A League of Their Own showrunner Will Graham addressed the Amazon Prime Video series’ shock cancellation on Wednesday.
They made a statement after it was revealed on Friday that the series’ second season renewal was reversed and the show would be cancelled.
In a lengthy and passionate message shared to Twitter, Graham — who changed their pronouns after working on the show last year — thanked fans for their strength and support.
They also revealed to fans the steps they are taking next and that they are shopping around the series in an effort to keep the show going.
They stated that they and his co-creator and star of the series, Abbi Jacobson, would continue fighting for the show.
Making their statement: A League of Their Own’s showrunner, Will Graham, opened up about the series’ unexpected cancellation on Wednesday
‘If we have an avenue to do it well, we will continue the show,’ they asserted in their statement.
Graham also attributed much of what was happening to the show to the state of the world for the LGBTQIA+ community today.
‘In a time when all queer people are personally and politically under attack across the country and [Human Rights Campaign] has declared a ‘state of emergency,’ my biggest fear is that the many queer fans of League will take this reversal as one more invalidation, one more blow, one more effect of the general politicization of our identities,’ they wrote.
‘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,’ they continued.
In the same statement, they stated that they would continue fighting for the show as much as possible.
‘It’s hard for me to imagine there wouldn’t be a home for a show,’ they said before naming the popularity and achievements the show had accomplished with just its debut season.
‘If we have an avenue to do it well, we will continue the show,’ they continued. ‘If we don’t find a good path forward, I will still know that League did what it came here to do and, in its own small way, changed the world.’
Then, they continued to thank all of their fans and viewers for supporting and watching the show as well as their team.
To their fans: In a lengthy and passionate message shared to Twitter, Graham — who changed their pronouns after working on the show last year — thanked fans for their strength and support
Speaking up about injustice: Graham also attributed much of what was happening to the show to the state of the world for the LGBTQIA+ community today
‘Right now especially, I wish I could make it less hard for all of us, on so many levels,’ they began.
‘To the amazing community that made this show and the equally amazing one that lifts it up in the world every day, I’ll just say this: You’ve taken the hard and made it something great.
‘From the bottom of my heart, thank you,’ they added. ‘You remind me every day why the fight is worth the fighting. To the five.’
Last week, Deadline confirmed that Amazon Prime Video would not be going ahead with the second and final season of the show despite their initial plan to create a four-episode limited series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, representatives for Amazon explained that the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike — which began on May 2 — would delay the release date of the second season to 2025.
(Scripts for each of the four episodes were finished before the strike began earlier this year.)
The producers of the series and studio execs at Sony Pictures Television were previously entangled in a months-long negotiation to get the show picked up for a second season.
In their post, Graham explained that the WGA needed to ‘get a fair deal’ before they could ‘explore what comes next’ for the show, which explored queer and Black themes and is a rendition on the 1992 original film.
Jacobson also shared her own brief statement with an Instagram post over the weekend when the news was revealed.
Staying strong: They also revealed to fans the steps they are taking next and that they are shopping around the series in an effort to keep the show going
Co-creators: They stated that they and his co-creator and star of the series, Abbi Jacobson, ‘are still fighting for League.’
Disappointed in the decision: Jacobson also shared her own brief statement with an Instagram post over the weekend when the news was revealed. The Broad City star continued to express her disappointment in the decision to scrap the show. She also shunned the reason that the studio decided not to continue with the show
‘What luck I have had to get to tell these stories and play this character I love so much. What a rare thing in life,’ she began. ‘And I am so sad today.’
The Broad City star continued to express her disappointment in the decision to scrap the show.
She also shunned the ‘cowardly’ reason that the studio decided not to continue with the show.
‘To blame this cancellation on the strike, (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections and working conditions, etc…) is bulls*** and cowardly,’ she added.
‘But this post isn’t about all that,’ the comedian continued. ‘About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer. Not today.’
‘This post here is about the special show I was lucky to make with so many incredibly talented artists and actors and writers and crew,’ she said. ‘A show I’m so proud of.’
‘Filled to the brim with stories worth telling,’ she added before thanking their supporters. ‘Full of so much heart and soul and value.’
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