Saving Sense8 – Why It Matters

Netflix has cancelled Sense8 with the worst timing possible for a show so groundbreaking and inclusive. Announcing the cancellation on the first day of Pride Month is a pretty dick move and people are not impressed. If you haven’t seen Sense8 yet, I encourage you to watch it. It’s probably one of the most inclusive shows out there right now.

Sense8 is about the connection of humanity and what we can accomplish when we set aside the barriers that separate us. Art and fiction is important, it’s how the world expresses itself and copes with the difficulties of life. Sense8 has so much potential and opens a lot of doors for people to get to know characters of vastly different lives and backgrounds coming together to accomplish amazing things. Shows like this are important and we need them.

Why Sense8 is important:

• Trans opportunities: It’s directed by the Wachowski’s, both trans women and stars a trans woman as well. Often trans characters are played by cis actors, but the character of Nomi Marks is played by Jamie Clayton, and while that shouldn’t really be groundbreaking, it unfortunately is for a lot of media.
• Depiction of happy and healthy queer relationships: Nomi is a trans woman in a beautiful relationship with her girlfriend, Amanita. They are dedicated and supportive of one another and clearly in love. Lito and Hernando are love and light and the introduction of Daniela brings out a sweet and compassionate poly relationship. These things are so rarely depicted in media and so for them to be not only shown, but portrayed with love at the forefront, is needed.
• Diversity of cast: of the 8 mains, half are POC; Sun Bak is Korean, Kala Dandekar is Indian, Capheus Onyango is Kenyan and Lito Rodriguez is Mexican. The secondary mains are also diverse as well; Rajan (Kala’s husband) is Indian, Amanita (Nomi’s girlfriend) is a black American, Detective Mun (Sun’s love interest) is Korean, Hernando and Daniela (Lito’s bf/gf) are Mexican and Zakia (Capheus’ love interest) is Kenyan. The show’s locations are all around the world and unlike many shows in the media, the people on location are not white washed. They show these places with the actual people who live there and while the difficulties some locations face are quite prominent (violence and drug trade in Berlin/Nairobi, for example) they focus on the individual people to highlight that those places are not defined by those things.

There are probably more reasons, but those are off the top of my head. If you would like to help save this show, you can join the social media storm under #RenewSense8 and #SaveSense8

There is also a petition available to sign: https://www.change.org/p/netflixlat-netflix-sense8-sense-8-season-3-renewal?recruiter=71173543&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Shows like Sense8 need to exist, positive representation needs to be in the media. People deserve to see themselves in media. We need to let producers know that cancellation of shows like this without reason isn’t acceptable.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Erin