episode.

While season two has picked up the pace quite a bit—there are even more rings in play now, not to mention a new undercover identity for main villain Sauron—some of the same complaints are still in play. Speaking to THR, co-showrunner J.D. Payne made it clear he’s aware that Rings of Power haters are out there. “The Fellowship had to look to each other, and those who support it, and remember what it’s fighting for,” he told the trade. “And when we see that millions of people are watching this and responding so positively to it—that’s who we’re fighting for. And those who watch every episode and [negatively] write about it on social media and make YouTube videos, we’re happy to have you guys, too. It wouldn’t be a journey through Middle-earth without some trolls along the way.”

The fifth episode of season two—which, like season one, runs a total of eight episodes—arrives tomorrow, September 12, on Prime Video. Will you stick around for five seasons of Rings of Power, if Prime Video really does end up going the distance?

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