They could not be defeated by a host of implacable foes: mediocre reviews, low viewership numbers, bottom-line-driven corporate decision-making, even the fickleness of a once-beloved actor. Alas, however, the #SanditonSisterhood has finally met its match in the form of a tiny, spike-protein-bedecked villain.
Months ago, passionate fans of Sanditon, the PBS-ITV series based ever-so-loosely on Jane Austen’s unfinished last novel, announced plans for SandiCon 2022, a two-week convention and location tour to be held in England in March. But last week, citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organizers canceled the event.
“We are heartbroken over this decision,” they wrote on Twitter and the web. “COVID has wreaked havoc on everything.” (Hasn’t it just. . .)
As blog readers know, I’m not an admirer of the TV Sanditon, but it’s always sad when this pesky virus once again reduces the world’s supply of joy. And it’s hard not to admire the persistence of the online lobbyists who refused to accept the initial decision to cancel the series.
Luckily, despite the demise of SandiCon, those folks still have something to look forward to: Last year, they persuaded PBS to resurrect the show for two more seasons, and the new episodes begin airing on March 20.