Amazon removes a league of their own from its textual composition.
The retail giant and Streamer have reversed course and canceled the queer-themed 1992 Penny Marshall reboot after previously renewing the series for a second and final four-episode season. Sources say Sony Pictures Television, which is producing the show, plans to shop league Hopefully, the series can find a new home for a second season. Scripts were completed for all four episodes for what was to be the series finale before the Writers Guild of America went on strike on May 2.
The decision to cancel the series from co-creators/showrunners Will Graham and Abbey Jacobson (who also starred) comes as the first of Hollywood’s double hits since the 1960s that brought production to a halt. Graham and Jacobson struggled to get the series for a second season as Amazon and producers Sony Pictures Television negotiated lower licensing fees for the show. Writing and pre-production of a four-episode limited series began in the spring and derailed as the writers and performers sought fair wages from the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance.
Amazon representatives noted that the strikes would have delayed the series’ arrival — along with not renewing it, either surround – until 2025, when the subscription platform already has a large slate of originals.
In the works since early 2018, Graham Jacobson (Broad City) for a more recent lovable 1992 Penny Marshall feature film that starred Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, and Tom Hanks. Graham and Jacobson received Marshall’s blessing for their updated take before her death. The duo also enlisted several former AAGPBL members to serve as advisors — including the legendary Maybelle Blair, who at age 95 came out as gay during the show’s press tour.
Starring Jacobson, Darcy Carradine, Shante Adams, Melanie Field, and Kate Berlant, the series is built on blink-and-you’ll-miss nods to the sexism and racism that were briefly featured in the movie Marshall. In addition to featuring the stories of gay players from the league, Amazon’s newspaper also examined the plight of black women who were not allowed into the league and were part of another group of teams that traveled the country.
The eight-episode first season bowed out at once in August to positive reviews; It currently has a 94 percent rating among critics and an 87 percent with viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The show has also received recognition from GLAAD (Outstanding New TV Series), Independent Spirit Awards (for supporting actress Gbemisola Ikumelo) and NAACP Image Awards (Costume Design). She has also been honored by the Critics’ Choice Association, receiving the Women’s Committee Seal for the Empowerment of Women in Entertainment, the National Vision Award from the Human Rights Campaign, and the Voice and Visibility Award from the National Council for Larza.
like THR Reported earlier this year, several streamer insiders said its reliance on testing and data led to a clash last summer between Graham and marketing executives after data showed audiences found league’Individual queer stories and suggested downplaying those themes in materials promoting the show. Graham has expressed concern about the bias built into Amazon’s show-rating system, which multiple sources said often ranks broadband series featuring straight white men above all others. According to the report, Amazon took the issue seriously and abandoned the system for ranking shows based on audience scores.
