Shadow and Bone streamed its first season on Netflix last April and instantly captured the hearts of many viewers. Well, fans will have another adventure into the Shadow Fold very soon now that Netflix has renewed the show for a second season due to the positive reception.
Shadow and Bone is an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's novel series of the same name. The story takes place in a fantasy world in which cities and communities are separated by a dangerous zone referred to as the Fold, and it follows two orphans—childhood friends Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and Mal (Archie Renaux)—who operate within a military unit dedicated to shipping supplies across the Fold. The friends are soon sought after by thieves known as the Crows—Kaz (Freddy Carter), Inej (Amita Suman), and Jesper (Kit Young)—as well as shadow summoner General Kirigan (Ben Barnes) in the interest of utilizing Alina's newfound ability to summon light.
The renewal of Shadow and Bone by Netflix and 21 Laps Entertainment isn't a surprise to fans, as the presence of multiple books and the first season's open-ended finale come together to position a second season as an inevitability. Even so, Mei Li, Renaux, Carter, Suman, Young, and Barnes are all set to return for the second season, as are actors with smaller roles like Zoya (Sujaya Dasgupta) and Nina (Danielle Galligan). The first season of the series spent its first twelve days of availability as the number one streaming option and became a household name along with Stranger Things and 13 Reasons Why. The series also gained acclaim for its willingness to cast POC actors in leading roles at a time when diversity and inclusion have been increasingly encouraged by film and television audiences.
The success of Shadow and Bone is an important moment when it comes to the young adult fantasy genre's place in film and television. Many recent young adult titles have flopped; in 2016, the Divergent film franchise attempted to split the final book into two films as Twilight and The Hunger Games did, but audience interest in the series waned so quickly that the second part was never made. Then Chaos Walking released in theaters last March to critical panning and commercial failure. An adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone is in the works by Lucasfilm and recent television series like Shadowhunters are finding fans, but the genre has been patiently waiting for another big hit for many years.
Thankfully, Shadow and Bone seems to have filled that void. The show was widely engaged with by viewers, as 55 million households tuned into the show within its first twenty-eight days according to Netflix. So at a time when Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games are less pivotal to the film and television conversation than they used to be, Shadow and Bone has come into its own with a strong bid to be the premiere young adult series of the moment.
The success of the Netflix series has also garnered continued engagement with the franchise as a whole by dedicated fans. This is also exciting for Netflix, as the streamer is amassing an even more impressive resume of high-quality series than ever before, with high-budget offerings like Sweet Tooth and recently-canceled Jupiter's Legacy, meaning that as the streaming wars continue to heat up, Netflix will be well-stocked with memorable properties going forward.
Shadow and Bone season 1 is now available on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly