'The 100' Season 7 Countdown: As we wait for the trailer, here's why fans shouldn't take it out on the crew
Fans were disappointed with The CW's lack of promotional material for the final season of 'The 100', however, it all spiraled when a fan account was called out for sharing what looked to be a behind-the-scenes picture in a now-deleted tweet.
Writer and producer Kim Shumway has been involved with 'The 100' since its first season. Shumway responded to the fan account's tweet, saying, "Do people think this is real? It looks like an old set pic that's been photoshopped."
She continued, "But I actually love it & I'll tell you why: this proves the account is fake. No one connected to the show would post this because they know we got rid of that set long before S7 started filming." She was, in turn, called out by fans for raining on whatever 'The 100'-centric content they could get.
However, Shumway also responded to fans' demands that the cast and crew ought to do more to promote the final season of the show. In a series of tweets, Shumway explained why it was not possible and that fans should understand the situation.
Shumway wrote, "I get the frustration, truly. I'll try and offer an explanation from the perspective of someone on the show. Because saying, 'You should promote the show' seems simple, but when you get into the details, it's not."
She went on to explain how making 'The 100' is "unbelievably time-consuming" with Season 7 being more so than previous seasons. She wrote, "We had zero time to focus on promo during filming. And the writers/office staff have been done for months. I don't think it's fair now to ask people to work for free."
Shumway continued, "That's one thing I think can get lost here. The type of promotion you describe is work. I know for fans, a lot of this is about passion, which is great, but for employees on a show, it's their job."
"A job they can be very passionate about! But still a job. Studios pay us to write and produce television. Most people are done long before the show airs. So when fans tell us we should promote the show as you describe, they're essentially telling us to perform free work for them," she shared.
Shumway added that many of the writers on 'The 100' livetweet and post pictures, especially as their episodes air, but stressed that such actions are voluntary because "it's work that they're performing for free, for fans, as a gift."
She then wrote, "I suspect we will now be accused of being greedy or not caring. Neither is true. And the very fact that I'm already anticipating the harassment is another part of the problem."
"While most fans are lovely, a small minority can be unkind. Some writers/staff don't want to suffer the harassment. I've talked to cast who no longer engage on social media for that reason. It's hard to get people to want to offer up their time, for free, when they're subject to abuse for it," she added.
Shumway went on to explain that some shows can do great promo themselves because their office staff is paid while they air. She added, "Others are made by big production companies where [the] staff is paid year-round. But we're a small show."
"Only [Jason Rothernberg] and his assistant are on the clock and they're slammed. So promo is handled by WB/The CW on their timeline. The title sequence came out today. The trailer is next week, then the poster. TV spots will start at some point. There will be inside the episode videos and clips from each episode pre-air."
Fans of 'The 100' had long been disappointed over The CW's seemingly lack of care about the show as many insist that the post-apocalyptic drama is the network's best show. However, as Shumway has pointed out, fans need to be more patient with the cast and crew of the show. A trailer for Season 7 is expected later in the week.
Follow MEA WorldWide's countdown to the final season of 'The 100' for more. The final season will premiere on May 20 on The CW at 8/7c.
