After nearly two full years away from our screens, "The Rings of Power" season 2 has landed on Prime Video, meaning it's finally time to take another trip back to Middle-earth.
Even though "The Rings of Power" proved to be a divisive series among fantasy fans, it was also a huge release for the streamer. The first epic fantasy series began by building out the world; with the building blocks, characters, and locations in place, season 2 has been busy weaving a more cohesive story, with more forward momentum.
That's because Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) has been unmasked as the Dark Lord, Sauron, and (as of episode 4) he's made plenty of headway with his plan to wreak havoc across the realm. He's arrived at Eregion and tempted Celebrimbor into forging more rings under the guise of helping Middle-earth.
In my humble opinion, this has been a solid improvement over what came before (and I say that as someone who did enjoy the first batch of episodes). With any luck, this second season will cement "The Rings of Power" as one of the best fantasy shows on Prime Video.
If you're struggling to remember what's happened thus far in the Second Age, we've also put together a quick "The Rings of Power" season 1 refresher so you can get up to speed and dive right into Sauron's unfolding plot. And if you're itching to know when you can take your next steps in Amazon's version of Middle-earth, you can see when the remaining episodes will land with the full "The Rings of Power" season 2 release schedule below.
'The Rings of Power' season 2 full episode release schedule
Amazon already confirmed the full release schedule for "The Rings of Power" season 2 on X/Twitter, politely informing fantasy fans that our 'next few weeks belong to Sauron'. Here's when each and every episode will land, including the big finale:
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episodes 1-3: streaming now
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episode 4: streaming now
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episode 5: Thursday, September 12
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episode 6: Thursday, September 19
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episode 7: Thursday, September 26
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 episode 8: Thursday, October 3
'The Rings of Power' season 2 release date: When did the series return?
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 landed on Prime Video with a three-episode premiere on Thursday, August 29. The second season will run for a total of eight episodes.
Will we get a third season of "The Rings of Power"?
The future of "The Rings of Power" looks like it might hang in the balance. Although we've previously heard that Patrick McKay and JD Payne planned the story as a five-season epic adventure, that might change. That's because a recent report about the show's viewership indicates that "The Rings of Power" season 2 hasn't made nearly as big of an impact as it's more divisive debut season thus far.
As reported by Deadline, data from Samba TV (which tracks streaming viewership and other numbers) the season 2 premiere saw a steep decline. Just 902,000 U.S. households tuned in for the season premiere within four days of its arrival on Prime Video. Meanwhile, the season 1 opener drew an audience of 1.8 million households, within three days of its debut.
Now, Amazon has not made any announcements about season 3 just yet, but this kind of news surely won't sit well. "The Rings of Power" has been an immensely expensive show to make... and if it isn't drawing viewers in, plans for the show's future could certainly change. We'll just have to wait and see what Amazon's got to say.
