Batwoman Fans Matter

Friday afternoon, on April 29th, Batwoman fans learned that the show we've come to love and offer so much of our time and support to was not going to be renewed by The CW. I'm likely not alone in this, but I'll go ahead and speak for myself. The message I heard was that we don't matter. Our demographic, streaming counts, our social activity, our storylines, our commitment and appreciation...none of it matters to The CW. Here's the thing, though: we definitely matter. We matter to the people who invested so much in creating this beautiful show for us; to each other as a fandom and as friends; and to some network out there who values fans like us and content like this. Because it started on The CW, who says it has to end there? And the only way to make sure that no one ever forgets how much we matter, and that we know we matter, is to tell them everywhere and every chance that we get. We are not going anywhere. 

Today, while promoting a movie she wants to work on, "THE PULPIT," our Batwoman, Javicia Leslie, posted on her Instagram about how often fan support results in content being funded or picked up. And she's absolutely right. We should not let one decision allow us to forget our power and influence. We're the same group of people who had articles written after we trended "RENEW BATWOMAN," when season 3 hit HBO Max. We're the fans who voted Batwoman from the bottom to 2nd place on TV Line's "Bubble" Poll. We're the community who shows up every week and trends #Batwoman on any given day, because we won't be silenced. 

And, if you're feeling discouraged or doubtful because after all of that we still ended up here, please let these other stories renew your fervor. Here is a list of 65+ Cancelled TV Shows That Came Back.  In case your history with content that doesn't represent you makes you doubt whether or not to even click the link, I've called out a few of the more diverse shows that have gotten more time somewhere different than their original network. 

• The Mindy Project started on Fox, and ran from 2012 to 2015, but was picked up by Hulu and ran from 2015 to 2017.

• All Rise spent 2 seasons on CBS before being canceled, and received a season 3 and 20 more episodes on OWN for this summer.

• The Game was canceled after 3 seasons on The CW, but was rehomed and spent 6 seasons on BET. 

Some of the stories listed were because the content was great, the actors were profound, and another network saw the value. Other stories were primarily in response to fan demand. We have both in our favor, and the fact that our show was not renewed is circumstantial; let's work together to change our own circumstances. 

I follow Destiny Mabry on Instagram, and she's sort of my inspiration for how to support your favorite content creators in a way that helps more people engage with the stories they're telling, and that also expouds upon why that content is so meaningful. In her latest series, she said that (paraphrasing) for anyone sent to disrupt a space, there are also people sent to protect those disruptors. We know that the Batwoman writers and cast are nothing short of disrupters. They are breaking the mold on equitable and quality representation in the superhero genre. And we have been sent here to protect them, so that they can continue doing that very important work. 

On that note, several of us have already come together to initiate action for our community. There's a new petition that you can sign, calling upon HBOMax and Warner Bros. to #SaveBatwoman. You can continue tweeting the way you have been about why we're so attached to Batwoman, but now use the hashtag #HBOMaxSaveBatwoman. And you can, kindly, include the handles for @hbomax, @warnerbrostv, @warnerbros, @wbd, and @Caseybloys, who is the Chief Content Officer at HBO & HBOMax. And, if you're up to it, you can tag these networks on Instagram stories and posts, as well. I'll call out my use of the word 'kindly,' once more. You're encourgaed to keep the tone celebratory, while urgent. We're great fans to have, and we want them to know that. Finally, you can follow the new Twitter handle @SaveBatwoman that's been created to continue sharing campaign plans and ideas. You're invited to make suggestions and discuss anything relevant to our goals to get the show renewed elsewhere. Fan art, fancams, and anything that you'd like to create and share that can be used to help promote Batwoman getting picked back up is appreciated, as well. 

Batfam, not only do we matter, but when we unite we are fierce. And, in addition to reminding us that we can advocate for ourselves when our value has gone underappreciated, we have the ability to stand up and champion the people that brought us together in the first place. We're a group that is used to turning heartbreak and loss into movements. Why can't we tackle something like getting our show back on the air? And, because I truly believe in the power of allyship, and I know our sister show Legends is also experiencing this loss, I'll remind you that we aren't going through this alone. Should both shows resonate with you, consider reaching out and sharing this advocacy, because Legends fans have certainly been showing up for us.  

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to say thank you to those who worked on this show, but in particular to those who went above and beyond to care for us fans.

Thank you to Caroline Dries for making the bold choice to create Ryan Wilder, seeing the beauty and fire in Javicia Leslie's talent, calling upon your writers' room to rise to the opportunity to write for her and her character, listening to her, her castmates, and the diverse writers on your staff when they had feedback about how to authentically represent a Black woman's experience, and for caring about how this story would be received by its fans. It's impossible to agree on everything, and it was always your story to write, but it's clear that you didn't write in a vacuum. That's special. 

Thank you to Kelly Larson for being the best behind the scenes tweeter I've ever encountered. I know you did so much more than that for the show, but I've found my people (who are now my friends) in large part because of how you connected with all of us. And, in so many ways, you make us feel like you're one of us. The Batwoman Writers Room account should go down in history for the level of engagement that it - you - fostered. 

I've said this particular thank you many times, in different ways, and I don't mind saying it again: I'm eversograteful to everyone that worked on Batwoman. It wouldn't be the show we're fighting for now if it weren't for you all touching it. I've been a part of other fandoms, and currently follow a lot of show, cast, and crew accounts, and I really think the way you all interact with us is above and beyond, which is yet another reason we have come to care so much about Batwoman. 

Thank you to the writers who shared BTS, celebrated, and cried with us on Twitter, and gave us glimpses into their lives like we were old friends; to Nicole and Rachel for making enemies to sisters somehow believable; to Nick for diving into this fandom like you'd always been here; and to Robin for portraying the hardest person to figure out if we could trust on the entire show until nearly the end. 

Camrus, your Luke Fox is the Black superhero that I wish I could have grown up with. He's just the right amount of nerdy, snarky, worrisome, solution oriented, and loyal - enough to throw himself into a fire and use his brain to survive. That's as much your delivery as it is the writing, and it has to be acknowledged. Also, the episode you directed will forever be many fans' favorite, and not just because of how it ended, but because of how every detail and conversation was so meticulously orchestrated. Lastly, I appreciate you for the way you've shown up for your colleagues (and friends) - it has not gone unnoticed by your fans. Your candor, authenticity, and consistency is something I wish existed in more people. 

And, finally to Javicia and Meagan: you two are more than I ever thought was possible for leads of a television series. It was enough that we had two Black women casted to play lesbians and ultimately partners leading in a superhero show, on a major broadcast network during prime time, but that you are also genuinely good and giving humans, both in your work and outside of it, so that we see you as role models; that you spend so much time caring about a bunch of people you might never meet in real life; that you use your platform to advocate for representation, diversification, and equity every chance you get; that you have a great friendship that shows up as amazing chemistry on screen; that you treat the people you work with so well that everyone looks forward to the next chance they get to do so; that you were both (separately) working for your fans, helping us believe in our Wildmoore ship, when the script didn't necessarily ask for you to - seriously, how lucky are we? You deserve every accolade, and you deserve so much more. I'm not going to say I'll miss you. I'm not going to settle for, 'until your next project' (though I will definitely be supporting your next projects). I'm going to say I promised to be a part of your army, and that commitment still stands. The best way I can think of to truly say thank you to you both is to do everything I can to help get your show back.

So, let's get to it, Batfam. Charge ahead! #SaveBatwoman because it matters.