The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power scored a big hit for Amazon Prime in its first season, which covers key events in Middle-earth thousands of years before Frodo Baggins’ quest to destroy the One Ring. Critics loved the return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world, though fans were often divided on the changes made to the author’s work in order to deliver it to the big screen. Amazon claims that its premiere was viewed by 25 million people, making it the biggest premiere in the streaming service’s history. That and the fact that Season 1 ended on a number of key cliffhangers has made the new season one of the most hotly anticipated in recent years.

Amazon greenlit the series for a second season in November 2019, almost five years after it finally premiered on Aug. 29, 2024. That’s a long time to wait, especially for such a high-profile project. The COVID pandemic, the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, and the sheer logistical realities of such an epic story, have kept it off of screens until now. The Season 2 premiere included three of the season’s eight episodes, giving fans enough for at least a mini-binge and leaving the remaining episodes to roll out weekly throughout the early fall. Here’s when fans can expect new episodes to drop, and what days to mark their calendars.

When Do Rings of Power Season 2 Episodes Stream?

Rings of Power Streams Every Thursday on Prime Video

Title
Streaming Service

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2
Amazon Prime
8
Aug. 29, 2024
Oct. 3, 2024

The first three episodes of Season 2 premiered on Amazon Prime on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. They cover the immediate disposition of the Three Rings, the Wizard’s continued recovery of his memories, and the political fallout among the Elven and human kingdoms of Sauron’s continued rise. Five more episodes are planned, with release dates planned for every Thursday in September, followed by a season finale on October 3.

There is no word on Season 3 as of this writing, nor if Season 2 will provide a viable conclusion to the various storylines or not. Nothing is guaranteed, especially with streaming services trimming back and the expense of a show like Rings of Power. That said, Tolkien certainly has no shortage of material they can use, and until the series formally connects with the events of The Lord of the Rings (presumably the Last Alliance which defeats Sauron at the end of the Second Age), it’s hard to speculate on when the project will finally reach a conclusion. Until then, fans have more episodes of Season 2 to look forward to.

What Is Season 2 of The Rings of Power About?

Season 2 of The Rings of Power Has Questions to Answer

Tolkien was famous for his fastidious and detailed world-building, which remains the gold standard to this day. The Rings of Power is based loosely on The Silmarillion and other works, which essentially act as historical background for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. That covers thousands of years of events in Middle-earth, stretching back to the Elves’ Eden-like time in the Undying Lands before the beginning of the First Age. It helps give his world an organic authenticity, making it feel lived-in and “real” for Bilbo and Frodo’s adventures. It also entails the rise of Sauron, his wars with the Elves, and the fall of humanity’s kingdoms, which set the stage for Aragorn’s coronation in The Return of the King.

The Rings of Power essentially acts as a condensed version of those events, sketching out the longstanding conflict between the Elves and Sauron before recounting the creation of the titular Rings of Power. That includes such key events as the fall of the island kingdom of Numenor, and the awakening of the Balrog beneath the Dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dum. It compresses a good deal of Tolkien’s timeline in the name of expediency, which altering some events in order to fit its narrative frame It also makes changes to effectively serve as a prequel to Peter Jackson’s classic Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, connecting its events to that version rather than Tolkien’s more diffuse vision.

Rings of Power Season 1 culminated in a monstrous betrayal by Sauron, resulting in both the creation of the three Elven Rings of Power, and the emergence of the volcanic Mount Doom to effectively claim the land of Mordor for the Dark Lord. The second season of the Rings of Power contains eight one-hour episodes, covering the events immediately after the creation of the Three Rings. It promises to further develop key moments in the history of Middle-earth, as well as detailing more of Sauron’s dark deeds preceding the creation of the One Ring.

New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stream every Thursday on Amazon Prime.