‘Borgias’ Fans Send Sardines to Save the Show: Other Odd Show-Saving Campaigns

While Showtime's period drama "The Borgias" has been officially canceled, there's still a chance that the series could be revived. If one group of dedicated "Borgias" fans gets its way, the series will definitely get a proper finale. And it will all be thanks to sardines.
A letter or an email to a studio can go unnoticed, which is why so many fan campaigns over the years have relied on shipments of unusual objects to get the attention of execs. One group of "Borgias" fans has sent piles of sardines to Showtime as a form of protest over the show's cancellation.
Sardines were chosen because of an episode where the Pope told his cardinals, "We shall dine on sardines." Fans hope that the sardine delivery will prove "The Borgias" still has a dedicated audience.
Sardines are far from the weirdest thing that fans have sent to studio heads in hopes of coaxing a renewal order for their favorite show. Years ago, the supernatural drama "Roswell" was in danger of cancellation, but packages of hot sauce sent in by fans were instrumental in getting the series renewed.
However, these tactics don't always work. For example, when TNT's "Witchblade" was canceled, fans sent in Pez dispensers to protest the decision. But no number of Pez dispensers would change the fact that series star Yancy Butler needed to go into treatment for substance abuse, and the show remained canceled.
Oddly enough, two related shows have both been targeted by these types of fan campaigns. After Season 1 of The CW's "Nikita" wrapped up, fans sent in lipstick tubes to convince the network to renew the series. The series was renewed for a second season.
Years before, the show that inspired "Nikita" was running on USA. Called "La Femme Nikita," this series was also at the center of a fan mailing campaign. But instead of tubes of lipstick, fans sent pairs of sunglasses (as these were Nikita's favorite accessory). The show received a half-season order, allowing the story to have a proper finale.