The show does a lot of time jumping and therefore starting it with some knowledge of the story is an advantage. I found myself confused quite often- who is that? why is he there now? what time period are we in? As with many of these shows that carry a built in fan base, the reviews tend to be extreme. The Witcher is hardly a 1 or 2 but neither is it a 10. It was dragged out over 8 episodes and the final cliff hanger is a bit of an irritant because it should have happened around ep 5 not as the ending. Henry Cavill is the stand out performance making the Witcher a complete person as opposed to a one dimensional TV character. I do not get the comparisons to GOT at all beyond the dark ages as setting- and the unnecessary sex and nudity. Worth a watch but not all that.