The Cast of ‘Shadow & Bone’ Say Goodbye to the Netflix Series

The Big Picture

Netflix’s cancellation of Shadow & Bone after two seasons came as a surprise, especially since Season 2 debuted strongly and received positive reviews.
The announcement of the cancellation also affected the cast and crew, who expressed their disappointment on social media, sharing behind-the-scenes moments and reflecting on their experiences.
While the reasons behind the cancellation remain unknown, the end of the series is seen as a loss for fans who enjoyed the fun and fantasy elements and were eagerly anticipating the spinoff series Six of Crows.

It’s the end for the Grishaverse, as Netflix cancelled Shadow & Bone after two seasons. The cast and crew took to social media to express their disappointment after learning that the show was no longer getting a third season. Shadow & Bone is based off the work of Leigh Bardugo‘s novel series of the same name. The series follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) a teenage orphan who grows up in the mythical land Ravka, where there’s a divide between the Grisha — those with the ability to manipulate the elements — and regular humans who tend to see them as dangerous. Alina discovers she’s a Grisha with the power to summon light. This thrusts her into the spotlight, because a Sun Summoner hasn’t been seen in years. Her ability could just save the land as it’s divided by a Shadow Fold of perpetual darkness with creatures haunting it.

The cancellation of Shadow & Bone came as a surprise, as Season 1 enjoyed positive reviews with a strong debut for the second season. Netflix reported that Season 2 debuted in one of the top spots for the streaming platform, per Deadline. So it wasn’t that big of a surprise that Netflix announced a highly anticipated spinoff series would be released called Six of Crows. The show would have followed the adventures of Kaz (Freddy Carter), Inej (Amita Suman), Jesper (Kit Young), and other characters introduced in the first two seasons of Shadow & Bone. Unfortunately, Netflix isn’t known for revealing the reasons behind cancellation decisions, so little is known as to why this happened. And it’s truly a shame to see the end of such a fun, fantasy series.

What Other Cast Members From ‘Shadow & Bone’ Posted About the Cancellation?

So far, a few members of the Shadow & Bone cast have acknowledged the cancellation announcement on social media. Mei Li took to posting Stories on Instagram to showcase her disappointment with behind-the-scenes footage of the times she shared with fellow co-stars Archie Renaux, who portrayed love interest Malyen Oretsev, and Ben Barnes. Barnes portrays the main antagonist, the Darkling, for the first two seasons. His role in Shadow & Bone had already concluded by the time the announcement to cancel the series was made. Mei Li acknowledges that being cast in the series was “her first big job” and while she’s sad for it to end, she’s “excited for new horizons” and for the friends she’s made.

Shadow & Bone author Bardugo also released a statement on social media, writing: “The news hit me hard. I’m heartbroken and deeply disappointed, but I’m also trying to hold onto my very real gratitude.” Going on to acknowledge, “Most authors never get to see their work adapted.” Young also shared a statement in his Story on Instagram. However, he opted for a more positive approach as he posted a shot of his character winking at the camera with the hashtag “NMNF” (no mourners no funerals) to share his opinion on the cancellation.