'The Passage' canceled by Fox, fans left disappointed as 'there’s so much more to cover'
Fox mingled science fiction with elements of the supernatural with its show 'The Passage,' which premiered earlier in January. Based on a novel by Justin Cronin of the same name, the series became popular within a very short time with its story of a young girl's survival in an apocalyptic world plagued by a dangerous virus that turns humans into vampires.
As the show neared its season finale, fans were expectant about a possible second season - all hopes of which were quashed this May 12, as Fox canceled the show after just one season..
At its finest, 'The Passage' is a wonderful amalgamation of two of the most popular genres of our times - science fiction, and the supernatural. But what the show also attempted to discuss were relevant social issues in today's world. In its own manner, 'The Passage' even gave a hearty middle finger to the concept of whitewashing characters on screen and also highlighted the issue of criminals and young orphans being considered disposable second class citizens.
After the end of the first season, a Twitter fan page of cast member Henry Ian Cusick, called @cusickgallery, shared, "The show still has so much potential, and we just saw the beginning of an epic story. Everyone involved from producers, writers, directors, and actors have more than enough talent to bring us a quality television show."
Side by side, the show also tackled the essence of drama as relationships brewed and strained between the characters, and over time, it gave us one of the brightest rising child actors of our times - Saniyya Sidney - who played the role of Amy.
All of this was clearly a beacon of hope for fans of the genre who were tired of jargon-laden science-fiction and the usual glittery fairies for vampires that have been slammed down their throats in recent times.
So as we sit here mourning the loss of a show which promised so much potential for a second season, we decided ot reach out to fans of 'The Passage' and find out how they feel about the cancellation.
"I think it's sad networks don't seem to try saving their own shows, even ones like The Passage, which Fox clearly had high hopes for," shared one such fan who goes by the Twitter name @Loona416.
"Seems like a waste and totally discouraging to viewers," they added. And that makes sense, because 'The Passage' saw a massive buzz among early fans of the series, a lot of whom were fans of the original books before the show was even greenlit.
Sure, the show might have differed from the original plot every now and then, but none of it ever led to raising complaints amidst the fandom; 'The Passage' was one of those smart shows who really knew how to hit home when it came to their target audience, and they delivered on that with every single episode.
Like Loona shares, the reason fans are trying their best to save the show by trending #SaveThePassage on Twitter is "primarily because it's an interesting, emotional & entertaining story with a great cast of character...and it wasn't finished! I'm sick of cliffhangers because of cancellation."
Speaking about what set 'The Passage' apart from its contemporaries, another fan, Gabrielle Hyde, mentioned the brilliant chemistry between the lead characters - Amy Bellafonte (Sidney) and agent Brad Wolgast (Mark-Paul Gosselaar).
"The Passage is a bad*ss show! What stood out (apart from great story & acting) was the bond between Amy/Agent - so believable.," said Hyde, addressing the story's arc wherein Wolgast substitutes as a parent for the orphaned Amy as she goes through life-changing situations.
Season one's open-ended termionation left fans not knowing where exactly Amy's story will go, and as Hyde adds, "S1 covered a bit of the book & there’s so much more to cover. Questions that needed answers. It can only be fulfilled if we have S2."
On a business side of things, the Cusick fan page noted, "Its viewership numbers were decent enough to give it a second season, shows with less have been renewed. We feel it would have grown with viewers next season too. There have been vampire shows before, but not quite like this one. It's unique! It boggles our mind really that Fox chose to cancel it when it had only just begun!"
In its own lucid, yet impactful way, 'The Passage' slowly develops into something more than just a tale of survival. Granted, that its core element is Amy and Wolgast's relationship. Yet, as the journey progresses, we see more of Amy's resilience and a wonderful transition from a lost, abandoned girl, to finally finding her own voice and place amid the destruction plaguing the planet. And for that, we shall forever miss the show that was cut short too soon.