I’m sure I have followers who are interested in TV production and media culture, but don’t know about what’s happening right now with #WaywardSisters. So here’s a thread to explain why it’s unusual, interesting and you should be paying attention. (1/13)
For some background: this is all connected to Supernatural, one of the longest running US genre shows; with steadily good ratings, a very vocal and productive fanbase skewed towards women… medium.com/chaotic-good-s… (2/13)
…and a really bad reputation for how it treats female characters. popmatters.com/193440-banishe… (3/13)
Things finally started changing; women stopped inevitably dying. Two fan favourites with a background in law enforcement and who could hold their own against monsters, began to interact with some younger characters with traumatic history, and an idea emerged from the fans. (4/13)
Playing with ‘Carry on Wayward Son’ that acts as Supernatural’s unofficial theme (closing out each season) wouldn’t Jody and Donna’s home for ‘wayward daughters’ make an excellent story to tell? #WaywardDaughters grew as a fan movement. (5/13)
The actors got heavily behind it and the writers started to incorporate elements in the show. The concept became a rallying cry: Be #WaywardAF, be who you are not someone else’s idea of you. (6/13)
The push behind it was so strong, and the idea so compelling, that this year a backdoor pilot for the concept was broadcast. Part of a major arc in the season, featuring two new characters to bring the ensemble up to a cast of six. (7/13)
The #WaywardSisters (as the network restyled it) pilot had an entirely female led cast, diverse in age, race and (it’s implied) sexuality. It received huge positive social media response and boosted the ratings in the week it aired. comicbook.com/tv-shows/2018/… (8/13)
The cast and crew seemed positive. All signs were good. Pickup announcements were delayed but nobody seemed worried. Until this week, when suddenly @theCW announced that no, it would not be getting a series. Is this really a sensible commercial decision? (9/13)
Instead, two old properties get uncelebrated reboots, and The Originals gets a second spin off from a last minute script. What’s going on here? Nobody seems to know. hypable.com/wayward-sister… (10/13)
In the same week where Brooklyn99 got a cancellation and reprieve within a day though, fans aren’t giving up. A petition to @theCW currently has nearly 40,000 signatures. change.org/p/the-cw-save-… (11/13)
For comparison, a similar petition to #SaveLucifer has been going an extra day, and is at 95,000. That’s a show in its fourth season, adapted from an already beloved property. #WaywardSisters was a pilot and has never been more except in the mind of fans. (12/13)
The response to this from the network is going to be critical, whether it’s action or silence. This is something fan driven, and driven by women. People are paying attention. You might want to as well. (13/13)