I’m not going to lie, I’m in mourning.
It hurts to say it, but The Magicians, my current favourite TV show, they… they… cancelled it.
If you’re reading this, you probably know that a TV show ending isn’t a simple matter for a diehard fan. Diehard fans don’t just change the channel or find another show to stream, diehard fans need to grieve the loss of their most beloved characters and channel their moping into a series of ill-informed and decidedly unhealthy coping mechanisms such as rewatching an entire series in one go.
So rather than pushing your family/housemates/cat/goldfish to the brink of contemplating the need to cover you in sardine oil and feeding you to a tiger just so they no longer have to endure your constant sulking, perhaps we better take a look at some strategies to help you deal with the end of your favourite show.
Strategy 1: Pray for a last-minute Netflix reprieve
Lucifer fans know all too well the joy which comes when streaming giant Netflix steps in to rescue a beloved series from cancellation. They stepped in one month after Fox had cancelled Lucifer (starring Supa-Star Tom Welling) to deliver two more seasons. In fact, in recent years Netflix has seemingly become the go-to court of appeal for shows facing the axe, having rescued not only Lucifer, but sparing Designated Survivor, Arrested Development, Longmire, and even Star Wars: The Clone Wars (pre-Disney) just to name a few.
WE DID IT !!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to everyone for your continued support and love for #Lucifer I am so happy for all our fans I’m going to burst ✊😈❤️ https://t.co/DhvTdevGW2
— tom ellis (@tomellis17) June 15, 2018
Unfortunately for myself and my fellow Fillorians (as some Magicians fans have taken to calling themselves), this avenue was already tried by showrunners to no avail. *Cue uncontrolled sobbing*
Strategy 2: Hope for a series revival or film later down the line
When the stark realisation that Netflix won’t be stepping in to grant a last-minute stay of execution finally hits home, the next step is to begin to hope for a Serenity or Veronica Mars.
Without a doubt, the harshest blow ever inflicted on a fandom was the brutal 2003 cancellation of Joss Whedon’s sci-fi masterpiece Firefly after only eleven of the fourteen produced episodes had aired. Two years later, however, Whedon was able to provide fans with some degree of closure by making the leap to the big screen and made the 2005 film Serenity, which continued the story first started by the series.
Fans of Veronica Mars had to wait a little longer for their favourite show’s creator Rob Thomas to put the 2014 crowd-funded film together nine years after the show’s original season three finale. The upside was, however, that the film sparked enough interest to kickstart a series revival and an eventual season four was released last year.
Unfortunately, hoping for a film or series revival often insinuates the need for several years to pass before there is even the slightest chance of such a thing coming to fruition. And, even then, let’s face it – betting on a series revival is a long shot at best.
Strategy 3: Jump into spin-off media
When the initial denial wears off and the chances of a future series revival seem all too slim, it’s time to start looking for other ways to soothe your woes. When Joss Whedon’s other cult classic series Buffy the Vampire Slayer came to an end after seven seasons on television, many fans were able to take solace that Dark Horse Comics had picked up the torch and produced two more “seasons” in comic book form with Whedon taking a central role in developing the ongoing stories.
Fortunately, for Fillorians like myself, not only does The Magicians have the original trilogy of novels by author Lev Grossman that the series was based on, but also a series of recently released comic books that further the adventures at Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy. They may not exactly scratch the itch like a sixth season announcement would, but it’s better than getting kicked in the face by a surly centaur.
Strategy 4: Start looking for another love interest
This one’s hard, because it involves making the realisation that it’s really over and it’s now time for you to begin moving on with your life. Let’s face it, there’s a whole world of great new shows out there waiting for you, and chances are another cast of characters will steal your heart again eventually.
Personally, I don’t think I’m quite ready for it yet, and I am choosing instead to try and forget my loss via a cheap, meaningless dalliance with Joe Exotic and the unrestrained madness of Tiger King, but I know that day will come eventually. In the meantime, I keep telling myself that “It’s better to have loved and lost a favourite TV series, than being forced to watch endless reality TV shows.”
Lead image: Olivia Taylor Dudley in ‘The Magicians’
