Fans are outraged after Netflix’s cancellation of the beloved and widely popular fantasy show Shadow and Bone, which ended too soon after just two seasons. It also meant that the planned Six of Crows spin-off, designed to expand of universe of Shadow and Bone, would no longer happen, despite scripts being completed.
Following the news, a Change.org petition was started to urge another streaming service or network to save the series, the petition has received over 139,000 signatures. This is in response to the planned expansion of the franchise.
The showrunner, Eric Heisserer, said in a response to the fan petition, “Does it mean a legitimate shot at Netflix doing an about-face? I don’t rightly know, at least not yet. This is uncharted territory.” Continuing to thank the fans for the “outpouring of support,” he added “every bit helps —whether it’s to turn the lights back on at Netflix, or to find a foster parent who will take us in. It will take some time, either way.”
What’s Shadow and Bone?
Shadow and Bone is a scripted fantasy drama inspired by Leigh Bardugo’s popular Grishaverse novel series. It premiered on Netflix on April 23, 2021, and consisted of two eight-episode seasons, following the story of Alina Starkov, a young orphan with a rare ability to harness light, played by Jessie Mei Li. The show also stars Archie Renaux and Ben Barnes, among others.
The show received mostly high praise upon its arrival, with publications like Time claiming it had all the ingredients to satisfy fantasy fans. Vulture was a bit more critical, stating the show lost track of its central premise over the course of multiple storylines. The show had an overall 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was watched in 79 countries and was the No. 1 show on Netflix’s platform in 2021 and 87 more countries in 2022.
Creators and cast members took to social media to express their disappointment about the show’s cancellation, including bardugu, Heisserer, and various actors from the show.
The petition to save the series is to gain attention of other streaming services so that the third season can be produced. Although the petition has gained traction, it will be a large and expensive production to continue, even with the recognition of fans and new streaming services stepping in to take the show.
