In the lead-up to its premiere this summer, "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" might have been best known for its extravagant price tag.

The first season of the highly anticipated Prime Video series, which wraps up with its eighth episode Friday, cost a whopping $700 million to produce (including to buy the TV rights), making "The Rings of Power" the most expensive television show ever.

Besides the appeal of seeing a new on-screen take on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantastic Middle-earth, this eye-popping sum is what stoked the curiosity of at least some viewers.

That "The Rings of Power" is, as Times TV critic Robert Lloyd described in his review, "visibly expensive" is perhaps the one thing viewers can agree on. Otherwise, it’s no surprise that a long-gestating TV show based on the mythology behind a beloved fantasy series has garnered mixed reviews from audiences.

That "The Rings of Power" is a hit is not up for debate. But how big of a hit, and what even makes a "hit" in such a crowded entertainment landscape, is harder to pinpoint. In particular, the always-elusive "water-cooler" hit that drives in-person and online conversation has become increasingly hard to predict, much less cultivate, as the number of TV series and platforms has proliferated and the entertainment audience has fragmented into smaller and smaller pieces.

Though vocal racist detractors of "The Rings of Power’s" casting of people of color has garnered the most attention (and possibly harmed the show’s online ratings through coordinated user reviews), others have raised legitimate criticisms of elements such as its pacing, its perceived adherence to Tolkien’s lore and how its numerous storylines are not all equally compelling. All healthy matters to debate within a fandom.

Jacob Toups, 35, had been more interested in reconnecting with familiar "Lord of the Rings" characters and learning more about their backstories and history.

"One of the challenges in (watching) this series is trying to figure out" the connections, said Toups. "As I’m watching the show, I’m also looking at articles, trying to figure out which characters will be connected back to the movies, or back into the plot of ‘Lord of the Rings.’"

Toups has enjoyed the "research" and theorizing about what’s to come in the series, which he considers part of being in a genre fan community. He’s also appreciated how "The Rings of Power" has enabled him to reconnect with friends and family over their love of "Lord of the Rings."

But even fans who told The Times about turning to online sources to read up about "The Rings of Power" said they rarely engaged with strangers about the series, opting to discuss their thoughts and theories with friends and family instead. This could be contributing to the perception that there is minimal chatter about the show on social media.