Netflix’s “The Ultimatum: Queer Love” Trailer Is Here and the Lesbians Are Ready to Be Extra
Netflix’s habit of creating heterosexual dating shows based on lesbian cultural practices is storied and deep, and nobody is more thrilled than we are that they are finally embracing the true audience for over-dramatic, over-emotional, interconnected, commitment-chasing dating shows with the launch of The Ultimatum: Queer Love. Featuring a cast of queer couples — all lesbian or bisexual women or non-binary people — and debuting May 24th, we simply cannot wait to feast our eyes upon this inevitable drama! They’re giving Ultimatum to the lesbians bless us everyone!
The Ultimatum: Queer Love Trailer
Who Is Hosting and Who’s in the Cast of ”The Ultimatum: Queer Love”?
Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
The show is hosted by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, an actress best known for her roles in Are You Afraid of the Dark, Freaks and Geeks, and Reba. She is married to basketball player Nick Swisher. She is not gay and, according to Wikipedia, she is a “devout Catholic.” It is very confusing why she is the host of this program. One could argue it makes absolutely no sense at all.
The participants in The Ultimatum: Queer Love are Vanessa Papa, Aussie Chau, Mildred Woody, Yoly Rojas, Mal Wright, Raelyn Cheung-Sutton, Tiff Der, Xander Boger, Lexi Goldberg and Sam Mark.
What is “The Ultimatum”?
Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
The first season of The Ultimatum followed a handful of humans in their very early twenties who’d been dating their partners for 1-2 years and were allegedly ready to issue their partners astounding ultimatums: marry me or it’s over!!!!! To test the strength of their love, members of each couple were allowed to date other people participating in this experiment and then they all came back together to ask “where do we go from here?”
This is a great format for the queer community because we love to make premature commitments as prematurely as possible. Also as a people we tend to be dramatic, hot and unhinged, and that is reality television gold!
Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
The Ultimatum: Queer Love trailer was initially supposed to debut at the end of tonight’s also hotly anticipated LIVE Love is Blind reunion that Netflix had us OUT HERE WAITING FOR LIKE A BUNCH OF FOOLS but as anybody who is intimately familiar with the Netflix error screen can tell you, that is not how it went down.
Anyhow, luckily they still got this trailer up so that’s one point for Netflix on Sunday April 16th, although I am unclear if they will ever rebound from the ten million points they lost for the Love is Blind Reunion debacle.
When is The Ultimatum: Queer Love Coming Out?
Courtesy of Netflix © 2023
May 24th only on Netflix! The episodes will be released as follows:
-
Week 1(Wednesday, May 24th): Episodes 1-4
-
Week 2 (Wednesday, May 31st): Episodes 5-8
-
Week 3 (Wednesday, June 7th): Episodes 9-10
“A League of Their Own” Officially Ending With Four Final Episodes
Update: Despite the success of A League of Their Own by all knowable metrics, and the #MoreThanFour campaign, Prime Video announced yesterday that the series will officially end after four final episodes.
Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon and MGM Studios, said in a press release: “We’re deeply proud of the work that Abbi, Will, the cast, and crew have done reimagining A League of Their Own which has produced an incredibly loyal fan base as well as achieved numerous, well-deserved recognitions and accolades. After hearing what Abbi, Will, and the writing team have planned for the new story within this wonderful series, we are excited for our fans to see what comes next.”
Below is our original post from March 14th, when The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news, which was contradicted by co-creator Will Graham and which launched the fan campaign to save the series.
Well, a whisper of the news we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived today — and it’s not great, bob: Amazon Prime Video has renewed A League of Their Own… for a paltry four final episodes. Lesley Goldberg broke the story at The Hollywood Reporter this afternoon, noting that the announcement follows “months of renegotiations with Sony to lower the show’s licensing fee and after the cast had to sign new deals given the order is for half the episodes that were featured in season one.”
I don’t mind telling you that this news has broken the hearts of our entire team here at Autostraddle. Over the last several years, we’ve watched networks and streamers cut down gay show after gay show, with impotent excuses, but this is, by far, the most egregious cancellation. We are at a boiling point, in the United States, with anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, and not only do we know for a fact that positive representations of LGBTQ+ people open real-life hearts and minds, we also know what a huge difference nuanced, relatable stories about LGBTQ+ people mean to the community itself. Sometimes stories are the only safe place we have to land. (There’s no place like home, you know?) A League of Their Own was a triumph of actually diverse — not just the buzzword — queer storytelling, highlighting Black women, Latine women, fat women, and trans and gender nonconforming characters.
It also doesn’t make a lick of fiscal sense. Look at this chart co-creator Will Graham shared about the series’ ratings just this week:
Fascinating to see #ALeagueOfTheirOwn having highest week of online engagement 7 months after release, with no new push from @PrimeVideo. It's beautiful to see new people who continue to find the show. People should be paying attention, this isn't normal. pic.twitter.com/hop9siqHiC
— Will Graham (@WillWGraham) March 12, 2023
A League of Their Own has an astronomical 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating. It brought home trophies from the Independent Spirit Awards, GLAAD, HRC, the NAACP Image Awards, and was a Critics Choice darling. And there’s absolutely no way it cost as much to make as some of Amazon’s other shows, most of which, by the way, received WAY more support and advertising from the streamer. Also it’s AMAZON; they have more money than god.
Will Graham tweeted this after The Hollywood Reporter’s article went up.
Just to answer the questions: The stuff that came out today is a leak and it isn't official, which is why we aren't saying anything. So if you want to see more episodes or more seasons of this show, now is your moment. People are listening.
— Will Graham (@WillWGraham) March 14, 2023
We’ll absolutely be there to cheer on our faves in their final four episodes, if that’s all they really have left — but wow, way to whiff an easy home run, Prime Video.
Is Jodie Foster Giving ‘Lesbian Body Heat to Stay Alive’ in “True Detective” Trailer?
How long has it been since Jodie Foster was on our TVs? Too long, friends. Too long. But fear not! — for she has returned in full force in the trailer for HBO’s True Detective: Night Country! She monologues with that voice. She swears. She wears a bunch of layers and tromps around in the snow. She says riddles (again, with that voice). Her name is Liz. She gets real close, face-wise, with her nemesis(?). They stomp some more in the snow. They glare. They snap at each other. They step closer. They glare harder. THEY CUDDLE CLOSE IN THE FROZEN NIGHT USING ONLY THEIR BODY HEAT TO KEEP EACH OTHER ALIVE. The all-time greatest trope in history. See for yourself.
I know, I know, all the other sites are talking about grit and horror and whatever, but that’s why you’re reading Autostraddle dot com — because you want someone to scrub through these trailers frame-by-frame and uncover the sapphic secrets hidden within. If you didn’t catch it, I got ya:
Anyway, I can’t even tell you what the real plot of this thing will be. Looks like maybe a monster or a cult is snatching up Alaskans in the dark and leaving their shoes behind? And also perhaps it could be one of the other “kind of people who come to Alaska” who is doing the snatching. Such as: serial killers? Someone from the The Assassin Brotherhood? Either way, Jodie is PISSED and decides that taking herself into the Alaskan wilds in the middle of the night is a smart idea. (That’s not even a good idea when there’s not a body-grabbing monster in your midst!) All I know is my Gay TV Senses are tingling!
Showtime Removes Generation Q From Platform, Thus Deeply Wounding Our Community
Even though we complained about it all the time, we were devastated as a community to learn that iconic television conglomerate Paramount+ With Showtime had cancelled Generation Q after three seasons. This week, a second blow has been dealt to our community: they’ve also removed it from Showtime altogether. Those wishing to view it through their Showtime / Prime Video subscription will be invited to buy the series for $1.99 – $2.99 per episode. Or you could purchase the season on DVD, thus paying $3-$5 an episode.
https://twitter.com/sho_help/status/1643071870160326656
Other queer-inclusive programs missing from Showtime as of last week include Work in Progress, Masters of Sex, The First Lady and Black Monday.
In January, it was announced that the world would be permanently deprived of access to the one-season Showtime production On Becoming a God in Central Florida, which Showtime had initially renewed but then retroactively cancelled due to pandemic filming struggles. Also ditched at that time were American Gigolo, American Rust, Let the Right One In and the Jim Carrey vehicle Kidding.
Before HBO Max began removing shows from its platform last year, I didn’t know it was a thing that could be done — a network removing a show it created from its streaming catalog. But, apparently, even without the need to renew a license or pay directly for the privilege to stream a specific program created by a third party, there’s still money to be saved by cutting a cancelled show. These cuts save the network from having to pay out residuals to the show’s principal performers, directors, unit production managers, first and second assistant directors and credited writers.
This is a new practice, put into play last year in response to profit-pressure on streaming networks, often inspired by mergers and acquisitions. It took the entire industry by surprise, as relayed to Marketplace by Hollywood journalist Matt Belloni in February: “the creative community is in a state of dumbfoundedness. I think they’re saying, ‘Wait a second, my show can just disappear?’”
It’s also alarming considering the overall rise in queer-focused series getting axed after 1-3 brief seasons. Shows with only a handful of episodes that end without an intentional finale are less appealing to binge watchers, who often wait until a show has finished its entire run to start watching, and aren’t interested in shows that end without an intentional finale. (Generation Q’s cliffhanger for Tess was particularly brutal in this regard.) I wouldn’t be surprised if we see even more short-lived series vanishing from our fave streamers due to lack of popularity. HBO Max, following the merger of Warner Media and Discovery last year, de-platformed the extremely great and very queer high school drama genera+ion, as well as 12 Dates of Christmas, a reality dating show that had a lesbian contestant in its second season. Genera+ion has since been sold to Tubi, thank G-d, but you literally cannot watch 12 Dates of Christmas anywhere, ever. A tragedy!
This is also bad news for the queer actors, writers, and directors who worked on Generation Q, who now can only earn residuals when people buy the show. Reports are mixed regarding how much writers are actually making from residuals, but in the face of strike-worthy pay conditions and shorter seasons, probably every dollar counts for the kinds of young, queer writers who were often brought in to work on Generation Q.
The original L Word remains on Showtime for your personal entertainment.
Bravo Dyke Reacts to the Vanderpump Rules Midseason Trailer
As far as my gay ass is concerned, the only two appointment television shows for the foreseeable future are Yellowjackets and Vanderpump Rules. The latter released its midseason trailer yesterday, and after dissecting it with multiple group chats, watching it approximately 35 times, and huddling with my fiancé to discuss, I am now here to perform my duties as our resident Bravo Dyke. The midseason trailer is a work of art, full stop, and just a glimpse of the melodrama that’s about to shatter this friend group, who are decidedly not in the best days of their lives atm, despite what the theme song might claim.
A couple weeks ago, I broke down “Scandoval,” the brilliant nickname given to the ongoing affair drama between Tom Sandoval, his longtime partner and bisexual icon Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss. Long story short: Sandoval and Raquel have been having an affair. The second this came to light, the cameras were rolling. We’re going to watch this play out in real-time, which is reality gold. The past two episodes of Vanderpump Rules were shot, edited, and finalized before the scandal came out and were not altered after the fact. But moving forward with the season, we’re going to get the affair and its aftermath. The filming crew, producers, and editors have basically reworked whatever was originally going to be the back half of season 10 to now focus on the Scandoval. Give them Emmys, give them Pulitzers, give them Nobel Peace Prizes.
Just take a look at the trailer. As my Bravo Dyke Colleague Christina Tucker puts it: “This is A24.”
The #PumpRules midseason trailer is here! pic.twitter.com/flcCTqi8eS
— Queens of Bravo (@queensofbravo) March 20, 2023
Just like the Yellowjackets season two trailer, there is a lot to unpack here! Sure, maybe no one is getting eaten, but we do have Katie Maloney saying she wants to “light the both on fucking fire” (presumably talking about Sandoval and Raquel). I have no doubts she wouldn’t hunt them down, Yellowjackets-style.
We also get a glimpse of who I assume is Katie’s much younger post-divorce actor boy toy. We see Raquel make out with TOM SCHWARTZ, who is the Tom we assumed she’d be getting with this season when really he is a Decoy Tom meant to distract from the indiscretions of Tom Sandoval. It is unclear how long Schwartz knew about the affair between his bestie and Raquel, especially because the cast seems to be under a gag order by production until the season’s over — even Investigative Journalist Andy Cohen hasn’t been able to get many explicit answers out of them on Watch What Happens Live. We also get Ariana swimming naked in a pool, which seems kind of rude for the editors to include when it’s just an innocent moment of fun between her and her gay guy friend. Even though it’s just a quick moment, depicting her as promiscuous or like there was an open relationship when there wasn’t has a whiff of biphobia to it!
We also get some of the first interactions between Ariana and Sandoval immediately following the affair’s surfacing. Sandoval seems to be playing some sort of “we only had sex four times a year” card. You know what you can do when you’re unhappy in a relationship, bud? BREAK UP! But people stay thinking cheating is the easier route.
And now, some pertinent annotations of the Vanderpump Rules midseason trailer, which somehow devolves into Vanderpump Hats.
you know what I like to drink when my life implodes after bad choices I’ve made? Diet Squirt
a dispatch from colleague Christina: “incredible to include a shot of Lisa crying, Mommy is disappointed and y’all better fix it!!!!”
“I just wish you would compliment my hats more”
“YOUR HATS ARE STUPID”
“I like my hats like I like my men: secondhand”
“is anyone gonna say something about MY hat?”
“YOUR HAT’S BAD TOO”
With soap operatic flair, the Vanderpump Rules midseason trailer ends with melodramatic music playing under Sandoval asking Ariana if she wants anything and her responding, calmly: “for you to die.” Chills!
Now, can someone please convince other folks on the Autostraddle senior team to start watching the show so I do not feel so alone in our virtual office!!!! I simply need someone to water cooler chat with this about!!!
Yellowjackets Season 2 Trailer Teases Taissa/Van Reunion
After blessing us with a brief teaser trailer back in January, Showtime finally delivers a full-length Yellowjackets season 2 trailer, and it has everything: teen girls running in the woods with weapons, Adult Shauna maybe confessing to murder to her teen daughter, so many characters just absolutely screaming at the top of their lungs, a reunion between Taissa and Van, and a gorgeously haunting cover of “Just a Girl” by Florence + The Machine that I shall have on 🔂 for the foreseeable future.
“Once upon a time,” Teen Van says in the cabin at the top of the trailer. “There was a place called the wilderness. It was beautiful, but it was also violent, and misunderstood. And it waited and waited to befriend whoever arrived.”
That does not sound like a very relaxing bedtime story, Van!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krFohHX8WeU
We get a little more by way of dialogue and story in this trailer than in the teaser (which was really just like ~cult vibes~). We’ve got Adult Lottie saying she feels they brought the wilderness back with them, Adult Misty providing some exposition as to what Lottie has been up to in the in-between years (apparently, she was in a mental institution in Switzerland), and an investigation into the death of Adam. I’m worried for literally everyone!
Importantly, this trailer finally FINALLY gives us a glimpse at Adult Taissa and Adult Van in the same shot as each other, and it looks like a very emotional reunion! Van cradles Taissa, and though it’s just a snapshot, there’s so much intimacy and history in that body language.
Another moment in the trailer teases that we’ll see some of the immediate aftermath of the girls getting out of the woods in this season. We see a gaggle of reporters shouting questions at the team as they emerge out of a building in hoodies and hats. Teen Misty, of course, looks very interested in the press’s attention.
The trailer perfectly evokes the mix of drama, humor, and horror that makes the series crackle. We’ve got a very hilarious line reading by Melanie Lynskey as Adult Shauna with her daughter. We’ve got quick snapshots of violence, the trailer’s tension slicing and alive. We’ve also got some scary ass Adult Taissa shit involving creepy mirror stuff, which I’m always a sucker for — Black Swan vibes! It’s an action-packed, immersive trailer that also highlights just how much of an ensemble show this is.
The visual that stands out the most for me is the one below, in which it looks like the girls are carrying a human body the same way one might a dead animal. Is it Jackie? Someone else? Are they carrying her to be buried or to be barbecued?
“We hear the wilderness, and it hears us,” the girls chant in the trailer. Teen Van also muses that she thinks things are going to get a whole lot worse in the woods. I think that’s safe to assume!
And here’s a series of images that perfectly encapsulates my experience of watching this trailer:
Check out everything we know about Yellowjackets season 2, including lots of photos from the upcoming season. Also join me in listening to the full-length version of Florence + The Machine’s “Just a Girl” cover on a loop.
How excited I am for the season premiere? Let’s just put it this way: I was out of office today, and I swiftly logged on just to write about this trailer. When I say Yellowjackets has me in a chokehold, I very much mean it. Can’t wait to give my life over to the wilderness when it debuts later this month.
Bravo Dyke Weighs In on the Ariana, Sandoval, and Raquel “Vanderpump Rules” Scandal
Photo of Ariana Madix by Paul Archuleta / Contributor via Getty Images
In the words of one Bethenny Frankel……….it’s about Tom. And not the Tom we might have expected.
If you’re even half as invested in the Bravosphere as I am, then your phone was likely ablaze with notifications heading into the weekend, multiple group chats spread across multiple platforms simply agog and aghast by the breaking news coming out of PageSix: Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval of Vanderpump Rules are rumored to have been enmeshed in a months-long full-blown affair, unbeknownst by Sandoval’s longtime girlfriend Ariana until this week. And if actions by the show’s cast and crew in the past 48 hours are any indication, I’d say those rumors and anonymously sourced reports are very much likely true.
In case you’re here out of mere morbid curiosity and not one of those among us whose weekend was derailed by this news, here’s a bit of background, from recent history: There has been a lot of lead-up to the currently airing tenth season of Vanderpump Rules (a show I’ve aptly described as being about beautiful liars through the years in my brief bursts of coverage here) following a mostly mid ninth season of the series. But anticipation and intrigue accumulated following rumors — and subsequent cast confirmation — of illicit makeouts between Raquel, who got engaged last season but was broken up with DJ James Kennedy by the time of the reunion, and Tom Schwartz, the show’s second Tom. Now, these makeouts were technically above board, because between the ninth and tenth seasons, Schwartz and his wife Katie Maloney got divorced. What made it illicit was that Katie made it very clear to Schwartz that if they were to remain friends post-divorce, he could not hook up with a member of the friend group, making all cast members off limits. She also tells Raquel repeatedly over the course of the first few episodes of season 10 that it would very much hurt her feelings if anything were to happen between them. We’re now four episodes into season 10, and while no makeout has occurred, we know it’s coming, and we’ve seen Raquel proposition Schwartz for a makeout drunkenly at the concert of the truly atrocious cover band self-funded and fronted by the show’s other Tom, Tom Sandoval.
And apparently the Schwartz scandal is just the tip of the iceberg or a deflection or a chaotic tangent to what is otherwise the real scandal, because PageSix says Raquel and Tom SANDOVAL not Schwartz have been basically sexting for months and also want to be together????? Which is very much not above board, because Sandoval has been in a monogamous relationship with Ariana Madix (despite rumors of opening their relationship up, which recently circulated and Aria squashed) for many years now, and all reports and rumors suggest Ariana didn’t know about Raquel until this week, so basically until the rest of us knew, too. A bit of background, from more distant history: Ariana started as just a guest in season one of Vanderpump Rules ten years ago, but she became recurring in season two when scandal swirled around the possibility that Sandoval was cheating on his then-girlfriend Kristen Doute with her (which turned out eventually to be true). She became a regular in season three when she and Sandoval started dating officially, and they’ve been together ever since. Now, the reports on the affair allegations are all saying she has already kicked Sandoval to the curb.
Now, you may be wondering why I’m writing about this for Autostraddle specifically, where we focus on queer pop culture. Well, to start, Ariana is bisexual. She made a point to come out in season eight, going through some of the specific struggles of internalized biphobia that can occur when reckoning one’s bisexuality while in a relationship that can be perceived as straight by heteronormative standards and even stigmatized within parts of the queer community. Sandoval appeared to be a good partner during that journey, but we are truly not hear to pat any Toms on the back!
I suppose we should have seen this coming after rumors surfaced last year that Raquel had been seen making out with Tom at Coachella. We just had the wrong Tom. Everyone assumed it was Schwartz, not Sandoval! A practically Shakespearean incident of mistaken identity!
I’d love for my reaction to all this mess to simply be “I hope Ariana gets a girlfriend after all this!” and I certainly would love that for her. But what I actually feel is that I just hope Ariana is okay! Having been through a situation where someone I was dating was cheating with someone I knew and trusted, I cannot imagine the day I found out and its immediate aftermath being captured on television for people to consume, dissect, and form instant opinions about. Because, oh yeah, cameras are apparently very much rolling. I’ve seen some unconfirmed reports that Bravo cameras were actually present at the concert where Ariana first learned about the affair. But I’ve also seen credible evidence that the cast were all rounded up for emergency testimonials to react to the news, with cast member Lala Kent posting on her Instagram story while getting glammed up that she received permission from Ariana herself to torch the Toms.
Yes, I am using one of the affected players in this scandal’s bisexuality as a way in to write about it for Autostraddle, but I’m also just interested in the overall experience of watching Vanderpump Rules as a lesbian viewer. Vanderpump Rules is heterosexuality gone off the fucking rails. It’s the most compelling argument against heterosexuality — or at least traditional, monogamous heterosexual structures — I’ve ever seen on television!!!!!!
It’s straight camp, if there is such a thing. Remember how I said Raquel got engaged last season to a maniacal DJ? Sandoval helped that DJ with the proposal, gifting thousands of dollars to his efforts. The affair reportedly started very soon after that engagement resolved. People who rarely watch reality television love to pretentiously point out it’s all scripted, but you cannot script THIS!
The circus of machismo I’ve seen on this show is staggering, but the selfishness across the board — regardless of gender! — is unnerving. And for me, this often feels like a chicken vs. egg conundrum. Does reality television attract people with poisoned personalities or does it do the poisoning? Supposedly, this cast really does consider itself a friend group when the cameras aren’t rolling (which cannot be said of all Bravo shows these days), and like a lot of friend groups, they often refer to themselves as a family. Well, you know what? Vanderpump Rules is stark proof that chosen families can be just as toxic as given ones, something I’ve witnessed in real life, too, and often in queer circles!
I’m also just thinking a lot about how the nature of reality television means people not just inside the friend group but also everyone on the outside, everyone who watches these people for entertainment, must now pick sides. People will be labeled villains, victims, etc. It’ll all get narrativized and packaged, and it’ll make me think something I often think when watching these shows, which is that reality television ruins lives. At the same time, I’d be lying if I said I’ve never experienced some form of catharsis or release in watching relationship drama or cheating scandals play out not just on reality television in general but on this exact show (because yes, this is far from Vanderpump Rules‘ first infidelity storyline, though it is easily its most shocking). This show has relatively low turnover for a Bravo show — some main players have left, but many remain and have been here since the beginning, which means we’ve followed them for a decade. For fans, there’s extreme parasocial investment in their relationships, as reality television tends to engender in general. It is hard to remember that these are real people with real emotional stakes, because most of them are really good at their jobs, and their job is to entertain us and turn their conflicts into storylines. Yes, I do wish I could approach Bravo with a smooth brain, not thoughts just vibes energy, but I can’t. Part of engaging this deeply with reality television means having to think about all these things. MY CROSS TO BEAR!
Surely I’ll continue to go down the rabbithole of fan theories and speculation in the coming weeks, but above all else, I just hope Ariana emerges from the other side of this with her sense of self intact. She’s no less or more queer now that she’s single. Being with Tom didn’t erase her bisexuality. But wow, I would indeed love if we got some bisexual casual dating and hookup scene content out of her now joining Lala and Katie as single women on the show. But it feels very much too soon to even be thinking about that, because whew, this rumor mill and scandal cycle is moving fast. I can barely keep up, and I’ve been home alone all weekend obsessively tracking things! Cameras are rolling, a phrase I find myself repeating a lot this weekend, so we should know even more as to what this means for group dynamics and the future of the show very soon.
Do you watch Vanderpump Rules? What are your thoughts on all this? Did you merely read this as an outsider, and if so, have I sufficiently convinced you the viewing experience of this show as a queer spectator is interesting or are you like wtf Kayla why would I watch this nonsense? My fiancé is out of town, please talk to me I’m bored!
Behind the Scenes of the “Yellowjackets” Set — Plus, New Photos From Season 2!
Feature image of Yellowjackets season 2 cast member Nicole Maines by Jerod Harris / Stringer via Getty Images
We’re simply abuzz with excitement for Yellowjackets season 2, which comes out March 24! So soon! Here’s everything we know about it so far.
Yellowjackets Episode 201: “Friends, Romans, Countrymen”
The first episode of season two will be directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer (1995’s Party Girl!). Check out the photos from the episode:
More Yellowjackets Season 2 Photos
While the director lineup for the rest of the season hasn’t been announced yet, episode titles have been released through episode five:
- Episode 202: “Edible Complex”
- Episode 203: “Digestif”
- Episode 204: “Old Wounds”
- Episode 205: “Two Truths and a Lie”
Here are some more photos from season two:
Behind the Scenes of the Yellowjackets Set
And apparently it’s full of blood. In a new digital cover story, Entertainment Weekly delves into the upcoming season of Yellowjackets by visiting the set in Vancouver and speaking with some of the cast and the co-showrunners Jonathan Lisco and Ashley Lyle as well as co-creator Bart Nickerson. The description is perfectly macabre: “For one thing, there’s (fake) blood everywhere: in buckets, in Tupperware containers, in mugs, even on the hands of an actor who instinctively tries to shake yours before realizing.”
Lyle delights in the fact that the show has given viewers nightmares, and apparently even the cast isn’t safe from sweet dreams of cannibalism. Actors tell EW that they, too, have had nightmares during the filming process and also are largely kept in the dark about the show’s central mysteries. “They didn’t tell us anything,” Jasmin Savoy Brown tells EW. “So we all became our own citizen detectives, going to hair and makeup and wardrobe and getting whatever pieces we could.”
Liv Hewson didn’t even know Van was going to be attacked by a wolf last season until they were on set. “A crew member said to me, ‘You’re gonna have to do a makeup test for what the prosthetics will look like after the wolf attack,'” they tell EW. “And I was like, ‘After the what?'” Tawny Cypress, who recently came out in the horror documentary Queer for Fear, says she was told Taissa’s dog merely “ran away,” when fans know the truth about Biscuit…😬
Jasmin and Liv — who co-host the queer podcast The Homo Schedule together — are even in a group chat with fellow castmembers Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Nelisse, Courtney Eaton, and Sophie Thatcher where they share theories.
You’ll have to go to the Entertainment Weekly story to see some of the exclusive photos they snagged.
Everything We Know About the Plot of Yellowjackets Season 2
Season two will pick up two months after Jackie’s death, and Teen Nat and Teen Lottie will be at ideological odds in the season, according to the cover story. Teen Shauna will be pregnant, and Tawny Cypress says no babies will be eaten.
The season will likely be gruesome. “If we do our jobs right, the eating of a person will not be the most transgressive thing that these young women do in the wilderness,” co-showrunner Lisco told EW. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” After wrapping season two filming, new cast members Lauren Ambrose and Simone Kessell were still shaking off the intensity of it all, so it indeed sounds like we’re bound for an explosive season two.
Adult Misty will team up with fellow member of the Bureau of Citizen Detectives, Walter, who will be played by Elijah Wood.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Teaser Trailer Drops
After forcing fans to watch an Instagram live video of a candle melting for an hour, Showtime finally released a teaser trailer for season two of Yellowjackets in January, and we had fun overanalyzing it!
Nicole Maines Joins the Cast
Nicole Maines — of Supergirl fame — has been added to the stacked season two cast of Yellowjackets. There aren’t a ton of details on her character yet, but she will be named Lisa and is a close associate of Adult Lottie. Truth Be Told‘s Nia Sondaya is also joining the cast, replacing Keeya King as Teen Akilah. This does feel particularly relevant to our interests, as Sondaya starred in the Sapphic short film Heart Shot. Will Akilah join the growing ranks of queer cannibals (qannibals? I’m workshopping here)? WE SHALL SEE. And François Arnaud has been cast as Paul, adorable Coach Scott’s secret bf.
Yellowjackets Season 3 Has Already Been Announced!
Even though we’re still not-so-patiently waiting for Season 2 to drop, we’re in for a treat! Showtime has already renewed the series for a third season. We can rest assured that there’s more cannibalism in our future! Words I love to hear! As a reminder, the creators claim to have a five-season plan for the series. Let’s hope they get to see their vision through to the finish line! I trust these writers with my LIFE!
Yellowjackets Season 2 Will Premiere on March 24!
According to an official new teaser from Showtime, Yellowjackets will return at last on March 24, 2023. I have already added it to my two Gcals, my physical planner, EVERY CALENDAR IN MY HOUSEHOLD. It’s about to be a very cannibal-y spring!
The teaser doesn’t provide much other than the date, a little American Horror Story-esque in its privileging of random haunting images over actual story or character details. But I prefer when Yellowjackets holds its cards close to its chest, so I will accept this vague, vibes-only teaser enthusiastically.
You won’t be hungry much longer. March 24 2023. #Yellowjackets pic.twitter.com/1Ft8Qs4Ci7
— Yellowjackets (@yellowjackets96) December 7, 2022
Yellowjackets Season 2 Will Be Even More Graphic
From its opening sequence, Yellowjackets has never really been for the faint of heart, but cast members revealed in a recent panel that things are about to get even more gruesome. “There’s scenes in Season 2 that are graphic, to say the least, and I remember just doing it, and [the cast] all sat and looked at each other, and we were like ‘What the fuck are we doing. Like, literally, what the fuck are we doing,” said Sophie Nélisse (Teen Shauna), according to Variety. “You’ll look at it, and you’ll understand, but I don’t think you’ve ever seen such a scene in TV before.”
Tawny Cypress (Adult Taissa), who recently opened up about her queerness in Shudder’s Queer for Fear documentary, also teased that we will be seeing more of Taissa’s alter ego.
The first two episodes are set to be directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, who directed season one’s “Doomcoming.”
Yellowjackets Season 2 Production Has Begun!
According to the official Yellowjackets Instagram, Season 2 started production in August. Following the Season One finale, the Yellowjackets team said they were aiming for a 2022 release for Season Two, but if the show just entered production and began filming, my guess is we’re not getting any sweet, sweet new cannibal content until early 2023 — at the earliest.
Samantha Hanratty, who plays Young Misty, also posted about being back on set.
Simone Kessel Will Play Adult Lottie in Yellowjackets Season 2 and Courtney Eaton Has Been Promoted to Regular
Good news, Lottie heads! Adult Lottie is apparently alive and will be played by Simone Kessel, whose recent television credits include Our Flag Means Death and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m personally thrilled to see this casting choice as Kessel is Māori like Courtney Eaton. Also, Eaton will be a series regular! Lots of Lottie for all!
Now, I know some people have been mixed about casting announcements for Yellowjackets Season 2 that double as spoilers, but it doesn’t bother me. Yes, the show cultivates suspense and mystery, but I wrote about a billion times in my recaps that I’m not really interested in it being a puzzle box of a show. But I digress! Anyway, seems like a nice time to catch up on or revisit my recaps of Season One.
Lauren Ambrose Will Play Adult Van in Yellowjackets Season 2 and Liv Hewson Has Been Promoted to Regular
Six Feet Under legend Lauren Ambrose signed on for Yellowjackets Season 2 as Adult Van. Meanwhile, the lovely Liv Hewson was also upped to regular. Adult Van is presumably alive in the present, so why has Adult Taissa never said a word about her? Was the breakup bad? I mean, the relationship itself has been marked by wolf attacks and other assorted horrors, so I think it’s safe to assume the breakup was bad.
Elijah Wood Will Play a Citizen Detective in Yellowjackets Season 2
The casting team for Yellowjackets is truly committed to the bit of casting 90s icons. Elijah Wood is set to play someone named “Walter, Citizen Detective,” and I for one can’t wait for Wood and Christina Ricci to go toe-to-toe in scenes together.
Rachel Weisz To Deliver Horny Horror as Gay Gynecologist Twins in “Dead Ringers”
all photos by Niko Tavernise / Courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
It’s difficult to overstate just how excited I am about the upcoming Prime series Dead Ringers, a television adaptation of one of my favorite David Cronenberg movies. In the original, released in 1988, Jeremy Irons played twin gynecologists who blurred boundaries in their professional and personal lives. In the new six-part series, Rachel Weisz will play the twins, and they will be queer, sharing not just wild ambitions of revolutionizing fertility and birthing practices but also lovers.
It’s set to be bloody, sexy, twisted, gruesome, and horny. In other words, all my favorite things. And Weisz — who is also executive producing, as she did for Disobedience, prompting me to ask, will there be lesbian spitplay tho? — agrees, telling Vogue in a First Look at the series the following about what drew her to Cronenberg’s source material: “I liked that it was deeply psychological, deeply twisted, perverse, and thrilling … I think that’s quite fertile territory.”
And it sounds like we can expect some of the wicked sense of humor of that fertile play on words from the series as well. The central gyno twins’ names remain unchanged from the original, Weisz stepping into the roles of Elliot and Beverly, and the way they’re described in the Vogue piece makes them sound like the personification of this meme:
behind every gay person is a gayer, more evil gay person
— 𝙰𝙽𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙰 (@Anania00) January 1, 2023
Hot!!!!!
While many of their pursuits are technically good — trying to push forward science on maternal health and fertility — the twins are no role models, reveling in their shared appetite for power, bacchanalia, and chaos. Weisz describes the character to Vogue as “really fucking cleven and funny and strange and extraordinary” but also “fucked up” and “dysfunctional.”
Indeed, the original film deftly explores highly questionable medical ethics, drug use, the tumultuous energies of sex and desire and its connections to power, and the violence of birth and bodies. This series is poised to have all that — plus a lot of cursed and spicy lesbian mischief. Britne Oldford will play Beverly’s lover Genevieve (a character also seen in the original), and Jennifer Ehle plays a “cutthroat lesbian investor.”
Gay spoiler alert, but according to Vogue, the first episode features the women taking turns swapping identities to sleep with a famous actress who is also one of their shared patients. Yeah, this is a story that sets fire to boundaries in more ways than one.
Alice Birch serves as head writer (Succession, Normal People) and there will be directing turns from Karyn Kusama (who of course helmed Jennifer’s Body but also the Yellowjackets pilot!) as well as queer director Lauren Wolkstein (who directed episodes of Queen Sugar and my beloved Dare Me).
I am well on the record as enjoying creepy twin shit, psychosexual lesbian thrills, and anything that promises both horror and erotics in tandem. Between that and my love of the original movie, it’s hard not to feel like two twin lesbian mad scientists cooked this up in a blood and sex soaked laboratory just for me. The series promises horny horror, and I am very much ready!!!!!!
I encourage checking out the original movie — or rewatched it, as I’ll be doing — before the series premieres on Prime on April 21, 2023. Be prepared for body horror, strangeness, and erotics. But if you’re a Cronenberg Head like me, you already know what you’re in for.
AND NOW LET’S GAZE UPON SOME VERY IMPORTANT PHOTOS FROM DEAD RINGERS:
Let’s Overanalyze the “Yellowjackets” Trailer Together Like One Big Happy Cannibal Cult
Buzz buzz buzz! A Yellowjackets season 2 trailer is finally here! One full minute of intrigue and suspense! Zero images of cannibalism (as far as I could tell)! A lot of SNOW! Catch up on everything we know so far about the new season, which comes out on March 24.
Okay Yellowjackets Hive, it’s time to talk about that season 2 trailer! But first, let’s talk about the trailer’s rollout. If you, like me, have an unhealthy attachment to this show AND if you, like me, tend to easily fall for flashy, manipulative marketing campaigns, congratulations! You probably spent a sizable chunk (read: an hour and one minute) of your morning watching a candle slowly burn down while spooky sounds played in the background, eagerly awaiting even just a taste, a fleshy little morsel of Yellowjackets season two.
Yesterday, Showtime cross posted a countdown to “dawn” on all its socials, teasing that people would need to make “sacrifices” in order to “summon” something. We all naturally assumed the summoned would be a trailer, and we were correct! But whew, did we have to work to get there! This morning at 9:29 a.m. Eastern, Yellowjackets went live with the aforementioned candle video. Just a candle slowly burning in a cabin. Scored by sounds that to me were actually quite meditative but according to other commenters were actually haunting and disturbing, and I suppose that says a lot about me! We were encouraged to make offerings and sacrifices in the chat. One iconic soul offered to sacrifice her landlord. I wish her well.
Like a pack of teenage girls turning on each other in the wilderness, the commenters quickly turned on the brave social media managers running this stunt. It quickly became clear that watching this candle burn down wasn’t going to be a cute little five minute lead-up to the trailer. Indeed, it was not until 10:30 a.m. Eastern (a baffling interpretation of “dawn” even when adjusted into different time zones) that we finally got what we were all ignoring work/class/coffee/breakfast/life for: THE YELLOWJACKETS SEASON 2 TRAILER.
Friends, did we learn nothing from the time HBO coaxed Game of Thrones fans into watching a literal block of ice melt just to ultimately reveal the date of the show’s return? I mean, yes, in this case at least we got a lot more to eat than that, and honestly the social media mind behind the strategy deserves a raise, because it did work on me, and even commiserating with folks in the chat gave me a thrill. But I will admit I am a little wary of the Game of Thones-ification of Yellowjackets, which comes as much from viewers as it does from marketing campaigns like this. I don’t like to treat this show like a puzzle box, because it ultimately isn’t one. Or, more specifically, it’s most interesting in its mysteries that cannot be solved — the emotional, character-level mysteries deep in the show’s marrow. It is, of course, fun to theorize and speculate. But I saw this get really wild with all the Adam stuff last season. I don’t want this show to feel like Game of Thrones and start prioritizing shocks and reveals over just really good fucking stories.
ALL THAT SAID, I’m about to do the exact thing I’m somewhat criticizing here and encourage us all to dig deep on the Yellowjackets season 2 trailer. There isn’t a ton of dialogue to go off of, but it’s packed with images. Here we go:
What are we thinking, hive?! That’s definitely Simone Kessell as Adult Lottie in that first part with Adult Nat, right?
Here are a smattering of screenshots I took of images that stood out to me:
It looks like Teen Lottie is using Travis in some sort of ritual. In general, this trailer really ramps up a lot of the culty vibes.
Unfortunately, there are no appearances from Adult Van, but here we have Teen Taissa and Teen Van…cuddling maybe?
This is the trailer’s scariest moment if you ask me!!!!
Doomcoming part two? But also, the presence of these white and gold gowns and fancy goblets makes me think this has to be a fantasy sequence.
Elijah Wood is looking very REI Lesbian, and I love it.
Synchronized dancing around a fire? Yeah, we’re going full death cult.
Also, I couldn’t get a clear screenshot of it since it’s so quick, but we see Teen Taissa…hacking something violently at one point? Animal? Frozen Jackie? Something or someone else? I also think we see Teen Lottie undergoing some form of electroshock therapy, which I’m thinking means we’re going to get a Lottie Flashback moment.
There is SO MUCH SNOW — it’s about to be a very cold and brutal winter for the girlies! Hope no one follows down Jackie’s popsicle path!
Okay, what did you catch? Did you watch a candle burn for an hour like me? Were you secretly disappointed not to see any cannibalism like me? Let’s overanalyze and have some fun! March 24 feels way too far away.
Harlem’s Trailer for Season Two Is Gay as Hell, So Black, and a Delight
I do appreciate how this visually says “we are a Black gay Sex and the City” without using words.
The days are short, the nights are long, and the air is freezing. Winter’s the perfect time for comfort television (I know, this is not “new” news) and by that measure, there’s no better pure “comfort television” than Harlem — which is returning for its second season on February 3rd, on Prime Video.
If you missed the first season of Harlem, it follows four single 30something friends as they navigate careers and love and sex in New York, and OK! It’s not particularly recreating the wheel at face value (is that not also true of all great comfort TV?), but it has delightfully warm and believable friendships at its root, which is exactly what you want when you’re looking for how to pass time underneath a blanket with good take out. Meagan Good, with her decades of rom-com experience, is the leader of the crew. For our gay purposes there’s also Jerrie Johnson’s Tye — a stem lesbian who… we’ll say… makes good use of her sex dating time — and Grace Byers (Boo Boo Kitty, for anyone who remembers Empire) as Quinn, who came out as bisexual in my favorite slow burn arc of the first season.
Now that you’re all caught up! The trailer for Season Two does a hat trick — it’s funny and gay as hell, in a Black ass show about friendship that’s pulling from the direct lineage of Living Single and Girlfriends (aht! aht! aht! You thought I was going to say Sex and the City, didn’t you? We have our own lineage, thankyouverymuch!).
From Quinn making her own Pride outfit and immediately getting clowned by her friends, to Tye getting called out online for her hoe activities and hoe tendencies (hoes are your friends, and hoes are your enemies — word to Ludacris), Tye taking Quinn to a sex toy store (“that’s not where those go”), to the eight orgasms zinger… I clocked more gay jokes — perfectly executed, I might add — in these two minutes than most comedies do in a year.
And that’s all before theeee Rachel True, of The Craft fame, makes a cameo.
I can’t wait for February.
PSA: Those Two Gay Minutes of “Kaleidoscope” Is All There Is
Netflix’s new money heist series Kaleidoscope has a unique gimmick: its episodes are designed to be watched in any order, as long as “White” is watched last, and in order to facilitate this non-linear watching experience, Netflix itself is feeding episodes to viewers with “individually randomized episode orders.”
We all know that Netflix feeds “personalized artwork” to its members in an effort to reveal why a specific show or movie might be of interest to a specific viewer — for a queer human like me, it tends to emphasize lesbian couples or characters in various shows and movies.
But is Netflix pulling a similar strategy when choosing which episode of Kaleidoscope to deliver to various audiences, pulling us in with a scene that suggests the show has queer elements when in fact it does not?
I began asking myself this question when I fired up Kaleidoscope on January 2nd and, following the one-minute “Black” episode (which plays first for everybody), I was consequently shown “Yellow,” which begins with one of our protagonists, Hannah Kim, doing what turns out to be a covert mission intended to test a company’s security by initiating a relationship with a female employee of said company.
Seven hours of Kaleidoscope later, I safely concluded that those two minutes were all the queer content the series had for me and that Hannah herself was not queer.
A commenter on my monthly streaming guide was seemingly also fed “Yellow” first, which got me thinking… is Netflix trying to draw in queer viewers by showing us the episode with a deceptively queer initial two minutes? What does “individually randomized” actually mean — is it truly “random” for each individual or is each individual fed episodes in a deliberate order to pull them into the show based on their past viewing habits? If so, like the victim of a diamond heist, I feel robbed but also have no choice but to respect the master manipulators for the deftness of the con.
I decided to take my inquiry to the TV Channel in our team slack. I asked them to turn on Kaleidoscope and see which episode Netflix fed them first.
Kayla: Green 4 me
Carmen: Ok I got Yellow
Kayla: Worried [my partner] Kristen’s crime programs are throwing off my algo lol
Shelli: ok I got yellow too!
is yellow hot black people
cos correct
that is my lane
Carmen: Shelli I just laughed so hard, I fell out of my chair
Nico Hall: yellow lol
Shelli: RIESE I BELIEVE YOUR THEORY IS CORRECT
Riese: ahahahhahahajahaha
Kayla: Omfg I’m blaming Kristen
Riese: Yes yellow !! Is the one I am suspecting they are showing the gays first
Shelli: OMG ITS SO RIGHT
Nico Hall: Kayla I am so sorry you are not in Club Yello
Shelli: LOL NOT YOU CRACKING THE CODE LOLK
Kayla: Let me see what’s in the damn recently watched I’m bout to make my own profile
Nico Hall: idk man [my partner] Sadie watches a lot of like Forged in Fire and stuff
which is probably a gay move
tbh
Kayla: Oh hm all Kristen’s crime shows are on paramount plus
Whoops I watched all the Christmas episodes of Gilmore Girls the straightest show on earth
The problem is me
Nico Hall: i can’t believe that when i go back to watch it best part will be over in first 2 minutes
Kayla: Yeah this is funny if it were made BY queers they would know to put the queer shit near the end to trick queer ppl into watching the whole thing bc that’s what we do we watch for scraps
Nico Hall: totally
Shelli: lol im dead kayla lol
Nic: ooooo I got green
Riese: interesting interesting
Valerie: I got yellow too!
I was sad to learn I wouldn’t get to choose my color path so being part of this experiment brought me joy, thank you
Drew: I got yellow too
Kayla: ok so Nic and I are the only ones who got green?!
Nic what do we both watch that threw ours off lol
Nic: great question! let’s seeeee
Kayla: i’m scrolling through my recents and so much of it is gay!
Nico Hall: curious if green is like Gay Option 2: and you all get yellow as your second ep
Nic: ooo i do have harry and meghan on here
Kayla: ahahahaha maybe that did it
So that’s six yellows and two greens amongst this small sample size. So my friends, I now turn to you: which episode is Netflix showing YOU first?
Update 1/5/2022: It appears that people are beginning to suspect that Netflix isn’t actually feeding the episodes in a “random” order to anyone because nobody is being fed Pink or Red first:
This is a bittersweet discovery. While this interference means no one will have the characters’ fates spoiled for them if they stick to the provided viewing order, it also means the much-ballyhooed “random order” isn’t exactly as random as first thought.
Jennifer Beals Is Stepping Back From “The L Word,” Deepening Our Collective Mommi Issues
Episode 302 of “The L Word: Generation Q” saw Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) making a bold decision to move to Toronto with Tina despite not being in immediate possession of a suitcase, a passport, a work visa, a 6-ounce clear plastic bottle of Prada cologne or sensible airplane shoes — and Jennifer Beals has now confirmed that while she will appear again in Season Three, she won’t be present in every episode of the season or, seemingly, in every (or any?) episode of any future seasons, should those take place. According to Ash Silver, she’ll be back for Episodes 9 and 10 but out for the rest of the season.
In an interview with UPI, Jennifer Beals revealed that she will be “making space for other stories” because “the whole point of The L Word: Generation Q was to tell these new stories.” Which is true!
According to UPI, Beals will receive the “ninth credit in the ensemble,” thus moving beloved actor/musician/podcaster Leisha Hailey up to Number One. Beals also is pursuing other projects, such as a film set in India inspired by the Tollywood film RRR which Beals says was “a paradigmatic shift for me in terms of what filmmaking can be.”
Bette Porter is definitely the show’s most popular character, which could mean a rough road ahead for a show that already lacks a guaranteed future, despite our collective affection and desire for it. The original series was centered on Bette and Jenny (Ilene Chaiken has sad in interviews that Jenny was an avatar for her younger self, and Bette for her grown-up self), and Jenny is sadly dead. Bette and Tina’s reunion was also an opportunity to explore the nuances of a long-term relationship between two women in their fifties, which has been one of the more relatable elements of the show for many audience members.
“They were introduced as this functional couple that lived in West Hollywood and were having a baby. It was so aspirational for us,” showrunner Marja Lewis-Ryan told The Daily Beast. “Maybe that’s why we feel so invested in them, because it was the first time we were able to see a future for ourselves that made sense.”
Although this is definitely a loss, I’m hopeful about the space this opens up for Alice, Shane and the new Generation Q characters and I look forward to getting to spend more time with them. It’s also nice to have Leisha Hailey, a queer actor who’s been out since the jump, hold top billing on an iconic queer television show. As a central character from the original and the reboot, Bette’s story has already been given a lot of time and attention.
The character who seems in the most prime position to fill a Bette-Porter-shaped hole in our hearts is Gigi (Sepideh Moafi), who I’d definitely love to see moved to a more central position in the story. That said, fans are nervous about her future because it appears her and Dani are fighting in the Season 3 trailer, and unlike other couples fighting in the trailer, Gigi is not already connected to other characters through work or living situations. However, despite the end-of-302 car crash, she appears alive and relatively unscathed in already-released photographs from Episode 303.
Presently, imdb still has Beals and Moafi listed as appearing in every episode this season, although it seems clear that Beals will not be appearing in the next two episodes, at least.
I will be responding to the news of Bette Porter leaving me in the only way I know how: creating an art installation called “Core,” about the core values of love, loyalty, honesty and commitment.
The L Word: Generation Q Season 3 Trailer, Chaotically Annotated
Today is one of the best days of the year in Autostraddle Slack! The L Word: Generation Q trailer has dropped, and it is full of absolute sexy, sexy lesbian chaos! The kind that makes us yell at our screens! And so, as usual, our TV Team has broken it down, frame-by-frame. And if this leaves you itching for more, don’t worry: Riese is keeping a running list of everything we know about the upcoming season. Fair warning: This might look like a trailer you’ve seen before, decades ago, but keep scrolling. It’s new drama, with a side of similarity.
https://youtu.be/cga77KHzbqA
The L Word: Generation Q Season 3 Trailer, Chaotically Annotated
Drew: “You don’t want to buy a painting?”
Natalie: What begins in chaos, ends in chaos…and, apparently, begins in chaos again.
Kayla: No
Heather: This has got real “Bette. Turn around.” vibes from the The L Word season five, which means BOTH OF YOU ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER.
Valerie: This outfit is very cult leader chic, and I’d join that cult.
Riese: Love a white powersuit.
Natalie: Sign me up for that cult, Valerie.
Kayla: Yes.
Heather: Why, what could she have done, being what she is? / Was there another Troy for her to burn?
Riese: Tess wants to show Shane the world.
Riese: Shining Shimmering Splendid
Heather: Over, sideways and under / On a magic carpet ride. (If you know what I mean and I think you do.)
Carmen: Ok great, I’m glad someone else made the Disney princess joke, so I didn’t have to.
Natalie: Am I the only one that watches happy scenes with Shane and thinks, “oh this is going to end badly?”
Kayla: I love vampires
Natalie: uta, is that you?
Heather: UTA! Hahaha! What wast that lady’s class called? Vampireology: Demon Desire?
Riese: MY FAVES
Natalie: I am not sure about how I feel about this hair color on Sophie but happiness looks good on them.
Riese: Excited for The L Word to celebrate Halloween, its first ever acknowledgment of the existence of holidays
Drew: Please tell me Dani’s Halloween costume is more inventive than “cat”
Riese: It could be worse, her costume could be a sleeveless white t-shirt and white face paint.
Valerie: It’s like that one Mean Girls quote. “The hardcore girls just wear lingerie and some form of animal ears.”
Kayla: I am prepared to be let down by a Halloween episode of The L Word. Gays are good at Halloween and I have a feeling these gays are going to NOT BE GOOD AT HALLOWEEN
Natalie: the potential of a “L Word” Halloween episode is limitless and look at them…squandering it!
Heather: PERFECT opportunity to give us JENNY SCHECTER’S GHOST
Drew: I know she’s a child but I feel like Angie is too cool and gen z for a “sisterhood is powerful” t-shirt.
Riese: She could be wearing a t-shirt from the Autostraddle store
Drew: Exactly that would be much better.
Natalie: I do love the braids.
Carmen: Huge same.
Natalie: I hope Angie can avoid repeating the sins of her mother and make one black friend at college.
Carmen: Huge same.
Natalie: Wait….is this José? is José back to throw a wrench in Micah’s relationship with Maribel?
Carmen: I genuinely do not know who this human is, I just want their shirt.
Valerie: This outfit is SHARP.
Kayla: Someone is borrowing from Mama B’s old closet it SEEMS (as she should!!!!!!!)
Natalie: As someone who relishes what Angie represents, I’m over here like, “YAS GURL” to this hoe phase. But as someone who has watched this character grow up…i’m like, “Oh absolutely the fuck not!”
Heather: Big reputation.
Carmen: I. Do NOT. Want. Angie’s Hoe Phase.
Carmen: I remember her as a baby.
Carmen: I am not equipped.
Natalie: It’s giving:
Natalie: Is this a midseason haircut from Sophie? If so, I approve.
Riese: Excited for Amy to fist Alice.
Drew: And the next one and the next one and then cheat and then be cheated on and then another one.
Drew: Also wait am I out of the loop what happened to Donald Faison?
Riese: Busy doing T-Mobile commercials, maybe
Natalie: T-Mobile internet will not sell itself!
Natalie: I’m so surprised it took this long into the trailer for Dani and Gigi to show up.
Heather:
Riese: You know when celebs post social media pics without makeup and it’s like “this is the real me no makeup!!!” to promote body-positivity and you’re like actually this just makes me feel worse that you look that good even with no makeup on
Riese: Anyhow, love this everyone is hot.
Valerie: “It was a pretty good bad idea, wasn’t it though.”
Kayla: Hi
Riese: No
Kayla: LMAO RIESE
Natalie: Nat, you’re supposed to be busy hooking up with Hannah on Reboot. You don’t have time for this!
Heather: Good thing Hannah saved her one ask.
Heather: Two people are caught up on this week’s queer TV, and it is me and Natalie.
Kayla: Hi
Natalie: When Gen Q started, I thought Sophie and Dani would be the new Bette and Tina, but clearly I was mistaken.
Carmen: (ok but no — Kayla’s running bit of saying Hi whenever Gigi shows up. Is no one going to talk about it?)
Kayla: Love the art of gay sitting.
Kayla: Wait is that a giant like Costco size box of Saltines?
Valerie: I was also distracted by that. And now I want soup.
Riese: That’s like for the most massive hangover of all time. That’s what you give an elephant for a hangover
Natalie: That feels like morning sickness saltines to me.
Heather: You’d get like four of those bundled together at Costco though.
Heather: YEAH I’M AN OLD BUTCH LIKE CARRIE SUE ME.
Riese: Ahem.
Natalie: 😳
Carmen: I know nothing, and yet here I am, already having sold my soul.
Kayla: Some queers’ sleeves really just have a life of their own.
Riese: Everyone is on their own journey.
Natalie: I thought we’d get fun Finley back after rehab but apparently not?
Heather: Finley looks like when my Stardew Valley farmer busted her energy bar the day before.
Valerie: I still just feel 😍 whenever I see Jamie Clayton.
Natalie: Better that than this:
Carmen: Is it?
Drew: Me preparing for another season of this show.
Riese: This is gonna look great on Blink.
Heather: So I showed up at your party…
Kayla:
which is scarier: freddy krueger whispering “tina” in a nightmare on elm street or bette porter screaming “TINA!!!!!!!!!” on the l word
— Kristen Arnett (@Kristen_Arnett) October 3, 2022
Drew: Me preparing for another season of this show, part deux.
Riese: TINNANAAAAAAAAA
Riese: TINY TINNNNAAA
Valerie: Yeah this is a big mood.
Natalie: This is the song that doesn’t end
Yes, it goes on and on, my friends
Some people shipping it not knowing what it was
And they’ll continue shipping it forever just because
Heather: WILL YOU KISS ME ON THE PORCH IN FRONT OF ALL YOUR STUPID FRIENDS
Valerie: I keep thinking these screenshots of Finley are of a teen boy before I click them 😭
Valerie: I’m like “Cole Sprouse, is that you?”
Natalie: All that’s missing is the slouching beanie.
Heather: Three Lucky Lunches and three coffees, please, Gus; I’m going to Skull Cavern today.
Natalie: Is Shane starting a new business? Are we renovating? What’s going on here?
Carmen: I am so excited for Shane’s arms in this scene. I am but a simple girl with simple needs.
Valerie: This is also a Mood™️
Natalie: It’s my mood, actually…when thinking about this season.
Carmen: But this ring placement? Sublime queer culture.
Valerie: This better be post-time-jump is all I’m saying.
Drew: I feel a little like pregnancy is a storyline given to characters when the writers don’t know what else to do but I’ll keep an open mind!
Natalie: It absolutely is what writers do when they don’t have any good ideas, Drew….and let me tell you: DO NOT WANT.
Riese: I do I want it give it to meeeeee
Riese: Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.
Riese: (me)
Kayla: At first I was like ARE THEY PLAYING A SPORT
Kayla: ARE WE GETTING THE BASKETBALL EPISODE BUT LIKE A DIFFERENT SPORT
Kayla: But no, looks like woodworking.
Kayla: False alarm.
Riese: Yeah, looks like Flashdance woodworking
Natalie: I hope they are woodworking…because when I saw it, I thought they were dancing and was embarrassed for them.
Valerie: ‘Cause you gotta cut loose
Riese: Some people wait a LIFETTIMMEEEEE FOR a MOMMMENTTTT like THISSSSSS
Valerie: This is also very Zac Efron in “Bet on It”
Heather:
Riese: Charades?
Kayla: I hope this is at-home karaoke.
Riese: Sophie and Finley giving out free cars.
Valerie: Once again thought this was Jughead from afar.
Natalie: In all seriousness, I really hope they’re able to recapture some of the Season One magic between these two.
Kayla: I love the ALOCE show.
Natalie: I have so many questions.
Carmen: For example, is Dani throwing a rock at someone?!?
Valerie: Is THIS a sport?
Riese: It’s the sport Jenny played outside Marina’s apartment
Heather: Solid form tbh.
Drew: Lots of throwing this season.
Riese: I love this Finley/Carrie friendship thing that is maybe happening.
Riese: To be earnest for a sec.
Kayla: I feel like earnestness is welcome and warranted when Carrie is involved.
Natalie: I agree, Riese. I love this for both of them.
Heather: “… anyway that’s how I turned Madonna gay.”
Natalie: Heather!
Valerie:
Riese: Stunning.
Natalie: Dana’s!
Natalie: I do not like this look.
Carmen: The most beautiful face in television, I don’t care.
Riese: Is this Alice or Finley?
Kayla: I thought it was Alice.
Valerie: This better be a friendship snuggle.
Natalie: A post-breakup/post-heartbreak big spoon/little spoon moment between friends?
Whatever it is I think I love it.
Heather: Is the name on that jersey WIGGLE??
Valerie: I’m a sucker for the classic hand on a foggy car window.
Natalie: WHO IS THAT?!
Heather: Valerie if you saw this in real life though, you would absolutely think someone was getting murdered.
Valerie: That is very true, Heather.
Riese: Squirting is 4 everyone
Kayla: asdkjaskld
Natalie: Better to have a drink tossed in your face than to have someone burn down your entire establishment, amirite Shane?
Kayla: Truly I know I’m bout to be so let down by this Halloween episode
Natalie: Wait if it’s the Halloween episode, who is Shane supposed to be?
Natalie: Also, this person in the background watching is cracking me up.
Carmen: Shane would obviously go to a Halloween party dressed as Shane. That’s the most realistic thing to ever happen in this show, 9 seasons and counting.
Valerie: Truer words have never been spoken. Fletcher LOVES sapphic chaos and I love this guest casting.
Natalie: Type casting, ftw!
Riese: Bette wondering if she remembered to lock her car and going back to check and make sure five times.
Riese: Maybe I am projecting
Heather: She’s fr about to YOU’RE A WANKER NUMBER NINE for Tina.
Riese: All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.
Heather: New Gen Q quiz idea: Which Museum That Bette Cheated In Are You?
Natalie: lol
Natalie: I’m really glad they did this whole spin-off so we could return to focusing…* checks notes*…on exactly the same characters in the original series.
Riese: All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.
Valerie: Are any of these paintings by Serious Artist Laurel Holloman?
Heather: Girl, are you a Monet? Because you’re making an impression on me.
Riese: HEATHER
Riese: This isn’t Gigi.
Natalie: What is going on here?!
Natalie: Why can’t we have nice things?
Carmen: hands
Carmen: HANDS
Kayla: MR. PIDDLES JUNIOR
Kayla: MR. PIDDLES THE II
Kayla: LITTLE PIDDLES
Kayla: SIR PIDDLETON
Riese: Devastated that Alice might get a cat and not a dog
Valerie: She could have gotten a chihuahua named Carol, it was right there.
Riese: Thank you, Valerie.
Natalie: If she doesn’t call it some take on Mr. Piddles, I give up.
Heather: NO. ALICE GIVE ME THAT CAT THIS INSTANT. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Riese: Alice’s suit game continues to triumph.
Heather: I had that same suit in middle school. I got it at the Dick Tracy store at Disney World.
Riese: Finding Amy.
Carmen: Joey Lauren Adams and Alice Pieszecki? I am so ready for this.
Natalie: This feels like a perfect match, tbh.
Drew: Disappointed that the whole trailer wasn’t just Kehlani.
Carmen: Are you sure there were other parts of this trailer that weren’t Kehlani?
Natalie: Personally, I appreciate that they saved their Big Joker for the end. *swoon*
Drew: 🎵 WHAT ABOUT US 🎵
Carmen: On one hand, so many images of Bette Porter running.
Carmen: But on the other hand, Jennifer Beals running.
Natalie: I WANNA RUNNN TO YOU
Heather: Oh man, what if this is one of those Taco Bell commercials.
Riese: 🎵 WHAT ABOUT ALL THE BROKEN HAPPY EVER AFTERS 🎵
Heather: They are 100% cheering Bette chasing down Tina, aren’t they?
Natalie: 100%
Natalie: Personally, I’d hoped it was carpool karoake but alas…
Heather: You know it’s bad when you wish it was Carpool Karaoke instead. 😂
Riese: I love this for all of themmmm
Valerie: JONE WASTE YORE TOYE MONME YORALL REDIII THE VOICE INSOIDE MOYE YEDD
Natalie: This is peak Jughead, Valerie!
Heather: When you’re in the Stardew mines and you look up and realize it’s 1:40 and you’re out of pepper poppers.
Natalie: OH NO! DON’T!
Carmen: The scream that I screamt.
Riese: lol this was a cute little ending situation
Valerie: It was perfect because i went “ahh!” but then they also went “ahh!” so it made me feel better.
Natalie: I really wonder where the heck they are because…what is going on in the background?
Carmen: Some kind of retreat obviously because, “Too high! I’m too high!”
Riese: Yeah someone is about to have a spiritual awakening!!!
Carmen: I love this title card, might be my favorite title card. Is no one going to ask why Finley’s about to kiss Dani?
Carmen: Just me?
Riese: I think it might be like that TLW original Season 6 poster where everybody is licking each other’s necks
Riese: Or else ….
Valerie: !!!!!
Valerie: NOVEMBER 18th, let’s goooo!
Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel Shout Out Autostraddle on “Late Night With Seth Meyers”
On yesterday’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, writers Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel joined Seth at his desk for the segment “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell,” which features set-ups any ol’ straight white cis gay can say, but punchlines that only land if they’re delivered by Black and/or gay women. It’s got a real Seth and Amy: Evolved vibe to it and plenty of legitimately laugh-out-loud one-liners. And! Last night! It featured an article written by Autostraddle’s own poet/icon Dani Janae! The article is Five Outfits for Being the Main Character in a Lesbian Romantic Comedy, and I won’t spoil the visual gag for you, but it did make me cackle.
This whole segment is great, but Dani’s shout-out pounces around the three-minute mark. Our team particularly loved the long pause and eyebrow waggle.
I will now be adopting the phrase “if the flannel fits” into my life as code for “cliches are cliches for a reason!”
Now, if I may fully Heather Hogan it for a second: When I woke up and saw that Dani had made her late night debut, I was so excited for her because she deserves only good things and more praise and fame than even a segment watched by a zillion people could provide. I thought, “Oh, I’ll whip this up into a quick and funny post to celebrate her.” That was like two hours ago. Because when I started writing about Dani, I hopped over to the list of articles she’s published at Autostraddle and lost myself in my favorites all over again. The post she wrote for Animalstraddle day about her tarantula, Delphine. The eulogy she wrote when Delphine passed away. This essay on her gay green couch that I think about at least once a week. Her coming out post about Elvira that went more viral than you can imagine. She contains multitudes. She weaves magic around me every time I devour her words. And I am so proud to see her humor recognized on such an enormous platform.
Also, I took a second to scroll through Seth Meyers’ Getty image history, and that guy wears more denim on denim than a Tegan and Sara concert. I had no idea he was such a lesbian fashion icon! Thanks for giving a platform to your people, Seth!
Also.Also.Also: Molly Kearney Is the First Nonbinary Cast Member to Join “Saturday Night Live”
Feature image of Molly Kearney, Saturday Night Live’s first nonbinary cast member, by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC
How are you holding up these days? I have been running around all day and I am exhausted! But productive! And I’m having something frozen and coconuty to have with my dinner. That makes it worth it.
Queer as in F*ck You
Today NBC announced four new featured players who will be joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, including Molly Kearney, who to the best of our research will be SNL’s first nonbinary cast member in its 48-year history. Molly was selected for Comedy Central’s “Up Next” showcase in 2019. They can also be seen in Amazon’s A League of Their Own (this is maximum gay) and Disney+’s The Mighty Ducks (a show that’s technically not very gay, but has lesbian moms). Their birthday is May 2, which I thought was included in their bio for all the astrology gays, but apparently NBC announced the birthdates of all the new cast members? Why? I have no idea.
Molly joins a pretty strong queer history on SNL. Obviously they are coming on the heels of Kate McKinnon’s notorious reign (she left the show last season after an impressive decade long run). They also join Bowen Yang and Punkie Johnson, two current queer cast members (Bowen also writes on the show). Danitra Vance and Denny Dillon are past lesbian cast members, neither were out during their time on the show, and there was also Terry Sweeny, the first openly gay male cast member of SNL.
I think you are going to really appreciate this example of Molly’s sketch comedy chops, just saying.
Ok let’s see what else was in queer news today…
Finally, a Brittney Griner update! From the AP Wire: “Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations who has worked to secure the releases of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, visited Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leaders, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday night.”
According to people who are following Brittney Griner’s case closely, this is a big deal. If Richardson was there it could mean they’re close enough to talk details. That’s not the same as a guarantee by any means, but at the very least it’s a sign in the wind that BG hasn’t been forgotten. And on that note, it also was reported this evening that President Biden plans to meet with Cherelle Griner, along with the family of Paul Whelan, at the White House on Friday.
Today (and every day) is a good day to light a candle, keep a thought, say a prayer, do whatever is your thing if you have one, for Griner’s family and her safe return home. Always.🧡💜
How One Bisexual Designer Is Using Fashion Week to Talk About Mental Health
This Trans Artist Has Been Creating Art From Behind Bars for Nearly Three Decades. “The work of Jamie Diaz, a transgender woman and painter, will be front and center in her first solo art show, ‘Even Flowers Bleed.'”
And hot gamer tip alert from Heather! “Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is getting a Switch remaster and rebrand as Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life — and it’s adding nonbinary as a gender option! (and woman! in the gamecube version you could only play as a man). AND! all villagers of all genders are marriage candidates for all gender of player! this is the first farming/village rpg from a major developer to offer this. AND! the first nostalgia remake to remaster and open up more gender options!”
Saw This, Thought of You
‘What Happened After I Quit.’ “Five women reflect on the financial fallout of their own ‘Great Resignation,’ a year later.”
‘Yellowjackets’ and Our Arrested Imaginations
If you are going to billionaire, this is how you do it. Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company, “Yvon Chouinard has forfeited ownership of the company he founded 49 years ago. The profits will now be used to fight climate change.”
Oye Mi Canto: The Nostalgic Music That Cures Our Homesickness. What a sweet meditation to kick of Latine Heritage Month.
Political Snacks
Lindsey Graham’s 15 Week Abortion Ban Is a Joke—and We Should Be Terrified. “The senator’s proposed abortion ban is a political stunt that has little chance of passing. It’s also a preview of worse things to come.”
Related, The Myth That America’s Abortion Laws Are More Permissive Than Europe’s. Adam Serwer, “The talking point will be that a 15 week abortion cutoff is ‘just like Europe’ but unless it subsidizes abortion, makes it easy to get one before 15 weeks and offers broad exemptions after, and makes abortion more accessible it is not actually like Europe.”
Emmys 2022: All the Gay Fashion and Big Wins, Lets Get Down to Business
Feature image of gay celebrities and fashion at the 2022 Emmys: Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images, Jasmin Savoy Brown by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, and Hannah Einbinder by David Livingston/Getty Images
Last night was the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, and today I am here to tell you about all the lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans celebrities in attendance and the fancy clothes that they put on their bodies. A fairly straight forward proposition.
But before we get to the gays and their gay Emmys fashion, let’s go over a few key wins of the night, shall we? First, a shout out to Zendaya for her second Emmy win for the queer role of Rue Bennett in Euphoria. Zendaya remains the second Black woman to win for Lead Actress in a Drama, after Viola Davis (notably, both Zendaya and Viola won those awards for playing queer Black women! Ok Rue is still a girl, not yet a woman, as Britney Spears once sang 15 years ago, but you get my point). Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian actor to ever win Lead Actor in a Drama, and the fourth Asian actor to ever win an acting Emmy. He also became the first person from a foreign-language show to win best actor in the category.
Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
After decades of hard work and legendary status in Black households, Sheryl Lee Ralph won an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Abbott Elementary and blew the roof off the theater with her voice (The original Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, you better know). Speaking of Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson won for Writing in a Comedy Series — and a cis white man tried to ruin it, because of course he did. Lizzo won for Reality Competition Series for Watch Out for the Big Grrrls and through tears dedicated it to to those who are, “Fat like me, Black like me, Beautiful like me — this is for the big girls!”
There were multiple gay wins for White Lotus, including two wins for Mike White (Direction, Writing in a Limited Series) and a win for Murray Bartlet (Supporting Actor in a Limited Series).
We also simply must shout out Jerrod Carmichael, winner of Writing For A Variety Special for his autobiographical comedy special Rothaniel, the clear big gay win of the night. I loved Rothaniel like I loved very few things last year, it burrowed a hole into my heart and months later, has still not let go. While we are here, let us stop and appreciate Jerrod’s look for a few reasons:
Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
- I remain on a never ending quest to get you all to watch Rothaniel. (Had to fit one last mention in there! Watch it. You won’t regret it.)
- “It just feels good that this whole thing feels big and absurd and so, like, I think I match the occasion. It’s big and absurd, so what are we doing? Want me to wear a black tux, like all right?” — Jerrod Carmichael, an icon living
- This is Diddy’s coat.
And now, on to even more gay Emmys fashion and the little jokey jokes we make!
Sarah Paulson, Impeachment: American Crime Story, and Holland Taylor
Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
I cannot even make a joke here. Look at them? They are love.
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The thing about Kate McKinnon is that she’s so funny that I genuinely forget she’s a heartthrob? But she is, in fact, a heartthrob.
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
And trust me on this, you want to see the After Party look.
Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images
Get you someone who can do both. (this is not a joke about Hannah’s bisexuality, but is it)
Ariana DeBose, Emmys Presenter
Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Ariana DeBose is going to twirl in a dress, and I am going to fall for it every single gotdamn time.
Jasmin Savoy Brown, Yellowjackets
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Oh! And give me a second, just one more thing…
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
You’re welcome.
Liv Hewson, Yellowjackets
Photo by Phil Faraone/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Unexpected but Liv had one of my favorite looks of the night? I feel like pseudo post-pandemic fashion is just “let’s get WEIRD AS SHIT” and this is thee most weird as shit, in the best ways possible.
Cherien Dabis, Director for Only Murders in the Building
Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
The Only Murders director was… killer. Get it? GET IT? (I know, I know “boo boo, tomato tomato tomato”)
Ashley Nicole Black, Performer for A Black Lady Sketch Show, Writer for Ted Lasso
Ladies and Gentlman, Her: The body suit. The slicked back pony. The streamlined tulle skirt. With elbow length gloves for max drama.
This is perfect. No notes.
B Nichols, Writer for Abbott Elementary
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
I will never stop screaming about Autostraddle alum B. Nichols writing on a network show and being at THE F****** EMMYS. I Will! Never! Stop! Screaming! About! It!
https://twitter.com/BisHilarious/status/1569422168542576640
Absolutely.
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
What I love about Hacks is that everyone in Hacks is just… gay? How wonderful for us.
Laverne Cox, Queen of the Gold Carpet for E!
Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
Laverne Cox is the belle of every ball.
We are all playing on her court.
Amen. 🙏🏾
Javicia Leslie, Other Bisexual, Queer, Lesbian Celebrities, Celebrate The Autostraddle TV Awards
Since 2018, the Autostraddle TV Awards has been designed to recognize and celebrate the very best of queer television — the television shows, writers, makers, and performers who might otherwise be overlooked by mainstream institutions like the Emmys.
Evaluating the best of our stories is a job that the Autostraddle TV Team, a group of eight queer television and film critics amassing together years in the industry, takes seriously — it’s not enough to only feature a surface level gay character on television anymore. We look to honor complex, meaningful, fully developed queer storylines and performances across all genres. In our voting process, we also solicit votes from our readers, because we believe that queer storytelling should connect directly with queer audiences. Now in our fifth year, the Autostraddle TV Awards may not have an in-person ceremony, but when so many other awards continue to overlook groundbreaking LGBTQ+ series and performances, we hope to shine light on queer creators in this industry who deserve to have their work recognized.
Which is why we were so moved today to see that Javicia Leslie, lead actor of the CW’s Batwoman, which ended earlier this year after three seasons, take the spirit of our awards to heart! Dressed to the nines in a burgundy gown from the comfort of a living room, and using an amethyst crystal as a makeshift trophy (talk about gay), she filmed a full acceptance speech for her multiple Autostraddle TV Award wins.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CiQoYQHjrw2/
Leslie, who is bisexual, created the role of Ryan Wilder over Batwoman’s second and third seasons, embodying the first lead Black lesbian superhero on television with signature wit, charisma, and impeccable range. With Leslie at the helm, for the past two years Batwoman received a clean sweep of all Sci-Fi/Fantasy categories (outstanding series, outstanding lead actor playing an LGBTQ+ character — Leslie; supporting actor playing an LGBTQ+ character — Megan Tandy as Sophie Moore; and performance by an LGBTQ+ actor — also to Leslie). It was also a runner up for Outstanding Episode with LGBTQ+ Themes for episode 311, “Broken Toys.”
In her acceptance speech, Leslie thanked Autostraddle, “I didn’t expect this, thank you guys so much. This is so dope. Shout out to Autostraddle for always holding us down, always seeing us, and I’m not just talking about Batwoman, I’m talking about all of us that are in our community, out here trying to tell authentic stories. I thank you so much. I honor you and appreciate you.”
She then thanked her mama (Black girls, I love us so much) for surrounding her in protection, abundance, and light. She also thanked her fans, the cast and crew of Batwoman. And yes, we are so grateful that Javicia Leslie took time to share some love back to our small team, but also it’s about something so much bigger — it is about all of us. Our stories, the ones that creep deep inside us and light a candle, the ones that other people may not see the value or importance of, the hours that go into the craft, because it’s not straight. It’s not cis. It’s not white. But we do, and that’s what matters. We don’t have to look to straight, white, cis institutions to give merit and value to our stories. We get to do that on our own.
Sepideh Moafi, The L Word: Generation Q’s Gigi Ghorbani, winner of Outstanding Supporting Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama, also took to her Instagram today to celebrate her award win. In it was a screenshot of one of our writers, Drew Gregory’s, words honoring her performance. As Gigi, Sepideh Moafi’s performance has captured lightning in a bottle. We get to decide what’s important and create our own little bit of magic.
In addition to wins from Javicia Leslie and Sepideh Moafi, other actors and talent celebrated their nominations for the fifth annual Autostraddle TV Awards. Every year that we’ve mounted these awards, we are always so grateful to see nominees share their excitement, but I have to say — this year the engagement surpassed even our own expectations.
It means so much to see the TV Awards, created to take seriously the work that goes into queer storytelling, being honored by queer talent. It’s a reminder that sometimes we really do have to do it for ourselves, because if not, who else will? And that awards that come directly from within the community they are meant to serve, queer audiences, don’t have to come with trophies to be meaningful. (Though we are seriously working on trophies for next year!)
We’ve been rounding these up in our virtual office — and you may have seen these shout outs across our social media over the last few weeks — but we wanted to share them all with you.
Kausar Mohammed (Soraya Khoury, 4400) Nominee for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Sci-Fi Series
LOVING THIS WHOLE queer femme lineup let's go https://t.co/V6IiK47ZGJ
— Kausar Mohammed (@kausartheperson) August 29, 2022
Sepideh Moafi (Gigi Ghorbani, The L Word: Generation Q) Nominee and Eventual Winner for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series
Wow, thank you @autostraddle 🙏🏽💓 https://t.co/HGO6j8VB3I
— Sepideh Moafi (@SepidehMoafi) August 29, 2022
Hailey Kilgore (Laverne “Jukebox” Ganner, Raising Kanan) Nominee for Santana Lopez Legacy Award For Outstanding Queer Teen Character
https://twitter.com/haileykilgore/status/1564379971962998789?s=21&t=2Yu6IFYkv-S38dymRtmlMghttps://twitter.com/haileykilgore/status/1564379971962998789?s=21&t=2Yu6IFYkv-S38dymRtmlMg
Nicole Maines (Nia Nal, Supergirl) Nominee for Outstanding LGBTQ+ Actor in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
https://twitter.com/nicoleamaines/status/1564452799152238592?s=21&t=wo04VOBHSQZKkXttkcWe_A
Mae Martin (Feel Good) Nominee for Outstanding LGBTQ+ Director / Writer / Showrunner and Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Comedy Series
These noms are so nice @autostraddle thank you 🙂 https://t.co/2whDPJ6ZSJ
— Mae Martin (@TheMaeMartin) August 30, 2022
E.R. Fightmaster (Dr. Kai Bartley, Grey’s Anatomy) Nominee for Outstanding Performance by an LGBTQ+ Actor in a Drama
Listen 😈. We love it.
https://twitter.com/GenderlessGapAd/status/1564648629893095425
Steven Krueger (Ben Scott, Yellowjackets) Nominee for Outstanding Cis Male Character
Any time my name is on a list with these guys, it’s one hell of a day. This is very cool. Thanks @autostraddle!
— Steven Krueger (@stevenakrueger) August 30, 2022
The Batwoman Writers’ Room (Episode 311, “Broken Toys”) Nominee for Outstanding Episode with LGBTQ+ Themes
#Batwoman, @JaviciaLeslie , AND @meagantandy nominated???
We love to see it. https://t.co/UIopJaMEPX
— Batwoman Writers Room (@BatwomanWriters) August 30, 2022
Victoria Cartagena (Renee Montoya, Batwoman) Nominee for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Sci-Fi Series
https://twitter.com/VickiCartagena/status/1564762247188172801
Jasmin Savoy Brown (Taissa Turner, Yellowjackets) Nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series, Santana Lopez Legacy Award For Outstanding Queer Teen Character, and Outstanding Performance by an LGBTQ+ Actor in a Drama
Jordan Hull (Angelica Porter-Kennard, The L Word: Generation Q) Nominee for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series and Santana Lopez Legacy Award For Outstanding Queer Teen Character
On behalf of all the queer TV/Film critics behind the Autostraddle TV Awards — we are so honored that our annual awards, created out of a deep love for LGBT storytelling on television, is being met in return with an abundance of joy and care by the very artists whose work make our stories come alive.
Read about all of our winners! Celebrate our queer television! We’ll keep this article updated with any new social media posts as they become available. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! Thank you for making television that matters.
In Continued Efforts To Become Gayer and Gayer, “The Morning Show” Casts Tig Notaro
Feature image photos of Tig Notaro via Tig’s Instagram
Is The Morning Show the gayest show on television? Absolutely not. And yet, in a way, maybe? The latest casting news indicates that the series — which sports one of the most stacked ensembles on television — is trending in the right direction, by which of course I mean she’s getting queerer and queerer, folks. Tig Notaro has signed on to play Amanda Robinson, the chief of staff to a corporate exec played by the also recently cast Jon Hamm. Notaro will have “a major recurring role,” according to Deadline. There’s no official confirmation yet as to whether her character will be queer, but I’m hopeful for some sort of gay rivalry situation between Amanda and Laura Peterson.
Would I rather she be playing a helicopter pilot than a corporate chief of staff? Kind of! But at least it looks like Tig will mostly be sporting well tailored suits and hot butch looks for the role, so can I really complain? In fact, about a week ago, Tig posted a mirror selfie on Instagram, teasing the fact that she had been cast in a series she and her wife, The L Word: Generation Q‘s Stephanie Allynne, love to watch together.
According to the caption, Tig thinks she looks cute, and I AGREE.
We already learned last week that Julianna Margulies will return for The Morning Show season three as Laura Peterson, a woman who wears earrings with such gay placements that when I first saw her in a season two trailer, I emphatically declared to my group chat dedicated almost exclusively to obsessing over famous women over the age of 45: “Oh, she’s a dyke.” I was, of course, correct in my prediction, and when Laura Peterson showed up and almost instantly wooed Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, I was delighted (and confused, given the sheer lack of lead-up to that steamy back-of-car makeout).
Anyway, it seems like a great time to revisit our very own Christina Tucker’s The Morning Show recaps (and if you guessed she’s in the group chat with me about famous women over 45, you’re obviously correct).
If more The Morning Show news relevant to our gay interests comes up, we’ll tell you about it!
How to Watch “A League Of Their Own” Deleted Scenes
Imagine this: you’ve already watched Prime Video’s A League Of Their Own TV series all the way through five times, read every recap, learned the history, laughed at the homophobic reviews, taken the quiz, spotted the easter eggs — and still, you want more! Well, have I got news for you: there are five (5) deleted scenes available on Prime Video.
All you’ve gotta do is click on “X-Ray” when you’re viewing an episode and then click on “Bonus Content.” (The bonus content doesn’t show up when I try to access it through my Apple TV, but it’s easily accessible on my computer interface and also works for a Fire Stick.) You can do this episode by episode but If you wanna just see the full suite of bonus content available, then go to Episode 8 and do the aforementioned steps and you should find five deleted scenes from the whole season: Clance’s Mansion, Sounds Crowded, It’s In The Walls Now, Free Hot Dogs and Push Back When Provoked. There are also “Inside the Episodes” for every episode of the series!
There might be even more where that came from! A fan recently tweeted about the bar scene where it’s revealed that Jess witnessed Carson and Greta falling asleep in each other’s arms, and co-creator Will Graham said that scene actually was written and shot, and then everybody was like EXCUSE ME CAN WE SEE and he was like, I’m looking into it!