While The Wheel of Time seems dead after Amazon canceled the show following the conclusion of Season 3, its showrunner has pointed to The Expanse in expressing hope it could be saved.

The Wheel of Time is an adaptation of the much-loved fantasy book series by Robert Jordan, with a cast led by Rosamund Pike. After a shaky first two seasons that had fans of the books in uproar over controversial changes from the source material, Season 3 appeared to win over the fanbase and, it was felt, set up the show for even better things to come.

But last month it emerged that Prime Video had decided against renewing The Wheel of Time for Season 4 after what Deadline reported were "lengthy deliberations." Apparently executives liked the show, but couldn’t make it work financially.

Brandon Sanderson, who finished Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series, has gone on the record to offer his thoughts on the series’ cancelation, saying: “I do think it's a shame, as while I had my problems with the show, it had a fanbase who deserved better than a cancelation after the best season. I won't miss being largely ignored; they wanted my name on it for legitimacy, but not to involve me in any meaningful way.”

Now showrunner Rafe Judkins has offered his thoughts in his first comments since the news broke. In a statement published on social media, Judkins said he couldn’t offer “something clear and tidy” to explain the cancelation, but insisted The Wheel of Time was watched “by huge numbers of people all over the world.” He pointed to viewership data to back up his claim, saying The Wheel of Time appeared in the Nielsen Top 10 chart for nearly 20 weeks, “a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.”

Judkins went on to say that he and the team behind the show set out to adapt the entire The Wheel of Time story from the books, and not being able to finish the job “feels like a devastating blow for all of us.”

He then lamented what he called the “trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers,” saying this approach “goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling.”

At the time of this article's publication, over 130,000 fans have signed an online petition to “Save The Wheel of Time.” “Finish the story,” the organizers of the petition say on their website. “It deserves to be told in full!” But it feels likely those pleas will fall on deaf ears. While some fans hope Apple may pick up The Wheel of Time for Apple TV+, given the slate of expensive sci-fi and fantasy shows it already has on its books, that is perhaps wishful thinking.

Still, Judkins expressed a degree of hope that someone, somewhere will pick up The Wheel of Time. He pointed to sci-fi show The Expanse, which was canceled by SYFY before Amazon saved it and finished the story.

“So who knows?” Judkins concluded. “Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.”

The comments come amid a new report that claims The Wheel of Time isn’t being shopped around to other streamers. TVLine said its “well-placed sources” confirmed the news that is sure to disappoint fans who’d hoped for Season 4 at least.

Here is Rafe Judkins' comment in full:

I’ve been asked the same question many times the last week — why was The Wheel of Time canceled? And the truth is, I don’t know. I wish I could say something clear and tidy that explains to all those who love it why it’s coming to an end, but sadly, I can’t.

What I can say is that the actors and crew on our show are the most talented and wonderful group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. And we’ve all been incredibly lucky to make something that not only was beloved by fans (and even critics! ha!) but was also watched by huge numbers of people all over the world (appearing in the Nielsen Top 10 for nearly 20 weeks, a feat very few shows have been able to match in the last decade.

One of my core goals in making this show, even from the earliest crafting of the pitch, has been to tell the whole story. Because the Wheel of Time books do what television has always done best — get better as they go. And as our actors and team came on board, they too could see the potential if we were allowed to finish this incredible story. We made many sacrifices, both personal and creative, along the way to get to that ending, so coming up short feels like a devastating blow for all of us.

Much has been written about this larger trend in TV toward fewer seasons with less episodes and finding quicker ways to acquire additional streaming subscribers. But I genuinely believe that this goes against the fundamental strength of television — long-form storytelling. It is an art form, much like epic fantasy, which at its very best, gives people a place to go and spend time with the characters that they love year after year after year. And I believe there are executives, studios, and networks who know that. I believe that we will find our way through this current iteration of the industry and back to what we do best — bringing great characters into people’s living rooms and lives every week.

Will the Wheel of Time get to do that with another network and finish the story? Sadly, it’s not something that happens often. But it does happen. In fact, one of the reasons we first chose Amazon as a home for the show was because they were in the midst of picking up The Expanse after SYFY cancelled it.

So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of “beginnings” and “ends.” I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.