Christmas is a time where we open our hearts.

Ooh, boy. By the Angel. This freaking network is at it again and reminding me why I never wanted it to produce Shadowhunters to begin with. I'm under no illusions that most networks on air have their own brand of problematic behavior, but Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family) has a specific brand of issue-prone motions.

They always have. It's a shame that they, likely, always will. 

Even in its days of being simply ABC Family, they rarely kept shows on the air for longer than two seasons. There are a few who have made it further, I'm looking at you Pretty Little Liars, but for the most part Freeform is really keen on putting their shows on the chopping block before really giving them a chanced to flourish. They are constantly pumping out content but rarely allowing it to last.

Not to mention their manner of breaking it off with shows--remember that time a good portion of Shadowhunter family and Famous in Love's cast and crew learned of its cancellation through social media?! Off the top of my head, I can think of way too many properties having been tossed aside unceremoniously including other shows adapted from popular YA book series: The Lying Game, The Nine Lives of Chloe King and Recovery Road.

While the network itself produces some of the most notable properties for young adults, it has a nasty habit of breaking the news of cancellations poorly and often completely disregards their audience for no real reason beyond their own incompetence.

It makes you wonder how much longer the network is bound to survive. With so many of its flagship shows ending, or on the verge of a conclusion, and Harry Potter Weekends no more, tied up in their incessantly poor behavior, one thing is certain: they have to clean up their act and image before further alienating their entire audience.

Which leads to this weeks note, and the inspiration behind this little rant:

During a Toy Story marathon for Freeform's staple 25 Days of Christmas (a legacy carried over from their days as ABC Family) the network thought it would be a witty/good idea to poke fun at the ever passionate Shadowhunter family and their #SAVESHADOWHUNTERS campaign. And... it was not a good look and very obviously an intentional attempt at mocking the fanbase's attempts at saving their beloved series.


Now, the problem with this little attempt at humor is not only in the fact that it was completely and intensely unnecessary, it's in their constant behavior about the campaign itself. It all builds up and after a certain point, you have to take note at the manner in which they handle all things related to their network. One would think that, at this point, they would learn from their mistakes--but it keeps happening.

In the time since the series was cancelled, there have been countless occurrences in which Freeform proved their previously mention incompetence. Including their "mistake" during an auction of certain items from the series--with spoilers attached in the captions, from episodes that won't be aired for a few more months; ruining the experience firsthand for the die-hard fans. As well as their massive delays and inability to promote the show--while still using it to promote their other programs.

What's most frustrating, however, is the mocking itself. Shadowhunters has always had a passionate following in its many forms but the good that the #SAVESHADOWHUNTERS campaign is unlike anything I've seen in recent memory.

The campaign has raised awareness and money for charity, an obscenely generous amount that should be praised always. They've really come together in a way that I'd not seen before and to see them get a continuous poke by the network is very disheartening. Especially during the holidays.

One thing is certain...while Freeform is packed with a selection of fun and intriguing original shows, often adapted from our favourite books, and was once a go-to channel for me, it has never--and will never--deserve its loyal fanbases or the casts and crews of all their programs. You all deserve better.

Spread a little holiday cheer and send your support to one of the best fandoms by tweeting #SAVESHADOWHUNTERS and let Freeform know how you feel about them openly mocking their own fans. 




And on that note: IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS. It seems wild to me, how quickly life goes by. I feel like it was just Christmas of 2007... and that was 11 years ago. Oh, well, I am going to pretend it's that year and rewatch Gossip Girl's only great Christmas episode: Roman Holiday, and reread the holiday book. 

La-la-la-la, 2018, I can't hear you!

While I'm not expecting much of the holiday itself, I am looking forward to my best friend and I's annual Christmas Eve-Eve (er, well this year it's actually on Christmas Eve-Eve-Eve which isn't technically a thing) Celebration where we dress up in tacky, Dollar Tree Christmas Headbands (this years headbands feature little Christmas trees!) and Holiday themed clothing, to go out dancing.

Do you guys celebrate Christmas?

If so, what are your plans for the next week?

Let me know! I'd love to hear all about it.