When a favourite TV show is cancelled by a streamer or broadcaster, viewers\u2019 initial reactions can range from annoyance to heartbreak. For fans with a deep connection to a particular series, their response is a kind of grief. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI went through several stages of death-grief: denial, anger, and depression,\u201d explains one Washington DC-based Sanditon<\/a> fan (identified here by their initials, MS). \u201cI did not get to the acceptance stage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n MS formed part of the \u2018Sanditon Sisterhood\u2019, a fan-led revival campaign which sprang up after the initial cancellation of ITV\u2019s Jane Austen drama (the show has since been renewed, and filming for Sanditon season two is underway<\/a> at the time of writing). <\/span><\/p>\n A fellow Sisterhood campaigner, identified here as KdK, tells RadioTimes.com<\/a>\u00a0they were similarly upset when the period drama was cancelled. \u201cI felt dumped for the second time,\u201d they joke. KdK, who is Dutch, is a self-confessed Anglophile, and loves the English landscape and stately homes. \u201cPeriod drama brings all that together, with the nostalgia, costumes and romance added to it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For Lucifer<\/a> fan Valentina, the attraction to the fantasy show was deeply personal. She discovered the series when she was going through a difficult time, and it \u201cquickly became a safe place\u201d for her. She was particularly drawn to the character Chloe Decker, a strong, no-nonsense cop and single mother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Valentina, a 24-year old from Colombia, was \u201cabsolutely devastated\u201d when Lucifer was first cancelled by Fox. \u201cI remember reading [series star] Tom Ellis\u2019 tweet first and my heart dropped. I couldn\u2019t help but cry\u2026 It just hurt,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Just like MS and KdK, Valentina mobilised to save her favourite series. But what is it like for fans who fight back against a TV show\u2019s cancellation? What happens when they succeed \u2013 and when they don\u2019t?\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Taste in TV viewing is unique and personal. You might prefer your drama buttoned-up in 18th-century attire, or else set in a demonic nightclub run by Satan. And, likewise, there\u2019s no one type of TV show that attracts the type of devotion that inspires revival campaigns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Manifest is a supernatural drama that follows a group of plane passengers who experience turbulence during one fateful flight, before landing and discovering that they have all been presumed dead for over five years. Alexis, a 20-something fan from the US, says she was \u201chooked\u201d on Manifest from the pilot episode and \u201cdevastated\u201d when Manifest was cancelled<\/a> earlier this year in June. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was in complete hysterics; completely inconsolable,\u201d she tells RadioTimes.com<\/strong>. \u201cI was also angry, blaming NBC for making such a stupid decision.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The members of fan campaigns can be as different and varied as the shows themselves. Both KdK and MS are in their 50s, but the comparisons end there. They live on different continents and work in different industries (KdK is a designer, while MS is a lawyer working in international development). Their fellow Sanditon Sisters include Hanna, a 30-something from Finland, and Juliet, a UK-based office administrator in her 40s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lisa, who founded a campaign group to save Netflix series Anne with an E<\/a>, told RadioTimes.com<\/strong>\u00a0her group\u2019s members ranged from teenagers to 30-somethings. But what unites all these fan campaigners is their love for a particular TV show, and their determination to save it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lisa was a latecomer to Anne with an E, the Netflix adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery\u2019s\u00a0beloved 1908 children\u2019s book, Anne of Green Gables. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI personally jumped on board <\/span>after<\/span><\/i> it was cancelled\u2026 I watched the show to see what the fuss was about, and understood why people were so upset,\u201d she says. \u201cThe show was special and deserved to live out its intended five-season run\u201d (a <\/span>New York Times Magazine feature<\/span><\/a> previously revealed that season one was the first in a \u201choped-for\u201d five-season run).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lisa, like our other interviewees, couldn\u2019t understand why her favourite series was cancelled (\u201cThe reasons given\u2026 were completely lacking in any logic.\u201d). But, for fans of cancelled shows Manifest, Sanditon, Lucifer, and Anne with an E, their chosen TV show was \u201cspecial\u201d enough to warrant mobilising \u2013 usually on social media, at least initially \u2013 and begin campaigning with like-minded fans from across the globe.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt started on Twitter\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning on starting a fan campaign to save a TV show, it helps if you have a Twitter account and a memorable hashtag. Juliet, one of the members of the Sanditon Sisterhood, confesses she was \u201ca little late to the campaign\u201d, simply because she\u2019d only just set up a Twitter account. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAlthough I had avidly watched the UK airing, feeling as passionate as those who were commenting on social media, I didn\u2019t join Twitter until December 2019, shortly before the series was cancelled,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you are on social media, especially fandoms, you do start talking to fellow fans because you have a mutual interest, and this is how I got to know some of those who eventually came together as the Strategy Group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Sanditon Sisterhood certainly strategised. The group campaigned across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. They organised online re-watches with cast and crew members; a petition that amassed 90,000 signatures; and even fundraised and commissioned a <\/span>gigantic Sanditon sand portrait on Brean Beach<\/span><\/a>, a key filming location for season one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Celebrity shout-outs provide a much-needed boost for dedicated fans. The campaign organised by Anne with an E\u2019s fans (collectively known as \u2018<\/span>Anne Nation<\/span><\/a>\u2018) attracted the attention of A-List celebrities, notably Deadpool\u2019s Ryan Reynolds, who tweeted Netflix with a request for them to renew the series. \u201cThose [celebrity] moments were amazing,\u201d says Canada-based fan Lisa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You guys might want to renew Anne with an E. The hashtags #saveAnneWithanE , #lettersforanne, and #renewAnneWithanE all made (and continue to make) the rounds on social media. A petition urging Netflix to <\/span>renew Anne with an E for season four<\/span><\/a> has amassed over 1.5 million signatures at the time of writing. And, just like the Sanditon Sisterhood, the Anne Nation <\/span>fan website<\/span><\/a> organised scheduled letter writing campaigns to broadcasters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anne with an E fans also organised billboards in both Toronto and New York City. \u201cEveryone worked so hard on those, and it <\/span>was<\/span><\/i> hard when we lived in different counties,\u201d explains Lisa. \u201cThe girls who did the poster designs were in Europe and the UK, while another couple of girls \u2013 who spent countless hours on Instagram trying to get fans involved \u2013 live in the States.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alexis started the <\/span>petition to save Manifest<\/span><\/a> \u201cone hour after the news [of its cancellation] broke\u201d, reaching out to fellow fans and sharing the petition across social media. It\u2019s amassed over 91,000 signatures at the time of writing. \u201cI was completely shocked about how fast it grew,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n Not all fan campaigners set up websites or organise billboards. Valentina, who was an active #SaveLucifer campaigner and was <\/span>retweeted by series star Kevin Alejandro<\/span><\/a>, says that she was one of many in the fandom who \u201cjust came together\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI simply joined everyone else,\u201d she says. \u201cWe just kept tweeting all the time\u2026 While some were asleep, the others [in different time zones] tweeted. We all just came together as a fandom to try to save the show; we all had a common goal and we connected through that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Several interviewees said the progress of their respective campaigns \u2013 whether positive or negative \u2013 directly impacted their everyday life outside of TV viewing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy morale, personally, felt absurdly low throughout the whole campaign,\u201d says Valentina. \u201cIt definitely did impact my mood on my everyday life. More than I would have wanted it to, if I\u2019m being honest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n However, for Sanditon fan Hanna, the \u201crollercoaster\u201d campaign provided a refuge of sorts during the COVID-19 pandemic: \u201cYes, the low moments impacted real life, but our fight also helped me through the pandemic. We always had people to chat with 24\/7.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Fan campaigns to revive shows <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>work, changing the TV landscape in the process. Success stories including the likes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/a> (picked up by NBC for season six onwards) are testament to that. Both Sanditon and Lucifer were renewed following intense fan campaigns, to the delight of said fans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Asked about how she felt when Lucifer was picked up by Netflix, Valentina says she \u201ccould not be happier\u201d, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s been over three years since the revival and it still feels surreal; not only did it get saved, but it was one of the most important streaming services that saved it\u201d. For Valentina, it\u2019s also important that Netflix commissioned three more seasons, meaning the show\u2019s creatives \u201cgot to finish on their own terms\u201d with the final season: \u201c[It] makes me so happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Sanditon was eventually renewed for two more seasons, which will debut on BritBox for UK viewers and PBS Masterpiece in the US, before airing on ITV. However, the news was bittersweet for some members of the Sanditon Sisterhood, following the revelation that Theo James (who played love interest Sidney Parker) would not return. <\/span><\/p>\n As Juliet explains, \u201cThe happy ending for the two lead characters [will-they-won\u2019t-they couple Sidney and Charlotte Heywood] was the major impetus for the fans to campaign at the beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Asked if they felt at all cheated following the news of James\u2019 absence, MS said they were \u201cvery optimistic about the show\u2019s future,\u201d but added, \u201cI won\u2019t deny that a broken \u2018Sidlotte\u2019 was my main motivation at the beginning. But equally important, I wanted a Sanditon that could stand the test of time as an Austen adaptation, true to her spirit and intentions as best as possible. An incomplete story would not hold up over the years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n KdK adds, \u201cWhen I first learned that Theo would not return, my heart sank\u2026 [but] I have every faith in writer Justin Young.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Despite their collective success, Juliet, MS and KdK say it\u2019s unlikely that they\u2019ll get involved in another revival campaign in the future; all three separately compare their work on the Sanditon campaign to (at times) having another full-time job.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a labor of love, but completely draining,\u201d says MS. \u201cI\u2019m not an admin and I still feel like this is another job requiring intense dedication.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For fan campaigners whose favourite shows have yet to be renewed, it can be difficult to keep up momentum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Anne with an E was cancelled almost two years ago, and fan Lisa compares the lower points of the revival campaign to \u201cfighting a losing battle\u201d. She continues, \u201cI\u2019m a grown adult so these moments didn\u2019t really affect my everyday life, but I know a lot of the younger fans really took the cancellation hard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Asked about the period drama\u2019s future, she says that while some fans \u201care still fighting\u201d, she thinks that \u201crealistically, it\u2019s clear that the show is done\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI would have loved for a wrap-up movie. Maybe one day,\u201d she adds. There\u2019s \u201cno way\u201d she\u2019ll get actively involved in another revival campaign though, \u201cespecially since it didn\u2019t work\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More generally, Lisa thinks fandoms \u2013 and fan campaigns \u2013 are \u201conly as good as the person or thing\u201d they are supporting. \u201cA lot of fandoms use bully tactics, which we never did or aimed to do\u2026 The thing about our fandom is that we all loved a show that was so positive and heartwarming, and we all wanted the renewal, so I think we often felt really united.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were from all over the world, and we spanned in age from teens to people in their 70s, and I think that was really special.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix<\/a> and best movies on Netflix<\/a>, visit our TV Guide<\/a>, or take a look at the rest of our Drama<\/a> coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n From the Sanditon Sisterhood to #SaveLucifer, RadioTimes.com interviewed fan campaigners about their favourite TV shows \u2013 and what it’s like to try and save them from cancellation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3382,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-scaled.jpg",2560,1886,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-300x221.jpg",300,221,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-768x566.jpg",768,566,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-1024x754.jpg",800,589,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-1536x1131.jpg",1536,1131,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/08\/how-to-save-your-favourite-tv-show-from-cancellation-by-the-fan-campaigners-whove-done-it-2048x1509.jpg",2048,1509,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"From the Sanditon Sisterhood to #SaveLucifer, RadioTimes.com interviewed fan campaigners about their favourite TV shows \u2013 and what it's like to try and save them from cancellation.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/3381"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The cancelled TV shows<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""Lucifer\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Lucifer_season_5B_tom_ellis_lauren_german-1-5715c50.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"best-tv-shows-netflix\"\\"")
<\/div>How does a fan campaign work?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Unless \u201cfinal season\u201d is just a fun way of saying \u201chalfway point\u201d.<\/p>\u2014 Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 3, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote>![\""Manifest\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Manifest_Season_2-abff13d.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Manifest_Season_2\"\\"")
<\/div>The fan campaign success stories<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""sanditon"\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/sanditon-512814c.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"sanditon\"\\"")
<\/div>What happens when a revival campaign doesn\u2019t work?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\""ANNE\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/AWAE3_EP306_DAY06_KW_0122R-13dd5f5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"ANNE\\"")
<\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"