alicepao13

[alicepao13]

I’m still seeing comments from people saying things like “the last season ended on a cliffhanger, they’re not going to spoil whether or not Charlie is returning” and I just want to scream, because those comments are as infuriating as the ones who believe the AI generated bullshit that claims Charlie is back. I don’t engage with those at all anymore because it does no good, but it’s still frustrating that people don’t understand the severity here.

Anyone who still thinks like that is a lost cause in my opinion. You'll spend more energy trying to get them to see the light than anything that could benefit us. They'll see it with their own two eyes in the fall.

But anyone can do it if they want. A rebuttal could work on someone else reading the comments. I just worry we'll spend too much time on these people. I mean, I did just spend a lot of time myself on such a rebuttal on tumblr but I did it because it was tumblr.

[alicepao13]

Now, however, no one wants to take responsibility for the fact that they're making a show that turns out no one wants to watch. << I think they expected fans to just accept the change and be onboard with it, so at least it’s nice that that’s not what happened… I mean that IG post have over 550+ comments atm, more engagement than their posts usually get (only the one about Diesel’s passing got over a thousand), which is probably why they expected it to go smoothly. Once again, idiots.

(Okay, I swear I posted that.)

They definitely expected us to roll with it, or for the reaction to not be so negative. Shows how much they know their audience and their fandom especially.

And to that, I'll add that when something bothers the fandom so collectively and they are told to just let it go, they will not let it go. So, every single call for that just adds fuel to the fire.

[alicepao13]

For them to be so sensitive to cancer survivors and then at the same time wish that horrific thing to you I think it’s for the best that they blocked you and you won’t have to see them anymore.

Maybe. But I'd still have liked to have worked it out, you know? Since I don't really get the block culture and all and my default is to talk things out (I get that it's not always in a desirable way). This is the second person that I know who has blocked me in the Hudson and Rex fandom (the last one was years ago). To my knowledge, anyway. And it's not the person that I expected would block me as a result of that post lol. So I'll probably be on at least three.

Other people count followers.

[alicepao13]

Also, telling a Greek person to die in a fire? That's truly something that might happen, last summer a fire reached 5kms from my building, and I was there. It's not nice, death threat aside.

Did you just get a death threat for this post? Only on Tumblr dot com…

Yeah, not "only", I don't believe that.

It's my first one in all my *calculates* 14 years on tumblr. But yeah, you never know what will set people off, and they don't know you, so. Perfect mix. For what it's worth, and it probably wasn't the best move either, I reached out to them via DM afterwards trying to ask what had set them off so bad. It wasn't an illuminating conversation.

And of course I'm blocked now. Which is my least favorite way of diffusing a situation because it's not diffused, there's just a person who has put up a wall and is shouting la-la-la at the top of their voice.

Without that knowledge, I cannot really fix what I did. However, I mean it (and that's why I'm posting the screenshots, it wasn't a conversation anyway to keep secret), I'd like to know if any of it was too offhanded. Maybe somebody else can illuminate me? It's been a rough day and while I did respond like an asshole, I believe my entire assholery was pointed at the person who made the post that was fully ignorant.

Edit: I'm so smart today. It's about this post https://www.tumblr.com/alicepao13/785529213761519616

[alicepao13]

Did you just get a death threat for this post? Only on Tumblr dot com…

Yeah, not "only", I don't believe that.

It's my first one in all my *calculates* 14 years on tumblr. But yeah, you never know what will set people off, and they don't know you, so. Perfect mix. For what it's worth, and it probably wasn't the best move either, I reached out to them via DM afterwards trying to ask what had set them off so bad. It wasn't an illuminating conversation.

And of course I'm blocked now. Which is my least favorite way of diffusing a situation because it's not diffused, there's just a person who has put up a wall and is shouting la-la-la at the top of their voice.

Without that knowledge, I cannot really fix what I did. However, I mean it (and that's why I'm posting the screenshots, it wasn't a conversation anyway to keep secret), I'd like to know if any of it was too offhanded. Maybe somebody else can illuminate me? It's been a rough day and while I did respond like an asshole, I believe my entire assholery was pointed at the person who made the post that was fully ignorant.

Edit: I'm so smart today. It's about this post https://www.tumblr.com/alicepao13/785529213761519616

[alicepao13]

The deception by the production started last summer, since they're trying to re-write history. Just to bring things into focus again. Because sometimes we can't tell the forest from the trees.

Since last summer, the Hudson and Rex has said all sorts of lies.

The claimed they didn't announce Diesel's death because Sherri Davis needed to be emotionally okay to work with the other dogs. That's partially a lie, and Sherri Davis herself was the one to say it in the news. During the production, it might have been true. But production for last season ended in November 2024, and they announced it in March 2025. And that's because people didn't fall for the switch, I'm sure they were ready to announce it at the end of the season if they could get away with it. They wanted people to tune in and Diesel's death was getting in the way of that in their eyes.

They never mentioned in their promotion that John Reardon would be in the show just for a couple episodes. If he hadn't talked about his cancer, we wouldn't even know why he wasn't there. We'd probably blame it on him and then the narrative would have been "John Reardon got tired of the show". They banked on him being what he always was: quiet and private. And he still was but even like that, he foiled their plans with two posts, and good for him.

Since they had already decided how to go about it, they never announced the end of John Reardon's employment at the end of S7. Despite numerous questions as to whether he'd be back, despite him announcing that he's ready to be back and medically cleared. Deception, cover-up, and avoidance. It took 3 months(!) for them to announce Luke Roberts, and they still haven't said that he'll be the lead, again despite numerous questions.

They are choosing to keep the show as Hudson and Rex. What Hudson and Rex? This is false advertisement, and is a show that was based for the half part on John Reardon's work. At this point, it's purely a scam. Any other product that would claim it contains something in it that it doesn't would be in big trouble.

They sent people to speak anonymously as if they had no "stake in the game" besides employment on Reddit. But they made mistakes and given how Sherri Davis now talks about the show, it must have been someone close to her, which frankly, makes every single piece of "information" even more questionable for reasons I have stated before.

They told fans that "this is the show now", "stop being rude", they talked about mob mentality, harassment, things that to my knowledge have not happened. And social media is a public space, I'd know. We kept it pretty tame, actually. Letting someone know that you won't watch their show is not any of these things. Calling it out for what it is, a money grab, is none of these things. Even if it's done by 50, 500, or 5,000 people.

So, ask yourselves, what are we willing to believe from the mouths of these people? Who among them is trustworthy? Who does not act out of self-interest?

I for one did not "choose to believe John Reardon". Because he didn't speak on the matter. So I will not "choose to believe Sherri Davis" either. I'll let all the evidence of her and the production's deception that I've gathered so far speak for themselves.

[alicepao13]

I'm starting to think that some people online are literally zero years old.

[alicepao13]

I'm not sure what this pertains to. No one, especially me ever brushed off cancer. I have made a lot of posts about how disrespectful it was by the production to do this to John Reardon after going through that. But we certainly should not try to embellish what happened. Claiming it as something that it's not is truly damaging for everyone involved. I have actually done the research and the timeframes match to what I said. To be able to recover from this in that timeframe, John Reardon must have had early to middle stage tonsil cancer (he said it was tonsil cancer and that they caught it in time in an interview so that tracks with what I said). @itsjustdg has been conjecturing widely about things they know nothing about. Tonsil cancer in these stages is usually treatable, not a death experience. The treatment causes horrible pain, which I said many times. Radiation is required, chemotherapy sometimes if the patient does not respond to radiation. But given the timeframe, again, it tracks with what I said. And in a first world country like Canada with adequate treatment, yes, I repeat, it's treatable at this stage. I'm not brushing it off though in any case.

I understand by your tone that you've had either a personal experience or someone in your family with cancer. I did too and still do. So, understand that I would never want people to make wild conjectures about this illness. It's disrespectful to the people I've lost and to the people that are still fighting. If there was a point where I made you feel like I made fun of it, that was the last thing I wanted to do. The sarcasm was directed at the OP, I should have made it clear. Maybe you should read the rest of the post to have context instead of sending death threats.

Long post but I had to get my thoughts on Hudson & Rex (and certain fans) out.

This has been in the back of my mind for a while, and I think I've finally put my finger on what's been bothering me about the way a certain online contingent are reacting to the imagined idea that John Reardon has been forced out of Hudson & Rex.

TL;DR - We have nothing to go on that John's not returning and anyone who feels owed an answer by the studio/actors/dog handlers who have no say over the studio's decisions needs to take a good long look at everything. Use some critical thinking skills and just breathe for a second. And maybe some compassion for the fact that John nearly died half a year ago.

(And spamming every social media account related to the show demanding answers is not going to get anyone what they want. In fact, it's highly likely to do the opposite and I'm not surprised people's comments have been deleted. Especially for all the tangential people - but even for John! - they're probably pretty miserable to get yet another contact about this.)

More below the cut.

First off, let me say I'm a huge fan of the show. This is probably one of the first shows in a while that I got so into so fast. It has a lot of the things I love in media all rolled into one, I would be upset if they truly did kill off Charlie Hudson, and I've been anxiously awaiting any cast news. However...

None of us are owed a single thing by any studio, producer, or actor, especially not on our timelines. I know we live in a day and age of constant news and instant gratification, but we certainly aren't owed what might currently be tentative, confidential information regarding an actor's contract. If both parties haven't signed a final agreement, then they likely cannot publicly publish any related details. Maybe they're still negotiating. Maybe John is still trying to figure out how much he can commit to for a new season. Because lemme tell ya, acting might seem glamorous, but do you know how many hours they have to put in and how physically demanding even a Hallmark movie is? Let alone Hudson & Rex where Charlie is regularly jumping off of things and fighting people? More on why this is important in point 3.

We basically have never been told the regular stars were coming back. I looked but can't find where the show announced that any of their actors were coming back for seasons 2-7. They just said the show was returning. And... that's what's happened with season 8. The promo materials thus far have been on par with every other season's promo materials. (Because I love the show, but for some reason they never really put out much until the season premiere is nearly upon us.) Did we get an announcement that Luke joined the cast? Yes. Because he's a new addition (and it's often part of the contract that they'll promote it.) Did we get an announcement that Justin, Kevin, or Mayko are coming back? No. So... maybe hold up on assuming John's not returning just because nobody has mentioned that he is. We've never gotten much early promo content, just that the show was back… so why are all of these people suddenly so sure that John's been punished by the studio for having cancer? Speaking of which…

John practically just got the all-clear from his cancer diagnosis. In late December, he posted that it was his first night out since being diagnosed. (And my heart broke at the hospital picture he included because he looked so tired and sick. His "now" picture was drastically better, but you could tell he was still recovering.) Are these fans all forgetting that the man literally almost died not even 6 months ago? I don't know if their understanding of cancer is what they've seen on a couple of pieces of media or if the cavalier way most shows (including Hudson & Rex) handle injuries, poisonings, etc most of the time has warped any sense of what actually happens when a human being is deathly ill, but... illness wrecks your body. Chemo wipes out your immune system. Fighting cancer weakens your entire system. How are people demanding he turn around and come back to an extremely physically demanding role and spend 20+ hours a day on a set for weeks? They might still be figuring out just how much John can physically do. For that matter, John's doctors might not have even cleared him yet and the studio is waiting it out or John may have just recently decided if he was well enough to come back. (Also, he has a wife and three little kids. I'm pretty sure the seriousness of them losing him was a lot to deal with. Maybe he needed time to decide if he's able to fully commit to coming back?)

John's likely still dealing with a lot with having lost Diesel. They were incredibly close. All of the interviews I've seen talk about how much they bonded (they were co-stars for 6.5 seasons!). I remember one where they talked about how they had to keep Rex off-set when they filmed scenes where Charlie was in danger or got hurt because Diesel wanted to tear people apart for touching him. So then consider that John's fighting cancer, and then Diesel gets sick and passes away - and John probably couldn't even really see him much if at all because of him also being sick. (How hard must it be to have your co-star die of the same thing you're fighting? And not even be able to grieve properly because of the sheer amount of energy you're expending just trying to stay alive yourself?) Can we show some compassion toward the guy? And not just wail about how we're being cheated of... well, anything? Like, come on, cancer should put everything into perspective!

Luke joining the cast has 0 bearing on if John's staying. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Luke was added so the show could continue having a lead detective who can fall down a well for Rex to rescue while John comes back to regular episodes slowly. Maybe they'll be partners long-term. Who knows. NONE OF US DO. That's kinda my whole point here. (And yeah, the show is called Hudson & Rex, not just Inspector Rex, but I have a feeling these fans would've still lost their minds when the original show changed their human cast multiple times.) The only thing that the show starting to film season 8 means is they have a required schedule to stick to in order to meet legal requirements with the studio. Which could also have a lot to do with why Luke was added as a series regular.

Can we all just calm down and find our thinking caps? I'm aware that might be too much to ask from the internet at large, but I'm also really tired of all the panicking fans I've seen posts from lately.

At the end of the day, this is a television show that does not actually control any of our lives, and demanding they cancel it and end everyone's jobs in a very competitive industry just because you're upset about something that may not actually be happening just feels really self-centered and unfair to me.

Maybe John's leaving after all (and if he is, I'll be sad). Maybe he's coming back eventually. But also maybe don't harass every single person related to the show and contribute to making all of them miserable just because you feel like you're owed an answer and a specific outcome?

[alicepao13]

You come to tumblr with an incredible amount of misinformation when we've been talking about the real information for weeks on this website, you'll get some kind of treatment I'm not proud of. Honestly ask before posting such things. Asking is free. Asking is healthy.

[alicepao13]

No, I'm sorry, this is an incredible about of misinformation. Where do I even start? tl;dr goes at the bottom, by the way. And sorry if you feel targeted by this but you're coming off with this attitude of knowing everything and you're ignoring basic knowledge that we've known for a while in the fandom. If anyone else is reading this, please don't be assholes, I'll be a big enough asshole as it is.

TL;DR - We have nothing to go on that John's not returning

Sherri Davis herself answered in a Facebook answer that he's not coming back for S8. That was yesterday. A few weeks ago, Meghan Ory, John Reardon's wife, said while answering fan comments in their Youtube channel that he wasn't going to be in Newfounland and these days he was going to take care of the kids while she went away to film a movie. After being pressed about it, she answered that he'd be in the show if they'd asked. Aside from that, we have numerous confirmations about who is and who is not there.

Use some critical thinking skills and just breathe for a second. And maybe some compassion for the fact that John nearly died half a year ago.

Nearly died? Tonsil cancer is usually treatable if caught in the early or medium stage of the illness, which is what makes sense given when he started treatment (and had to leave the show, so we roughly know when that was) and when he announced he was cancer free. He must have been in horrible pain as that comes with the treatment that tonsil cancer requires, but that wasn't a near death experience. Where are you getting all this? You truly think a person who nearly died from cancer would be ready to come back to work in a couple months? Please, educate yourself before talking about cancer. That's how misconceptions are perpetuated.

(And spamming every social media account related to the show demanding answers is not going to get anyone what they want. In fact, it's highly likely to do the opposite and I'm not surprised people's comments have been deleted. Especially for all the tangential people - but even for John! - they're probably pretty miserable to get yet another contact about this.)

Oh good. The next scenario will be that it's our fault he's not coming back.

First off, let me say I'm a huge fan of the show.

We all are big fans. That's why we're here.

I would be upset if they truly did kill off Charlie Hudson, and I've been anxiously awaiting any cast news.

Erm, the news you've been waiting for happened. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you. Again, Sherri Davis confirmed it.

None of us are owed a single thing by any studio, producer, or actor, especially not on our timelines.

Incorrect. We are the people they count on to hype the show. We make videos, gifsets, edits, fanfictions, what-have-you. That's free promotion. A lot of us have bought merchandise from the show. Even DVDs (I cannot possibly fathom why at this point but to each their own). When they ask people to tune in, they mean us. And when they tell us to tune in despite a show called Hudson and Rex not having Hudson anymore, and that we should like the show regardless and not ask questions, they are talking to the same people who promoted the show free of charge and bought their merchandise. Not to mention the viewership that literally is what keeps them afloat. But that's for the general audience.

Because lemme tell ya, acting might seem glamorous, but do you know how many hours they have to put in and how physically demanding even a Hallmark movie is?

John Reardon's last Hallmark movie was filmed in 3 weeks from what I know. Surely you can't think this is long or taxing.

We basically have never been told the regular stars were coming back.

Links to mentions of the main cast by official casting details for the next season:

Mark and Sarah: https://castingbymaggie.com/job-detail/345

Joe: https://castingbymaggie.com/job-detail/348

I don't have one for Jesse but Justin Kelly has been spotted in Newfoundland playing some godawful game called disc golf with Luke Roberts. And again, John Reardon won't be back so there's no point in looking for him either way.

I looked but can't find where the show announced that any of their actors were coming back for seasons 2-7. They just said the show was returning. And… that's what's happened with season 8.

Yeah, you're not using the proper resources, that's why. But hey, that's what I'm here for. (Yes, I'm being arrogant at this point.)

We've never gotten much early promo content, just that the show was back… so why are all of these people suddenly so sure that John's been punished by the studio for having cancer?

They often do promotional videos. For last season they announced S7 with John Reardon, Justin Kelly, and Diesel. The video must be somewhere still. I'm not going to look for it.

In late December, he posted that it was his first night out since being diagnosed. (And my heart broke at the hospital picture he included because he looked so tired and sick. His "now" picture was drastically better, but you could tell he was still recovering.) Are these fans all forgetting that the man literally almost died not even 6 months ago?

Today's screenshot, hot off the press. 17 weeks ago he posted this. But you're doubting his ability to work? I don't understand, are you John Reardon or his doctor? And again, he didn't almost die. Cancer is hell but a lot of cases if caught early are treatable. That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve our respect for what he went through. But lets not exaggerate things the way the other side seems to do.

Chemo wipes out your immune system.

Actually, if caught early, tonsil cancer does not require chemotherapy, just radiation. Which may explain why his hair is still there, as chemotherapy is more vicious.

How are people demanding he turn around and come back to an extremely physically demanding role and spend 20+ hours a day on a set for weeks?

Again, he's the one who says he's ready to work. I'm actually surprised you wrote an entire thesis without making research. I expected more.

John's doctors might not have even cleared him yet and the studio is waiting it out or John may have just recently decided if he was well enough to come back.

And, here we go again. Look above.

John's likely still dealing with a lot with having lost Diesel. They were incredibly close. All of the interviews I've seen talk about how much they bonded (they were co-stars for 6.5 seasons!).

Yikes. Well, I guess tell that to the person who trashed him a couple weeks ago on Reddit anonymously? Or tell that to Sherri Davis who with her post insinuated that Luke Roberts is a better fit than a man who has six years of experience with doing this. I don't agree with her but that's what she claims. Aside from everything, this is very naive. That's what co-stars do, they try to prove how bonded they are in interviews, that's what the production tells them, and I'm not just talking about our show. That's classic PR.

I remember one where they talked about how they had to keep Rex off-set when they filmed scenes where Charlie was in danger or got hurt because Diesel wanted to tear people apart for touching him. So then consider that John's fighting cancer, and then Diesel gets sick and passes away - and John probably couldn't even really see him much if at all because of him also being sick. (How hard must it be to have your co-star die of the same thing you're fighting? And not even be able to grieve properly because of the sheer amount of energy you're expending just trying to stay alive yourself?)

This is fanfiction. You have to know this deep inside. Not the part about Sherri Davis (yep, she's the one who said it, now she clearly wants to claim otherwise) saying that Diesel was being protective of John Reardon. The rest of it.

Luke joining the cast has 0 bearing on if John's staying.

Except that in the real world there's a thing called budget.

Maybe they'll be partners long-term. Who knows. NONE OF US DO. That's kinda my whole point here.

Eh, some of us know better than others, that much is clear.

(And yeah, the show is called Hudson & Rex, not just Inspector Rex, but I have a feeling these fans would've still lost their minds when the original show changed their human cast multiple times.)

I'm a Kommissar Rex fan. I watched the German and Italian version. Yeah, those changes were extremely hard (and ultimately the reason for cancellation). I did not lose my mind. I would never think of doing this, even if it was during the age of social media. I'm doing this now because it's fucking embarrassing how they're willing to go on without their lead and ruin EVERY single storyline in the process, while still calling it Hudson and Rex.

The only thing that the show starting to film season 8 means is they have a required schedule to stick to in order to meet legal requirements with the studio. Which could also have a lot to do with why Luke was added as a series regular.

They started filming in May 20. It's not an abstract concept. They've already filmed like 2 episodes (depending on how long each will take). But I'll give you that they did need to announce at least pre-production because it's a requirement to get certain tax cuts and funds from Newfoundland.

Can we all just calm down and find our thinking caps? I'm aware that might be too much to ask from the internet at large, but I'm also really tired of all the panicking fans I've seen posts from lately.

I love the sarcasm. I hope you're okay with it being directed back at you. Fair's fair. Also, you confuse panic with information. Which... is... strange.

At the end of the day, this is a television show that does not actually control any of our lives, and demanding they cancel it and end everyone's jobs in a very competitive industry just because you're upset about something that may not actually be happening just feels really self-centered and unfair to me.

Oh, my favorite "but what about the people who work there" part. Nope. If I don't do a good enough job anymore, I'll lose my job. So should they. Add to it almost a year of cover-ups and disinformation and you might not give a damn about them too. No, it doesn't control my life. But either you care about the show as much as you claim or you don't. I'm not the one who pulled out the fan-o-meter and proclaimed to be a huge fan while literally proving to everyone knowing the actual information that I have no idea what I'm talking about just a few sentences below.

Maybe John's leaving after all (and if he is, I'll be sad). Maybe he's coming back eventually. But also maybe don't harass every single person related to the show and contribute to making all of them miserable just because you feel like you're owed an answer and a specific outcome?

Harassment. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. And I don't think you understand how much it wasn't his decision to not come back.

Also, if you're not going to do anything about it, at least don't try to dissuade people when you don't know what you're talking about.

tl;dr I am being a condescending jerk but it comes from a place of knowledge and will to educate. And to be fair, you started it. Still, I apologize but I cannot abide with the unbelievable amount of misinformation in this post and sarcasm is my go-to when I read that much of it in one post. Next time, do a bit of research. Or ask. You didn't have to write all that.

Long post but I had to get my thoughts on Hudson & Rex (and certain fans) out.

This has been in the back of my mind for a while, and I think I've finally put my finger on what's been bothering me about the way a certain online contingent are reacting to the imagined idea that John Reardon has been forced out of Hudson & Rex.

TL;DR - We have nothing to go on that John's not returning and anyone who feels owed an answer by the studio/actors/dog handlers who have no say over the studio's decisions needs to take a good long look at everything. Use some critical thinking skills and just breathe for a second. And maybe some compassion for the fact that John nearly died half a year ago.

(And spamming every social media account related to the show demanding answers is not going to get anyone what they want. In fact, it's highly likely to do the opposite and I'm not surprised people's comments have been deleted. Especially for all the tangential people - but even for John! - they're probably pretty miserable to get yet another contact about this.)

More below the cut.

First off, let me say I'm a huge fan of the show. This is probably one of the first shows in a while that I got so into so fast. It has a lot of the things I love in media all rolled into one, I would be upset if they truly did kill off Charlie Hudson, and I've been anxiously awaiting any cast news. However...

None of us are owed a single thing by any studio, producer, or actor, especially not on our timelines. I know we live in a day and age of constant news and instant gratification, but we certainly aren't owed what might currently be tentative, confidential information regarding an actor's contract. If both parties haven't signed a final agreement, then they likely cannot publicly publish any related details. Maybe they're still negotiating. Maybe John is still trying to figure out how much he can commit to for a new season. Because lemme tell ya, acting might seem glamorous, but do you know how many hours they have to put in and how physically demanding even a Hallmark movie is? Let alone Hudson & Rex where Charlie is regularly jumping off of things and fighting people? More on why this is important in point 3.

We basically have never been told the regular stars were coming back. I looked but can't find where the show announced that any of their actors were coming back for seasons 2-7. They just said the show was returning. And... that's what's happened with season 8. The promo materials thus far have been on par with every other season's promo materials. (Because I love the show, but for some reason they never really put out much until the season premiere is nearly upon us.) Did we get an announcement that Luke joined the cast? Yes. Because he's a new addition (and it's often part of the contract that they'll promote it.) Did we get an announcement that Justin, Kevin, or Mayko are coming back? No. So... maybe hold up on assuming John's not returning just because nobody has mentioned that he is. We've never gotten much early promo content, just that the show was back… so why are all of these people suddenly so sure that John's been punished by the studio for having cancer? Speaking of which…

John practically just got the all-clear from his cancer diagnosis. In late December, he posted that it was his first night out since being diagnosed. (And my heart broke at the hospital picture he included because he looked so tired and sick. His "now" picture was drastically better, but you could tell he was still recovering.) Are these fans all forgetting that the man literally almost died not even 6 months ago? I don't know if their understanding of cancer is what they've seen on a couple of pieces of media or if the cavalier way most shows (including Hudson & Rex) handle injuries, poisonings, etc most of the time has warped any sense of what actually happens when a human being is deathly ill, but... illness wrecks your body. Chemo wipes out your immune system. Fighting cancer weakens your entire system. How are people demanding he turn around and come back to an extremely physically demanding role and spend 20+ hours a day on a set for weeks? They might still be figuring out just how much John can physically do. For that matter, John's doctors might not have even cleared him yet and the studio is waiting it out or John may have just recently decided if he was well enough to come back. (Also, he has a wife and three little kids. I'm pretty sure the seriousness of them losing him was a lot to deal with. Maybe he needed time to decide if he's able to fully commit to coming back?)

John's likely still dealing with a lot with having lost Diesel. They were incredibly close. All of the interviews I've seen talk about how much they bonded (they were co-stars for 6.5 seasons!). I remember one where they talked about how they had to keep Rex off-set when they filmed scenes where Charlie was in danger or got hurt because Diesel wanted to tear people apart for touching him. So then consider that John's fighting cancer, and then Diesel gets sick and passes away - and John probably couldn't even really see him much if at all because of him also being sick. (How hard must it be to have your co-star die of the same thing you're fighting? And not even be able to grieve properly because of the sheer amount of energy you're expending just trying to stay alive yourself?) Can we show some compassion toward the guy? And not just wail about how we're being cheated of... well, anything? Like, come on, cancer should put everything into perspective!

Luke joining the cast has 0 bearing on if John's staying. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Luke was added so the show could continue having a lead detective who can fall down a well for Rex to rescue while John comes back to regular episodes slowly. Maybe they'll be partners long-term. Who knows. NONE OF US DO. That's kinda my whole point here. (And yeah, the show is called Hudson & Rex, not just Inspector Rex, but I have a feeling these fans would've still lost their minds when the original show changed their human cast multiple times.) The only thing that the show starting to film season 8 means is they have a required schedule to stick to in order to meet legal requirements with the studio. Which could also have a lot to do with why Luke was added as a series regular.

Can we all just calm down and find our thinking caps? I'm aware that might be too much to ask from the internet at large, but I'm also really tired of all the panicking fans I've seen posts from lately.

At the end of the day, this is a television show that does not actually control any of our lives, and demanding they cancel it and end everyone's jobs in a very competitive industry just because you're upset about something that may not actually be happening just feels really self-centered and unfair to me.

Maybe John's leaving after all (and if he is, I'll be sad). Maybe he's coming back eventually. But also maybe don't harass every single person related to the show and contribute to making all of them miserable just because you feel like you're owed an answer and a specific outcome?

[alicepao13]

It’s rare that I want to say something like “shut the fuck up, Sherri,” but:

Shut the fuck up, Sherri. Fans are grieving a beloved character and you’re making it all about yourself.

(Also no, this isn’t from a group, I don’t think she realized she was posting just on her own page. She’s incredibly social media clueless.)

[alicepao13]

Please participate in my research (also, if you say other, please put it in the tags/comments !)

[alicepao13]

I obviously don’t know sherri davis or anyone who works on that show, but there was always something about her that rubbed me the wrong way… I’ll obviously give her credit for her work with the dogs, but a part from that, she’s always given me weird vibes and I could never quite put my finger on why…. But her post from yesterday reeks of selfishness and entitlement, as well as ignorance towards fans reactions about all this. She’s allowed to have her opinion but so are we.

As I said, everyone is in it for themselves in that industry. And money. It's a job. I'm not faulting her for that but when she starts disrespecting people and being manipulative, that's where a line has been crossed and I'll call her or anyone out.

She's a good public speaker too, and I always take that as a warning sign, or rather I file it under "this person has the ability to manipulate". Doesn't mean that people with that ability will choose to do so, but in this case, she absolutely did it right in front of our faces. And people fell for it.

[alicepao13]

Sherri's comments and her post, all dripping with toxic-positivity btw, change nothing: the fact is John Reardon had to take a sick leave during season 7 because he got cancer. While he was fighting for his life, they replaced him with this Luke guy. That's also a fact. John survived cancer and is now healthy. They didn't bring him back . Now they are acting like he - and by extension his character Charlie Hudson- never existed. Fact, fact, fact.

No, nothing has changed for me. I will still speak out and hell no, I will not watch season 8 (unless by some miracle they do the right thing and bring John Reardon back).

#HudsonandRex #justiceforjohnreardon #JohnReardon #BringJohnReardonBack

[alicepao13]

It's crystal clear that the fans have been manipulated from the start by the production, and Sherri Davis is part of that production and she's doing the same thing to the fans. Why are some people now thinking, "Oh, what if she's right about this"? She's clearly with them out of self-interest, you can't twist that around. She doesn't care what show she'll make, just like them. She wants us quiet and happily watching whatever garbage they'll make. How has anything changed since two days ago? I'd love an answer. Because if someone smarter than me has already figured it out, maybe I, too, don't need to concern myself with all this any longer. << you’re to right about this. But it’s hard when people are trying to gaslight you (I know people throw that word around, but in this case, it is what’s happening here).

But this is apparently the tactic they’re working with… it’s just utterly disgusting. And it’s clear that fans are the only people who actually care about the show and the characters and the stories that have been told for six seasons, everyone involved just wants to make a profit.

you’re to right about this. But it’s hard when people are trying to gaslight you (I know people throw that word around, but in this case, it is what’s happening here).

Yeah, it's gaslighting, you're right. I often use other words, but gaslighting is also correct.

But this is apparently the tactic they’re working with… it’s just utterly disgusting. And it’s clear that fans are the only people who actually care about the show and the characters and the stories that have been told for six seasons, everyone involved just wants to make a profit.

I mean, I understand that tv shows were made for profit. Don't get me wrong. But that cannot excuse every bad action or behavior. They shouldn't make profit off of other people's hard work and then highlight their own hard work as if they're the only ones who worked for several years. And for gods sake, that show was about something very specific. It's as if all these years they were all about selling peaches and now they're suddenly trying to sell me grapefruit. And it sucks and is tasteless too. And when I try to complain about it they say "it's still fruit, don't be rude".

Is it my own fault for not moving on the minute I realized what they were doing? Maybe. But I'll just see it through, I've never quit while my side has the momentum. And I do believe it's the right thing to do as well, but as I said, I liked this show. It was a product I enjoyed and I was willing to put my money into it too. Money they now seem to want to get just because, what? Because it's still titled Hudson and Rex? That's the definition of a scam, wrapped up in emotionally manipulative language.

[alicepao13]

I’m starting to believe that something really bad must’ve happened for them to do this…. I mean this show is in its 8 season, you don’t make this kind of change unless something bad happened. Or was it all decided during the unfair and unfortunate circumstances during the production of season 7? With the loss of Diesel and John’s cancer battle?

Okay, first of all, everyone needs to stop thinking about sets as if they're this haven of support and creativity. They're not. They're places of business, and like places of business employing a lot of people, there can often be friction.

Having said that, I've not started to believe that something really bad must have happened. You want to believe Sherri Davis' side? That's your prerogative. But she also didn't say anything that we didn't know, she didn't give out any proof, and the only thing that's come out of this is that it seems she pushed her own people (or they did it themselves out of loyalty and fear for their job?) to make that Reddit post.

To me, it's a power struggle. She found the opportunity with John Reardon being away to show the production that she's more important. She worked her ass off (which is why she keeps talking about hard work, she doesn't mean S8 that's only filmed 2 or 3 episodes) to prove to them that Diesel's death did not affect her and that she could do the show without John Reardon with the rest of the actors. And then, when the productions started getting anxious about when John Reardon would come back, she was more than glad to "accept" an alternative, if she didn't propose it herself. She definitely has more power now on set with Luke Roberts instead of John Reardon, as I explained in another post (the executive producers part).

People like Sherri Davis are everywhere and are looking for every opportunity to make more money, stay in a job for longer, whatever. Now, however, no one wants to take responsibility for the fact that they're making a show that turns out no one wants to watch. They're trying to pin it on the one person who isn't there, and that as I said, is scapegoating. For anything else, I wrote quite a bit about this in my post: https://www.tumblr.com/alicepao13/785503444939227136/yeah-im-not-taking-this-well-anymore-to

Also, if I can make a plea: Everything we're about to hear (which may not be much because there are such things as NDAs) will come out of mouths of people heavily invested in presenting their own side of the story to influence the audience and convince us to watch Hudson and Rex again. Do not fall for it. They are finally feeling like they're in the court of public opinion. (Only now. Hilarious.)

PS: Kinda hard for a person with cancer to find the time to start a feud all of a sudden when he's not even on set, don't you think? So, if we were to assume that they had "bad blood" before that, then she truly took the opportunity to pretty much push him out. It's one way or the other, can't have it both ways.

[alicepao13]

Also, why is Sherri Davis spewing things out on her fb page left and right (it seems, I’ve only seen a few screenshots), wouldn’t she be under NDA’s too?

At this point, I just want answers, someone be tell me the reason for all this, no bullshit, just the truth, although we wouldn’t know if it was the truth, even if someone said anything, because the most likely scenario is they’d twist it to their own advantage...

I’m just so emotionally exhausted about all of this.

Yes, she's under an NDA just like everyone on that set. As I said before, they let her get away with stuff. And this is not the first time. People on that set have been fired for less. It's clear that she has very good relations with the production. And that's important when it comes to that sort of stuff.

At this point, I just want answers, someone be tell me the reason for all this, no bullshit, just the truth, although we wouldn’t know if it was the truth, even if someone said anything, because the most likely scenario is they’d twist it to their own advantage…

Everyone is motivated by something selfish, there's no chance you'll find out the full truth. This concept doesn't exist, and we all need to make our peace with that. But I trust less the people who come out after a big backlash to try to pin everything on someone else. That's pure scapegoating.

I’m just so emotionally exhausted about all of this.

I hear you.