The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Set in an era of relative calm before darkness returns, this series follows a wide cast whose lives intersect as something ancient stirs in Middle-earth. Storylines span from the shadowed halls beneath the Misty Mountains to the pale shores and forests of Lindon, and onward to the island kingdom of Númenor, tracing new leaders, artisans, and wanderers as they react to shifting alliances and growing threats. The show traces how small choices and personal ambitions ripple outward, shaping future legends and leaving marks that echo into later ages, without revealing how any of those threads resolve.

Released in 2022, the series was developed for television by John D. Payne and Patrick McKay, drawing on J.R.R. Tolkien's wider lore and appendices. Amazon Studios produced the show for Prime Video, mounting one of the most ambitious adaptations of Tolkien's material in television form.

The series drew industry attention, earning multiple nominations in technical categories across television award bodies, particularly for visual effects, production design, and costume work, recognizing the scale and craft of its production.

Its debut generated intense cultural conversation, from mainstream coverage to fan forums. People talked about its visuals, scale, and the choices made adapting familiar source material, while fan theories and online discussion about characters and timelines proliferated. The show's presence has influenced merchandise, cosplay, and renewed interest in Tolkien's lesser-known texts.

Critical reception has been mixed to positive, reflected in a user vote average of 7.3 out of 10. Reviewers often praised the worldbuilding, set pieces, and cinematic ambition, while some critics and viewers flagged uneven pacing and a crowded ensemble as issues. Thematically the series returns to ideas of power, the cost of craftsmanship and creation, the pull of legacy, and how ordinary lives can shape epic outcomes.