This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Alexandrea Ciardella. Find her on Instagram at @a6ysma1. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Our Flag Means Death recently aired its second season on October 5th, much to the delight and enjoyment of its fanbase. Ever since its first episode release in March of 2022, the show has garnered nothing but positive reviews due to the depth of the narrative and diversity of the cast and characters. Our Flag Means Death was the 11th most in-demand series in the U.S. and worldwide. It even outperformed shows like Ted Lasso, receiving “Outstanding” attention across 34 countries. So why is Max canceling any possibility of a season three? What will this mean for the future of ‘original’ series? And will the Our Flag Means Death petition bring the show back?
In early January, Max revealed that it had decided not to renew the show for a season three, much to the chagrin of its audience. But there’s evidence that this decision was made much earlier than the season two finale, going as far back as the season one finale. After the first season aired, Max issued a 40% budget cut to the showrunners for season two, unhappy that the viewership count was not what they expected. We can assume that the same happened for season two, in which the viewership count was lower than Max anticipated, so they decided to pull the plug on Our Flag Means Death completely.
Though this is not an entirely foreign concept in the television industry- bad shows get pulled to make way for better shows with more view counts all the time- it’s especially heinous considering the amount of attention Our Flag Means Death has been getting, even before its cancellation. Between the series’ first episode and season one finale, Our Flag Means Death gained a shocking 208% increase in viewership, and Max still wasn’t happy with the results. This seems to be a recent trend, where sites like Netflix and Max will cancel well-written shows with a modest viewership count in favor of promoting popular shows with shallow writing. It’s as if Max wants every person with access to Our Flag Means Death to watch it, and if they don’t, it means the show is a colossal failure.
The biggest question I have is what now? What about other ‘original’ shows that are well-written, but have a modest viewership? Take Good Omens for instance; when the second season was released last summer, writer and producer Neil Gaiman informed his audience that unless the viewership count skyrocketed, there was a possibility that season three would not be produced. Fans then took to Prime Video, watching and rewatching the show to give Good Omens the third season it deserves. Thankfully, it seems the show is in the clear for now, but it shouldn’t have to be this way. Future shows shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells to get the possibility of a chance to be renewed for another season.
But Our Flag Means Death fans aren’t going down without a fight. The group RenewAsACrew has started a petition on Change.org to rally against Max’s initial decision to help bring back the show. Thousands of people are signing every day, myself included. It is still unknown if this petition will change Max’s mind, or if enough attention is brought to it, they will change their minds about it. But every signature counts! If you feel that Our Flag Means Death’s cancellation is unjust and that the show deserves a third season, check out the links above to sign the petition.
Despite the abrupt end that Our Flag Means Death was given, I’m glad that the show ended where it was. All of our characters are happy, no cliffhangers to ponder over for the rest of my life, and most importantly, the show ended on a high note. Even if we never get to see season three, we can at least enjoy the two seasons that we have.
Will you sign the Our Flag Means Death petition? Comment below how you feel about the show’s cancellation.
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