I was skeptical of it and I'm a diehard fan of the books and the films because I grew up with them. I found the show to not be as good as the movies. However, my wife loves the show, and is lukewarm on the movies, and she's not typically into fantasy things.
I think the reason is because the movies and books are about 9 cis white men saving the world. There are a few pretty women who pop up to kiss them, tell them they're handsome, and send them on their way with nice gifts every so often.
The shows center on a strong woman doing what she thinks is best despite the naysaying of men.
In that view, it's no wonder my wife likes the new show so much more than the movies. It was an interesting look into how inclusivity matters. Not every story needs to be about a band of white guys saving the world. It's nice to have some stories from the Tolkien universe about other people.
So in that sense I'm a big fan. It provided an avenue for my wife to connect with this world of fantasy that I really love. The books and the movies are not very accessible or relatable if you are not a white man. This gave her a connection point, after we watched the show she asked all about the lore and the background, then she wanted to watch the movies again.