Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 7 hrs ago
‘The Rings of Power’ season three gets mixed reviews
Season three of The Rings of Power jumps five years ahead from the previous season, into a Middle-earth at war.
The Prime Video series is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, set thousands of years before Bilbo Baggins’s story.
Sauron is trying to forge the One Ring, while elves, dwarves and humans face the effects of his campaign.
Gandalf is now more clearly part of the story, and the Harfoots have been pushed aside.
Reviews disagree on whether the series has improved: one calls the new season dull, while another praises its tighter story and gives it four out of five stars.
The season also adds characters and storylines, including Celeborn and the dwarf Thrain, as the conflict with Sauron continues.
Reviews of season three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are mixed, with critics split over whether the series has improved.
The season begins five years after the events of season two, with Middle-earth at war and Sauron working to forge the One Ring.
Radio Times praised the tighter story and gave the season four out of five stars.
The Guardian and /Film faulted the show’s pacing and sprawling cast, though /Film praised Charlie Vickers’s performance as Sauron.
- Who
- The third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and the critics reviewing it.
- What
- The season received mixed reviews. Critics differed on its storytelling, pacing and overall improvement.
- When
- The reviews were published on 10 and 11 November 2026.
- Where
- The series is set in Middle-earth and streams on Prime Video.
- Why
- Critics assessed the season’s story, pacing, performances and changes to the series.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The first season debuted, according to the Guardian.
The second season aired, according to the Guardian.
/Film and Radio Times published reviews of season three.
The Guardian published its review of season three.
- Guardian review
- Published 11 November 2026
- /Film review
- Published 10 November 2026
- Radio Times rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
- Story time jump
- Five years after season two
- Season’s central plot
- Sauron works to forge the One Ring
3 sources
What people are saying
For all its flaws, The Rings of Power is getting better season by season.
Never mind more rings, it desperately needs some rizz.
In short, Season 3 is an encapsulation of "The Rings of Power" as a whole: some incredibly high highs, several frustrating lows, and the creeping feeling that time is finally starting to run out.