Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books, the 2021 fantasy series is one of Netflix's most ambitious offerings to debut in recent years. Not only did it combine Bardugo's Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows books, but it did so with a stunning backdrop and incredibly talented cast.
Unfortunately, Netflix has a bad track record with fantasy series — and in general, the genre faces many cancellations, even when shows are seemingly popular. Many of Netflix's fantasy cancellations have led to disappointment, with titles like Warrior Nun, Fate: The Winx Saga, and Lockwood & Co. all sparking outrage upon being axed. However, Shadow and Bone remains one of the streamer's most disappointing cancellations. There is one positive thing to come out of its early end, though, which fans of the books might appreciate.
Shadow And Bone's Cancellation Will Go Down As One Of Netflix's Most Disappointing
The Series' Dedicated Fan Base & Potential Spinoff Make Its Fate Worse
Although Netflix has been criticized for many of its fantasy and sci-fi cancellations over the years, Shadow and Bone will forever go down as one of its most disappointing. There are a few reasons for this, starting with the series' well-established fan base. Thanks to fan campaign to save Shadow and Bone suggests a large chunk of that audience still wanted more of it.
Additionally, without Shadow and Bone's cancellation, Netflix could have made an even better fantasy series: one based on Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. These books are arguably Bardugo's most popular, and the Netflix adaptation laid the groundwork to tell the Crows' story in a spinoff. In fact, showrunner Eric Heisserer even told Entertainment Weekly that he planned to do so if given the opportunity. With the near-flawless cast and promising original show, the fact that this won't happen is even more disappointing.
There's A Small Silver Lining To Shadow And Bone's Early End
The Netflix Series Will Never Go Too Far Beyond Leigh Bardugo's Books
It's often difficult to find silver linings when it comes to TV cancellations, but there is one worth noting with regard to Shadow and Bone. The series ending with season 2 means that the writers won't go beyond Bardugo's source material, a risky endeavor that could have soured many viewers on the adaptation and anything that came after. And given Shadow and Bone season 2's ending, it's safe to say that diverging from the books was inevitable in season 3.
We've seen what can happen to even the best fantasy shows when they run out of source material.
The latter half of the second season makes noteworthy changes to the author's trilogy, altering the direction of Alina Starkov's character arc entirely. While making Alina queen and giving her strange new abilities could have proved interesting, it could also have hurt the series in season 3. After all, cutting the Darkling's story short and changing Alina's narrative means the writers would no longer be working off the books. We've seen what can happen to even the best fantasy shows when they run out of source material, so perhaps it's for the best Shadow and Bone isn't taking that path.
By Ending Early, Shadow And Bone Avoided The Fates Of Series Like Game Of Thrones
The HBO Show Is A Prime Example Of How Risky Moving Away From The Books Can Be
Shadow and Bone's early end might be sad, but by canceling the series, Netflix ensured it will never follow in the footsteps of a series like Game of Thrones. The HBO phenomenon will still go down as one of the best fantasy shows of all time, but its later seasons drive home how detrimental moving away from the source material can be. Once the writers stopped following George R.R. Martin's script, the storytelling became much weaker. This is a risk creators and networks take when they choose to go beyond what's on the page.
8 Shadow And Bone Storylines That Will Never Be Resolved After Its Cancellation
The cancellation of Shadow and Bone means that storylines including budding romances, new leadership, and dangerous curses will never be resolved.
With Shadow and Bone somehow wrapping up Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising in its second season, this is a risk the Netflix series probably would have had to take. It's possible it would've worked out for the best, but it's just as likely viewers — particularly those familiar with the books — would have had negative reactions. This could have hurt the Netflix series' legacy more than its cancellation. While no show wants to face such a fate, the story at least wrapped in a somewhat satisfying place. That might not be the case if it had continued.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Shadow and Bone
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2023-00-00
- Showrunner
- Eric Heisserer
- Directors
- Mairzee Almas, Lee Toland Krieger, Jeremy Webb, Bola Ogun, Karen Gaviola, Laura Belsey, Dan Liu
Cast
Kit Young
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Eric Heisserer, Vanya Asher, Daegan Fryklind, Shelley Meals, Christina Strain, M. Scott Veach, Donna Thorland, Erin Conley, Nick Culbertson
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