A League Of Their Own co-creator tells LGBTQ+ fans ‘you are the main characters’ after cancellation
A League of Their Own co-creator Will Graham (L) issues powerful statement for devastated LGBTQ+ fans. (Getty/Prime Video)
The co-creator of A League of Their Own, Will Graham, has joined a growing number of voices opposing Amazon Prime’s decision to cancel the second season of the LGBTQ+ series.
Last week, Prime announced they had reversed their renewal of the popular baseball-related show for a four-episode second (and final) season because of the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
As the devoted fan base fights to save the show, star and co-creator Abbi Jacobson described the excuse as “bulls**t” and “cowardly”.
Now, executive producer Graham has released his own statement, in which he thanked fans for their support, confirmed plans to find a new home for the series and highlighted its importance in the current climate.
Writing on social media on Wednesday (23 August), Graham said he saw everyone’s “pain and worry”, especially in light of the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment “across the country right now”.
He told fans to take care and be kind to themselves and reminded them they are not alone, before speaking about efforts to save the show.
“Of course, if we have an avenue to do it well, we will continue the show, and I love seeing the noise you’re making in support of that. The noise matters,” Graham wrote, referring to the #SaveALOTO campaign.
A League of their Own – based on the hit 1992 film that starred Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, Geena Davis and Tom Hanks – follows all-women’s baseball teams in America during the Second World War. At the heart of the show is an LGBTQ+ ensemble cast, with stories about sapphic love and found family, as well as offering touching trans representation.
“It’s hard for me to imagine there wouldn’t be a home for a show that, thanks to you, was in the Nielsen Top 10 [which shows what viewers in the US are watching] for three weeks, was the top show on Amazon for a month and in the top five or six recognised by critics as something special,” Graham continued.
Most notably, the series won the GLAAD Media award for outstanding new television series, as well as other accolades, such as the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) national visibility award.
“In a time when all queer people are personally and politically under attack across the country, and HRC has declared a ‘state of emergency,’ my biggest fear is that many queer fans will take this reversal as one more invalidation, one more blow, one more… effect of the general politicisation of our identities,” Graham went on to say.
“Most of us grew up feeling invisible, and, as we gain strength, the predictable backlash forces are trying their hardest to get us to go back underground.”
He also took the opportunity to hit back at the claim pushed by some media giants that LGBTQ+ stories are niche and only find a “modest” audience.
“In case anyone needs to hear it: you are not small, niche, modest, off-putting or marginal, and neither are your stories. You are multitudes, you are building and your stories are universal. You are the most rapidly growing audience and consumer group in this country.
“You are powerful. You are the future, and the people who don’t recognise your importance now will be clamouring to catch up in a few years.”
Graham pointed to the “built-in and deeply passionate audience”, adding: “This show is a hit and has huge value and even greater potential.” He stressed, however, that the Hollywood strikes must be won before they can think about the next steps for A League of Their Own.
The future of the series aside, Graham lauded the fans for their tireless support and finding themselves through the show.
“You came out, you changed pronouns, you started living more openly, you gave sermons in church about the show, you opened bars,” he wrote.
“But, most importantly, you made a community, you found [one another] and found joy, which of course is what the show is about. In many more ways than I would ever have let myself imagine while we were making it, you bring the show to life every day.”
He concluded the heartfelt message by thanking fans for reminding him “every day why the fight is worth fighting”.
A League of Their Own joins other LGBTQ+-themed shows cancelled this year, including Willow, 1899, Vampire Academy and The L Word: Generation Q. Netflix also axed Warrior Nun but news of a follow-up film trilogy has since been announced.
A League of Their Own season one is available to stream on Prime Video now.
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