Despite the efforts of a passionate social media campaign, Warrior Nun will not be renewed by Netflix for a third season. News of its cancelation comes as a devastating blow to the show's advocates, but not just because of the plethora of unresolved plot lines. 2022 has been full of disappointment for fans of shows with sapphic couples at their center. This year, fan-favorite queer-led stories like First Kill, Gentleman Jack, and The Wilds all met premature ends. The Owl House — a critically-acclaimed cartoon featuring several LGBTQ characters— aired its final full-length season and the first of three 44-minute specials that make up the entirety of Season 3, which was cut short when the series was canceled in its prime.
This pattern has resulted in online backlash, often accompanied by the hashtag #cancelyourgays, which is a play on the #buryyourgays trend of 2016. The latter refers to the disproportionate number of LGBTQ characters who were killed off on TV shows of the time, and the former argues that canceling queer-led shows is the current version of that phenomenon. Some who have used the hashtag argue that the reasons these shows have been canceled don't add up, citing that First Kill was in Netflix's Top 10 following its release and that The Wilds was one of Prime Video's most-viewed original series.
Similarly, Warrior Nun cracked Netflix's Top 10 and has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Netflix original series from critics and viewers alike. Representatives of the platforms have argued that completion rates and viewership with a particular number of days are what play the biggest role in the renewal process. Regardless of the company's reasoning, the fact remains that the show was well-loved and many are frustrated by its cancelation, so let's break down what fans will miss and why it matters.
In This Season or the Next
Warrior Nun ended with several plot threads yet to be resolved, including the Cruciform Sword briefly glowing, which alluded to Ava (Alba Baptista) coming back— a final moment that now feels painfully ironic given recent developments. If there were a third season, Ava likely would have returned to Earth with information about the elusive nature of Reya (Andrea Tivadar); the god-like figure who viewers caught glimpses of throughout the season. Based on the plot progression of Season 1, which slowly built up to Ava realizing Adriel (William Miller) wasn't all he seemed, a potential Season 3 probably would have followed suit by putting Reya in the spotlight and revealing a twist that challenged characters' and viewers' preconceived notions of her. Or perhaps a new season would've shaken the formula up, taking viewers in an even more unexpected direction. Unfortunately, now all fans can do is speculate about how the story would have gone.
One of the most beloved aspects of Warrior Nun is its excellent use of foreshadowing. Whether hints hidden in dialogue, a cleverly shot frame, or simply expanding on the world's magic system in a logically consistent way (which is, unfortunately, a rarity in this type of show), viewers were given just enough information to make the payoff satisfying for those who paid attention. Between shows that beat audiences over the head with painfully obvious clues and the ones that shoehorn in convoluted twists for the sake of shock value, the way Warrior Nun handled its storytelling was a breath of fresh air. However, that fresh air now tastes bittersweet. Although the narrative breadcrumbs make rewatching the series just as engaging as a first watch, it also serves as a reminder that fans will never know if their Season 3 predictions would have come true.
For those in the fanbase who do want to continue theorizing despite — or even in optimistic defiance of— the disappointing news, there are plenty of loose ends to tug at. From Lilith's (Lorena Andrea) warning that a bigger war is coming to Beatrice (Kristina Tonteri-Young) starting a new life, Season 2 gave viewers a lot to think about. What's the future of the Catholic Church following Pope Duretti's (Joaquin de Almeida) public execution? What will the OSC do without a Warrior Nun? What becomes of Adriel's followers without their leader? What's Dr. Salvius' (Thekla Reuten) next scientific endeavor now that Michael (Jack Mullarkey) is dead? And, of course, what's going to happen with Ava and Beatrice?
'Warrior Nun's Cancellation Is About More than Entertainment
Realistically, shows get canceled all the time. It's an undeniable part of life. That being said, art having a meaningful effect on those it touches is also part of life, and there's no denying that either. Warrior Nun is just one show, and Avatrice is just one fictional romance, but at this point in time, they're more than just something to stream. Netflix reaches viewers from all walks of life. For some LGBTQ people — especially those who are closeted or don't have access to a local community — representation in film and television is all they have to feel seen and understood. For others, onscreen representation normalizes their identity to friends, family, co-workers, and their community, or even to themselves if they struggle with internalized homophobia.
Fans of shows like Warrior Nun aren't just losing a form of entertainment. By canceling several sapphic-led shows in a short time span, those behind some of the most wealthy companies in the world are telling queer women that what they gain from those stories is less important than saving money or upholding brand identity. It's not surprising that profit is king, but that doesn't mean people don't have the right to be upset about a system that inevitably ends up prioritizing the blandest, palatable, majority-led stories while occasionally giving the scraps to those who are desperate to have a seat at the table.
Maybe one day we'll reach a point when being validated by a TV show isn't so important. Until then, companies that proudly proclaim how inclusive they are can set aside their arbitrary cancelation standards and dish out a fraction of their billions of dollars in profits to renew a couple of shows that thousands of people took to social media to voice their support for. At this point, the backlash has been loud and clear many times over. It's time to do something about it.