Early buzz has The Rings of Power season 3 among year's best TV shows (but do we actually believe it?)

Amazon's never been shy of a massive gamble, and their foray into Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power might be their boldest yet. When they kicked off this prequel, they went seriously old-school Tolkien – we’re talking the Second Age here, thousands of years before the Hobbits started messing about with rings. Seasons 1 and 2 did a decent job laying out the groundwork: vanished kingdoms, shiny new rings, and, of course, Sauron playing the long game. But nearly everyone agreed it sometimes felt a bit like it was spinning its wheels. That brings us to Season 3, and, well, suddenly things are properly kicking off.

The Rings of Power Season 3 lands on 11 November 2026 with a huge four-episode drop.

Hard Reset in Middle-earth

This next round isn’t just picking up where we left off. Instead, the show’s skipped five years ahead, which is basically a “soft reboot” – code for, ‘forget the slow bits, here’s the proper war you all wanted’. Apparently, that was the right move because everyone who’s had an early look reckons the series is now punching well above its weight. There’s actual dread in the air now, proper action, and the Elves are knee-deep in the nastiest war Middle-earth’s seen in ages. The vibe is noticeably darker. No hobbits singing. Less padding about jewellery and misery. It’s finally moved into gear.

First Reactions: Glowing, for Once

Reviews from critics lucky enough to get their hands on the first two episodes are, dare I say, glowing. ComicBook’s Chris Killian, who’s not exactly known for mincing words, reckons both episodes are absolute “bangers” and that the show’s only getting better as it goes – very much not the standard early hype fluff. He’s mad keen on Sauron, specifically Charlie Vickers’ turn as everyone’s favourite Dark Lord. According to Killian, the bloke just ‘oozes evil’. Not a minor compliment.

Nerdist’s Rotem Rusak didn’t hold back either. She called the opener “AMAZING” (caps lock and all) and said it’s not just the series’ best work so far, but right up there with the best on telly this year. Then you’ve got Rachel Leishman, who thought Season 3 was “better than ever”, and Fay Watson at GamesRadar+ saying the premiere is “epic in every sense of the word”. So, it’s not just one person blowing smoke. The consensus is that this season’s both massive and unashamedly dramatic – basically what a big-budget fantasy show should be doing.

How the Launch Works This Time

Here’s where you’ll want to get out the diary: Prime Video is kicking off Season 3 with a four-episode drop on 11 November 2026. After that, you’ll get episodes 5 and 6 the following week on 18 November, with a two-part finale arriving on 25 November. Maybe unnecessary cliffhangers every week aren’t what people wanted after all.