The Unstoppable Campaign to Save Warrior Nun: Fans Fight to Keep Their Beloved Show Alive
Passersby in Rio de Janeiro are greeted with a striking image on the billboard outside the Barra Shopping Mall – a young woman’s silhouette against a dark purple background, accompanied by the three-word exhortation #SaveWarriorNun. This hashtag-turned-global movement has inspired fans of Netflix’s fantasy drama Warrior Nun to raise more than $40,000 to design and install 10 similar billboards around the world, including cities like London, Milan, New York City, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This extraordinary campaign showcases the level of devotion that fans have for Warrior Nun, a level that few other Netflix TV series can match. As evidence of this devotion, the fans’ campaign also includes a Change.org petition that has already gained over 120,000 signatures, and this number continues to grow.
When Netflix canceled Simon Barry’s Warrior Nun, starring Alba Baptista, after its second season, fans of the show were shocked. This was particularly surprising given that the series had garnered a passionate following around the world and had even ranked among Netflix’s Top 10 TV shows for three weeks straight. Additionally, both fans and critics had praised the show – Season 2 currently holds a perfect 100% score from critics and a 99% rating from fans on Rotten Tomatoes.
If fans had to find fault with the series (apart from its cancellation, of course), it would perhaps be Netflix’s timing of the release of its final season. Although Netflix has always been secretive about its criteria for canceling or renewing shows, we know that a title’s first-month numbers play a significant role. Unfortunately, Season 2 of Warrior Nun was released in November, competing for attention with the World Cup and the popular Addams Family spinoff, Wednesday. This competition could have impacted the show’s performance, leading to its cancellation. The campaign to save Warrior Nun is not your typical “save our show” story. It’s easy to dismiss such campaigns as the immediate angry reaction of fans after their favorite show gets canceled, with tweets and threats to cancel subscriptions flooding social media. However, the response from fans of Warrior Nun has been unique and far more impressive than the norm.
Fans of Warrior Nun have gone above and beyond to save the show, organizing in-person meetups in various locations such as Thailand and the Philippines. They’ve taken selfies with #SaveWarriorNun signs while paragliding and scuba diving, formed communities, shared their experiences, and continued to spread the word. The passion of these fans proves that the story is far from over, even if Netflix has canceled the show.
For Kate Witt, who came out at 19, the fight to save Warrior Nun is personal. Witt explains that growing up, she did not have many role models on screen who represented her, and she did not see herself represented in her formative years. She goes on to say that she’s never seen a show that provided such a beautiful representation as Warrior Nun did. She is fighting for the show to be renewed, not only for herself but also for future generations who can grow up seeing themselves on screen and not feel the burden of internalized shame. Ultimately, Witt is fighting for her inner child who felt that something was wrong with her for loving who she loves.
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