The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Release Time and Episode Count

The Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set during the Second Age of Arda in the fictional world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Most people are only familiar with the lands of Middle-earth that we see in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, but according to Prime Video’s official synopsis, this sprawling epic is set to take viewers “from the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.” 

The Rings of Power is set to begin “thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings” novels, during a time of relative peace for the realm. The series is not based on its own novel, but rather on the Appendices found in Tolkien’s work, giving showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay more freedom to expand this world while still staying true to the source material.

The series will follow an ensemble cast of characters as an evil force threatens to cover the world in darkness. Fans of The Lord of The Rings may not instantly recognize this evil force without its signature glowing eye, but based on one of the trailers for the series, The Rings of Power will feature Sauron, in his human form, as a villainous force.

In order to combat the evil that threatens Middle-earth, it’s likely that we’ll see the original Rings of Power, including to the One Ring to Rule Them All, forged at some point throughout the series (I mean it is right there in the name after all). According to Amazon Studios, this epic series will “take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, [and] hope hung by the finest of threads.” 

While we don’t know many more details about the plot of The Rings of Power, we won’t have to wait too much longer to see what this series has in store.

When and Where Will The Rings of Power Be Available to Watch?

The first two episodes of The Rings of Power will be available to stream for Prime Video subscribers on Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET in the U.S. and on Sept. 2 at 2 a.m. in the UK in an effort to premiere the series at the same time across the globe. The rest of the season will be released on subsequent Fridays at 12 a.m. ET.

Members of Cinemark’s Movie Rewards Club will also have the opportunity to watch the first two episodes for free in theaters at special fan events across the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 31.

How Many Episodes Will The Rings of Power Have?

The Rings of Power will have eight episodes total. Season 1 is scheduled to end on Oct. 14.