Pop Culture Fix: The “Birds of Prey” Trailer is Full of Lesbians, Bisexuals, Emancipations and Explosions
Welcome to your weekly Pop Culture Fix, ya big gaymos.
+ The Birds of Prey trailer dropped yesterday, with bi-con Harley Quinn and lesbian legend Renee Montoya.
+ Lady Gaga is naming her new album ADELE.
+ Ruby Rose doesn’t care that gay Twitter hated on her Batwoman casting.
+ There’s a lesbian contestant on this UK show The Circle? And she’s pretending to be straight? And fans aren’t happy!
+ At Teen Vogue: Beanie Feldstein on Playing Teens, Besties, and Falling in Love.
Though Beanie’s open about who she is, a big coming-out moment didn’t feel necessary to her, which she acknowledges is probably a result of the abundance of love and support she has in her life. In the few years since that first sociology class, the media has assigned her many labels — queer, feminist, “chubby” — but she’s not overly defined by any particular one. Still, she understands that proudly trumpeting one’s identity feels meaningful for many. A few days before our meeting, Sam Smith announced on Instagram that they were switching to “they/them” pronouns. “I was so moved by that,” Beanie says. “The more stories we have, both personal and fictionalized…it just adds to the effing conversation.”
+ Vanity Fair interviewed Sarah Paulson while she was taking a lie detector test and the results are predictably hilarious.
+ Elena Delle Donne had to leave Game 2 of the WNBA Finals last night to back spasms (and of course the Mystics lost without her). She’ll have an MRI today to see if she can return for the rest of the series.
+ Alexandra Billings will join Wicked on Broadway as Madame Morrible.
+ Elsa is not getting a girlfriend in Frozen 2 (she’s focusing on herself, okay) but she reportedly is getting one in Frozen 3?
+ Gay TV renewals and cancellations: Grand Hotel won’t be back for a second season at ABC. Claws has been renewed for a fourth and final season at TNT. PLL: The Perfectionists is out at Freeform after one season.
+ What fan fiction teaches that classrooms don’t.
+ Alexandra Grey is set to recur on Empire this season.
+ A new webseries called These Thems is making waves on the LGBTQ festival circuit.
+ The extended trailer for season three of Black Lightning is here with plenty of ass-kicking Anissa but not much Grace. :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcHG6xoU6fw&feature=youtu.be
“The L Word: Generation Q” Teaser: Love is Life and Shane is Still Shane
It’s only been a month since The L Word: Generation Q blessed us with mayoral candidate Bette Porter, talk show host Alice Pieszecki, and a whole new group of conventionally attractive queers. But already we have a new teaser and with it the introduction of fucks a flight attendant on her private jet Shane McCutcheon.
Yes, this 30 second mix of new and old footage has plenty of gifts, including Bette and Alice characteristically and oh so cutely giving Shane a hard time for this little liaison. We also get our first real look at Leo Sheng’s Micah as he asks a guy on a date and accidentally smashes a chair through a window. And we meet Stephanie Allyne’s Nat as she tells someone she wants them to feel part of her family.
That isn’t all. Alice is making out with someone! And we get another shot of Bette having sex!
“Love… Is… Life” the trailer informs us. Not just a beautiful sentiment, but a promise that The L Word will continue to use L-words whenever possible. This should be reassuring for anyone worried each episode title of the anticipated reboot would start with the letter Q.
My big questions after this teaser:
1. How does Shane have a private jet?
2. How does Micah fit in with the rest of the group?
3. Who is Nat? Is she someone we know and love’s ex or current partner?
And, most, importantly…
4. Who is Alice making out with??
We’ll get all these answers and so much more when the show premieres December 8th. Or next month when another trailer drops.
“The L Word: Generation Q” Trailer, Annotated
For a magical one minute and eighteen seconds yesterday afternoon all lesbians, bisexuals, and queer humans all across the internet held the same singular thought: “Damn Bette Porter still looks good.” Well actually, maybe your Bette is Shane. Or it’s Alice. But no matter, because after mounting excitement for the last year and a half, yesterday was the day that The L Word: Generation Q trailer finally descended upon us!
And just like that, we all collectively took the rest of the afternoon off. Hey, if the reuniting of The L Word isn’t worthy of a national holiday, then we don’t know what is!
Autostraddle’s TV Team got together to live out the greatest moment of our lives all over again.
Valerie: I always knew Bette Porter was a rock star.
Natalie: So they’re just gonna lean all the way in to the Kamala Harris is Senator Bette Porter thing, huh?
Carmen: LISTEN.
Kayla: What if this isn’t a political rally at all, but rather a press conference where Bette is publicly apologizing to everyone she has ever emotionally devastated in the city of Los Angeles.
Kayla:
Kayla: Honestly, how dare she.
Natalie I know this political story is going to drive me bananas, but at least we’ll get to see Bette at her most badass. Also, yay for Brian Michael Smith!
Carmen: YES! So here for him and for black trans actors getting work.
Valerie: I think this is when the kids would shout something like STEP ON MY FACE right?
Kayla: I can’t believe Bette is still wearing extra wide collars in 2019.
Carmen: I’ve never wanted a pair of sunglasses to top me before, but here we are.
Drew: Does anyone know if Leisha Hailey is single? And into younger women? And into me specifically?
Kayla: My first thought was, “who dumped Alice leading to this obviously breakup-inspired bleached hair!”
Drew: I THINK IT’S WORKING FOR HER.
Carmen: It’s Tasha. Tasha dumped Alice. And if Rose Rollins doesn’t saunter back onto this set riding a motorcycle I will never forgive any of you!!
Kayla: Is Shane… rich now? Did combination hair salon-skateboard parks take off? Did she franchise them? Or is this Cherie Jaffe’s private jet?
Natalie: Is she back working for Veronica Bloom?
Natalie: Whoever’s plane that is, it’s definitely a step up from making out with undergrads on grown-ish.
Carmen: Wow, Zoey Johnson’s college really pays well.
Valerie: It’s been a while since we could add another queer bench to the long list of canonically queer benches.
Kayla: Is there gonna be a gay private school subplot? Because sign me the fuck up!
Natalie: Wait, is that baby Angelica? Shit, I feel old.
Kayla: LMAO. WAIT.
Drew: She looks surprisingly well adjusted!
Carmen: What if… WHAT IF… The L Word is doing a Euphoria storyline!?!?
Drew: I’d actually trust their Euphoria take more than Euphoria’s Euphoria take.
Natalie: I was terrified by Euphoria’s take on Euphoria so…
Drew: Based on the sign that says “Alice Production” I assume that “new to Los Angeles” Sarah is an assistant on Alice’s show? And she seems very excited about it. Which is fair.
Natalie: A more realistic look at the life of a PA than Carmen de la Pica Morales in Season 2?
Carmen: I was thinking more like a real life take of me and every fuckboi that I mistakingly had a crush on in my 20s. But sure.
Kayla: Is everyone on the show just rich now?
Drew: Based on her “This is what I thought living in LA was going to be like” – I’m assuming this is not PA Sarah’s place, but a rich person she’s sleeping with? Maybe Shane?
Natalie: Is that Shane? Is she juicing? Where did those muscles come from?
Carmen: I believe that those muscles happen when you spend most of your 20s and 30s having sex in club and coffee house bathroom stalls and having to keep your lover from touching the nasty floor. That’s my best guess.
Carmen: I love her immediately.
Valerie:I don’t know what’s happening here, but it’s gay.
Natalie: I am very curious about what’s happening here.
Valerie: This is looking very Shane today.
Natalie: Some things never change.
Carmen: Ah yes, we are home.
Carmen: This is when my heart short circuited. I’ve lost all sense of space and time. Food has no taste. Music has no sound. It’s just me and this split second screen shot until December 8th.
Kayla: The Lesbian Forehead Touch.
Natalie: This feels like a sleeping with your young, impressionable campaign intern story in the making.
Carmen: NATALIE YOU WILL NOT RUIN MY DAY. BETTE PORTER HAS A BLACK GIRLFRIEND 2K19.
Carmen: I really love this! Is that Shane she’s hugging? IS THE BAND GETTING BACK TOGETHER? 😭 😭 😭
Natalie: The band is back together!
Carmen: OMG Is Alice going to be The L Word’s Ellen?
Valerie: Is Alice a cult leader? Can I join her cult?
Drew: I have nothing smart to say about Alice hosting a talk show, but I would like to know if she’s going to fuck any more vampires.
Kayla: It has pockets!
Carmen: I actually… love this? There’s been a long tradition of real life lesbian talk show and game show hosts since Alice was last on air. It’s only fitting that she gets to join in.
Natalie: She’s aged into Phyllis Kroll. A better styled Phyllis Kroll, admittedly. But still.
Drew: I don’t see how aging into bisexual Cybil Shepherd is anything but a compliment!
Carmen: CORRECT, DREW!
Natalie: It is intended as such!
Valerie: Against my better judgement, my heart did a little flip at this part.
Kayla: I can’t believe Shane hasn’t changed her hair in a decade.
Carmen: And she’s still a bad decision that I would make every time.
Natalie: 😍😍😍
Natalie: That’s it. That’s my comment.
Drew: This is the moment that broke me. This screenshot. I just. Help.
Valerie: I think I get Kayla’s GOVERN ME, MOMMI stance now.
Kayla: I can’t wait to be emotionally terrorized by her inevitable infidelity storyline.
Natalie: I am both scared and turned on by this look.
Carmen: … I mean, do you think she even knows how much I have missed her?
Kayla: 50 Shades Of Bette.
Carmen: I won’t publicly embarrass myself by telling you how many times I rewound this split second. But it’s more than 20. Just so you know.
Natalie: Whatever she’s pulling her towards, I want to go to there.
Kayla: LOL
Carmen: I mean, who hasn’t been there? Amirite?
Natalie: She’s definitely leaving Shane’s house, right? This feels like something Shane would make a young queer hookup do. They’ve gotta learn!
Natalie: Why hello.
Kayla: I would watch an entire show of Bette just crossing her arms while looking mean.
Natalie: Same!
Drew: I live ten minutes from here and can confirm it’s in Silver Lake. I wonder if they’re going to explore West Hollywood gay life vs. East Side gay life or if that’s incredibly too Los Angeles.
Kayla: One time I cried at that Jiffy Lube
Drew: Oh my God, Kayla.
Kayla: Every time I watch shows set in Los Angeles, I point out all the places where I cried.
Natalie: Dykes on bikes is quite on brand.
Valerie: Live footage of Heather Hogan biking through Queens.
Natalie: They just captured Heather’s whole entire essence here.
Kayla:
Carmen: Very much the same, Kayla. Season Four means Forever In My Heart!
Drew: Okay. She is hot and charming and we both moved to LA to work on TV shows – BUT there’s been a lot of talk about the cast being more inclusive and I would’ve loved if the Jenny Schecter-esque newbie wasn’t a cis femme white woman.
Anyway, back to enjoying her flip off a gross man!
Valerie: WHEN DO WE FIND OUT WHAT THE THEME SONG SITUATION IS THOUGH!
Carmen: The fact that this trailer dropped and I can’t watch this episode IMMEDIATELY RIGHT NOW is homophobia.
Drew: Why is December 8th so far away!
Natalie: December 8th cannot come soon enough.
Kayla: My niece is supposed to be born a couple days before December 8 and I’m like please be on time because I have PLANS!
Natalie: Priorities, Kayla. LOL.
The Trailer for “The L Word: Generation Q” Is Here, Oh So Very Very Queer
Well, my friends, the casting hype and old crew Instagrams are finally paying off! The first trailer for The L Word: Generation Q is here and it’s everything you have been hoping for: Bette seducing you with that smile in a suit, Shane seducing the first women she sees, and Alice… hosting her own talkshow? Okay! Plus the new cast, all of whom seem — well, I don’t know them, but that dyke on her bike at the end (Sarah Finley?) yelling at a man is my eternal mood, so! Let’s fucking do this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7wDg_G9GMU&feature=youtu.be
“Bachelor in Paradise” Season 6 Will Feature Queer Queen Demi Burnett
For those of us who slogged through this most recent, particularly miserable season of The Bachelorette, the upcoming sixth season of spin-off show Bachelor in Paradise and its near-constant drama comes as no surprise. But if you’ve managed to avoid ABC’s long-running reality dating show, you may have missed the news that for the first time in the franchise’s history, a queer relationship between two women will be featured on-screen. A new preview was released a few weeks ago, and while it mostly highlights the standard tears, hysteria, breakups, fights, and heterosexual clichés that have made the show famous, the teaser also includes self-proclaimed queer queen Demi Burnett openly declaring her love for another woman. “I don’t care who sees this — I know that I love her. I’m just so happy that I found her, and I can definitely picture being with her for the rest of my life.”
We have SO MANY QUESTIONS. Meet us on the beach for #BachelorInParadise in 2 weeks! pic.twitter.com/FB811f1Ckc
— Bachelor in Paradise (@BachParadise) July 23, 2019
The 23-year-old interior designer from Texas made a big impression during Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor earlier this year, with her outspoken charm and willingness to defend her choices making her an early fan favorite as well as a bit of a villain. And while she didn’t talk explicitly about her sexual identity during her time in the mansion, Demi has never been afraid to voice her opinions or go after what she wants. Her time on The Bachelor was defined by her ability to clearly articulate her desires, grabbing Colton anytime she wanted to chat and openly sharing her strong opinions on both herself and the other girls in the house with anyone who asked.
And while Demi rarely played by the rules, sneaking away from a grub-hunting group date to bring burgers to her team (“The other girls can suck maggots — I’m drinking champagne”) and setting up private massages and surprises for Colton, she certainly made a lasting impression. As soon as the Paradise preview was released during a recent Bachelorette episode, Demi immediately started tweeting, proudly sharing her queer identity and soon after, defending herself and the LGBTQ+ community from hateful remarks and homophobic attacks. The general mayhem and lighter restrictions of Bachelor in Paradise will most likely be a better fit for her than the original show, allowing all of the contestants space to explore a variety of relationships and giving Demi a perfect platform for her snarky one-liners and unabashed self-assurance.
If you’ve never seen either show, allow me to offer a quick primer: The Bachelor is essentially just a weekly dose of Straight People Watch. Each season, a bachelor or bachelorette gets to know 20-30 contestants, who all live together in a big Malibu mansion. Episodes feature awkward group dates, bizarre challenges, and trips around the world, usually including a ceremony where the featured single offers their chosen partners a rose, requesting their consent to keep dating. The show rarely results in long-term couples, though the finale almost always features a marriage proposal, and is usually more about drama, villains, being present “for the right reasons,” and compulsive heterosexuality over true love or lasting partnerships.
Bachelor in Paradise, on the other hand, invites chaos a bit more than the original 2002 concept. Putting a group of rejected contestants from previous Bachelor seasons together into a sprawling beach resort, people come and go depending on how quickly they connect with other singles. Roses are still distributed, uncomfortable dates are still had, and there are still endless tears, fights, and breakups — but the structure is much looser, allowing for multiple relationships, constant hookups, and daily drama. Bachelor in Paradise doesn’t come close to the brilliance of queer-focused gems like A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila or the absolutely bonkers Are You The One? (which you should definitely be watching), but at least one season of The Bachelor (and later, Bachelor in Paradise) included a queer contestant, and The Bachelor Vietnam became famous for showing two women choosing each other. But perhaps more importantly, ABC’s franchise has a much wider, long-term audience, and could be the first time many viewers see a queer relationship developing on network television.
While The Bachelor and its spinoff shows have a history of teasing drama in previews only to take weeks to reveal it (or to mislead the audience entirely for ratings), interviews and rumors indicate that Demi’s on-screen partner is Kristian Haggerty, an entertainment professional that was introduced to Demi before the show by a mutual friend. Unlike most of the singles that come to Paradise, Kristian has never appeared on any of the franchise’s previous shows, and was instead invited on by producers due to her connection with Demi. And while previews feature Demi kissing some guy in a hot tub as well as making out with a blonde in a dress, the main teaser ends with her walking along the beach, musing about a possible engagement. Let’s hope Demi’s unique brand of chaos and confidence leads to a happy, queer ending.
Season six of Bachelor in Paradise premieres tonight, August 5th, and airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8pm EST on ABC. And if you watch the episodes live, join me on Twitter using #QueerQueenDemi.
“The L Word: Generation Q” Casts Trans Actress Jamie Clayton as Tess, Which Is a Gay Name
Another big casting announcement today from The L Word: Generation Q — Jamie Clayton of Sense8 will play a recurring role as Tess, “a no-nonsense bartender who sees other people clearly but has a blind spot when it comes to her own relationships.” This is the second trans actress cast in The L Word: Generation Q, after last week’s announcement that Sophie Giannamore would be playing a teenage friend of Bette and Tina’s daughter, Angie.
While the announcement of Giannamore was certainly exciting there is something different about a trans woman character who is actually in the age range of the main crew. Especially with that character description. Is her nightmare ex also Gabby Devaux? Will she hook up with notorious bad girlfriend Bette Porter? At the very least, the fanfic opportunities are endless!
If you’ve watched Sense8, you know Clayton is familiar with both strap-ons and not knowing how to drive, so she really is a perfect gay addition to what is shaping up to be a very exciting cast.
And that’s not all! Freddy Miyares (When They See Us) will be playing José, “a charming and kind artist who is trying to move on from his complicated past.” And Carlos Leal (Better Call Saul) will be playing Rodolfo, “a strong-willed, manipulative CEO who strives to provide what he thinks is best for his family.”
I hope these Generation Q casting announcements never end and I hope we’re a year away from Tess getting a spin-off.
Bette and Tina’s Daughter Has Been Cast on “The L Word: Generation Q,” We Hope They Also Cast a Therapist for Her
Another day, another casting announcement about The L Word: Generation Q! This time it’s about Bette and Tina’s daughter, Angelica, who has miraculously survived being parented by two people who once left stir fry cooking on the stovetop to have sex, allowed her to sit in the living room as the drowned body of Jenny Schecter was just wheeled on through, and constantly left her in the care of one of the least responsible friend groups in TV history. If I am remembering correctly, Angelica one time had a gun? And tried to frolic with some rats as big as dogs?
ANYWAY. Angelica will be played by Jordan Hull. Entertainment Weekly says she’s “a strong-willed teenager navigating high school friendships and first loves.” (You can see a photo of Angie at EW. She’s not widely known so I can’t find her Instagram.)
Further casting news: Sepideh Moafi will play Gigi, “a passionate realtor attempting to co-parent with her ex-wife.” A PASSIONATE REALTOR! And Latarsha Rose will play Felicity, “a cultural affairs department executive struggling in her marriage.” I’ll tell you one thing about these casting announcements: They sure are specific about everyone’s jobs!
My predictions for Angelica are that she’s straight because her lesbian moms are bonkers, all her friends are queer because it’s 2019, and Shane gives her some weed. I hope they cast her a therapist!
Hallelujah, “L Word: Generation Q” Has Cast a Trans Actress: Sophie Giannamore Joins Cast
Bless us everyone: a new round of casting selections for The L Word: Generation Q were announced today and one of the women joining this hotly anticipated production is a trans actress.
Sophie Giannamore, who played Young Maura on Transparent, has been cast as “Jordi, a rebellious teen with absent parents.” It’s unclear if her character will also be trans or how she fits in to the storyline, but I will go out on an honestly pretty sturdy limb here and say I think she’s gonna be friends with Angelica.
Queer butch actress Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project) has been cast as Heather, providing the show with much needed representation of lesbians named Heather. This particular Heather will be “an aspiring comedian who lacks boundaries.”
Bisexual actress Olivia Thirlby, who you likely recall from projects including Juno and The Wackness, will do a guest spot as “kind-hearted Rebecca, who often finds herself attracted to the wrong kind of women.”
Lex Scott Davis will play “Quiara, a sensual lead singer whose international travels bring her back to L.A.” Sounds… wild! Davis is a dancer who has appeared in Superfly and the Training Day TV series.
They will join already-announced cast members Arienne Mandi, Leo Sheng, Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas as well as also already-announced cast members Stephanie Allyne and Brian Michael as well as your friends and mine: Bette, Alice and Shane.
Here’s a picture you can investigate for a while for fun:
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO! Carly Lancaster’s Secret Is Out on “Ambitions”
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Friar Laurence begrudgingly agrees to marry the play’s titular characters in hopes of putting an end to the longstanding feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. In the play’s third act, he says to Romeo, “For this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households’ rancour to pure love.”
It didn’t exactly work as Friar Laurence intended in Verona but what about in modern day Atlanta, Georgia: can love between two children of warring families bring peace? That’s the question being posed on OWN’s new soapy drama, Ambitions, only this time, the couple at the center of our story are two women.
An old story gets a modern day refresh on OWN’s Ambitions.
Carly Lancaster (Kayla Smith) is Ambitions’ Juliet: the privileged first daughter of Atlanta. Her father, Evan, is the mayor and her mother, Stephanie Carlisle Lancaster, is one of the city’s top legal minds. While her mother wants nothing more than to see Carly follow in her footsteps — becoming a lawyer and joining the family’s prestigious firm — Carly’s got her own ambitions: to become an actress. But her mother’s not content to just interfere in her professional life, Stephanie interjects herself in Carly’s personal life too…hoping to build a love connection between Carly and the son of the CEO whose business her father is trying to lure to Atlanta.
“There is no future with me and Khalil,” Carly tells her mother, without being completely honest about how true that statement is.
Lori Purifoy (Christina Kirkman) is Ambitions’ Romeo Romy: the young head of public relations at Purifoy Pharmaceuticals. The company’s being sued by Stephanie Lancaster’s firm, again, and it’s Lori’s job maintain the image of the company in the wake of it all, despite being hamstrung by her father — a self-proclaimed “old cracker” — and the company’s new lawyer.
When she meets Carly for the first time — a fundraiser to combat the opioid epidemic, no less — and, after exchanging barbs about their family’s legal battles, things turn personal. Lori grabs Carly’s phone and inputs her number, for when Carly wants “to have a deeper conversation about living one’s truth.” It’s clear, though, as Lori draws Carly in and runs her tongue against her lips, that whenever she and Carly cross paths, there won’t be that much talking going on.
Originally, I was getting Marina from The L Word vibes from Lori — manipulative slightly older woman who likes to toy with impressionable young women — but last week’s episode, where Lori shows up for Carly in a big way, had me second guessing myself. Is Lori using Carly or is there something real going on between them? I don’t know…but if this clip, exclusively provided to us by our friends at OWN, is any indication, we’re well on our way to find out.
I’m pretty sure Stephanie Lancaster’s face is the “And I Oop” meme come to life. I cannot wait to see what happens next and if our star-crossed lovers can overcome all the roadblocks that are about to be tossed in their way. Can the alliance between Carly and Lori turn the rancour between the Carlisles and the Purifoy’s into pure love?
New episodes of Ambitions air Tuesday nights at 10PM on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. You can binge the show’s first five episodes, right now on the WATCH OWN app.
What in the Bisexual Heck Is Going on With Tessa Thompson and Evan Rachel Wood in This New “Westworld” Trailer?
I’ll have a full rundown of all the gay shenanigans coming out of San Diego Comic-Con in Wednesday’s Pop Culture Fix — but I cannot wait that long to ask the most pressing question to arise from the world’s largest con thus far: What in the bisexual heck is going on with Tessa Thompson and Evan Rachel Wood in this new Westworld trailer? You will remember that the first season three trailer revealed Lena Waithe’s character, was heavy on Evan Rachel Wood’s new world, and suspiciously light on Tessa Thompson. Was she too busy with Avengers and Men in Black and the new Thor to be on teevee anymore, we wondered? Well, now we know she’s not too busy to strut around and engage in perhaps the most legendary bisexual spooning situation of all time.
Strut.
Spoon.
Hurt/Comfort.
Bonus Lena Waithe.
Please share your theories in the comments. Only gay ones, please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64CYajemh6E
“Wynonna Earp” Star Kat Barrell Is Attracted to Both Men and Women, #20BiTeen Strikes Again!
In the year of our Sappho 20BiTeen, we’ve been given yet another glorious gift in the form of an actor coming out. In an interview for their August issue, Kat Barrell told Diva Magazine:
“I am attracted to both men and women and the person I fell in love with is a man. I wish it could just be about the human I am in love with, not their gender. This is why I am so passionate about advocating for equal acceptance across the spectrum of sexuality. Let’s just love who we love and leave each other alone. The world has bigger problems.”
It’s unfortunate that this line was nestled in a paragraph about how people who have a hard time separating fiction from reality gave her a hard time online because she was marrying a man. But it highlights an erasure issue a lot of bisexual and queer people in relationships face — whether it’s being assumed to be a lesbian/gay or straight because of who their partner is — even from members of their own community. It’s embarrassing we have to say it in this day and age, but some people still need to hear it: queer people are still queer even if they’re in opposite-sex relationships.
Oops I dropped this.
What makes me happy, however, is that after playing a queer character for so long and talking about what Nicole Haught being queer means to people, Kat felt comfortable enough to say it in an interview. She knew it could possibly result in MORE backlash, because she probably gets plenty from people who don’t approve of her character, but she also seems to understand what it would mean for people for her to be comfortably and casually mention that she isn’t straight.
It makes me so happy to know that this is where we’re heading. Where high-profile people coming out doesn’t have to happen during an award show speech or an SNL monologue as a big announcement (though don’t get me wrong, I love those moments, too) or dramatically revealed in an op-ed. Just casually mentioned in a conversation, because even though it’s a big deal, it’s not really a big deal, you know?
Just like how one day on Wynonna Earp, Waverly was dating Champ, and then the next she had feelings for Nicole. One day we didn’t know Kat was also attracted to women, and now we do. Kat’s quote in the interview struck me because I realized it’s that kind of casual attitude around the spectrum of sexuality that will hopefully move us closer to a future where young people figuring out who they are will be more casual, too.
And, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of spending some time with Kat Barrell, and she’s a kind, bright person with a lot of light and creativity to share and plenty of drive to share it, so I, for one, am very happy to have her on our team.
VIDEO! Rachel Maddow Casually Asks Megan Rapinoe to Run for President
The United States Women’s National Team continued their World Cup victory tour through the streets of New York City today — but apparently the first thing Megan Rapinoe did when she got to town was put on a suit to sit down with Rachel Maddow to talk about equal pay, being super duper famous now, and… running for president. Maddow asked Pinoe what’s next, casually mentioned a new poll that has her beating Trump by one point in an election, and then waited to hear Sue Bird’s thoughts on Pinoe’s political aspirations. Just a couple of butch icons plotting a global takeover, enjoy!
“Wynonna Earp” Is Officially Coming Back for Season 4, Canadian Gays Win Again
For months, the status of Wynonna Earp has been in limbo, and for months I’ve been terrified I’d have to write an obituary for this show that is so near and dear to my heart, but I’m happy to say I’m here with good news: WYNONNA EARP IS OFFICIALLY COMING BACK FOR SEASON FOUR!!
While it’s becoming increasingly easier to find shows with decent queer representation, sometimes it feels like it’s increasingly harder to keep shows on the air. These past two years have seemed extra egregious, with the cancellation of shows like Everything Sucks and One Day at a Time (that was thankfully saved by Pop TV but the sting of the cancellation still hurt). Even shows like Abby’s seem like they barely got a chance to get off the ground before they were taken away.
When Wynonna Earp was renewed for Season Four only one episode into Season Three, it was a huge relief. Fans of the show, myself included, were able to watch the rest of the season without the worry of cancellation lingering above our heads the whole time. We could just sit back and trust that, whatever happened with Waverly and Nicole, they would both survive, and they would both be back for at least one more season.
Oops I dropped this.
And it wasn’t just our angelic bisexual and soft butch sheriff returning to us. It was the themes of friendship and sisterhood, fighting your inner demons, smashing the patriarchy. Themes of letting people in, letting people down, lifting people up. It was about love and loss and, above all, family. Sometimes found, sometimes blood, always chosen. And how when you have people to fight for, you never give up.
That’s why it was all the more devastating when we learned, a few weeks past when production would have normally started for a new season, that IDW was delaying production because of financial issues. What’s worse, the possibility that they wouldn’t fund the series — which we have since learned that SyFy had already agreed to renew for a fourth AND fifth season — was a real concern. But Earpers set out to remind the world of something Clexa fans have already proven: that fandom doesn’t have to be all ship wars and inside jokes. Fandom can be a movement.
All it took was a tweet from showrunner Emily Andras that warned of a potential to soon have to maybe fight for the show, and within hours #FightforWynonna was trending on Twitter. As time went on and the fight felt more desperate, instead of losing hope or moving on to other fandoms, Earpers just upped their game. They bought digital billboards in Times Square and physical billboards in California. Actors and writers showed up to what was becoming Earp Square to see the Earpers in action, some even taking out billboards of their own to thank the fans for the ceaseless fighting.
And that’s another thing; while obviously these actors and writers couldn’t sit around waiting and have started on other projects here and there, none of them just wrote this off as a gig gone bad, a thing of the past. They were all in this fight too, tweeting and rallying and fighting alongside us. Emily rekindled our hope as much as she could as often as she could (and maybe even sometimes when she couldn’t) and never took the support for granted. The content of the show alone is enough to fight for, but it’s the people behind the scenes that make it easier to keep fighting when the going gets tough. We had people to fight for, so we never gave up.
I would tear DOWN billboards with my bare hands to keep smiles on these faces.
Once in Season Two, I was tweeting about how perfectly gay an episode was, Emily Andras tweeted back at me, “We can get gayer.” A promise she has continued to follow through on. But her follow up tweet is also just as relevant then as it is now: “But we need more time.”
And luckily, now we have it.
“One Day at a Time” Is Saved, Will Return for Season 4 on CBS-Owned Pop TV
Pop Network, a little niche pay TV channel owned that’s by CBS, is about to become your favorite television network of all time! Why, you may ask?
Because the mighty heroes of Pop just saved our favorite sitcom family from the brink of their extinction. Pop has green-lit Season Four of One Day at a Time, ordering 13 episodes of the series with for a 2020 premiere date! You read that sentence correctly!! Get your cafecito ready, THE ALVAREZ FAMILY IS COMING BACK TO TV!
Netflix originally cancelled the series in March, citing lack of viewership (and Netflix doesn’t publicly release its audience statistics, so its always hard to tell – but the groundswell of support surrounding the series does put certain metrics into question). If you’ve been following along since its cancellation, you may also remember that while more than a few television networks expressed interest in reviving the series, previously established Netflix exclusivity deals made it a tall mountain to climb.
Well, if this was Mt. Everest, then my friends – Pop has certainly reached the gay pinnacle! While stories of streaming giants “saving” lost network or cable shows has become more commonplace in recent years, this appears to be the first time a streaming series has ever been saved by switching back cable! The way it will work is as follows: Netflix will retain the rights for the first three seasons of One Day at a Time, but going forward the series will be branded as a Pop original. The deal also includes a snazzy little provision that will allow CBS to air encore runs of ODAAT, starting with its new reboot season at Pop, later on in 2020. Last thing! Pop is also getting rights to use the earlier Netflix seasons for their promotional use.
OK! All that industry talk out of the way! WHERE IS ABUELITA WITH MY FLAG??? BECAUSE IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE!!!!!!!
We are going to get to watch perfect Latina Lesbian Teen Dream Elena Alvarez graduate high school? Can you imagine how cute she’s going to be with Syd at Prom? I cannot freaking wait!
Seriously, I did not believe this day was going to come. When we said goodbye to One Day at a Time in the Spring, it was a heartache that was almost unbearable. This is a massive win for Latinx representation on television. It’s a win for anyone who loves good storytelling. And it’s a win for us, for anyone who’s healed even a little bit from watching this family and their amazing gay daughter and their love on TV. ¡Dalé!
Stephanie Allynne and Brian Michael Join “The L Word: Generation Q” Cast, Are Also Actual Members of “Generation Q”
Two new cast members have been announced for The L Word reboot, The L Word: Generation Q, which will be focusing on quilting, quizzing and queen-esque activities of a group of queers who do not necessarily live in West Hollywood.
Stephanie Allynne, known for being an actress/writer and also for being Tig Notaro’s wife, has been cast as Nat, “a sweet therapist who is struggling to co-parent with a hostile ex-wife and her live-in girlfriend.” Allynne recently appeared on One Mississippi, one of my favorite shows to ever exist, which was cancelled because we generally speaking cannot have nice things. She also the host of the podcast “Wild Horses” and a proficient basketball player. As her marriage to Tig Notaro suggests, Allynne is a certified gal pal, and the couple have two children.
Black trans actor Brian Michael of Queen Sugar will play Pierce Williams, “a buttoned-up, fastidious, expert political strategist and a veteran of LA politics. Unlike his colleagues, he’s not quick to share details about his personal life, choosing to put all his energy into winning campaigns.”
In February, an article in Out Magazine suggested Brian Michael to be the ‘new Max” in the L Word reboot. Michael is making history on Queen Sugar as one of only a handful of trans men of color characters to ever appear on television, but he’s also an activist and has appeared in non-trans roles in shows like Person of Interest and Blue Blood. He came out as trans in 2017.
They will join returning cast members Kate Moennig, Jennifer Beals and Leisha Hailey as well as freshly cast humans Arienne Mandi, Leo Sheng, Jacqueline Toboni and Rosanny Zayas.
“The L Word: Generation Q” Has Cast Four Attractive Humans To Play Some Gay Parts
Today “The L Word: Generation Q” has picked actors for several of its lead roles, according to The Hollywood Reporter, unfortunately none of those actors are you. Unless you are one of those actors and you are reading this right now, in which case, could you let me know if you are gay or not? I recognize that this doesn’t matter a ton but I need a hook for this piece.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGoZ5lhLeI/
Arienne Mandi will play Dani Nùñez, “a powerful and calculating PR executive whose ambition is only tested by her conscience.” Mandi has had a few small TV roles like on NCIS and Matador, and although it is unclear if she is gay IRL or not, she is at least very good at seeming gay in pictures.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_FuXIAxTR/
The most experienced Film & TV actress of the bunch, Jacqueline Toboni, appeared regularly in Grimm, but many queers may recognize from her role as Jo on Easy, the girlfriend of Kiersey Clemons’ Chase. She will play Sarah, ” a charming but unfocused assistant who struggles to reconcile her sexual orientation with her religious upbringing.” Toboni recently worked with showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan on her play “Bugaboo & The Silent One.” Her sister seems gay for sure but if I had to bet my life on her being queer or not, I would bet on queer, although at least one total stranger on the internet says that she is straight. Her haircut, voice and twitter feed are gay as hell though so I don’t know, if I’ve lost my life then I will be on my way to hang out with Dana Fairbanks.
An April casting call for the reboot had a character named Sarah Finley who was described as “a former Olympic swimmer” with a tall, athletic build, who’d grown up in a conservative religious family and worked as the office PA on a talk show. It seems like this character has probably been scrapped or adjusted into the current Sarah, but wouldn’t it be charming ifThe L Word: Generation Q‘s dedication to realism extended to having more than one “Sarah” in a lesbian friend group?
Rosanny Zayas will play Sophie, “a TV producer who guards her heart and is quick to put other people’s needs before her own.” Zayas, a Julliard graduate, has a part in the yet-unaired seventh season of Orange is the New Black and has a background in theater, including appearing in The Public’s 2018 production of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.”
Leo Sheng will play Micah Lee, a trans guy and “an earnest, soft-spoken adjunct professor who is forced to confront his fear of vulnerability.” Leo, like me and Jacqueline Toboni, went to the University of Michigan, and will debut this year in the film Adam, based on Ariel Schrag’s graphic novel of the same name.
There you have it, gumshoes!
“The L Word: Generation Q” Announces Two New Characters, Bette and Tina’s Grown-Up Baby
The L Word: Generation Q has officially announced two entire characters who’ll join Bette and Tina and Alice when they move to the eastside of Los Angeles for their fall reboot on Showtime. Over at Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan unveiled an annotated page from a Gen Q script and some details about the new series. The new kids are Dani (cis, PR person) and Micah (trans, climate scientist), just a couple of exes who are now best friends. Also, in addition to the returning characters you’re expecting, here’s a returning character you’re not: Bette and Tina’s little baby angel Angelica, who’s a fully grown teenager now. Ryan says writing that whole thing was “really fun.”
Remember when Bette and Tina almost burned down their house when Angie was at Disneyland with Kit and they had sex while the stir-fry was still cooking on the stove? Remember that time Dawn Denbo released a bunch of rats at the Planet and Angie peeped them and thought they were dogs? Remember that time Angie got her hands on that gun? Remember when they wheeled Jenny Schecter’s dead body right into the living room in front of Angie’s precious face?! Bette and Tina were terrible parents! I hope she’s seeing a therapist and I hope it’s not Dan Foxworthy.
Ryan also told EW:
“Getting the chance to write where their lives would be in 10 years, there’s this element of fan fiction that I got to fulfill — and the other writers in the room did, too… Not to get super dark, but any time I see a news story about a kid like you or me who kills themselves, the idea that this show is not on the air is, I think, harmful. I just think about the little Marjas, watching themselves, seeing themselves, and being okay. So it’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than my ego.”
When Generation Q proclaimed that it was going to for real be called Generation Q, Riese noted that the show was casting “two trans male roles, one of which is for an Asian-American actor, as well as for a white female character identified as a ‘late 20s-early 30s former Olympic Swimmer’ who is ‘charming, youthful and sweet.’ She’s also supposed to be tall.”
Oh, one other important character is apparently coming back: Alice’s chart.
Head on over to Entertainment Weekly to get your paws on that script.
“The L Word” Reboot Will Be Called “Generation Q,” Which Probably Stands For “Quasimodo”
Hello I am here to inform you that “The L Word reboot has a name? It is… “Generation Q.” Here’s the press release:
LOS ANGELES – May 22, 2019 – SHOWTIME has announced the official title of its highly anticipated sequel – THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, which will debut this fall on SHOWTIME. Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar, 6 Balloons) serves as showrunner and is executive producing with original series creator Ilene Chaiken and original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. Kristen Campo also serves as executive producer. The series is slated to begin production on eight new episodes in Los Angeles this summer. The pilot is directed by Steph Green who also serves as executive producer on the episode. For a look back at the original series, THE L WORD, go to:https://youtu.be/ZXYWSw2ZSR8.
The groundbreaking drama series originally ran on SHOWTIME from 2004-2009. In this sequel, Beals, Moennig and Hailey will resume their original roles alongside a new generation of diverse, self-possessed LGBTQIA characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A. The series sparked subsequent versions, including the docuseries The Real L Word and L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin.
Also here’s some enticing art. I think I see a tiny Shane:
Other things called “Generation Q” include:
- A generation dubbed The Quiet Americans by Thomas Friedman, further described as “generation of young people who are idealistic and active in pursuing a better world, but who do not participate in the related political or social discourse that helps form popular opinion or influence elections.”
- This magazine about Quilting
- This after-school program for LGBTQ youth in Queens
- This book about “young gays, lesbians, and bisexuals born around 1969’s Stonewall riots”
- This TV show about “a group of friends trying to help their perpetually single friend, Elsa, find love.”
- This camp for “secondary school students who are interested in learning about quantum computing and cryptography.”
This is just to say that it’s a very crowded market and I look forward to seeing how this program will stand out in this very well-occupied media landscape.
Casting calls have already gone out for two trans male roles, one of which is for an Asian-American actor, as well as for a white female character identified as a “late 20s-early 30s former Olympic Swimmer” who is “charming, youthful and sweet.” She’s also supposed to be tall. I am also tall, but not that sweet, so that’s why I didn’t audition.
By the way, did you know that right this minute you could start listening to a podcast called “To L and Back,” in which I, a bonafide L Word expert, have been recapping every episode of the show you love to hate, The L Word, starting with Season One? I’m doing it with my pal Kristin Russo, who is the famous podcaster behind Buffering the Vampire Slayer! It’s has been a real hit so far! It’s a good thing to listen to as you prepare yourself for this show about people who don’t have any facial features. I can’t wait to love/hate it!!!!!
Our “Gentleman Jack” Event in Los Angeles Was Secretly the Best 19th Century Lesbian Comedy Special Ever
Within twenty minutes of announcing last month’s HBO + Autostraddle “Queer to Queer” event, every ticket had been claimed. Unsurprisingly, there was a certain allure to the concept: six incredible queer actors and comics (Jasika Nicole, Brittani Nichols, Rhea Butcher, Gaby Dunn, Brittany Ashley and Cameron Esposito) reading excerpts from the delightful diaries of Miss Anne Lister (which inspired the HBO program “Gentleman Jack”) and an open bar of custom show-inspired cocktails, co-created by our very own Heather Hogan and the good bartenders at Greenbar Distillery in downtown Los Angeles.
The event was organized by our very own Robin Roemer, photographed by Molly Adams and filmed by Selina Ruthe.
Jess Piersee, Autostraddle Design & Ad Director Sarah Sarwar and Autostraddle CEO Riese Bernard
Autostraddle’s Heather Hogan prepared a series of readings from Anne Lister’s diaries and everybody laughed harder than they have ever laughed at anything written in the early-mid 19th century ever before. This is ’cause Anne Lister wrote some very unique erotica and had a lot of relatable if dramatic lesbian feelings — e.g., dealing with the agony of dating a girl whose husband isn’t dead yet — and also because our performers were brilliant and talented and hilarious.
Jasika Nicole kicked off with some Gentleman Jack vocab — like how “Dawdle” means “finger-bang,” and “queer” means vagina and “kiss” can mean kiss but it can also mean orgasm.”
And then the games began.
“But fondle thee I must and will.”
“…my manners are certainly peculiar, not all masculine but rather softly gentleman-like. I am unashamed — I know how to please girls.”
“In wishing her good night she quietly let me put my arms around her waist & gently press her & very gently kiss her. She stood too, with her right thigh a little within my leg, in contact – which she has never permitted before.”
I had my arms around her, she lying with her back to me, my right leg under and left leg over her. I got a hand towards her queer by degrees.
“She cut the hair from her own queer & I that from mine, which she put each into each of the little lockets we got at Bright’s this morning, twelve shillings each, for us always to wear under our clothes in mutual remembrance. We both kissed each bit of hair before it was put into the locket.”
“If I mistake not, she is more than flattered. What girl under such circumstances would not be flattered, & more interested than she might possibly be aware.”
“She knows how to heighten the pleasure of our intercourse. She often murmurs, ‘Oh, how delicious,’ just at the very moment. All her kisses are good ones.”
Afterwards, everybody gathered over drinks to talk about how funny everybody was and how they’re all gonna watch the show! A success!
Brittany Ashley, Lindsay Hicks and friends
Chingy, Drew and friends
Gabby Dunn
Brittani Nichols and Robin Roemer
A beautiful, fun, Sapphic night was had by all. At the evening’s end there were only two things on my mind: I wanted to have a grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle, and Gentleman Jack is one of the greatest things to ever happen to contemporary television and you can too, Monday nights on HBO!
Kickass Butch Batwoman and Even More Lesbian Witches: Everything You Need to Know From 2019 Network TV Upfronts
Well, it’s that time of year again: the time when we find out which of our favorite shows will live to see another day, which will be unceremoniously axed, which will be mercifully concluded and which new shows will (and won’t) grace our screens this falls. It’s upfronts, the networks’ first opportunity to pitch their fall line-ups, including all their new projects, to prospective advertisers. Compared to last year — when networks cancelled 19 shows in 24 hours — the week preceding upfronts has been relatively calm. Though there have been a few surprises, it’s a far cry from the frenetic cancelled-then-not merry-go-round we were on last year.
But just in case you missed anything, here’s a wrap-up of all the latest happenings in television.
ABC
Bisexual or nah?: Cobie Smulders stars Dex Parios in ABC’s forthcoming Stumptown.
Last November, in advance of the Disney-Fox merger, Channing Dungey stepped down as president of ABC Entertainment. Her departure left the network, now led by Karey Burke and Dana Walden, with a slew of pilots developed under the previous regime which they weren’t at all eager to greenlight. While I’m hopeful that Burke’s experience at Freeform might lead to more inclusive programming at ABC, that’ll have to wait: it’s transition season at ABC Entertainment and their new fall line-up reflects that.
Among the queer characters returning to ABC’s primetime slate:
+ Annalise Keating and Tegan Price from How to Get Away With Murder
+ Maya Bishop of Station 19
+ Angela from American Housewife
+ Taryn “Hellmouth” Helm from Grey’s Anatomy
While earlier comments from Ellen Pompeo suggested that Grey’s 16th season might be its last, the network gave the show a two season renewal. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that after Grey’s can continue to find new ways to reinvigorate itself… like, perhaps, instead of just touting that you have a lesbian, a gay man and trans man among your intern class, you actually give them all storylines. JUST A THOUGHT, Krista Vernoff, just a thought.
ABC will be down one queer character this fall, though: we won’t get another season of For the People‘s Paris Gellar-esque federal prosecutor, Kate Littlejohn. It was a small miracle that the Shondaland property survived last year and none of the creative changes it made in its second season — which included sidelining queer actress Jasmin Savoy Brown — helped improve its mediocre ratings. Also? NBC’s renewal of Manifest ensures that Nicole won’t be coming back to the Fresh Off the Boat which was renewed for its sixth season, much to the chagrin of the show’s star, Constance Wu.
ABC’s fall slate will include three female driven shows:
+ mixed-ish, the second ABC spin-off of Kenya Barris’ black-ish, that focuses on Rainbow’s childhood
+ Emergence, the Allison Tolman-led thriller which was originally shopped at NBC
+ Stumptown, a private-eye drama based on the Greg Rucka graphic novel. It’s unclear, based on the trailer, if Cobie Smulders’ version of Dex Parios is bisexual, as she is in the source material
CBS
S.W.A.T.‘s bisexual badass Cris Alonso gets a new timeslot this fall.
Every year, before its upfront presentation, CBS used to host a breakfast event with reporters called “Lox with Les.” It was an annual tradition that allowed the network’s then-CEO, Leslie Moonves, to sit down with reporters and talk about the upcoming slate. This year, though, Moonves is gone: ousted over multiple allegations of sexual assault and CBS is still trying to deal with the fallout. How’s that going? Well, if you ask the new president of CBS Entertainment, Kelly Kahl, it’s going swimmingly… after all, just look at all the HR changes they’ve made. Plus, they have a swanky new hashtag that they’re using, #CBSSeesHer, to promote all their content for women and girls.
But also, Michael Weatherly still has a job, despite the fact that he didn’t tell his bosses about a $9.5 million settlement, because “he’s a dad, he’s a father.” So, you know, don’t go patting CBS on the back too much.
There are some bright spots for CBS, though, at least when it comes for more diverse programming: all three of the network’s queer female characters will return in the fall.
+ Kat Sandoval and Madam Secretary‘s sixth and final season will be just 10 episodes.
+ Cris Alonso and her team on S.W.A.T. will also return for their third season but CBS will move the show from Thursday to Wednesday nights.
+ Ali Finer returns to Sundays on God Friended Me… hopefully with more to do in the show’s second season.
In addition, the five shows slated to debut this fall, four of them feature women and/or people of color in lead roles. That said, there’s no indication from any of the trailers for CBS’ new fall shows or the midseason additions will add any new gays to their roster.
CW
Listen, I know what you’re all here for — the official trailer for CW’s Batwoman:
https://youtu.be/vrIiPcv4_iY
Batwoman will join a bevy of other queer women returning to the network next season.
+ Jess Damon on In the Dark
+ Isobel Evans-Bracken on Roswell, New Mexico
+ Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz on Riverdale
+ Coop on All American
+ Alex Danvers, Kelly Olsen and Nia Nal on Supergirl
+ Mel Vera and Niko Hamada on Charmed
+ Nyssa on Arrow
+ Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe on Legends of Tomorrow
+ Anissa Pierce and Grace Choi on Black Lightning
+ Josie Saltzman on Legacies
+ Clarke Griffin on The 100
It’s like someone asked the CW if their network could get any gayer and they said, “YES. Yes, it absolutely can.” In fairness, though, the end of Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend did mean the loss of four prominent queer women so, really, the CW owed us this. Welcome to our screens, Batwoman.
Batwoman will serve as the lead-in for Supergirl as part of the CW’s Sunday night line-up. That moves sends Charmed to a new time: Fridays at 8PM. All American moves to Monday nights, joining Black Lightning, ceding its post-Riverdale slot to CW’s Nancy Drew reboot.
Funny thing about Nancy Drew: over the last three years, three separate networks have tried to bring it to the small screen: first, CBS tried it with Sarah Shahi in her first post-Person of Interest role but it wasn’t picked up. Then, NBC tried it: still with Sarah Shahi as the titular character but with a new supporting cast; still, no pick-up. Finally, the idea’s landed at the CW — though, sadly, without Sarah Shahi — and will be part of the network’s fall line-up. The CW’s take on Nancy Drew (trailer, first look) features a fresh out of high school Nancy (Kennedy McMann) who gets embroiled in a murder investigation during her gap year. The show also stars Leah Lewis who you should definitely get familiar with before her star turn in Alice Wu’s upcoming lesbian teen romcom for Netflix.
Also? Lucy Hale returns to the CW as the titular character of the Riverdale spin-off, Katy Keene (teaser). The show follows four Archie Comics characters, including Katy and Riverdale alum, Josie McCoy, as they chase their dreams in New York City. Katy Keene will join Roswell, New Mexico, In the Dark, Legends of Tomorrow and The 100 as part of the CW’s midseason slate.
The CW is also home to the biggest surprise of the pilot season: the failure to launch for Jane the Novela, the would-be spin-off of the network’s critically acclaimed show, Jane the Virgin, which ends its run this year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pilot didn’t impress network executives and they opted to pass. That said, CW President Mark Pedowitz told reporters that the network was still open to another potential Jane reboot and the ball was in Jennie Snyder Urman’s court. C’mon, Jennie, give us the Petra/JR spin-off we all want and deserve!
Freeform
We’ll see more of these three on Season Four of The Bold Type!
Though a subsidiary of ABC, Freeform is its own network, doing its own thing, appealing to a very particular young adult audience and moving at its own speed. But while they’re eschewing all the traditional schedules, Freeform is creating a space for inclusive storytelling that is really unrivaled in broadcast or cable television. At this year’s upfronts, the network announced renewals for Siren and The Bold Type, both of which feature queer characters.
Freeform has three new shows expanding its roster of inclusive programming in the upcoming season: Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, the story of a 25 year old guy, Nicholas, played by the show’s creator/writer Josh Thomas, who becomes the legal guardian for his two half-sisters when their father dies. One of the sisters, Matilda (Kayla Cromer), has autism…and in a rarity on television, a character with autism will be played by an actress on the spectrum. Freeform will also debut their reboot of Party of Five, featuring a group of siblings left to fend for themselves when their parents are deported back to Mexico. Have your Kleenex ready.
But, just in case you were worried that Freeform would go a full season without debuting some queer women, think again…check out the trailer for Motherland: Fort Salem.
https://youtu.be/-7IYcQ07v08
From the creator of Claws, Motherland: Fort Salem follows three young women from enlistment in a supernatural army to basic training in combat magic into early deployment. Thanks to a longstanding agreement with the government, witches are no longer persecuted, they’re relied on, to defend the country from all threats, foreign and domestic. It’s a discomfiting look at witchcraft which, historically, has been used to protect women from the excess of government (and patriarchy), rather than being used as an arm of the government… but, I guess we’ll see how this goes.
Missing from Freeform’s upcoming schedule? Unrelated the Kenya Barris produced comedy that Freeform announced at last year’s upfronts (though, back then it was called Besties). Reports from March have the show, starring Jordin Sparks and Gigi Zumbado, in production, but no word yet on when it’ll join the Freeform line-up.
Freeform is using the recent Disney/Fox merger to its advantage by bringing 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the network, beginning in September. The addition of television’s longest running animated series to its ranks, along with reruns of Family Guy, lays the groundwork for Freeform to launch two original animated series of their own: Betches and Woman World. Both projects are still in development but Betches will tell the stories three best friends and roommates as they navigate early adulthood in New York, while Woman World will bring Aminder Dhaliwal’s graphic novel — which Heather dubbed one of the best graphic novels of last year — to the small screen.
FOX
Bex Taylor-Klaus stars as Breanna Bishop on FOX’s forthcoming series Deputy.
The Disney-Fox merger also left FOX’s broadcast network arm, Fox Entertainment, in search of a new identity. This fall, the network’s betting its future on a line-up on a mix of live events, reality shows and competitions and a bevy of new scripted series. Among the fall slate:
+ Henrietta Wilson will return to Station 118 on 9-1-1
+ Tiana Brown will return for Empire‘s final season.
But FOX’s new identity will be forged without four of its queer characters: Star‘s Simone Davis and Cotton Brown and Proven Innocent‘s Madeline Scott and Wren Grant. While the latter’s cancellation was no surprise — the ratings for Proven Innocent were not great and the show just wasn’t very good — Star‘s cancellation came as a bit of a shock. Despite a downturn in ratings, Star was still performing better for Fox in the key advertising demographic than The Resident and The Orville, both of which were renewed. Star and Proven Innocent‘s cancellation does feed into a worrying trend at Fox of disprioritizing diversity. While the bulk of Fox’s cancellations feature African American leads, the new pick-ups are predominantly white and predominantly male driven.
https://youtu.be/oL-gvYvyWgA
Still, though, it’s worth looking out for Not Just Me, an adaptation of the Australian series, Sisters. Brittany Snow stars as the only child of famous fertility specialist who finds out that her father’s been using own sperm to conceive upward of a hundred children, including two new sisters (Megalyn Echikunwoke and Emily Osment). In the Australian version of this show (available on Netflix), Echikunwoke’s character was a married lawyer who ended up having an affair with a female attorney at her firm. Fingers crossed that they retain that aspect of the character.
While Deputy won’t show up on our screens until midseason, I’ll be keeping an eye out for
how Bex Taylor-Klaus queers up the show. Plus it stars Yara Martinez in her first post-Jane the Virgin series.
NBC
One of many of Tess Pearson’s gay firsts that we’ll get to witness on This Is Us.
One of the biggest surprises of last year’s upfronts was seeing Brooklyn 99 saved from cancellation. The pickup made sense for NBC, since the show was produced by its parent company (Universal) and the network wanted to maintain its relationship with creator Michael Schur. A season on NBC has yielded higher overall ratings for B99 and a 13 episode pick-up for the show’s seventh season. Also renewed? Schur’s other NBC mainstay comedy: The Good Place. Now all that’s left to do is MAKE IT GAY, YOU COWARDS. The fate of Schur’s other NBC show, Abby’s, is still TBD, but show’s ratings do not offer cause for optimism.
Returning with Rosa Diaz and Eleanor Shollstrop to queer up NBC’s fall offerings Tess Pearson, the tween lesbian on This Is Us, whose show was re-upped for an unprecedented three seasons. The long-term renewal operates a lot like Brooklyn 99‘s pick-up did: a way of NBC cementing its relationship with the show’s creator, Dan Fogelman. While it falls short of granting me my greatest Fogelman wish — that is, a Pitch revival — I’m looking forward to the possibility that we’ll get to witness so many of Tess Pearson’s gay firsts.
None of NBC’s new additions seem particularly gay based on trailers the network has released thus far — Bluff City Law, Perfect Harmony, and Sunnyside — but surely with two musicals in their line-up (Sunnyvale and the mid-season addition, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) there have to be some gays in there somewhere.
Miscellaneous
+ The Audience Network announced that the polyamorous romantic comedy, You Me Her would return for its fifth and final season.