The Divisive Harfoots Take a 'Backseat' in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3
Don’t expect to see the Harfoots in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. They’re taking a “backseat,” co-showrunner J.D. Payne has said.
Warning! Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power follow…
The Harfoots are one of the most divisive groups of people in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings prequel series. They are an ancestral, nomadic branch of hobbits who lived hidden in Rhovanion during the Second Age, operating under a strict migratory lifestyle driven by the motto, "Nobody goes off-trail, and nobody walks alone."
In Season 1 of The Rings of Power, the Harfoots discover The Stranger (who later turns out to be Gandalf), and go on a journey together. In Season 2, Harfoots Nori Brandyfoot and Poppy Proudfellow travel to the arid lands of Rhûn, get separated from the Stranger, and encounter a settled village of early hobbit ancestors known as the Stoors. At the end of Season 2, the Harfoots say goodbye to Gandalf and join forces with the Stoors on a new migration.
Which leads us to Season 3. In an interview with Empire magazine, Payne confirmed the Harfoots absence. “It was time for them to take a little bit more of a backseat,” Payne said. “But I will also say: never count a Halfling out.”
Whether that means Nori will make a cameo appearance in Season 3, or the Harfoots return in future seasons is unclear. What is clear, though, is that we won’t see a main storyline featuring the Harfoots this time around, which is a significant change from the show so far.
Why the switch? It’s fair to say the Harfoots weren’t particularly well received by The Lord of the Rings fans. Apart from ongoing questions about deviating from J. R. R. Tolkien’s works (Tolkien did not place hobbits or Harfoots in active, major plots during the Second Age, but then he didn’t write much of anything about the Second Age), some felt they were annoying, their storyline frustratingly slow, and their Irish accents… a choice.
So, I doubt many will shed a tear over the Harfoots failing to turn up in Season 3. The focus this time around appears to be Sauron’s bid to forge the One Ring (and seeking the power to do so from a talking Balrog), the introduction of Galadriel's husband, Celeborn, and Gandalf becoming full-on Gandalf.
There doesn’t seem much room for the Stoors in Season 3, either, but Empire asked if Sméagol, who was a Stoor, might turn up in the form of a Gollum origin story at some point in the future. “We have lots of ideas for future seasons,” co-showrunner Patrick McKay replied. “Stay tuned, is all we’d say right now.”
Here’s the official blurb on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
In Season 3, Middle-earth is at war. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion. Sauron’s armies have marched across the whole of the world, conquering all in their path. Only a few isolated pockets stand between the Dark Lord and total victory — Khazad-dûm, where the Dwarves are now sealed deep within their mountain halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings. But deep in the land of Mordor, in his newly completed tower of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils day and night, obsessed with harnessing a power that will bring the last of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to rule them all... Now, all the free peoples of Middle-earth — Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike — must find a way to come together, in a race against time to prevent Sauron from achieving his goal of utter domination of all life…
The first four episodes of Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiere on November 11, 2026. Episodes five and six will be available to stream on November 18, and the final two episodes of the season will be released on November 25.
Amazon says The Rings of Power is one of the highest performing and most-viewed titles ever on Prime Video. Season 1 is the biggest TV series premiere in the history of Prime Video, and Season 2 is among the Top 5 most-watched returning seasons ever. The series has attracted over 185 million viewers worldwide so far. The Rings of Power is still on-track to run for five seasons, with the $1 billion show reportedly under the protection of Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' "magical halo" despite its huge costs.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.