The Rings of Power Explained: The Second Age on Screen

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is not a remake of the films. It is set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in a period of Middle-earth's history that most readers know only from a few pages at the back of the book.

That makes it unusual: a big-budget series built mostly from summaries and appendices rather than a novel. This guide explains where it fits, what it draws on, and what has happened so far.

The Second Age

Tolkien divided the history of Middle-earth into ages. The Lord of the Rings takes place at the end of the Third Age. The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age, the time when the Rings of Power were forged, Sauron rose to power, the island kingdom of Númenor fell and Elves and Men made their last alliance against him.

In the books, these events are told mostly in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, as history rather than story. The series draws mainly on that material, so its writers have had to invent most of the scenes, characters and dialogue.

Who made it

The series was developed for Amazon Prime Video by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Amazon bought the television rights in November 2017 for close to $250 million, and the first season was reported to cost about $465 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive television series ever made.

The first season was filmed in New Zealand, like Peter Jackson's films, whose making we cover in how The Lord of the Rings was filmed. From the second season, production moved to the United Kingdom, and the third was filmed at Shepperton Studios, pictured above.

The characters

Some characters will be familiar from the films. Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, is a young and fierce warrior rather than the serene queen of the later story. Elrond is played by Robert Aramayo, and the elf smith Celebrimbor, who forges the rings, by Charles Edwards.

Sauron is played by Charlie Vickers, at first in disguise, and Gandalf, or a wizard who seems to be him, by Daniel Weyman. The series also follows the people of Númenor, including Elendil and Queen Míriel, and the Harfoots, wandering ancestors of hobbits.

Seasons so far

The first season of eight episodes premiered on 1 September 2022. It received generally positive reviews, especially for its visuals and designs, though critics faulted its writing and pacing. It became the most-watched Prime Video original series at the time.

The second season, also eight episodes, ran from 29 August to 3 October 2024. It drew fewer viewers and a similar response from critics, though the audience reaction improved compared with the first.

Season 3

A third season is scheduled for November 2026, and it was reported in early 2025 to include a major time jump, moving the story further through the Second Age. A fourth season is in development.

The broad direction is set by Tolkien's history: the forging of the rings, the war against Sauron, the downfall of Númenor and the alliance that ends the age. How the series gets there is where it is free to invent.

How it connects to the films

Several characters appear both here and in Peter Jackson's films, but thousands of years apart and played by different actors. In the films, Galadriel is played by Cate Blanchett and Elrond by Hugo Weaving; the series shows them young, before the events that made them who they are in The Lord of the Rings.

The series is a separate production from the films. But it covers the history the films only glimpse, above all the last alliance against Sauron that opens The Fellowship of the Ring, so viewers of the films will recognise where the story is heading.

Book and series

Readers sometimes object that the series compresses events that Tolkien spread over thousands of years, and adds characters who do not exist in his writings. That is partly a result of the rights: the series works mainly from what The Lord of the Rings itself says about the Second Age.

It helps to know what the book is and is not. Our piece on why The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy explains how Tolkien's book, and its appendices, are put together.

Who it is for

The series works best for viewers who enjoy slow-building fantasy with large casts and spectacular settings. Viewers who want a faithful adaptation of a novel may be happier with the films, or with the new Harry Potter series, which is adapting its books one per season, as our guide to the HBO series explains.

Either way, The Rings of Power is one of the biggest fantasy projects on television, and season 3 will show whether it can turn Tolkien's history into a story that holds an audience.