Shadowhunters included two gay characters in a relationship | Freeform/Disney
Popular US drama series Shadowhunters, which featured two romantically involved gay characters, has been cancelled after just three seasons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources said that Constantin Films, the series producer, lost its output deal with Netflix, which was funding much of the project.
The decision to axe Shadowhunters has sent fans into uproar, with many taking to social media to vent their frustration at the show being cancelled.
‘Shadowhunters has been one of the most inclusive shows on TV. The show represents not only the LGBTQ+ community, but many other minorities as well and has set an example for lots of other shows. This can’t be over yet,’ wrote @ShumDarioNews.
Some have even started a campaign to save the series. HiddenRemote Tweeted: ‘After a surprise cancellation, Shadowhunter fans are organizing in hopes of saving the beloved @FreeformTV drama; here’s how you can join the fight to #SaveShadowhunters!’
And @dannelliebear tweeted that the series ‘had helped anyone who may be LGBTQ+ to stay true to who they are, and no longer be afraid to tell people about who they are because of the fantastic role models in the show.’
The series centers on a band of young half-human, half-angel Shadowhunters who track down demons. One of the Shadowhunters, is handsome Alec Lightwood (played by Matthew Daddario). Alec struggles with his gay sexuality, which complicates matters for everyone else, because being gay is frowned upon in his Shadowhunter world.
As he struggles with being in the closet, he falls for a powerful Warlock called Magnus Bane (Harry Shum Jr). The gay arc develops the relationship between Alec and Magnus, dubbed ‘Malec’ by fans of the series, with Alec eventually coming out to his friends, family and fellow hunters.
‘We are very proud of Shadowhunters, a series that broke new ground in the genre world and became a fan favorite,’ said Disney-owned US TV network, Freeform.
Gay storylines have become a feature of a number of new series in recent times. Popular sci-fi series Star Trek Discovery, featured a storyline about a gay relationship between two senior ranking Starfleet officers, Lt Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr Culber (Wilson Cruz).
Shadowhunters is based on the Mortal Instruments feature film franchise and has aired two and a half series so far. The drama will reportedly wrap up in the spring of 2019 with the second half of season three and will conclude with an additional two-hour series finale.
