If you’re hoping for more episodes of A League of Their Own, now is the time to make some noise. The series, which debuted on Amazon Prime in 2022, is based on Penny Marshall’s classic 1992 film and the real events that inspired it. If Marshall’s classic is the pitcher, then Abbi Jacobson is the ball, and her series is a home run, IMHO. So what happened? On March 14, 2023 The Hollywood Reporter reported that Amazon had renewed A League of Their Own for a shortened—and final—second season consisting of four episodes. What?!
According to co-creator Will Graham on Twitter, the THR report was a leak and not 100 percent set in stone. Good—because if this ends up being the case, it’s a little insulting. Sure, it’s nice that the show will be able to end on its own terms story-wise … but half a season sucks! Somehow, a series finale special would feel kinder to fans and more in the spirit of the show than a truncated season 2. I haven’t seen seasons this short since Sherlock. The first season of ALOTO had eight episodes, and the second should have at least that or it’s not a season at all. I would maybe accept six as a compromise.
The show is important in the many, varied ways it represents queer and trans narratives on screen. (How weird does it feel to see blockbusters pat themselves on the back for same-sex hand-holding and cheek kisses while complicated LGBTQ+ narratives are happening on television?) There’s no one way to be gay in A League of Their Own. Not only does it make the show more relatable, but it also releases them from a huge burden of representation. The women on the show can be as wholesome or nasty, shy or confident, and complicated as any other character. They do not singularly represent an entire group of people.
But it’s also important from a historical perspective
There are many period movies about lesbians, including Carol and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, to name a couple recent examples. But those characters are the exceptions; the other, the hidden and forbidden love. As compelling a dramatic premise as that may be, A League of Their Own showed a wider spectrum of what it was like to walk the world as a queer person decades ago. Gay bars existed before the 1980s. People were trans and nonbinary before the 2010s. There was a queer community; not just isolated love stories and lonely identity crises. You know this stuff won’t be taught in schools. So if a comedy series can bring this history into our living rooms, we have to let it!
Why does this keep happening?
It’s not the first time that a series with central queer storylines has struggled to secure a second season in recent history, either. While AMC’s Interview With the Vampire did get that sweet renewal ahead of the first season premiere, HBO dragged its feet before finally renewing Our Flag Means Death, but canceled shows like Gentleman Jack and Minx. I haven’t done a scientific study, but it does seem like shows with wlw storylines still have a harder time compared to shows about gay men.
Yellowjackets is thriving on Showtime, but the network canceled Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany’s Work in Progress after two seasons. Disney+ canceled Willow. Amazon also canceled Paper Girls and The Wilds. Netflix renewed Heartstopper but canceled 1899, Warrior Nun, and First Kill. I can just tell that Sex Education is about to end, even though that hasn’t been announced … I can feel it in my bones! Don’t get me started on The CW’s Batwoman. Can a lady in Gotham catch a break or what?! Nobody let HBO know what the Harley Quinn animated series is up to … maybe they haven’t noticed yet. And this was just within the past year (and TBH, there’s more).
(featured image: Prime Video)
