Cancelled Netflix Fantasy Show’s Fan Campaign Prompts Response From Cast & Book Author

The team behind Shadow and Bone have shared their reactions to billboards fighting to save the show. Shadow and Bone, which premiered on Netflix, is a fantasy show based on the Grishaverse young adult books by Leigh Bardugo. In November 2023, the show was cancelled after two seasons. Beginning January 22, a fan campaign to save the show placed two billboards across from Netflix’s Los Angeles and London offices, which will run for a month and demand the renewal of the show and its proposed spinoff Six of Crows.

On Twitter, user polis compiled a variety of screencaps of Instagram stories where several creatives behind the show reacted to the billboards attempting to save Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone season 3. This includes members of the cast and crew, as well as Bardugo herself. Check out polis’ posts below:

The first screencap shows Ben Barnes (The Darkling) saying “Couldn’t agree more… I wanna watch ‘Six of Crows’! This fandom is amazing!” The second screencap is from visual effects supervisor Ante Dekovic saying, “WOW! This is mindblowing!!! [Truly] the best fans.”

This was followed by six more screencaps from three more Instagram accounts. Writer-producers Shelly Meals and Vanya Asher celebrated the billboards, with Meals saying, “Y’all really did that! Iconic,” along with a sticker reading “You’re better than waffles.” Asher followed suit, saying, “You wild I love it.” Leigh Bardugo herself chimed in, saying “Just unreal. Truly the definition of ‘change the game.’“

The Shadow and Bone Cancellation and Fan Campaign Explained

The intensity of this reaction to the Shadow and Bone cancellation speaks to the fan base the show has accrued since its 2021 premiere. Part of this reaction stems from the fact that the proposed spinoff Six of Crows had only recently entered development in March 2023. However, another major factor is the fact that the cancellation seemed to be a result of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, which were dragged out over five months as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (including those behind Netflix) failed to offer actors and writers a fair deal for some time.

This fan billboard campaign, which was made possible via a Kickstarter campaign with 450 donors, seeks to draw attention to multiple factors that should lead to the shows’ renewals. Their justification, as expressed in a press release, includes the fact that Netflix’s own numbers for the first half of 2023 place the show as the 26th most-watched title in their catalog above popular shows including Black Mirror season 6 and Emily in Paris season 3. They also point to the show’s critical reception, including the fact that it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects.

In addition to the pair of billboards, the fan campaign includes an online petition that has now amassed 180,000 signatures over the course of a month. Earning this strong reaction from the Shadow and Bone cast and crew may also help in their aims, as more and more viewers are made aware of the targeted campaign to get the show back on the air. However, it remains to be seen if Netflix sees fit to renew the show and its spinoff.

Source: @artofpolis/Twitter

Shadow and Bone

Based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone follows the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan and soldier who has released a power that could potentially set her country free. Instead, Alina joins an elite army of soldiers known as the Grisha as the Shadow Fold, an area of mysterious darkness that grows each year, threatening to envelop her world. Alina quickly learns that nothing is as it seems, and it will take more than the power of magic to make it through.

Release Date

April 23, 2021

Cast

Daisy Head , Kit Young , Julian Kostov , Ben Barnes , Jessie Mei Li , Simon Sears , Gabrielle Brooks , Amita Suman , Kevin Eldon , Danielle Galligan , Jasmine Blackborrow , Freddy Carter , zoe wanamaker , Sujaya Dasgupta , Luke Pasqualino , Archie Renaux , Calahan Skogman

Seasons

2

Story By

eric heisserer, vanya asher

Writers

Eric Heisserer , Vanya Asher , Daegan Fryklind , Shelley Meals , Christina Strain , M. Scott Veach , Donna Thorland , Erin Conley , Nick Culbertson

Directors

Mairzee Almas , Lee Toland Krieger , Jeremy Webb , Bola Ogun , Karen Gaviola , Laura Belsey , Dan Liu

Showrunner

Eric Heisserer