Complete Fiction (the production company behind the series) announced Netflix’s decision not to renew the show for a second season on the 12th May. The news comes just months after its release on the 27th January, and the fans are not backing down without a fight.
According to Variety, Netflix has cited failure to meet the threshold for viewing figures as the reason behind the cancellation. This comes despite stats showing the series racked up an impressive 79.91 million hours streamed in its first three weeks, as well as becoming No.1 in 18 countries and placing within the Top 10 in 80. However, the series fell out of these top spots around the four week mark.
The fans are blaming this on the streamer itself, stating Netflix’s failure to promote the series lies behind its so-called lack of views in the subsequent weeks. Netflix’s UK instagram account posted the official trailer in early January (before the show had even aired commenters stated they wouldn’t bother watching because they didn’t trust Netflix not to cancel it - see, they have a reputation), and a few promotional shots were posted in the first two weeks of the show being available to stream, but after that, Netflix seems to have lost interest. Footage of the show’s premiere event has surfaced since cancellation, leaving many wondering: why didn’t Netflix utilise it?
If you take a look at the Netflix US Instagram account, our friends across the pond would have no idea this show was out in the world, as it was promoted even less. In fact, many of the established fans of Stroud’s books have stated they didn’t realise a series had been made, only becoming aware due to the cancellation furore.
However, Netflix may work hard, but LockNation works harder. At the time of writing, a Change.org petition to Disney+ to save the show has amassed over 11,000 signatures in just a few days, whilst open letters addressed to streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime (future home of The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, an adaptation of another Stroud book series) and the BBC/Britbox, call for them to finish Lockwood & Co's story. Every Netflix UK instagram post is drowning in #SaveLockwoodandCo comments, and has been for some time, whilst a website, savelockwoodandco.com, has been created to ensure a cohesive campaign.
Twitter has also worked it’s magic, with #bringbackLockwoodandCo currently trending, and many sharing they’ve cancelled their Netflix subscriptions due to lack of trust. And it’s not just Lockwood fans, but fans of every show that has fallen unfair victim to Netflix’s cull over the last few years; for many, it’s the final straw.
Though there are concerns over whether it’s saving is possible, owing to a rumoured Netflix clause that prevents their shows from being touched for 2-3 years, it is amazing to see fans come together with such fierce determination, across all platforms, in a global campaign that is surely a cultural phenomenon.
If you want to help them, stream Lockwood & Co.
