The Witcher season 4 faces backlash over new Geralt

The fourth season of The Witcher series has arrived on the streaming platform Netflix, but the change of the lead actor has not been well received.

The role of Geralt of Rivia, previously played by Henry Cavill, has now been taken over by Liam Hemsworth — and the initial reactions from viewers have been largely negative, with one controversial scene sparking a particular storm on social media, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Replacing Cavill, whose performance as Geralt was one of the most praised aspects of the show, was almost an impossible task for Hemsworth.

The series — based on the popular book saga and adapted into successful video games — also received criticism in its first three seasons, but it seems the fourth season has drawn even more backlash.

This is confirmed by ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, where the new season holds 56 percent from critics but only a devastating 19 percent from the audience.

Most of the criticism, however, centers on a scene in which Ciri, played by Freya Allan, encounters a street gang called the Rats. A member of the gang, Kayleigh, tries to assault her, but Mistle — who later becomes Ciri’s love interest — intervenes.

What shocked many viewers was that, although Ciri is visibly shaken, she and Mistle kiss almost immediately after the incident. Many point out that this relationship is portrayed in a much darker and more complex way in the books.

Actress Freya Allan herself responded to the criticism in an interview with TV Line.

"I knew there were a lot of discussions about this relationship between Mistle and Ciri. It’s somewhat controversial online, and people debate it a lot. I actually felt it was very important to keep a bit of that," she said.

"I wanted it to be complicated — I didn’t want it to be perfect. I didn’t want it to be a soft, sweet romance," Allan added.