Freeform Mocks ‘Shadowhunters’ Fan Campaign to Save Series During ‘Toy Story’ Broadcast

No one should get angry while watching Toy Story, but Freeform found a way to annoy thousands of viewers by mocking the campaign to save Shadowhunters.

On Saturday afternoon, Freeform ran Toy Story with “POPnKnowledge” pop-ups that provide trivia and poke fun at the movie. But during the scene where Woody (Tom Hanks) shakes the Magic 8-Ball, the pop-up read “Will Freeform Save Shadowhunters if I keep tweeting about it?” As Toy Story fans know, the Magic 8-Ball responds “Don’t Count On It.”

Some fans thought this must have been a joke and did not immediately believe the tweets. However, someone shared a livestream clip on Twitter confirming it was real.

Freeform had no official comment on the pop-up, but a source told TVLine its inclusion was a “mistake.”

Fans were shocked to see the pop-up, with many considering it an insult from the network, especially since the efforts to save the show have resulted in thousands of dollars being raised for charity.

“[What the f—]? Is this for real? How immature and unprofessional is that??? I don’t even know what to say without sinking to the same level in response,” one person tweeted.

“That was just mean… heartlessly mean,” another added.

“[What the f—]!!! Seriously! They did that! Freeform, you really sunk to the lowest level,” another fan wrote.

In June, Freeform announced that Shadowhunters would end with its third season, which resumes on Feb. 25. While the network agreed to order two more episodes to finish up the story and bring its final season episode count to 22, the network has shown no inkling to revive the show.

Fans instantly started a #SaveShadowhunters campaign, similar to efforts to save Timeless and Lucifer. They also launched a fundraiser at The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization that focuses on the LGBTQ+ community, raising more than $22,000.

“Currently fans are working hard on a #SaveShadowhunters campaign, but we thought it would be useful to channel some of our passion and frustration to raise awareness and also showcase the generosity of the Shadowhunters fandom,” the fundraiser page reads. “Let’s show off the power of our fandom to do good.”

Shadowhunters is based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments book series and was developed for TV by Ed Decter. The fantasy drama’s cast includes Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Toubia, Isiah Mustafa, Harry Shum Jr. and Alisha Wainwright.

“They had signs in Times Square, and they had it on a plane… that just shows the dedication of the fandom,” Will Tudor, who played Sebastian Verlac/Jonathan Morgenstern, told Digital Spy of fans’ efforts.

“I think not only does it appeal to the vampire/werewolf crowd, it’s also much more human than a lot of those [types of] shows,” he said of the show’s appeal. “The relationships are different to what you’d see in other shows. It’s not afraid to go somewhere quite dark, but also to go somewhere that resonates with what’s going on in the world at the moment, a lot more than other shows might do.”

Photo credit: Freeform