Loyal fans to the popular Netflix series Sense8 have launched an online petition to work towards the renewal of the show for third season, reports IndieWire. The series was cancelled this week in a dramatic move by the streaming service, which swiftly triggered an outcry by the show’s fan base.
The sci-fi series, created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski (directors of The Matrix trilogy and Cloud Atlas) was praised for its racial diversity and inclusivity concerning LGBTQ characters and for being encouraging piece of pop culture that worked towards combatting regressive politics. The online petition currently has upwards of 385,000 supporters, with less than 115,000 more needed before reaching its goal of 500,000. The petition passionately argues, “Being fans of the series, we would like to know a valid explanation, arguing why Sense8 has been cancelled. We believe it is necessary that tv shows and movies which, from its content, provide the world with a message of love, diversity and respect. All these values have been brought to life by the characters of the show, and the message it has is extremely important for society.”
IndieWire speculates that Sense8’s high budget may have been a motivator in the decision to cancel the series. Nevertheless, Netflix subscribers were still upset– and perhaps rightly so. The cancellation of Sense8 proves that popular series are vulnerable to the chopping block (let’s hope Stranger Things won’t be next). Further, fans of Sense8 are also concerned that Netflix is purposefully rolling back on programming that is considered politically progressive. Sense8 marked Netflix’s second cancellation of a highly diverse, inclusive, progressive series, with their cancellation of The Get Down occurring mere days before the announcement of Sense8’s.
These were the exact concerns that ultimately triggered the online petition, which goes on to demand “a valid explanation, arguing why Sense8 has been cancelled. We believe it is necessary that tv shows and movies which, from its content, provide the world with a message of love, diversity and respect. All these values have been brought to life by the characters of the show, and the message it has is extremely important for society.” The petition concludes with a rather moving line that involves a compelling stance: “It is not just a tv show, to watch for fun, instead of just being that, Sense8 has given the world a new way of seeing others: with acceptance, love and understanding.”
Netflix has not yet acknowledged the petition or released any other statements concerning Sense 8’s cancellation.
