“The Rings of Power” is an American fantasy TV series produced by Amazon Studios, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for Amazon Prime Video. The show is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings” and its appendices, set in Middle-earth’s Second Age, thousands of years before “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” events. The Tolkien Estate was consulted during production.

Amazon secured the TV rights in 2017 for a record-breaking sum of at least $1 billion for five seasons. The series is not a continuation of Peter Jackson’s film trilogies, but it aims to emulate their look and feel. Howard Shore composed the main theme, while Bear McCreary handled the score.

An international cast was hired, and the eight-episode first season was filmed in New Zealand from February 2020 to August 2021, with a break due to COVID-19. The second season began filming in the UK in October 2022.

“The Rings of Power” premiered on September 1, 2022, to positive reviews from critics, with the first two episodes having the most viewers for any Amazon Prime Video premiere. The rest of the first season ran until October 14, and the second season is scheduled for release in 2024.