‘Shadowhunters’ fans say au revoir to the cast: Hopefully not goodbye for good

It’s a wrap on S3 of Shadowhunters, but hopefully not on the potential future of the cult show that fans continue to fight for. In their tributes to the show, Shadowhunters cast members shared their love for the cancelled Freeform series and the “family” it’s created.

Kat McNamara shared a touching Instagram post with a lengthy caption describing how “the family created from the cast and crew, to the writers and producers” and to the “angels” of the passionate fandom “is something to be cherished.”

“We have been breathing rarified air here in the Shadow World, whether or not we knew it . . . However, if you take anything with you from this, take this: the story doesn’t end here. It lives on and continues in all of us as we carry on the #ShadowhuntersLegacy as a group of people who stand for acceptance, love, and unity.”

Co-star Alberto Rosende shared similar sentiments and celebrated how everyone involved in the show has “created a wonderful world full of fantastical beauty and love! We fought together, we cried together and most importantly, we loved together.

“I am very proud to have been your Simon Lewis. I am very proud to be a part of our giant family. I am very proud of each of you who continue to fight for love and make this world a better place . . . Keep being positive forces for change in your communities around the world!”

Rosende also added that his “hopes are very high” in “looking ahead at the legacy of Shadowhunters.” And understandably so. The Shadowhunters fandom members aren’t just fighting for a TV show; they’re uniting in defence of everything it represents. Particularly to the young LGBTQI fans of the community who have found acceptance, chosen family, and support from being a part of the Shadowhunters community.

That’s meant that the #SaveShadowhunters campaign hasn’t just been about crafty marketing efforts – though the fandom are undoubtedly the undefeated champs at relentless and efficient campaign marketing. In their efforts to amplify why the show needs saving, they’ve also managed to raise over eighteen thousand dollars for The Trevor Project, a charity providing a wealth of resources to vulnerable LGBTQI youth.

Clearly, Shadowhunters is more than just a TV show. To many of its fans, it’s entertainment that also doubles as a lifeline for those requiring support during a challenging moment in their lives. Arguably, that elevates the Shadowhunters legacy far beyond that of the average show targeted at a young adult audience.

Cancelling Shadowhunters won’t stop that legacy from thriving beyond the parameters of the series – but saving it could help amplify the voices of its LGBTQI audience and champion the necessity of similar storylines in current or upcoming shows.

There’s great power and significance to be found in the sort of unity a show like Shadowhunters provides. And the incredible value of having such a community is reflected in the way that the cast have chosen to pay tribute to the show.

On Twitter, Emeraude Toubia shared a picture of herself with fellow cast members and reflected on how her character Izzy “can do anything with friends like these” – which is surely exactly how the majority of Shadowhunters fans feel about their own fan community.

The star also shared a video of the moment the show wrapped in which the cast and crew united in an uproarious howl of cheers and applause. It serves as a reminder that the show can and will continue to be celebrated even in the face of a potentially finite end.

Meanwhile, actor Dominic Sherwood called the extraordinary efforts of the #SaveShadowhunters campaign “awe-inspiring”, thanking fans for their “giving and generous heart helping those in need” with The Trevor Project.

It’s the end of Shadowhunters as we know it, but that isn’t to say fans should give up hope on it just yet. And by all accounts, they don’t seem to have any intention on doing so any time soon. Their incredible rallying cry to save the show has so far involved tenacious stunts like hiring a plane to fly over Netflix’s Los Angeles headquarters with a #SaveShadowhunters banner.

It’s also included buying prominent billboard adverts in cities like New York and Toronto, displaying the campaign on the side of London buses, and sponsoring pedicabs at San Diego Comic-Con. And this could just be the start of it.

On Twitter, Shadowhunters fans are maintaining the #SaveShadowhunters campaign as a daily trending topic, continuing their ferocious passion for the cause. It’s clear they’re unwilling to give up or be silenced.

Shadowhunters fans have been generous in helping those in need, as Sherwood suggested on Twitter. But it’s about time that generous nature was returned to the fans by someone willing to save Shadowhunters and give the show a new platform to thrive on.

Production may have ended on the show for now. But it may just be the start of the next exciting phase of the show.