The fourth season of Netflix's 'The Witcher' has experienced a significant decline in its first week, dropping down the streamer's viewership charts. This latest installment has also received poorer reviews compared to previous seasons and appears to be subject to review-bombing on aggregator websites like Rotten Tomatoes. This phenomenon is not uncommon for genre projects, especially those with a history of production challenges, such as 'The Witcher'.

Season 4 marks a pivotal change for the series with Liam Hemsworth debuting as the lead character Geralt of Rivia, taking over from Henry Cavill, who played the role for the first three seasons. Cavill's controversial departure, coupled with his perceived exit from the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, generated considerable frustration among his fanbase. This frustration seems to be manifesting in the form of review-bombing directed at the new season, evidenced by its shockingly low audience score of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. Review-bombing, an organized effort to lower project scores on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, is difficult to police despite measures taken by these platforms to prevent it.

Beyond audience reactions, critical reviews for the fourth season have also been largely negative. The show currently holds a 56% critical score, marking its lowest ever, a stark contrast to its peak of a 'certified fresh' 95% for Season 2.

The spiraling viewership figures present a concerning trend for Netflix. According to the streamer's data, Season 4 witnessed an approximate 50% decline in viewership compared to Season 3. It has garnered only 7.4 million views so far, a significant drop from the nearly 19 million views achieved by Season 2 in the same period, and the first 'volume' of Season 3 which drew more than 15 million views. Viewership data for the first season is not available as Netflix had not yet begun sharing these figures.

'The Witcher' is set to conclude its run with a fifth season, which will also feature Liam Hemsworth as Geralt. Alongside Hemsworth, the new season includes Laurence Fishburne and returning stars Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan. All seasons of the show are available for streaming on Netflix.