Canceled Max Series Fans Take Over Times Square
Fan loyalty knows no bounds. For evidence, if you’re in the neighborhood, take a walk over to Times Square, Manhattan. There, you’ll see a hot pink billboard near the corner of 46th and 7th, paid for by admirers of the recently canceled Max series, Our Flag Means Death.
Saving Our Flag Means Death
The effort is spearheaded by an astonishingly devoted group calling itself “Renew as a Crew,” dedicated like some (not so secret) monastic order to reviving the beloved series. They mean business–locating their billboard strategically near the Pelé Soccer store marquee.
Their advertising gambit amounts to more than a beacon of hope for fans; it’s a testament to the genuine, crowd-sourced efforts of the show’s savvy Stans.
Joining The Cause
The billboard went up at noon Eastern time and is scheduled for 48 hours.
It beckons countless passersby, tourists and locals alike, to join the cause and save Our Flag Means Death from cancellation. More practically, it also directs eyeballs to the Renew the Crew website.
The billboard, incredibly, marks the mere beginning of a much broader campaign.
One of Renew as a Crew’s volunteers (apparently, they’re not a fully-funded NGO just yet), Caitlin Young, conveyed that the group harbors ambitious plans, funded by fan donations to the tune of $10,000.
More To Come
Next, the group intends to rent both a billboard truck and an airplane banner; each will bear the same passionate plea for the show’s return.
That’s not all—Renew the Crew also intends to rent bus shelter spaces tactically close to HBO’s offices, all to (not so) subtly nudge the network execs into reconsidering their decision.
Dedicated Fanbase
Our Flag Means Death’s fanbase further evidenced their dedication by gathering more than 60,000 signatures for a petition to achieve the show’s renewal. This caught the attention of HBO’s president, Casey Bloys.
For his part, Bloys acknowledged the fan efforts, even hinting at the possibility of facilitating the series’ continuation under a different banner, so long as its showrunner can orchestrate the transition.
Unparalleled Support And Initiative
The unprecedented display of grassroots fan-tivism in Times Square constitutes more than a call to revive the beloved Our Flag Means Death.
Indeed, it’s a vibrant display of the power of community and shared passion. It also showcases the fantastic potential for organization and advocacy in the digital age, where streaming supplants basic cable. Today, fans can, and do, form communities on the same devices they use to watch content.
Moreover, in a world where digital platforms often dictate the fate of television series, the show’s fans took things even further, crossing from the digital to the analog. Tweeting en masse is one thing—but Times Square billboards?! Another animal entirely.
Saving The Series?
Inspired by the real-life escapades of Stede Bonnet, an 18th-century aristocrat who abandoned his plush life to become a pirate, the much-loved, recently canceled series is a unique mix of comedy and historical drama.
Fans and critics lauded Our Flag Means Death’s comedic take on Bonnet’s unorthodox, often inept, foray into piracy.
It takes an extraordinary fanbase–utterly transcending the usual passivity of viewers–to take their fervent appeal for a show’s renewal to the bustling heart of New York City.
It would appear fans of the axed-Max series are just that audience.
Source: Renew as a Crew
