A League of Their Own Renewed at Prime Video for Insulting Four-Episode Final Season

I guess it’s better than nothing, right?

By Anna Govert  |  March 14, 2023 | 3:29pm
Photo Courtesy of Prime Video
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A League of Their Own Renewed at Prime Video for Insulting Four-Episode Final Season
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The Rockford Peaches are getting one last at-bat, according to The Hollywood Reporter: Prime Video has renewed the celebrated series from Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham for a second and final season. Though there is one catch—Season 2 will only have four episodes. 

In some ways, this renewal is a win, especially for sapphic representation on screen. In the past year, countess sapphic shows have been canceled and left open-ended, ranging from beloved CW hits like Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman to numerous Netflix titles like Warrior Nun and First Kill, with even Prime Video itself adding to the sapphic show graveyard with a headstone for The Wilds last summer. So for A League of Their Own—a critically acclaimed series in its own right and dubbed by Paste as the best queer show of last year—to be renewed is, undoubtedly, a good thing. However, the truncated final season still feels like a clear slap in the face to queer audiences, especially for the endlessly dedicated fanbase A League of Their Own has amassed since its premiere in August of last year. 

If anything, A League of Their Own’s consolation renewal is proof that even our best isn’t good enough when it comes to queer shows and their survival odds. Boasting a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, the series has been nominated for various GLAAD, NAACP Image, and Independent Spirit Awards, and the series’ devoted fanbase has been loud and proud on social media since the show’s release. With other sapphic shows, excuses can be made—it got poor reviews or the viewership wasn’t there—but A League of Their Own’s excellence and success both with critics and audiences should have allowed it to become the sapphic show that thrived. But instead, here we are again, taking another block of slate to be engraved for the sprawling graveyard of queer series—this time with A League of Their Own’s name on it. 

As we swiftly exit the age in which streaming allowed so many new voices to be heard and new identities to be represented on screen, it has become more and more clear that the tightening of the purse strings of these streamers will always lead to minority representation and inclusive shows getting the ax ahead of its straighter and whiter peers. 

Though, even with all the mixed emotions that come with this announcement, the overwhelming joy of seeing the stories of Carson (Jacobson) and Max (Chanté Adams) in particular come to a true conclusion still shines through. After all, something is better than nothing, and it is ultimately refreshing to see a streamer take its audience and optics into consideration like Prime Video has with this show—unlike Netflix, who has seemingly uncaringly embraced its reputation as a notorious canceler of sapphic shows. Whatever the reason for the renewal and the amount of episodes going into this final season of A League of Their Own, we can only hope that the series will get its due on its way out, even if it deserved so much more. 

Anna Govert is an entertainment writer based in middle-of-nowhere Indiana. For any and all thoughts about TV, film, and the wonderful insanity of Riverdale, you can follow her @annagovert.

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.

 
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