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While Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive has not even arrived yet, the prolific author’s upcoming adaptation has already got an advantage over the biggest fantasy series on streaming right now. The upcoming Harry Potter series, scheduled for release by HBO in December 2026, will quickly become the biggest fantasy show on TV, outdoing the cable network’s own earlier hit Game of Thrones. The sheer amount reportedly spent on the reimagining of the children’s book means it likely needs to be a record-breaking success to break even.
However, until HBO’s Harry Potter reboot hits screens, Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings prequel series is the biggest fantasy show for all ages on streaming services. Admittedly, Prime Video’s Critical Role shows The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein have proven to be bigger critical successes than this expensive spinoff, while HBO’s own Game of Thrones spinoffs House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdome can both go toe to toe with Prime Video's historically big prequel when it comes to record-breaking budgets.
That said,The Rings of Poweris unique among these titles in that the Lord of the Rings prequel is aimed at viewers of all ages, or, at the very least, is not rated TV-MA for adult content. Similarly, author Brandon Sanderson’s highly anticipated upcoming TV adaptation, Stormlight Archive, will see Apple TV offer a perfect replacement for The Rings of Power, and this forthcoming release has one thing that the Prime Video show is missing.
The Stormlight Archive TV Show Is Doing Longer Seasons Than Its Biggest Rival
While Sanderson’s Mistborn books are currently being adapted into movies, Apple TV’s Stormlight Archive series will mark the writer’s first small-screen adaptation. “Small” may be somewhat misleading there, as the show is set to be a massive project for Apple TV. Thought to be based on Sanderson’s first Stormlight Archive novel The Way of Kings, season 1 will consist of ten episodes in which to explore the book’s 1,000+ page plot.
Although that might not sound like sufficient screen time, it is a major change from the usual approach of most major fantasy shows. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 had only six episodes, while House of the Dragon dropped from a ten-episode first season to only eight episodes apiece in seasons 2 and 3. Moreover, The Rings of Power has only eight episodes per season despite its astronomical budget, giving Apple TV’s Stormlight Archive adaptation a distinct edge on its closest and clearest rival.
The ten-episode run of Stormlight Archive makes a major difference, especially since The Rings of Power has been criticized for moving characters very quickly between locations that are supposed to be far apart in-universe. The adaptation’s creators opted for a ten-episode run since, from the 10 Radiant Order to the 10 Surges, the number plays a significant role in the mythology of Sanderson’s fictional universe. However, diverging from the industry norm will also allow the series more room to breathe.
The Stormlight Archive's Season 1 Episode Count Isn't The Norm For Live-Action Fantasy
A look back on the epic fantasy shows from every major streaming service proves that the ten-episode run of Stormlight Archive marks a departure from the norm for Apple TV. The Witcher, Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Wheel of Time all went with eight episodes per season like The Rings of Power, despite many of these mega hits rivaling Prime Video's ambitious Lord of the Rings prequel when it came to their massive budgets.
What makes this decision even more striking is the fact that, until recently, Apple TV had seemingly ceded the fantasy genre to other streaming services. From Apple TV’s upcoming Neuromancer show to Severance, to Silo, Foundation, Dark Matter, For All Mankind, its spinoff Star City, and even Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, it seemed like Apple TV was content to be the sci-fi streaming service. However, their upcoming Brandon Sanderson show Stormlight Archive proves Apple TV still wants to give Prime Video's The Rings of Power a run for its money.
