#SaveWaywardSisters
Good morning, @thecwspn. This is our last-ditch effort. We urge you to reconsider your decision not to pick up Wayward Sisters for a series. But in the event that the following reasons don’t interest you; what’s up, @netflix? Here are some reasons that Wayward is valuable, viable, and unlike anything that has come before. It would be a no-brainer for you to pick up this show.
First of all, the idea of Wayward was imagined by and advocated by the Supernatural fandom. That’s an important distinction because it means that this show comes with a built-in fan base.
Our aim was better representation for women and minorities. We wanted more diverse casting and storytelling. We wanted better inclusivity for people of color, LGBT+ people, and people with varying physical and mental abilities.
We wanted positive female role models. Not just for girls, but for everyone. A sheriff and adoptive mom doing her best to support her gaggle of struggling teenagers. A powerful leader who fights self esteem issues but who brings a smile to everyone’s face. Girls who pull themselves out of the depths to fight for their families, for what is right, for each other.
We wanted to see better relationships between women. Tired of the tropes of cattiness, pettiness, and the inability for women to support and relate to one another, we instead believed in a show with women mentoring other women, empowering and uplifting one another. We wanted girls kicking ass but still being vulnerable, because strength can be found in both. We wanted episodes that could pass the Bechdel test.
We loved Supernatural. We wanted it, and more.
We campaigned heavily for a Wayward Daughters spinoff for two years. But in the mean time, something incredible and unexpected happened. We formed a community. We Wayward misfits found a family in each other. And suddenly all of those things we wanted in our media, we were suddenly embodying in our own lives and among each other.
This is when we became Wayward AF. We were empowered in our struggles, in our idiosyncrasies, in our differences. We were Wayward, not lost. Together, we were powerful. Tens of thousands of pieces of Wayward-themed merchandise were purchased from @shopstands benefiting various charities. We banded together to help @randomactsorg build a free high school in Nicaragua, assisted New Leash on Life, USA in rescuing, training, and rehabilitating part of a class of service dogs and their inmate companions, knit hundreds of baby hats for premature babies the in NICU, wrote birthday cards to kids who just needed a friend, and many more projects dreamed up by the community itself.
We grew and grew and grew. Before there was even a pilot announcement, Wayward Daughters fans on social media were 20,000 strong. Once we watched the pilot, we were hooked. We needed more. And we weren’t the only ones. This petition started less than a week ago has nearly 73,000 signatures. 1.7 million people were reached with a thunderclap to Save Wayward Sisters. That is our reach. That is our impact. We, the fans of a show that doesn’t even exist yet. A show that had one episode.
Listen. Maybe heartfelt pleas and touching stories aren’t your bag. But when you get down to it, Wayward Sisters would make you a front-runner in diversity, inclusion, and empowerment. Just think about it: in today’s climate, a show starring six women— one third of whom are racially diverse, one third of whom might be LGBT+, and one third of whom are over the age of 35, but still kicking ass. And that last part is important. Despite the CW’s target demo being primarily 18-25, 53% of Wayward’s fan base is over the age of 25.
This show is viable. It is valuable.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s the creator of Supernatural talking about how we should fight for Wayward Sisters. Here are links to nearly every recurring cast member (and crew as well) throwing their hats into the ring to support the show: Misha Collins, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Sam Smith, Ruth Connell, Rob Benedict, Richard Speight, Matt Cohen, Rachel Miner, Alaina Huffman, Shoshannah Stern, Julian Richings, Lisa Berry, Davy Perez, Robbie Thompson, Jim Michaels (we’re probably missing a few.)
The point is, we, the (perhaps small, but definitely) mighty fan base of Wayward would watch religiously. We would recommend it to our friends. We would buy merchandise. We would really, really appreciate it if you would save Wayward Sisters.
PS— Netflix, this is just between us. If you picked it up, we’d love it if you’d use the correct title. Wayward Daughters. Just sayin’.
PPS— Netflix, that postscript is, by no means, a deal breaker.
