While The Wheel of Time appears to be finished after Amazon canceled the series following Season 3, its showrunner remains hopeful, drawing parallels to how The Expanse was rescued.

The Wheel of Time adapts Robert Jordan's beloved fantasy book series, starring Rosamund Pike. While the first two seasons faced criticism from book fans for controversial changes, Season 3 successfully won back the fanbase and seemed to position the show for an even stronger future.

However, last month it was revealed that Prime Video decided not to renew The Wheel of Time for Season 4 after what Deadline described as "lengthy deliberations." Although executives reportedly appreciated the show, financial constraints prevented its continuation.

Brandon Sanderson, who completed Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series, shared his thoughts on the cancellation, stating: “I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancelation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way.”

Showrunner Rafe Judkins has now broken his silence, explaining in a social media statement that he lacks a "clear and tidy" explanation for the cancellation. However, he emphasized that The Wheel of Time reached "huge numbers of people all over the world," referencing Nielsen Top 10 chart appearances for nearly 20 weeks—a rare achievement in recent television history.

Judkins expressed his team's commitment to adapting the entire The Wheel of Time book series, calling the inability to complete the story "a devastating blow for all of us."

He also critiqued the industry's shift toward shorter seasons and fewer episodes, noting that this trend undermines television's core strength: long-form storytelling.

To date, over 130,000 supporters have signed an online petition demanding to “Save The Wheel of Time.” The petition calls for the full story to be told, but these appeals may go unheeded. Some fans speculate about Apple TV+ potentially acquiring the series, though this seems optimistic given Apple's existing roster of high-budget sci-fi and fantasy productions.

Nevertheless, Judkins remains cautiously optimistic, citing The Expanse—a sci-fi series canceled by SYFY before Amazon revived it to conclude its narrative.

“So who knows?” Judkins concluded. “Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one—defy the traditional definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I certainly hope it does—because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”

These remarks follow reports that The Wheel of Time is not being pitched to other streaming platforms. TVLine cited "well-placed sources" confirming the news, dashing hopes for at least a fourth season.

Below is Rafe Judkins' complete statement:

I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week—why was The Wheel of Time canceled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.

What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. And we’ve all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!) but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world (appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade).

One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best—get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.

Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television—long-form storytelling. It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best—bringing great characters into people’s living rooms and lives every week.

Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it’s not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.

So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one—defy the traditional definitions of “beginnings” and “ends.” I certainly hope it does—because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.