dispatch from the lesbian tv show graveyard

and something about women kissing on stage (+ this month's playlist)

Welcome to this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet, a mid-week news roundup from Paging Dr. Lesbian, exclusively for paid subscribers. To read the full dispatch, upgrade your subscription. I’ve included an excerpt here because of this week’s breaking news.

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Another one bites the dust. This week we received the news that the Amazon Prime series A League of Their Own has been canceled after one season, despite having already been renewed for a second (and final) season in April. Deadline reported that the cancellation was likely related to the strikes, but this explanation doesn’t sit right with many. Creator and star Abbi Jacobson wrote on Instagram: “To blame this cancellation on the strike, (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections and working conditions, etc…) is bullshit and cowardly.” (Her girlfriend, the brilliant actor Jodi Balfour, wrote “due to the strikes?” LOL truly fuck the studios/streamers .”) It’s also been reported that all the scripts were completed prior to the strikes, so this explanation doesn’t hold much water. While disheartening, this news is not surprising, especially considering the exposé from earlier this year which revealed that Amazon execs wanted to downplay the show’s queer elements from the start.

While fans have been bemoaning the loss of their favorite show and the loss of queer representation, that’s not the only issue at hand. This is also a labor issue. League employed many queer and POC people in front of and behind the camera, and these folks are now without income and in many cases health insurance. Moreover, the cancelation sends a message to the striking workers, especially the most precarious among them, that they have no power within the current production system. In a way, the cancellation is because of the strike, just not in the way it’s being reported. It’s not a matter of the show being delayed due to labor issues, but rather a means of punishment for those working to stand up to the bosses. On the other hand, punitive decisions like these from the studios may further inspire striking workers to hold their ground. The fight is far from over.