Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fans were devastated this week when Netflix announced that the upcoming fourth season would be the show’s last. Salt was further rubbed into the wound when the series’ creator revealed that they’d already started making plans for Part 5, which was set to feature a crossover with Riverdale.
Now, as is the fashion when a network makes a decision fans don’t agree with, a petition on Change.org has been launched and is proving very popular. It reads as so:
“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an extremely popular show on the streaming service, “Netflix” on July 8th, 2020 it was announced that the show would be ending after it’s 4th season. We are petitioning to bring this back after it’s unfair cancellation and ask that it be renewed for a 5th season. The show is extremely loved by fans and we hope this petition can bring the show back from the dead.”
Soon after it launched, 12,000 people had signed, and now that number has snowballed to a massive 70,000 and is sure to rise from there. But might this fan campaign bear fruit? Sadly, the prognosis isn’t great. Netflix has instant access to a ridiculous amount of analytical data from their service, meaning that when they choose to cancel a show, it’s usually for good reason.
On top of that, while shows cancelled on other networks are occasionally rescued, it’s often by Netflix. So, appealing to them to save one of their own shows doesn’t usually work. Even beyond that, there’s a convincing theory that unless their series are Stranger Things and The Witcher level hits, Netflix tends to cancel them after approximately 30 episodes.
None of that makes Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s cancellation any less tragic, though. It was a fun Satanic romp with some great gags and cool performances, and it’ll be a shame that the ongoing live-action story might not get a satisfying finale. The only tiny silver lining to all this is that the comic book of the same name is set to continue, so those truly invested in Sabrina’s story can get some kind of ending.