There hasn’t been any encouraging information regarding Season 3 of Shadow and Bone in quite some time. Unfortunately, Netflix did not use TUDUM 2023 in June to make any original series announcements or confirm the Six of Crows spinoff.
Many viewers expected Netflix to announce the third season of Shadow and Bone at its virtual upfronts presentation in May. Fans were left feeling disappointed when, despite news of extensions for shows like Ginny & Georgia and Virgin River and release dates for others like Virgin River season 5, Netflix remained silent on the subject of Shadow & Bone season 3.
One of the best new Netflix shows of 2023 is Shadow and Bone season 2, which aired in March. Many viewers have recently finished the second season of the Netflix original series Shadow and Bone and are eager to learn more about the third season.
Season 2 of Shadow and Bone did not arrive until October 2022, nearly two years after the first season’s premiere in April 2021.
The full details of season 3 of Shadow and Bone have been revealed. We’ll keep you posted as more information on the future of these fantastic characters becomes available. The most recent revision was made on August 4, 2023.
Shadow and Bone Has Not Been Renewed for Season 3 Yet
There’s been no word yet on whether or not Shadow and Bone will return for a third season, and that’s starting to worry fans. Not to sound too pessimistic, but cancellations typically occur around the halfway point of a season. It has been around five months since the launch of season 2.
Not mentioning Shadow and Bone season 3 or Six of Crows at TUDUM 2023 is also not a positive omen. Release dates and renewals were also among the many updates revealed. If a third season is in the works, we figured Netflix would have confirmed it at the presentation.
There’s still hope for a Season 3 renewal. The cast usually renegotiates their contracts after the second season, which might take a lot of time.
Don’t give up, and keep telling your friends about Shadow and Bone. If we want it renewed, we need as many people as possible to watch. However, the current outlook is not promising.
Shadow and Bone Season 2 Viewership Numbers
Fans reportedly binge-watched the entirety of Season 2 of Shadow and Bone within the first four weeks after its release on Netflix, clocking in at about 160 million hours (Update: a previous version of this story incorrectly indicated the number of hours watched in Shadow and Bone’s first four weeks). That’s not a horrible sum by any means, but it pales in comparison to the numbers for recent blockbuster smashes on Netflix.
The third season of Outer Banks was watched for almost 150 million hours in its first week. Nearly 170,000,000 hours of The Night Agent were viewed by fans in its first week. More than 160 million hours were watched in the first week of Ginny and Georgia season 3. With such a low rating, it seems likely that Shadow and Bone won’t be renewed for a third season.
Even if the show’s viewership is down from its peak, it’s still greater than many other Netflix shows that have been canceled. Shadow and Bone season 2 may not have as many viewers as Netflix’s biggest hits, but a large percentage of those who start the show will likely see it through to the end if they are enjoying it.
Is Six of Crows Happening?
After the second season premiere, it was revealed that a spinoff of Shadow and Bone was in the works, with the focus shifting to the characters of Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Wylan, Nina, and Matthias from the fourth book in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, Six of Crows. In the book, the “six of crows” travel to Fjerda to pull off a massive heist at the Ice Court, one of the most heavily guarded locations in all of Fjerda, if not all of Fjerda.
Eric Heisserer, who co-created the spinoff with a team of writers, has claimed that the series will consist of eight episodes, but Netflix has yet to order it. However, everything hinges on the performance of Shadow and Bone on Netflix, and as we’ve already discussed, things aren’t looking good.
Will the Writers’ and Actors’ Strikes Affect Shadow and Bone Season 3?
Adding further complexity is the fact that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are currently on strike over updated contracts. Writers’ rooms cannot collaborate on AMPTP-covered scripts, and actors cannot shoot related scenes. This is valid for any and all Netflix videos.
Shadow and Bone could be canceled by Netflix not just because of low ratings, but also because of the strikes. Since it is still unknown when the strikes will end, the studio may decide to cancel the show rather than start production on season three. We’re only making assumptions, but as fans, we have to consider this option.
When Could We See Shadow and Bone Season 3 on Netflix?
Even if Shadow and Bone is renewed for a third season—which is a big “if” at this point—there will be another long wait. The first two seasons were separated by a long gap of 23 months. Season 2 covered a lot of ground, but there’s still enough more plot to be explored, and many of the same sets from the first two seasons may be reused.
Production time might be lowered by six months, which is a lot but not impossible. At this moment, I don’t think Season 3 of Shadow and Bone will air before the fall or winter of 2024.
Even if the show were renewed, production on season 3 of Shadow and Bone couldn’t begin until the WGA strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike ended. Six of Crows scripts have been completed, however information about whether or not season 3 of Shadow and Bone has been written is currently unavailable. Depending on how long the timeframe is, that could significantly delay the pre-production phase.
All these factors mean that the release date has been pushed back to early 2025, assuming a third season even gets made.
Estimated Time of Arrival: Early 2025
What would Shadow and Bone season 3 be about?
Season 3 of Shadow and Bone will not have any continuation of the Six of Crow’s plot. If it occurs, it will be its own thing. The conclusion of season 2 of Shadow and Bone diverged significantly from the conclusion of the books. Mal and Alina are separated, and an assassin tried to stop King Nikolai from being crowned. Alina begins to embrace her superpowers as she learns to use them. Uh-oh!
If season 3 does happen, we can expect to see material from Bardugo’s King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. There are two more books after those two. With Nikolai struggling with his injuries and the bee landing on Zoya in the finale, it appears that this is the plan all along, despite Alina’s reduced involvement in the books.
That’s all the information we have regarding season 3 of Shadow and Bone. Don’t miss out on any news on a possible new season. The Netflix original series Shadow and Bone is one of our favorite shows right now.
