The fan campaign to save Netflix's Shadow and Bone isn't pure fantasy – it could actually work

Alina uses her sun summoning powers as Mal watches on in Shadow and Bone season 2

Shadow and Bone fans are summoning their strength to save the cancelled Netflix show (Image credit: Netflix)

Shadow and Bone fans are summoning the masses in a bid to revive the cancelled Netflix show on another streaming service.

Last Thursday (November 20), we reported that Shadow and Bone had been cancelled by Netflix after its second season, which was released in March, underperformed. That's in spite of Netflix users trying to game viewing stats to prevent Shadow and Bone being cancelled in the first place. The writing, though, appeared to be on the wall for Shadow and Bone season 3 (and the show as a whole) after Netflix confirmed that One Piece season 2 was in the works one month after the live-action anime series' impressive debut in August.

But Shadow and Bone's fanbase is as loyal as they come – and they've proven as much in the wake of the show being consigned to the scrap heap. In the days following Netflix's announcement, the live-action series' devotees have launched a 'Save Shadow and Bone' campaign on social media. Fans have taken to platforms including X (formerly Twitter) to express their outrage at the show's cancellation and, under the #SaveShadowanBone hashtag, keep the series in the public eye.

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(S1 ep3) #SaveShadowAndBone @netflix @NetflixGeeked Netflix: “care to back down?”The fandom: pic.twitter.com/DU5nT1qf9RNovember 19, 2023

To help boost the campaign's profile, fans also set up a Change.org petition calling on some other notable streamers to revive the show and give it the send-off it deserves with a third and final season. At the time of writing, the petition has just under 122,000 signatures.

It's unclear if one of Netflix's rivals – fans have asked Disney Plus, Hulu, Prime Video and Max to rescue Shadow and Bone on the petition – will grant that wish. However, fans are certainly making their voices heard, and it appears that their campaign to keep Shadow and Bone's light shining bright is slowly gaining traction.

Eric Heisserer, Shadow and Bone's showrunner, took to the series' Reddit page to express his profound gratitude to fans for trying to save the show. Indeed, according to Heisserer's sources, a petition to save Manifest – a beloved supernatural sci-fi series that was ironically saved by Netflix following its cancellation on NBC – took two weeks to reach 100,000 signatures. Shadow and Bone's achieved that feat in less than four days, which shows how dedicated its fanbase is.

Meanwhile, Shadow and Bone is currently part of the 'Trending' section on Netflix's home page in the US and UK. Its fans, then, are determined not to let it fall by the wayside like so many other Netflix shows before it.

A screenshot showing Shadow and Bone trending on Netflix's home page — *Shadow and Bone* has been trending on Netflix since its cancellation was announced (Image credit: Netflix)

That's no guarantee that Shadow and Bone will find a new life on another of the world's best streaming services, however. There are plenty of Netflix TV originals that have been lost to the annals of time, including big-hitters and beloved series like 1899, Archive 81, and Fate: The Winx Saga. You can find more examples in our Netflix cancelled shows guide.

Yet the 'Save Shadow and Bone' fan campaign could actually work – and one of its fellow fantasy shows, which was also unceremoniously dumped by Netflix earlier in 2023, serves as proof of that.

In May, Netflix pulled the plug on Warrior Nun, another fan-favorite fantasy series, after two seasons. Unsurprisingly, the show's fanbase was livid, and immediately set to work to ensure that the series survived in some form. Three months later, the unwavering fan campaign was hailed a success after Warrior Nun was confirmed to be returning, albeit in the form of a movie trilogy that won't debut on Netflix. We don't know when or where these three films will be available to stream yet, but at least Warrior Nun won't spend the rest of its days in purgatory.

Shadow and Bone fans, then, know what needs to be done: remain vocal in the weeks and months ahead. Warrior Nun's fanbase has shown what's possible if they remain steadfast in their approach, and anything less than unwavering dedication to the cause will surely result in the show's demise. As the famous Shadow and Bone quote suggests, though, there'll be "no mourners, no funerals" if the franchise's followers ensure that one of the best Netflix shows lives to fight another day elsewhere.

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.