When it was revealed that Disney Junior had no plans to renew its show Doc McStuffins for a fifth season, fans had a lot to say.
Even in 2016, McStuffins is a kind of a big deal. After all, how many other kids' shows out there have a black female lead who also happens to be a doctor, to boot?
Case closed.
Clearly kids need to grow up seeing and identifying with characters like Doc. Children need to see what's possible for the future - especially if they happen to be black and/or female.
And the world needs the likes of McStuffins more than ever.
Tons of users adopted the hashtag to make the case for keeping the series going.
My son's hero is a female, African American doctor. @DisneyJunior, you gotta #RenewDocMcStuffins!
— Alise Bradford (@AlittleBitzany) July 4, 2016
Not only does my daughter love #DocMcStuffins @DisneyJunior inspired a generation of girls to consider becoming doctors. #RenewDocMcStuffins
— Gara B. Field (@gbfield) July 3, 2016
But the best shows are not necessarily the most popular with kids.
The reality check: representation isn't what drives networks, ultimately. Numbers are what drive networks, and numbers make or break even the best programming out there.
Is Doc McStuffins successful (cha-ching) and popular enough with young audiences to warrant a further season? Remains to be seen.
For the time being, Disney Junior has confirmed the fourth season of McStuffins is in production, with a guaranteed 120 episodes under contract. After that, who knows.
But pressure from young fans can't hurt. If your child loves the Doc, time to speak up and start PVRing.
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