Rings of Power: Why Did the Showrunners Choose Tolkien’s Second Age?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been engulfed in what can only be described as a culture war ever since its release. With an audience score of less than 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, it can be difficult to separate true fandom disappointment from outright spite. Since the first season’s release, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay appear determined to dispel widespread criticism of Rings of Power by giving expressive interviews and sharing their love for Tolkien’s work—which ultimately won them the show in the first place. The most striking comments from these interviews involve their cooperation with the family’s estate to describe the Second Age through film, an age which was not as extensively covered by Tolkien compared to events in the First and Third ages.