Fans of the queer-inclusive series The Wilds were heartbroken when news broke last week that Amazon would not be bringing it back for season three — and they’ve taken to social media to demand that the streamer reconsider.
The series focused on a group of teenagers who survived a plane crash only to find themselves stranded in the wilderness. It was a unique tale of survival — and queer love — that garnered the show a loyal, if not massive fanbase.
In particular, fans are calling for the show’s return, be it on Amazon or another streaming service, because of both its queer and indigenous representation. The former of which, represented by Toni and Shelby, was left on a cliffhanger at the end of season two.
“We had one of the most beautiful lesbian relationships I’ve seen on a show. we had an out and proud lesbian, and a closeted lesbian and we got to see both of their stories merge and come together in a glorious way but we need to see their ending,” wrote one viewer.
The show drew praise for the diversity of its cast and the way it centered its narratives. Erana James, who played Toni, previously spoke to The Advocate about what it meant to her to portray a queer indigenous teen. “It’s not a story of someone coming out or coming to terms with their identity, but more that she fiercely knows who she is and she’s proud of that. She knows herself. And she’s not going to apologize for it,” James said. “I think it’s beautiful being able to tell a story of love and loving someone whoever they are. And that’s the story that I’m lucky enough to tell.”
The fans did not miss how important and rare that kind of representation is, and let it be known on Twitter.
“Let’s talk about the importance and rarity of indigenous representation in media!! canceling the wilds means losing two indigenous characters, played by indigenous actresses, one who’s playing a queer young woman. this representation is so important,” wrote another user.
Following the announcement of the show’s cancellation, Kayley Rose, a fan of the series, started a Change.org petition that has as of this writing already received over 15,500 signatures and counting. The petition caught the eye of showrunner Amy B. Harris, who posted about it on her Instagram stories. “We just got 15,000 signatures in 4 days. I’m kinda speechless,” she wrote.
No word from Amazon yet on whether it’s rethinking the decision to cancel The Wilds, but in the meantime fans are sounding off on social media.
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