When Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered in 2022, it returned fans of the iconic franchise to the burrows of Middle-earth, with all its attendant beauty and dangers. Beyond that, the fantasy epic had an incredibly staggering budget, with a mouthwatering $58 million per episode — a total budget of $465 million, it engraved itself as one of the most expensive series ever made. Its debut was met with fandom discord, with some slating some of its creative choices, but it maintained strong ratings. The discourse has remained even into the second season, albeit somewhat subdued, with people mainly comparing the series to the original Peter Jackson Oscar-winning trilogy. Certain sections of the watching audience have suggested the series be canned, but just like the Fellowship, Prime Video seems set to ride the storm and trust in its comrades.

The Rings of Power is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, bringing to life a period in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s lore that hadn’t previously made it to live action. Showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne, have led the development of these characters to date, and speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, they offered comments regarding the disgruntled sections of Tolkien’s fandom. Payne, speaking alongside McKay to the outlet, revealed:

“The Fellowship had to look to each other, and those who support it, and remember what it’s fighting for. 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.”

Prime Video Is Backing ‘The Rings of Power’ For More

The defiant tone from the showrunners is not without merit. The ratings for the second season of The Rings of Power have seen a steep drop from the series’ debut season, per THR. However, Prime Video recently revealed that of the first three new Rings of Power episodes saw 40 million viewers worldwide. Despite awaiting an official greenlight, a third season of The Rings of Power has been in the works for a considerable amount of time. In the aftermath of seeing these recent numbers, Prime Video remains committed to the show’s original five-season plan.

Much of the second season of Rings of Power is about the emergence of the Great Deceiver, Sauron (Charlie Vickers). Currently, in the guise of Annatar, an agent of light, Sauron is weaving his threads and mapping out how he might enslave all of Middle-earth. However, as evil as Sauron is, he is not the worst menace in Middle-earth. There remain some, formed by the hand of Morgoth, lying dormant within the depths of Khazad-dûm. We speak of a Balrog of Morgoth, and the Dwarven kingdom might not remain the same after it passes through.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream on Prime Video, with new episodes on Thursdays.