Today, 15 November, Netflix cancelled Shadow and Bone. Presumably, the highly-anticipated Six of Crows spinoff has also been shelved, if not trashed. 

This show is important for a variety of reasons, ranging from entertainment value to the representation it provides for the LGBTQIA+ community, POC, disabled communities, and people of all shapes and sizes. 

Loyal fans of the Grishaverse spent years awaiting for it to arrive on the small screen. Upon its arrival in 2021, we were not disappointed; there are naysayers with every show, but the vast majority of feedback was positive. Asian women saw themselves on screen in a lead role as Alina. People who use mobility aids and PTSD survivors saw themselves in Kaz. Survivors of sexual assault saw themselves in Inej. The LGBQIA+ community saw themselves in Jesper, Wylan, and Nina, amongst others. Nina also stood as a powerful role model for plus-size women. In many ways, shapes, and forms, this show represents everyone. It tells stories of love, of healing, of learning and accepting your power, and, of course, tales of good versus evil.

Shadow and Bone deserves a third season to finish the story it began when Alina first entered the Fold. The new actors who joined the original cast deserve to do their characters justice and tell their stories.

Six of Crows deserves the spinoff that has already been written and, by all accounts, is a spinoff the actors were very excited about. What is acting without passion? 

It is almost impossible to find actors who care so deeply about the stories being told, and this cast does. This cast deserves better. The fans deserve better. The fans who see themselves in the characters on screen deserve better. In an industry where passion is on the decline and representation is still sorely lacking, Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows have the potential to be outliers and shows that can be looked up to as a model for how representation and adaptations should be done. No show is without its faults, that is true, but SaB and SoC deserve their chances to shine.