No Matter the Cost: #RenewRaisedbyWolves
Why this thought-provoking sci-fi series deserves a proper conclusion.
[Warning: The following essay contains spoilers for Raised by Wolves seasons 1 and 2.]
Raised by Wolves is a show I always wanted to start watching, but never got around to seeing until it was too late.
The sci-fi series has a premise that, while initially simple, becomes more complex and layered over time. Following a holy war on Earth between a religious group known as the Mithraic and their counterparts, the Atheists, factions from both groups have left Earth in search of a new home. This home comes in the form of Kepler-22b, a planet with enough oxygen in its atmosphere to sustain human life. While larger factions are in play throughout Raised by Wolves, the focus of the story is on Mother and Father, two androids sent to the planet by their creator, Campion, to raise human children in an independent commune away from the rest of the world. However, in their years there, many of the children succumb to illness or die in mysterious ways. All except Campion, their youngest son, who ends up becoming the last survivor among his siblings.
While Mother and Father are able to keep Campion safe for many years, there are some things that are out of their control. Such as the arrival of a band of Mithraic soldiers who try and take Campion away from Mother and Father. In response, Mother ensures the elimination of the Mithraic threat. Not only does she kill the band of Mithraic soldiers—all except one, Marcus—but she also lays waste to the Ark, a ship carrying Mithraic believers to Kepler-22b. However, she doesn’t kill everyone aboard the Ark. Not only are there a handful of survivors, but Mother also captures five children to act as Campion’s new siblings. Despite being taught in the ways of the Mithraic, Mother intends to raise the children as Atheists.
But this is just how Raised by Wolves starts. Much like its setting, that being Kepler-22b, Raised by Wolves is an ever-evolving series that maintains its original premise while always bringing something new to the table. For example, in Episode 2 it’s revealed that one of the children Mother took from the Ark, Paul, is Marcus’ son. However, Marcus himself is not the real Marcus. In reality, Marcus is Caleb, an Atheist solider who, alongside his wife Mary, murdered a Mithraic soldier and took his identity. While Mary became Sue and Caleb became Marcus, the pair realized the real Sue and Marcus had a son. A son the couple soon grow to love over the course of 10 years while plugged into a shared consciousness machine on the Ark while in cryosleep.
Despite how wild a twist it is that Marcus himself is an Atheist disguised as a Mithraic—revealed at the very beginning of Episode 2, no less—it’s not the most mind-blowing thing to happen during the series. This show is populated by a plethora of ideas that, from the outside looking in, seem a bit crazy. Creatures that were once humanoid, somehow turned into monsters, possibly by holy Mithraic artifacts. Mother’s true purpose being to give birth to a leech-mouthed flying serpent meant to rule over an Atheist commune. An Atheist commune led by the Trust, a supercomputer that is technically Mother’s brother and who creator Campion built and sent to Kepler-22b. Speaking of the planet, there are holes in it that lead to its core. A core where a signal that tricks people into thinking it’s God makes them sing songs to boxes containing seeds that turn its victims into trees. Trees that contain fruit in a mystical prophecy that may or may not be tied to an orphan boy destined to rule Kepler-22b via scripture. Scripture that could have been written on the planet itself millions of years ago by humans of its own.
But Raised by Wolves excels at bringing all its wild attributes to life by playing everything straight. There’s never a quippy one-liner about how absurd everything about the series could be if viewed by someone unfamiliar with the whole story. Instead, everything about the show is given to the audience at face value, and they’re expected to take it seriously. And, as someone who adores media with what could be described as “wacky premises” taking themselves seriously, Raised by Wolves checked every box I ever could have wanted. Wild, inexplicable science fiction is presented to the audience as something they should accept as part of the world. Because of this, the series carries a respectability about it that makes it much more engaging than if it were trying to play off its premise with humor. It wants you, the audience, to take it seriously. So, by presenting things wholly unfamiliar and inhuman in serious ways, the show manages to earn more respect than if it tried to play off its premise as goofy.
The series also excels in characters that are heavily intertwined with the show’s themes. I’ve previously discussed how faith in Raised by Wolves is presented in different ways through different characters. For example, Campion is someone who initially questions his belief system as an Atheist, wondering if maybe there is a more spiritual explanation for the way the world works. However, upon realizing the heartless behavior of Mithraic superiors, he rejects their beliefs outright. This results in him clinging closer to his own personal belief system instead of outright Atheistic or Mithraic ideals. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Paul, who ends up being strongly convinced of Sol’s existence because of his communications with the signal in the center of Kepler-22b. However, by the end of Season 2, he’s become less welcoming to the idea of Sol because his conviction resulted in Sue’s demise. The way different characters grow and change throughout Raised by Wolves is a reflection of how the series displays different journeys and crises of faith. It doesn’t approach the idea of faith with a one-size-fits-all mentality. Instead, it fleshes out versions and viewpoints to better explore the theme of faith in different ways.
Symbolism tied to religion and mythology accentuates Raised by Wolves’ main focus on faith and belief systems. This is especially true with how the Serpent reflects religious and mythological symbolism in ways that are unique to the series despite pulling from places like Abrahamic religions and Norse mythology. Instead of using religious symbolism in typified ways that would directly reflect religious motifs, Raised by Wolves instead employs them as jumping-off points. The Serpent could be seen as a reflection of the Serpent from the Bible, tempting humanity to damn themselves. The Tree of Knowledge in Raised by Wolves could be reflective of the Garden of Eden’s own Tree, whose fruit God forbade Adam and Eve from eating. However, in Raised by Wolves, this symbolism is not directly reflected at all. Not only is the Fruit of Knowledge supposed to be eaten to turn people into devout Mithraic believers, but the Serpent ends up gobbling the tree whole, becoming a lightning-wielding, armored version of itself sporting tentacles and wings. Raised by Wolves may employ familiar religious and mythological motifs, but it doesn’t always use them in the expected manner.
The idea of using faith-based themes and motifs in new, interesting ways makes Raised by Wolves stand out from other religiously symbolic series. It puts a spin on religion that is seldom seen, making every episode an important experience building atop the last. These ideas also help to strengthen the show’s many characters, who wrestle with their own versions of faith and self-actualization throughout. Father continues to wonder if he’s worthy of being the children’s parent, always trying to prove himself or equate to Mother despite his status as a service model android. Sue is continually pulled back and forth between her Atheistic beliefs and her loyalty to her family, especially Paul, whom she’s grown attached to. Mother is trying to maintain her self-ordained purpose of protecting her human children, even though her programming tells her to prioritize the Serpent. Everyone in Raised by Wolves is going through a journey of faith, whether that be religious ideation or purpose of the self. It’s a multi-layered approach that allows for the show’s characterization to weave with its story and themes, strengthening the show overall.
This is why Raised by Wolves stands out to me as an impressive science fiction series. While I can’t write down all of my thoughts in a single essay (Substack has a limit on email length, after all), I can say that the show emphasizes its themes and characters in ways I’ve never seen done before in any other TV series. Not only does Raised by Wolves stand out because of its premise, but also because of the thematic and character-driven exploration of said premise. Without its played-straight storylines and twisting of religious and mythological ideals, Raised by Wolves wouldn’t be the unique exploration of humanity it is. While the premise of the show may not sound like it’s for everyone, I truly believe Raised by Wolves can speak to a variety of people about faith and the way it’s implemented socially and within oneself. It’s a series that’s never existed before, and one that speaks to just how unique a premise TV series can have while reflecting human nature.
Which is why it’s so disappointing the series was cancelled.
Raised by Wolves aired its final episode, “Happiness,” on March 17, 2022. In June that same year, the show was cancelled. But then, the series ended up receiving treatment that has become scarily normalized with shows cancelled by streaming services as of late: The show was entirely removed from HBO Max in December 2022. This is despite Raised by Wolves being an HBO Max original series. While Raised by Wolves can still be purchased on Amazon or watched via The Roku Channel and Tubi, the series is now much more inaccessible than ever before. The reasoning for its removal is the same as the removal of many other shows Warner Bros. Discovery removed from HBO Max around the same time. The company was trying to cut $3 billion in costs at the end of 2022, a goal that jumped to $5.3 billion by February 2023. While Raised by Wolves had already been cancelled, the show is now inaccessible on the streaming service it had originally aired on.
This makes the fight to save Raised by Wolves much more difficult than other series. While fans have taken after the successful campaign to save Warrior Nun by putting billboards up in New York City and using #RenewRaisedbyWolves to raise awareness of the series, fans of this incredible show have many more hoops to jump through in order to get it revived. The series was not only cancelled, but outright removed from its original streaming source. This makes the series more inaccessible to newcomers, who have to spend close to $40 USD for the 18 existing episodes on Amazon. There are, of course, other ways of getting the series without spending money. But doing so doesn’t support the cause of saving the show, which needs to be purchased on other platforms to indicate the popularity of the series. A series that some may be trepidatious about buying in the first place out of fear they may not like it. $40 is a lot to spend on a TV series in the age of streaming. Which is why some people, unfortunately, may not be privy to doing so.
But $40 is nothing compared to the elephant in the room. Raised by Wolves is a visually beautiful series. However, it’s clearly an expensive one as well. Barring the cost of a massive CGI Serpent that appears throughout the majority of Season 2, Raised by Wolves has plenty of detailed costumes and sci-fi sets that underscore a hefty amount of money that was poured into the show. It works to the series’ benefit, as it makes the world of Kepler-22b feel lived-in. It also helps add to the tension of the series’ conflicts, with everything about the show feeling real despite its high science fiction setting. However, the costly nature of these sets and effects was likely a reason for Raised by Wolves’ untimely cancellation. If the series was not being watched by a massive number of people, it’s difficult to justify the series’ continuation from a monetary perspective. Especially when it’s a show that contains such stellar worldbuilding and a realistic-looking alien landscape. The terrible truth is that, for a show of the sheer caliber of Raised by Wolves to justify its continuation, the campaign to save the show must be enormous.
In acknowledging the unfortunate realities of 1.) difficulty in garnering public interest and 2.) how the show’s massive budget plays into its continuation, I don’t intend to demoralize the incredible group of fans fighting to save Raised by Wolves. Instead, I want to point out how the series has many more obstacles in its path than something like Warrior Nun that call for more creative solutions to help save the show. It’s not enough to watch the series in order to showcase to a production company that you’re interested in the series. Instead, Raised by Wolves requires a concentrated, planned effort by fans of the series to save it that’s much more hands-on than anything that’s come before. This is important to justify why the series should continue elsewhere despite being difficult to access now and despite clearly having a massive production budget. Because this show—with all its interesting themes, characters, settings, and stories—deserves to be saved. Now the only hurdle is discovering what can be done to make the push for its continuation in big and loud ways.
I think the most important thing to do, though, is the simplest: Show people Raised by Wolves. Spread clips of the series online. Convince family and friends to have a watch party and tell them how purchasing the show’s seasons could help save it. Bring it up to people using points about its in-depth analysis of humanity’s relationship with faith, especially to people who may not be interested in sci-fi. Spreading the word and encouraging others to support the show is the best possible thing that can be done for Raised by Wolves. It showcases a public interest in the series while also introducing even more people that can spread the series to even more people. Those trying to save Raised by Wolves are already doing it. And it may take time, especially now that actors and writers in the United States are on strike. But what’s important is to never give up and never stop fighting. To keep doing everything you can to save the show.
Despite the unique obstacles in Raised by Wolves’ way, I truly believe this incredibly thoughtful and thematically intriguing series can be saved. And I believe every actor, writer, director—everyone on the cast and the crew—deserves to continue telling this incredibly engaging story about faith on an alien world. The battle for Raised by Wolves’ future will be difficult. Without a proper streaming service to call home and with its high production value, the series will face obstacles unlike any that have been faced by most other shows attempting to be renewed. But I truly believe the story of Raised by Wolves is worth seeing to the very end, even if it’s a niche series and even if it has a massive budget. It’s a series unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I fear that, if it doesn’t get renewed, we’ll never see anything like it on TV ever again. Which is one of the many reasons why Raised by Wolves deserves to be renewed.
If, by chance, you—yes, you!—subscribed to Frayed Branches for my Warrior Nun essays and are now interested in checking out Raised by Wolves, please do so. Whether that’s clips on YouTube to see if you’ll enjoy the series or purchasing Season 1 on Amazon for around $20 USD. This is a series that deserves more voices speaking for it, and a show that shouldn’t have its future snatched away because of the business end of art. The road ahead for the series will be difficult, and—from my perspective—more so than most other series that deserves to be revived. But I believe that, by spreading the word as to how incredible this series is, a future for Raised by Wolves can still exist.
No matter the cost.
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[I’d like to extend a special thank you to the Raised by Wolves fans who were following my journey through the series on Twitter. Thank you for showing me how great this series is and why it deserves to be renewed. I’m excited to write more essays about the series for the foreseeable future in support of the campaign, and hope you’ll stick around to read them. #RenewRaisedbyWolves!]
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