Amazon Prime’s $1billion series hailed ‘best of the year’ after huge improvements-Ruth Lawes and Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro

Season two of The Rings Of Power has been called a ‘mighty return’ (Picture: AP)

An Amazon Prime TV series has already been hailed as the ‘best of the year’ after making a ‘triumphant’ return for season 2.

In 2022, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power first premiered on the streaming platform, taking viewers back to Middle-earth to witness the rise of the terrifying Sauron.

It was claimed that the budget for the show was originally around $1billion (£756.5million), meaning fans had very high expectations for the prequel to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Plenty of viewers were left underwhelmed by season one, with it branded a ‘disappointment’ despite its epic scale and the huge amount of money plugged into it.

However, it appears all of that has now changed with its second outing, which has been described as a ‘vast improvement’ two years later.

On X, fans devoured the first three episodes, which were released today, with @@kaiyashunyata exclaiming: ‘Season two of #TheRingsOfPower is a mighty return to middle-earth. balancing a tighter narrative with fantastic spectacle and performances, this is undeniably the best fantasy show of the year.’

Fans had been left underwhelmed by the first season (Picture: Courtesy of Prime Video)

Echoing their sentiment, @FrewFilm raved: ‘I wasn’t a fan of #TheRingsOfPower’s first chapter, but Season 2 is a VAST improvement. I’m already excited to go back to Middle-earth.’

@ThomasStorai added: ‘#TheRingsofPower is easily the best series of the year. Season 2 is bigger and darker, raising the stakes to new heights with one of the most epic battles of television.’

Season Two follows the return of the Dark Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers), who is rebuilding his strength to oversee the creation of the Rings of Power after being cast out by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark).

Speaking about what to expect from the new season, showrunner JD Payne, who created the show with Patrick McKay, told The Hindu: ‘In the new season, we see Sauron going to Eregion to meet Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), who is the Leonardo da Vinci of the elves.

However, their opinion has been revised after watching the start of season two (Picture: Ross Ferguson / Prime Video)

‘We get to watch him seduce, manipulate and ultimately gaslight Celebrimbor. That process of driving someone to insanity in order to get them to do what you want…that’s where a good thriller really lives.

He added: ‘We have all known, whether in romantic relationships or friendships or work relationships, someone who has that tendency where they can use you without any remorse.

‘As we watch Sauron pick apart Celebrimbor’s sanity, it’s a harrowing thing to experience.’

The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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