Harfoots will receive significantly less screen time in the third season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." This was revealed by one of the project's showrunners, J.D. Payne:
"It's time to put them a little bit on the back burner. But I will also say: never count out the halflings."
Recall that in the second season, Nori and Poppy bid farewell to the Stranger, who was revealed to be Gandalf, and embarked on a new journey with the Harfoots – another hobbit tribe. According to Payne's words, the Harfoots may still appear in the continuation, but they will no longer be given a full storyline.
The decision to reduce the role of the Harfoots coincided with criticism from some fans who considered their storyline too drawn out, overly comedic, and weakly connected to the main conflict of the series.
The third season will begin five years after the events of the previous installment, transporting viewers into the thick of the war between the elves and Sauron. The Dark Lord will begin creating the One Ring, and the free peoples of Middle-earth will have to unite to thwart his plans.
The premiere of the third season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" will take place on November 11, 2026, on Prime Video. Four episodes will be released on the day of the premiere.