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Wow Fabulous scammed me out of $67 for a counseling service after I left my donation just to see a peek at my two week trial of my personalized plan. Incredibly predatory design. Can't believe you'd sponsor a business like this. As someone with ADHD, I really thought this would help me and now I'm out money I desperately needed. That was my grocery money for the rest of the month.
Also gotta add that Heartstopper was based on an already very popular book series by a fairly popular author. Heartstopper already had a set loyal fanbase and Netflix probably planned on renewing it before it even aired.
Another show with queer representation that got cancelled is "The Owl House", it's a great, rather serialized cartoon. Disneys expected it would be watched by a younger audience, but it got really popular and the main fandom were teens and young adults. Afaik officially it got cancelled, because of internal conflicts where to broadcast the show (disney channel, disney plus, etc.), because of it's unexpected audience. I'm really mourning this show, the representation was really great, we had almost everything. A bisexual female lead with hispanic roots, sapphic romance, a confirmend non binary character that goes by they/them (and is neither an alien, shapeshifter nor robot)
the timing of the cancellation of the owl house and it being revealed at the same time Disney was going through controversy regarding"the don't say gay bill" makes me highly uncomfortable
Not to mention they SIGNIFICANTLY limited the duration of its last season by only giving them room for three 45 min specials instead of a regular 15-20 min 20 episode season? I'm still pissed.
If they threw their Disney power behind it and went full books and merch Owl House could have been a Harry Potter killer. Instead they killed it. Shitty excuse for a shitty company with too much power.
How can a new show bring in new subscribers when the company has a reputation for cancelling everything?? I don’t really feel inclined to invest time, let alone money, on something that will get cancelled before it has a chance to thrive
I don't watch anything new anymore, is a chore to find something to watch and then I discover is cancelled and ended in a cliffhanger, I gave up and just watch TH-cam now.
This is reminding me of how a Community movie was announced for Peacock yesterday, yet, due to its lacking viewership ratings when episodes initially premiered, if it started in the 2020s I don't think it would get anywhere near six seasons, let alone a movie. Still, because it is a network sitcom that started its first season back when they gave shows space to grow even if they weren't immediate successes, it's hugely popular on streaming now, to the point where I'm sure some people pay for streaming just to rewatch it a la like a lot of people do for The Office or Friends. I think it’s near-impossible now for a new show to have a similar trajectory. Community isn’t even that old, yet it feels like it's from a different era where companies would trust that shows that didn’t garner huge initial numbers would still be worth nurturing in the long-term
Also, platforms will end up losing subscribers when they cancel the reason viewers subscribed in the first place, especially if there isn't anything to replace it.
@@hannahk1306 That's a problem for smaller streaming services, or those for whom their one "big show" is somewhat out of the genre that they usually produce (eg: HBO / Game of Thrones). But its not really a problem with Netflix - there's always something else to watch. Their catalog is absolutely enormous. The problem with Netflix is reputational. Not that they're cancelling any particular person's favorite series but that they're cancelling _most_ series after only one or two seasons - and worse, they don't tell the producers early enough for them to wrap up (I've heard they sometimes don't announce a cancellation until like a month before filming of the new season is about to start). So not only are viewers left with shows cut short, but they're left with shows that are setup to explicitly drive viewership of a following season that never arrives. And on top of that, they're constantly losing third party shows from their catalog as contracts run out and don't get renewed. So not only are shows (not really) ending, but many of them are just gone entirely. This is another thing that's not exactly unexpected, but its happened _so_ much in Netflix' case that its become a reputational hit. Its kind of slowed down a bit as the spasm of traditional channels and distributors all creating their own Netflix clones has somewhat ebbed, but its definitely noticeable even today. Netflix needs to clean up their reputation. They still dominate the market by a large margin despite all the whining around the internet, but they're still slowly being chipped away at and they really need to find a way to rebalance their reputation if they want to maintain their position over the next 5-10 years. At the _very_ minimum, they should be willing to announce to show producers their intent to cancel early enough that they can try and wrap up rather than leaving an eternally-unfulfilled cliffhanger. Or if they are unwilling to do that for some reason, allow producers to have a short (maybe even just 1 or 2 episodes) "cleanup" season after a cancellation is announced. Something to take the edge off for viewers who have waited patiently for months to continue a story they love only to find out that its not going to be continued. Cleaning up that cliffhanger problem would go a _long_ way to fixing the reputational issue, even if the overall number of cancellations doesn't change much.
I cancelled my Netflix subscription when they cancelled The OA back in 2019. Then they announced Archive 81 and I asked my mom's login to watch it. Cancelled even though it was Netflix US #1 at some point. I gave up. Like, seriously, fully gave up. Once Stranger Things is done, I'm not touching their platform ever again, or until they change tactics and bring back quality content. It fucks me up how these old white cis man CEOs think things have to be "universal" and yet the shows that keep bringing them the most cash are things like Orange Is The New Black, Squid Game, and so forth. YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE THIS DISCONNECTED NOT TO SEE PEOPLE ARE CRAVING NEW STORIES AND NEW VOICES. I'm tired. I'm so fucking tired. They do such a poor job at marketing that social media is everything we have to spread word about diverse shows these days.
About Netflix problem with shows being lost in a sea of content: Why don't they use some sort of filter system like they used to do a few years ago (but more sophisticated) where you can choose a certain genre, year of release, imdb/rotten tomatoes rating etc. with different ways to sort like most popular, most seasons, newest, etc. I really don't like their pre-assorted lists.
the way i can keep scrolling down and getting new pre assorted lists, half of which consist of almost entirely the same shows because theyre curated for my tastes...its astounding. i used to like to scroll and find stuff from other genres and explore but now its just "do you want to watch cheese in the trap? or maybe....cheese in the trap but under a different category that is basically the same as the other one but like a one word difference?" like thank you, no, but i do not want to watch cheese in the trap sis
Their lists are a result of contracts and pushing to meet pay rates, I think, so it can’t just be made to function entirely by user sorting. There could always be the default list most people can deal with like we have now, and then the improved filters for the power user or the average user searching for comfortable specifics.
Still will never forgive Netflix for cancelling Julie and the Phantoms. An amazing show with a PoC lead, a gay romance, and a lot of lbgt subtext because Kenny Ortega had his hands in it. F*ck Netflix honestly.
Same. It was such a good show, the songs were pretty good and the lgbt people felt like actual existing humans instead of purely designed to be gay. Being gay wasn’t their personality, but it didn’t mean nothing to them. Everything about this show felt organic. No useless drama for the drama, no bringing up Lucas (was that his name? I don’t remember anymore) his gayness or unaccepting parents without reason, but the subjects are also not avoided. The friends clearly loved eachother and were not afraid to show it. Same for Julie and her family. I really don’t get why it was cancelled. It’s the kind of good quality teen/YA show we need. Do better with your marketing or something Netflix. Or reconsider how you measure things that pay off. Because shows like this are reasons for me to stay and to keep paying for your services. I might cancel for a while after Young Royals S2.
@@Maura237 Lets just say, since Netflix, I think, doesn't release their numbers, no one really knows what sells and what doesn't or even how much they spent on a show. I remember that back in 2019 Dark Crystal came out as a show and it was well received but apparently Netflix had no interest whatsoever to continue the show past the first season. And it looks like they barely even marketed for the fantasy crowd, even though that should have been their main targets. And for the vampire show, from what I heard the advertizing was focused solely on them being teenage lesbians and not reall the vampire x hunter conflict, which probably would have been the bigger selling point for the vampire fandom, but it looks like they chose to make it that narrow.
Q-Force got screwed before even premiered because Netflix made a teaser trailer that looks like they were trying to sell a show made by queer people for queer people to a straight audience. They literally put all the stereotypes front and center. And while there is nothing wrong with stereotypes, it's mainly just in how they're used, most people, AKA straight people, aren't exactly that in touch with queer culture and and aren't going to think any deeper than surface level bullshit. And it's certainly didn't help with all the queer people, especially teenagers because it was mainly teenagers, making stupid jokes about how the teaser trailer for the show "turned them straight". A adult animated comedy about a group of queer spies, that tackles institutionalized homophobia & looks at society through queer culture, that is about generations of queer people being screwed over by an unjust system because they dare to live unapologetically, screwed before it even premiered because Netflix and stupid marketing department thought they knew better than the actual people working on the fucking show!! UUUUUUUUUUGH
tbh I'm gonna go watch it now because I saw the trailer and thought that it looked super gross, like Archer with queer stereotypes. But honestly knowing it's made by queer people changes a lot for me.
Honestly Netflix was banking on that show failing they did everything they could to sabotage it I didn't watch it for ages because of that trailer but when I watched the show I realised they went through the show to pick out every out of context overthe top stereotypical line and put it in the trailer trying to make the show look as offputing as possible it honestly deserves to be on a better service
THANK you!! Other than occasional instances like Twink's character, the show had really nuanced understanding of the American queer experience and had a subtle, clever comedy style to boot. Such a shame.
I am mostly upset that queer shows are being cancelled because somehow they aren't worth the effort, and yet services like Netflix are quick to release heterosexual "romantic" story lines that feature toxic/alarming behavior like 365 Days. I didn't think they cared about our community, but damn. Being repeatedly passed over for the comfort of a familiar poison hurts.
Eh. I gave up on Netflix after the Dave Chappelle thing - not so much his remarks in and of themselves, but the utterly tone deaf response from their CEO. Made the decision there and then that until Netflix had a change in leadership, it wasn't the service for me. I'm disappointed to see that this still hasn't changed, and in an era where they're haemorrhaging subscribers they'd rather cancel shows than ask themselves what they're doing wrong.
@@donjindra it’s not 2% of the audience though..i’m pretty sure queer people are more likely to watch on streaming services than middle aged men with 9-5 jobs
@@violetmaritime It's probably roughly 2% of an audience for most of these products. I don't know why you'd think queer people are more likely to watch streaming services than "middle aged men with 9-5 jobs." In fact, that sounds outrageously stupid. The set of "middle aged men with 9-5 jobs" includes queer people. Everyone ages, you know. And many queer people do have 9-5 jobs.
kissing booth didn’t need a sequel at all. it’s based of a wattpad book and as far as i’m aware the book never had sequels… there’s shows that really needed to continue though, so many stories have been left unfinished because of the cancellations.
I hadn't heard that Paper Girls had been cancelled! That makes me really sad. It was a hidden gem that I didn't have a chance to see until last month, but I loved it. But now I'm wondering about the fate of Our Flag Means Death, which had been renewed the last I heard, which I suspect was likely due to the star power of Taika Waititi. Thank you for doing such a great, detailed analysis of this issue. It has been super disappointing watching and loving these shows only for them to be cancelled. I'm grateful that we do get to see a season 2 and 3 of Heartstopper, at least, but we're losing so many other great LGBTQ+-inclusive or even specifically LGBTQ+ shows, including some not even mentioned in this analysis. Sigh. 😞
OFMD's popularity is actually a really good case study on why it's important to give new shows time to grow and accumulate fandoms rather than expecting them to be immediate successes right out of the gate tbh. It started under the radar, and it didn't really explode in popularity until people caught wind that it was a canon queer romance with the last couple episodes. Once fans started discovering and discussing the show's depth, word of mouth carried it at that point. I genuinely think the new HBO Max exec team would have wiped their hands clean of it if it never got that boost (which is also probably why it took so long to renew once season 1 ended) Issue is that most new shows aren’t afforded that possibility of fandom; they’re expected to be immediate hits as soon as they release, even without much promo or fanfare. EDIT: Streamers also barely ever seem to explore other ways to make money from their streaming-exclusive shows outside of streaming, such as merch, unless a show is either close to Stranger Things popularity or connected to a pre-existing IP. I am confident that the OFMD fandom is devoted enough to buy t-shirts or a physical release, judging by how much I’ve seen through sites like Etsy or Redbubble and how I’ve seen the fandom flock to random Targets that carry products reminiscent of OFMD, but I don't think Warner is ever going to capitalize because that would force the post-merger exec team to admit that a queer romcom is worth investing in.
Same with paper girls :((( it could've been sooo good and even with the little time it got it's become one of my favorite shows ever and now there won't be any more of it :((((
Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I want all LGBTQ+ shows to thrive but there's definitely a problem with Mlm vs Wlw centric shows. And, let's be honest, most of us know why the former does so well
@@Aisha_Luv Even though sapphic shows do get fetishized, I'd say that Mlm shows are often more festished by usually straight, white girls but, unlike our festishization, it helps produce more mlm shows whereas ours getting critically judged and cancelled.
People are less aware of mlm fetishization (because its more audience end than media end) than wlw fetishization imo and itsveasier to profit from one than the other
It’s tricky comparing First Kill and Heartstopper since - IMO - Heartstopper’s casting, dialogue, sets, lighting, and overall filmmaking was exponentially better. Whoever was lighting/set designing/etc First Kill either had no money and was forced to film on an old Hallmark movie set, or (less likely) was inexplicably *that* bad at their job. I say this as someone who wanted a sapphic vampire story more than anything! Still, I’m too much of an insufferable tv/film nerd to ignore the problems. But like other people have probably said, Netflix has given a second season to way worse, less popular shows. No excuses for them.
I think if it had been renewed, they would have got a bigger budget to fix things like the cgi and sets. They really gave them a tiny tiny budget and I think they tried to make the best of it
The production did a lot with what little they had, it's surprising. What made me think, it would be a cheap series to continue, whoever watched it was not given high expectations. No, we watched the trailer knew the low quality, and can also see in the intro, that it's something that wasn't expensive to do, it feels like a standalone series that we see on TH-cam. And it went very well! Even with so much against. I think Netflix wasn't interested from the start. People spoke and publicized for themselves, Netflix did practically nothing, zero effort, it was good for the public that was excited to see an teen safico romance, Romeo and Juliet style. It was pretty disappointing.
I was looking forward to First Kill. I just thought it was bad. Was really disappointed. They spent more money on the soundtrack than the script and filming.
I honestly dc abt the quality. I don't get why queer shows almost feel like they're subject to a higher standard than straight shows. Media doesn't necessarily have to be "good" to be impactful or instrumental to people, especially young people. Like it's safe to say Twillight was a sexual awakening for a good chunk of straight young women in its heyday. By no means was it objectively good, but was it highly influential and still remains close to several ppl's hearts. Not every movie needs to be Citizen Kane, bad shows with good representation are still good representation. I really enjoyed First Kill, and its really cute, and I really wish it wasn't cancelled.
you (and other people too) are complaining about the quality of first kill like we didn't all watch carmilla the webseries with no budget, bad acting, ONE camera angle and we ate that shit up lmao
Right now I’m praying for The Sandman not to get canceled Honestly, I’m tired of not being able to get attached to a show. Before Covid most shows I watched got at least 2-3 seasons, if not more. Now though, it’saaad. Also, i know manyyy shows, which 2-4 seasons are the best. I didn’t like first season of Office and Parks and recs, but then they became my favorites
same, but sandman, at least imo, is the most unbingeable series out there right now bcs there is so much to process in between the episodes. And because many people havent finished it yet, i got a feeling it's about to be cancelled. Unfortunatly, only the good stuff gets cancelled nowadays and trash doesnt stop. 365 days, after, the kissing both all kept going and going and at this point im about to cancel everything, dust my pirate hat, and turn back to 2013 sketchy sites
Since The Sandman isn't produced by Netflix they are at a lower risk. They would need to find another distributer, though, and might get a lower budget.
This push for new subscribers seems so weird to me, because they created inumerous streaming services and now they are doing the capitalism thing of pushing for infinite growth but they are probably already close to reaching most people they could reach, people with viewing devices and acess to the Internet. I'm in Latin America, in a 200+ million people country and everyone I know who has the money already have several of this streaming services and the people who don't is because they don't have the money or the tech needed, I can get in a car and drive 30 minutes and find someone who has no phone and no acess to the Internet, 30 % of my country doesn't.
It's true. These executives don't realize there's a limit and that they've likely reached it. Idk if they expect to have all 8 billion people as subscribers or what, because they'll have to be content with an average number in the long run
Warrior nun treatment (no promo, release same week as Wednesday) and cancellation shows that show completion means very little too.. The impression is very much that Netflix never intended to renew
It feels so counter-intuitive that streaming services put so much emphasis on initial viewership, yet due to their shitty behavior I now purposefully try to avoid unfinished new shows that haven’t been renewed for second seasons. When networks were more prominent, I would have willingly sampled first episodes as they premiered without much worry about them being denied the ability to grow, yet I now only ever watch shows that I’m confident have already grown out of fear of being cut off. I was lucky with the one show I broke the rule with this year (Our Flag Means Death), and yet the two months between me giving it a chance and its Pride Month renewal felt far too precarious for a show with Taika Waititi's involvement that seemed like such a success through continuously being at the top of the streaming charts. Even now I'm worried it won't finish its three-season story or that it will be subject to HBO Max fuckery (i.e. budget cuts), and it has been exhausting enough that it reminds me of why I usually just wait to get invested in a show until I'm confident that its story will have a suitable ending
I do that myself. It's mainly trying to catch up on alot of popular/well known shows while also watching more obscure ones but yeah I don't watch new shows very often if at all
@@EternalDensity omg I was so sad when they cancelled paper girls, it was such a cute show. I really hope A league of their own doesn’t end the same way
@@EternalDensity Good news: Last month, the show finally got renewed for a second season! 🥳 Bad news: The second season will not only be the *last* season, but also *4 episodes* long! 😅
something i haven't heard a lot of people discussing is the disparity in the overall quality of plots of queer shows and how they don't always seem like they're being written with future seasons in mind, even more so when it comes to plot lines for sapphic characters. idk if this is em being jaded but more often than not it feels like lgbt characters are written into shows to appease viewers and to give the network/ streaming service a chance to be like "look we're progressive" .
This comment still early so I reckon you’ll address this but I’d like to point out that it’s disproportionately sapphic/lesbian shows being cancelled, not simply lgbtq+/queer shows. Keeping mlm shows on the air and labelling it ‘lgbtq+’ gives platforms a pass to neglect any part of the queer community that isn’t cis, white, sanitised and male while claiming to be champions of queer representation. In critiquing the simultaneous usage and abandonment of queer people i think it is important to be specific just what the queer rep media companies put their faith and marketing into.
Capitalism. Companies are trying to make it like they care, when they’ve found a way to fly past it, safely alluding while getting money out of us all along :/
It’s just furthering the notion to cishet society that we’re all just white gay men who act like straight people too, which is so frustrating in a time where we are finally getting more voices out there. They’re covering it all up
If new series bring more new viewers, then why not make more single season series in the first place? It would also offer a greater range to experiment and see what themes and executions viewers like. After all, a large initial audience of which few people finish watching the show seems to indicate interest in the theme but dissatisfaction with how it was handled.
Yeah. I'm a sucker for short series because the people making them know exactly what they want to say, know how long they have to say it, and can therefore produce a tightly written story that has a definitive beginning, middle, and end with all loose ends tied up. The season by season shows tend to lose me somewhere along the way either because they rush the ending due to impending cancellation, leave you on a cliffhanger due to surprise cancellation, or they jump the shark because the writers run out of ideas but the show is too popular to let go of.
The reboot of Queer as Folk was canceled a couple of days ago too. I really enjoyed most of these shows and I can't remember seeing a single one of them advertised. I only knew First Kill and Queer As Folk existed because I heard them mentioned on TH-cam. Most of these shows would do better if the companies would simply advertise them!
@@whatever3440 Unsurprising. If I hadn't heard James Somerton mention the reboot in his video about the original US version, I wouldn't have known about it either. If companies don't tell us something exists, we can't support it!
@@dragonuprising8378 They announced its cancelation 2 days ago. I'm so mad. The episode 'F*ck Disabled People' meant so much to me, as I'm a queer wheelchair user. The show deserved better.
@@mandipandi303 I fucking loved that show! That's it! I've lost whatever little faith I've had and I'm gonna stop investing my time in shows that'll get cancelled
Incredible researched and absolutely terrifying Rowan. I so feel you that the cynicism I have towards media in general has PLUMMETED over the past few years. I no longer really watch series because I feel dirty supporting an industry that is so broken by monopoly capitalism and intense budget cuts
Honestly, Netflix cancelling First Kill was the breaking point for me. Absolutely loved the show, wished it was something I had when I was younger and Netflix had the audacity to cancel it?! After it did so well viewership and number wise? Seriously?! Luckily, there's a campaign that's trying to save the show or have other service pick it up and I'm gonna help them fight until my last breath!✊ In hindsight, it's just disgusting that streaming services are doing this. Especially during a time where these shows are desperately needed with everything in the world right now.
I also blame Netflix for their pr trailer of this show. I didn't watch this show because when I left it highlighted the "trailer" which made it seem like every episode was a different story not episodic and was confusing cuts. From what the show is described here, I probably would have loved it because I love sci-fi and vampire genre. Now plan to watch it but disappointed knowing there wont be more to watch.
So theyre still treating Bipoc and LGBTQ+ as disposable. They are idk wokebaiting with new content titles, to draw marginalized viewers into their respective platforms and then dropping the titles.... and saying dont worry there's more in the pipeline, which again they divest from. Sounds like an abusive relationship where they put in the absolute minimum to get you to stay, and want to make you feel grateful they ever acknowledged you...
I’ve never heard of Naomi until this video, so yeah, they didn’t do a good job marketing it. And I’m glad you break down the business model of the streaming war. It’s fascinating. Didn’t expect capitalism to ruin LGBTQ+ shows, but can’t say I’m surprised 🙄
Naomi was fine, other than a bit too much talking. It was neat that she was bi without anyone making a deal out of it, though it wasn't great that they did "girl hangs out with girl who's interested in her to make boyfriend jealous".
same I didn't knew it existed until I saw it on HBO max. Bing watched it then found out it was canceled. So hearbroken. That was a cool show, with a cool premise.
There's also a side of TH-cam that reviews these shows for clickbait hate, and they cause more harm than good. I wish there were more folks on here and various platforms that provide valid criticism to combat it 😓
I don’t think First Kill is as bad as a lot of people are saying. Sure, it’s not art, but I don’t think it was really meant to be; it’s a cheesy supernatural romance that the straights have an overabundance of. The characters are a bit flat, but that’s hardly unique to this show, and with so much plot packed into only eight episodes, they couldn’t afford a lot of time to fleshing the characters out. The lore kind of falls apart if you analyze it, but it’s at least consistent enough to suspend your disbelief, just like most other supernatural dramas. They laid threads for a second season, and I think getting one would have served them well in going deeper into, and improving, those aspects.
My issue with that is that the show is NOT self aware. It thinks it's being sophisticated with innumerous Shakespeare references, it thinks it's being topical with the "moms against all monsters" subplot, it thinks it's being romantic when the two leads have almost no natural-sounding conversations with each other, and it thinks it's being dramatic with its unnecessarily convoluted side character subplots. We're supposed to take all that seriously and... it's just so hard to.
@@serazvi5387 I keep people saying that the Shakespeare references are trying to make it sophisticated which just makes no sense to me. The Shakespeare references are one of the cheesiest parts, I mean they literally sleep on the set of their school plays production of R&J and you’re telling me they think that was high art? They’re just being ridiculous and having fun lol
First Kill was so nostalgic 😭 it was like an extra trashy gay Buffy and I was so into it. It felt like it was made for my inner 14 year old. Mine specifically haha! Ah. It sucks :/ no pun intended.
Instead of a monopoly being a solution, the better option is outlawing exclusive licenses, even with in-house shows. License your content to anyone who offers a price that makes it profitable. Let content providers compete for the best service and content creators compete for the best prices.
@@ondnagy1991 Is it the best solution? Maybe, maybe not. It is, however, better than the current system. Well regulated capitalism to prevent monopolization is an improvement on laissez faire capitalism, by far. And a solution that is achievable in a relatively short term.
The monopoly would still be there thou this would just move it a little. You still need a studio to have the budget to make a decent product and studios merge and buy each other all the time. Disney was a monopoly for years before it had a streaming service... Still outlawing exclusive licenses would definitely help. There could be a problem of the big streaming services not buying or not renewing licenses for the less "mainstream audience friendly" stuff or the big studios not being willing to make it, but smaller studios could possibly also show up to make it for more indie budgets and a smaller more niche targeted streaming service could show up to claim the licenses (since it wouldn't have to have the money to both make AND host/market it) Overall sounds like it's definitely a step in the right direction but wouldn't hold out hope for it actually completely fixing things. (like cinemas without exclusive licenses didn't make the monopolies go away)
@@postrachsmietnikow That's a separate monopoly problem. That's a horizontal monopoly. I was talking about a vertical monopoly. Both are bad, but they're different problems that need to be addressed in different ways. And Disney's monopoly over blockbuster media was secured when they acquired Fox. Which should have been blocked by the FEC. They use that horizontal monopoly to dominate a new market by creating a vertical monopoly, which is why Disney Plus launched at around the same time as the aquisition. It is also why Disney has no desire to improve Hulu. It's where they throw the stuff they don't want on Disney Plus because of the kid friendly image they try to cultivate. But they don't care if it is good at content delivery.
There needs to be one created to become as big as Netflix or Prime Video. They could take Teenage Bounty Hunters, First Kill, Batwoman, Gentleman Jack, Julie and the Phantoms, Love Victor, The Wilds, Charmed.... I feel this is something that needs to happen that can create freely LGBTQ+ shows
There's a limited amount of queer people, let alone queer people who identify with 'queer culture'. It's the reason why gay bars have to appeal to straight girls to keep their business afloat. Queer streaming platforms can exist, but they'll never reach the levels of production of Netflix or Prime videos.
There's been a strange rise in, homophobia in general, but especially lesbophobia, so I don't think it's a coincidence that most of these shows are sapphic and center around women of color. :/
I WILL die on the hill that Legends of Tomorrow was not only the best Arrowverse show ever, but when it was airing was plainly the BEST SHOW ON THE NETWORK.
What's also funny is that because of it, I know a lot of people who also started turning to anime/manga/manwha for their fix because of all the massive increase of content coming from East Asia aimed at a queer audience
That Adrian Shaw quote about how "if they have enough of another audience, the marginalized audience is the first to go," is so true especially considering that the first show that got Netflix prestige was Orange is the New Black because it was a funny show with diverse characters that couldn't be found anywhere on tv. If that show came out now it likely would've been cancelled after the first season because they wouldn't have promoted it or given it a good budget since the diversity would be seen as a risk.
Loved the video, but please make the audio louder in future videos. I have to turn the volume way up to hear it clearly and then my ears are blasted when ads come on
I really mourn where Steven Universe could have gone. Interviews with the staff confirmed that Cartoon Network cancelled the show early because Rebecca Sugar pushed so hard for the on screen lesbian wedding. There could have been more of my favorite show ;.;
something related i want to bring up is how in the asian sphere, sapphic content is basically nonexistent. ive watched COUNTLESS bl shows from different countries, but have had such a hard time finding gl shows with the same quality as the bl ones. you really have to dig deep for them, and when you find them, theyre often so short, overly sexualized, or independently produced (often low budget). the asian market doesnt care about gl, because bl is the most profitable to the straight women audience theyre catered to. the recent cancellations of all these shows w/ sapphic rep is so disheartening because so many stories are being erased for the sake of 'not being appealing to a general audience.'
I hate completion rates being a reason for cancellation, like, I'm sorry I don't have the time to watch eight 50 minute episodes in the first two days the show is out. Plus, my gf and I are long distance right now and we were watching first kill together, a few episodes every weekend 😭
It's not queer shows getting cancelled, it's lesbian/sapphic shows getting cancelled. I wish we didn't obscure the actual problem. WLW content is treated vastly different by networks and fandoms and it is a problem.
Sweet Tooth is fairly unique in that it was filmed here in New Zealand, this is key for a couple of reasons... We were fairly COVID free while the rest of the world was in lockdowns this allowed productions to continue relatively unhindered whereas elsewhere productions were either shutdown or heavily restricted/controlled (and expensive). On top of this the NZ government gives good tax brakes for filming in New Zealand. This made it easier/cheaper to film/produce in comparison to many other productions.
OMG THE MENTION OF *IN THE FLESH* right in the beginning. Seriously, I'm still not over that one. As a queer person with super complex experiences with grief and queerphobia, that show was heckin everything to me. It's rough to know that such important pieces of media just get scraped like it's nothing ...
I will say, one of the big things i've enjoyed about a lot of the korean series i've watched lately (which are, unfortunately, years behind western tv in terms of queer representation, but still making progress) is that they are almost invariably ONE season, 16-24 roughly hour-long episodes, no need to advocate for a second season because it almost never happens. That design gives writers more room than a movie to let the story breathe but forces them to decide on a conclusive ending and stick with it. No dragging things out year after year, no clearly setting up a next season that never happens and leaves the series on a massive cliffhanger, just this is our story and we're done. It also takes away a lot of the "why bother, the network will just cancel it anyway" malaise because as an audience member you know going in that everything is already in the can. It even gives the performers a clearer scope for the project so they know when they'll next be available for new projects.
Asian shows and even most Eastern tv shows (that includes European shows as well since most of the shows has 3-4 series at most and with less episodes, but run time is longer though) also follow this model and format. And like you said, it's a one and go over arching story told in 1 or 2 series and the series is literally done. And yes, no dragging a show out in general for years. It's a model that I think forces (but in a good way though) writers to provide actual progress for characters and it's overall story because of the limit it has as a series. But you'll be done with it in just mere hours rather than waiting and years to have a conclusion. Pretty much agree with everything you said and basically a different format of a very very long movie. And just this satisfying feel that ah yes it's done and I can watch another Italian different show for example.
@@marleymarss Yes! I think it's especially good for romantic plots and subplots as it alleviates the urge to just keep ripping a couple apart and sticking them back together endlessly, or to have those weekly Big Dramatic Arguments like you'd see in grey's anatomy. Now if we could just get more queer representation outside the somewhat siloed BL genre...
As a huge fan of both Legends and Batwoman (and has also seen firsthand the joy both have brought members of the represented community) thank you for being one of the few TH-camrs to talk about them without shitting on them
Legendary have bought back the rights from Amazon and they're currently shopping it around to other services - so fingers crossed! All is not lost! I was really pretty devastated to hear of this cancellation in particular as I'm a huge fan of the comics and the casting for the show was just absolute perfection (seriously, the four main leads look so much like their comic counterparts it's like it was meant to be. Plus, they all had damn fine acting chops to boot!!! They were perfect!! Ahhh! Sooooo frustrating!!)
some the fics out there are so so cathartic and give me the closure I needed... fandom is so important and writers are doing so much for the rest of us.
I related to Shelby's "queer girl with super conservative family and upbringing" deal so much even though I was just a cis hetero guy OH WAIT I mean an ace transbian, that makes sense :P
@@EternalDensity I feel ya, trans lesbian myself, not a conservative family or upbringing but good Sapphic romance is like the only effective form of escapism for me(still no hrt for me yet...) when I was a kid I was so obsessed with Sapphic stories too and fuck they were even less common, and I read twilight only cuz I was always imagining Bellice stories. I'm so glad femslash exists and others might see that as a negative, but I love that there's almost always a happy ending, at least there's one place where we don't have to worry that they kill off, cancel or otherwise ruin our ship ^_^
I remember when streaming services started to go mainstream and it was rare that a show got canceled. Now, it's the same story every single time. You are 100% right, now I don't even want to watch them because what's the point? I know that cliffhangers are "necessary" but it also means that we are left with a thousand canceled shows with very very shitty finales.
you mentioning the wilds amongst all these wonderful shows we've lost,, made my heart break like the hundredth time since the news of cancellation came out. toni's character and storyline was so important to me because i saw so much of myself in her: being an angry teenager because of fear and insecurity but also being able to have good moments and relationships too, to learn how to be vulnerable, forgiving and to love oneself. not to mention shelby's representing queer young people growing out of suffocating homes, dealing with guilt and shame... i could go on and on about dot, fatin, leah, martha, and the boys for days. i could only wish i had discovered the wilds sooner and that we never lost the show. but alas.
@@DotRD12 I hate to tell you this but people like different things. Just because cheesy fun isn't your thing it doesn't mean it wasn't good. It was good at its genre.
Completion rate isn’t a great metric, especially when they seem to expect people to complete it within a quick time window and judge it based on that. I was watching a bunch of shows when First Kill dropped, like their own especially LONG Stranger Things season (which was a guaranteed decent watch and a returning series versus something completely new, thus watched first). My completion of the series may have very well been after they collected their decision-making completion data!
I'm the type of person who likes to take their time with shows and spread them out over longer periods of time, like how I spent an entire week watching the new season of Stranger Things when it came out while others binged the whole thing in one sitting. People consume shows at different rates, yet Netflix seems completely oblivious to this concept and basically just focus their attention on shows that provide quick and immediate gratification
I’m curious as to how all this fits with shows that are not released in different countries until ages after they are in the US as if we were back in the era of VHS tapes (eg our flag means death in the UK). If projects are cancelled/at risk of cancellation before they make it out of the US, does that narrow down the type of shows that are created and are “allowed” to be successful?
I think first kill is a great example of not giving a show a chance to find its footing. With a better budget and better writers, I think it would be a hit.
I was so upset that Legends got cancelled. It had finally gotten really good again after a bit of a slump and ended on a cliffhanger and then they just cancel it. Flash has been hot garbage for years and still got a season to rap it up.
I know I was annoyed that it got cancelled before Riverdale while having twice the viewer rate and audience reception. Also whilst season 6 was a weak season overall I felt like it had some strong episodes and they did pretty well considering it was made during the lockdown.
The past few seasons had been fun but season 7 was so strong, really had so many high points, plus asexual representation confirmed!! I was so angry when Legends and Batwoman were cancelled
It's almost like they're torturing us. Giving us the things we always wanted and then cruelly taking them away. I'm a sucker for some sapphic teenage romance. All these cancelled shows you've listed are pretty much what I've exclusively watched over the last few years. I more or less expect everything I like to be cancelled anyway, but knowing the pain is coming does nothing to dull it.
Same thing with Motherland: Fort Salem. It seems to be more of a thing that people in general are confusing a show being cancelled and a show being renewed for a final season. Otherwise I see the point Rowan is making
Yeah... I like it when a show knows exactly how long it will take to finish their story and stick to it rather than an early cancellation or jumping the shark.
@@devonmunn5728 I heard that Motherland Fort Salem was originally supposed to have 7 seasons but because it's on Freeform they had to cut the show down to 3 seasons, Freeform loooooooooves to cancel shows after 3 seasons
I am SO grateful for Princess Weekes' video on First Kill from Nebula because it incentivized me to watch it (even though it had already been cancelled) and now I'm totally gutted. It's actually brilliant and has so many interesting creative choices in it. It knows what it is and honestly, I ripped through it. Sure it has some cheesy moments and an overbearing narrative overlay once or twice, but it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL to turn into something so cool. IT'S SO ACTIONY AND THERE'S SO MANY MONSTERS. The leads have such strong, believable chemistry and the villains are so strong.
You missed a Peacock show that was also good representation of Indigenous peoples: Rutherford Falls, which was cancelled a few weeks ago. It had 2 seasons, and one of the major supporting characters in both seasons was Bobby, an Asian nonbinary assistant to Ed Helms' character. Spoiler alert: the show ended with Bobby winning the mayoral election, becoming the youngest mayor in American history & the first nonbinary mayor, thanks in large part to the backing of the local Chief of the (fictional) Minneshonka nation, played by Michael Greyeyes. They were also getting more involved in Indigenous issues, and were one of the few shows with significant native representation in the writer's room, so that was a huge loss to our community too.
A large part of the Netflix discoverability issue is that the site is useless. Sometimes the same show will show up in the first few suggestions in five categories. Do they think people are going to decide to skip it the first four times then change their minds? Also it's often shows or films I've already watched or I'm halfway through. You don't need to tell me about shows I'm already watching Netflix. Tell me about the ones I haven't seen yet.
the wilds was setting up their second lesbian pairing and, also gearing up for four seasons but no they had to cancel it. I also loved Motherland Fort salem and it needed another season. Paper girls was also decent and KJ being both jewish and Gay made me really happy.
Yes, queer shows across the board are getting cancelled, but it is disproportionately lesbian/wlw shows. Out of all the shows you mentioned that got cancelled this year, only 1 focused on a male gay relationship (Love Victor). 3 more were just generally queer (Q-force, Babysitter's Club, & Legends), and the other 10 primarily centered lesbians and lesbian relationships (The Wilds, First Kill, Batwoman, Gentlemen Jack, Work in progress, Charmed, Naomi, Paper Girls, Teenage Bounty Hunters, Motherland Fort Salem)
I didn't even know western sapphic live action series were getting cancelled and I haven't really seen much sapphic/ lesbian couple live action shows be advertised on social media or here on TH-cam. I would love to watch a sapphic show but I am looking for shows with young couples since I enjoy these more. The ones I have heard about have older couples or are a thriller genre which I'm not into. Do you or anyone have recommendations for sapphic shows with young couples as I haven't really come across any? Also, it's interesting how there are more lesbians couples than gay couples in animated shows that are advertised. I guess this is due to the female lgbt+ persons working in animation and them getting to include female lgbt+ characters in animated shows, which is really great. If lesbian sapphic shows are getting cancelled unlike ahem male gay couple shows then the reasons are quite obvious as people in other comments here on this page have said. The reason western gay couple series don't get cancelled is because the western studios have realised there is a market for them and they know exactly how to advertise to said market. This is probably something they learnt from the Asian BL industry which while has shows with gay couples it doesn't really put in a lgbt+ perspective into these stories. PS: Sorry for the long post but just wanted to share things I have observed.
This was an excellent video, glad I somehow found it! And yep, the marketing of those queer shows is... lacking. On Prime Video, there was little to no marketing done for A League of their Own and Paper Girls. Paper Girls got canceled after a month, and so far ALOTO is still waiting for news of a renewal, despite having some great viewing numbers due to word of mouth. It's... Frustrating.
Thank you SO MUCH for reminding me about In The Flesh. I watched this (at least the first "series") when it aired - I had totally forgotten, but the moment you said the name of it, suddenly it came back to me and how brilliant I had found it. Thank goodness, it's available on iPlayer so now rewatching it, and it's living up to my memories.
Don't worry, under capitalism's let's-make-everything-worse MO, they'll probably wait until there's only 2-3 megacorporation streaming services left (and no traditional networks), then re-introduce commercials along with your $90 total in subscription fees.
Wait The Babysitter's club was canceled? And are there any other queer characters besides Bailey and possibly Dawn (I think she's pan) and now I remember Janine is sapphic and Dawn's dad is gay and now it kinda makes sense
Hi! I am happy that The Babysitter’s club was able to get a season 2 but I am so disappointed that the show is cancelled. After introducing new characters like Jessi and Mallory I was expecting to see those characters to get their own focus episodes. As well, continue incorporating stories from the original and expanding them. I can’t wait to see what other projects the main cast do in the future!
@@kimlip_tree2009 yes so far I have seen Xochitl as America Chavez, Malia was in a lifetime movie, Momona was in a movie with Walker who is playing Percy Jackson and now she was casted as Ty Lee in Avatar the last air-bender show.
Television and film production have adopted the practices of fast fashion: a constant output of cheap rubbish that appeals to the masses and is quickly forgotten and replaced by new rubbish. No one is willing to take any risks to potentially create something truly beloved, which will last for a long time.
I rarely start new shows this days, because I'm scared, that they will get canceled and never get to complete their stories. That really sad, I used to love watching series
Another queer show that got basically canceled is The Owl House- we were supposed to get 4 seasons but Disney decided to cancel it and shorten the 3rd season into just a few episodes instead of 16 like the 2 other seasons. It honestly makes me so sad
I love the conversation that was had in this video!! Something I've really noticed is how so many queer teens and young adults are now instead gravitating toward kids' shows and some shows on the CW. Shows like Steven Universe and Owl House or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin. Since streaming platforms are all trying to sell to a mainstream audience, queer people have had to carve out their own niche in these spaces where maybe they can put in the representation and tell the types of stories they want in more than one season. Thank you so much for this video, and I would love to see this topic further discussed!!
In my experience, it is Difficult to find Trans media, it is Difficult to find Sapphic media, and it is a Unicorn to find media that involves both. Intersectional rep is a helluva thing huh?
At this point, we just need to band together to pool money into our own streaming platform to produce fun, queer, poc, and otherwise minority-lead & featuring stories. most of us arent money-hungry shitheads, so id hope we could do our community justice. if i had the money, it'd definitely be on the top of my to-do list
Amazon really did Paper Girls dirty with their total and complete lack of advertising. Being a huge fan of the comics that the show is adapted from I was a ready and willing target to be swept up in Paper Girls hype...and yet I didn't even know it existed until a few weeks after it was released! Absolutely rubbish. I understand that Amazon doesn't give a damn about the diverse representation that Paper Girls offers and the fact that it's a really important story for so many people - but you already said yes to it Amazon, so why not toss it a tiny bit of your millions of squillions of pounds/dollars to actually market it to the pre-existing fan base??? Ahhh!
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Sad to hear about adam ruins everything :( That one good thing to make critical fun content.
And what heartless peron did cancel babysitter club :(
Wow Fabulous scammed me out of $67 for a counseling service after I left my donation just to see a peek at my two week trial of my personalized plan. Incredibly predatory design.
Can't believe you'd sponsor a business like this. As someone with ADHD, I really thought this would help me and now I'm out money I desperately needed. That was my grocery money for the rest of the month.
Idk still think it’s paranoia
@@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072 Its definitly playing into it one way or another, and a conservative bias has to play in one way or another
Also gotta add that Heartstopper was based on an already very popular book series by a fairly popular author. Heartstopper already had a set loyal fanbase and Netflix probably planned on renewing it before it even aired.
exactly what i thought, i was surprised to see that the webtoon had 90mil+ views already after netflix started marketing the show
Another show with queer representation that got cancelled is "The Owl House", it's a great, rather serialized cartoon. Disneys expected it would be watched by a younger audience, but it got really popular and the main fandom were teens and young adults. Afaik officially it got cancelled, because of internal conflicts where to broadcast the show (disney channel, disney plus, etc.), because of it's unexpected audience. I'm really mourning this show, the representation was really great, we had almost everything. A bisexual female lead with hispanic roots, sapphic romance, a confirmend non binary character that goes by they/them (and is neither an alien, shapeshifter nor robot)
the timing of the cancellation of the owl house and it being revealed at the same time Disney was going through controversy regarding"the don't say gay bill" makes me highly uncomfortable
Not to mention they SIGNIFICANTLY limited the duration of its last season by only giving them room for three 45 min specials instead of a regular 15-20 min 20 episode season? I'm still pissed.
If they threw their Disney power behind it and went full books and merch Owl House could have been a Harry Potter killer. Instead they killed it. Shitty excuse for a shitty company with too much power.
The show never got canceled.
@@twiggledowntown3564 Yes it did. It was gonna have 3 full seasons but Disney only gave them 3 episodes for Season 3.
How can a new show bring in new subscribers when the company has a reputation for cancelling everything?? I don’t really feel inclined to invest time, let alone money, on something that will get cancelled before it has a chance to thrive
I don't watch anything new anymore, is a chore to find something to watch and then I discover is cancelled and ended in a cliffhanger, I gave up and just watch TH-cam now.
This is reminding me of how a Community movie was announced for Peacock yesterday, yet, due to its lacking viewership ratings when episodes initially premiered, if it started in the 2020s I don't think it would get anywhere near six seasons, let alone a movie. Still, because it is a network sitcom that started its first season back when they gave shows space to grow even if they weren't immediate successes, it's hugely popular on streaming now, to the point where I'm sure some people pay for streaming just to rewatch it a la like a lot of people do for The Office or Friends.
I think it’s near-impossible now for a new show to have a similar trajectory. Community isn’t even that old, yet it feels like it's from a different era where companies would trust that shows that didn’t garner huge initial numbers would still be worth nurturing in the long-term
Also, platforms will end up losing subscribers when they cancel the reason viewers subscribed in the first place, especially if there isn't anything to replace it.
@@hannahk1306 That's a problem for smaller streaming services, or those for whom their one "big show" is somewhat out of the genre that they usually produce (eg: HBO / Game of Thrones). But its not really a problem with Netflix - there's always something else to watch. Their catalog is absolutely enormous.
The problem with Netflix is reputational. Not that they're cancelling any particular person's favorite series but that they're cancelling _most_ series after only one or two seasons - and worse, they don't tell the producers early enough for them to wrap up (I've heard they sometimes don't announce a cancellation until like a month before filming of the new season is about to start). So not only are viewers left with shows cut short, but they're left with shows that are setup to explicitly drive viewership of a following season that never arrives.
And on top of that, they're constantly losing third party shows from their catalog as contracts run out and don't get renewed. So not only are shows (not really) ending, but many of them are just gone entirely. This is another thing that's not exactly unexpected, but its happened _so_ much in Netflix' case that its become a reputational hit. Its kind of slowed down a bit as the spasm of traditional channels and distributors all creating their own Netflix clones has somewhat ebbed, but its definitely noticeable even today.
Netflix needs to clean up their reputation. They still dominate the market by a large margin despite all the whining around the internet, but they're still slowly being chipped away at and they really need to find a way to rebalance their reputation if they want to maintain their position over the next 5-10 years. At the _very_ minimum, they should be willing to announce to show producers their intent to cancel early enough that they can try and wrap up rather than leaving an eternally-unfulfilled cliffhanger. Or if they are unwilling to do that for some reason, allow producers to have a short (maybe even just 1 or 2 episodes) "cleanup" season after a cancellation is announced. Something to take the edge off for viewers who have waited patiently for months to continue a story they love only to find out that its not going to be continued. Cleaning up that cliffhanger problem would go a _long_ way to fixing the reputational issue, even if the overall number of cancellations doesn't change much.
I cancelled my Netflix subscription when they cancelled The OA back in 2019. Then they announced Archive 81 and I asked my mom's login to watch it.
Cancelled even though it was Netflix US #1 at some point.
I gave up. Like, seriously, fully gave up. Once Stranger Things is done, I'm not touching their platform ever again, or until they change tactics and bring back quality content.
It fucks me up how these old white cis man CEOs think things have to be "universal" and yet the shows that keep bringing them the most cash are things like Orange Is The New Black, Squid Game, and so forth. YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE THIS DISCONNECTED NOT TO SEE PEOPLE ARE CRAVING NEW STORIES AND NEW VOICES.
I'm tired. I'm so fucking tired. They do such a poor job at marketing that social media is everything we have to spread word about diverse shows these days.
I really miss everything sucks and i am not okay with this. they were so relatable for queer teens specifically for sapphic teens
I Am Not Ok With This was such an interesting show, I was so surprised when I found out there wouldn't be a second season
@@annetheelf8174 i love sophia lillis so much, she's so good at playing syd 💓
i am not okay with this is a comic by the way so you should read them!
Omg thanks for telling us I had no idea lol 😊
I thought "everything sucks and i am not okay with this" was one title and it spoke to me lmao
About Netflix problem with shows being lost in a sea of content: Why don't they use some sort of filter system like they used to do a few years ago (but more sophisticated) where you can choose a certain genre, year of release, imdb/rotten tomatoes rating etc. with different ways to sort like most popular, most seasons, newest, etc. I really don't like their pre-assorted lists.
the way i can keep scrolling down and getting new pre assorted lists, half of which consist of almost entirely the same shows because theyre curated for my tastes...its astounding. i used to like to scroll and find stuff from other genres and explore but now its just "do you want to watch cheese in the trap? or maybe....cheese in the trap but under a different category that is basically the same as the other one but like a one word difference?" like thank you, no, but i do not want to watch cheese in the trap sis
@@valentine.58 Exactly! Also, thanks for making me crave cheese now ;)
@@valentine.58 is cheese in the trap a thing, like is that a well known phrase somewhere?
Their lists are a result of contracts and pushing to meet pay rates, I think, so it can’t just be made to function entirely by user sorting. There could always be the default list most people can deal with like we have now, and then the improved filters for the power user or the average user searching for comfortable specifics.
@@joshtrue6521 it's the name of a Korean webtoon that got adopted into a kdrama. Kdramas tend to be really popular internationally
Still will never forgive Netflix for cancelling Julie and the Phantoms. An amazing show with a PoC lead, a gay romance, and a lot of lbgt subtext because Kenny Ortega had his hands in it. F*ck Netflix honestly.
I’m still sad about this one, too.
It was truly nice show and very fun.
Netflix goes basically by clicks, which is why they prefer hate clicks like for the Masters of the Universe
Same. It was such a good show, the songs were pretty good and the lgbt people felt like actual existing humans instead of purely designed to be gay. Being gay wasn’t their personality, but it didn’t mean nothing to them. Everything about this show felt organic. No useless drama for the drama, no bringing up Lucas (was that his name? I don’t remember anymore) his gayness or unaccepting parents without reason, but the subjects are also not avoided. The friends clearly loved eachother and were not afraid to show it. Same for Julie and her family. I really don’t get why it was cancelled. It’s the kind of good quality teen/YA show we need. Do better with your marketing or something Netflix. Or reconsider how you measure things that pay off. Because shows like this are reasons for me to stay and to keep paying for your services. I might cancel for a while after Young Royals S2.
@@Maura237 Lets just say, since Netflix, I think, doesn't release their numbers, no one really knows what sells and what doesn't or even how much they spent on a show. I remember that back in 2019 Dark Crystal came out as a show and it was well received but apparently Netflix had no interest whatsoever to continue the show past the first season. And it looks like they barely even marketed for the fantasy crowd, even though that should have been their main targets. And for the vampire show, from what I heard the advertizing was focused solely on them being teenage lesbians and not reall the vampire x hunter conflict, which probably would have been the bigger selling point for the vampire fandom, but it looks like they chose to make it that narrow.
Q-Force got screwed before even premiered because Netflix made a teaser trailer that looks like they were trying to sell a show made by queer people for queer people to a straight audience. They literally put all the stereotypes front and center. And while there is nothing wrong with stereotypes, it's mainly just in how they're used, most people, AKA straight people, aren't exactly that in touch with queer culture and and aren't going to think any deeper than surface level bullshit. And it's certainly didn't help with all the queer people, especially teenagers because it was mainly teenagers, making stupid jokes about how the teaser trailer for the show "turned them straight".
A adult animated comedy about a group of queer spies, that tackles institutionalized homophobia & looks at society through queer culture, that is about generations of queer people being screwed over by an unjust system because they dare to live unapologetically, screwed before it even premiered because Netflix and stupid marketing department thought they knew better than the actual people working on the fucking show!! UUUUUUUUUUGH
tbh I'm gonna go watch it now because I saw the trailer and thought that it looked super gross, like Archer with queer stereotypes. But honestly knowing it's made by queer people changes a lot for me.
Honestly Netflix was banking on that show failing they did everything they could to sabotage it I didn't watch it for ages because of that trailer but when I watched the show I realised they went through the show to pick out every out of context overthe top stereotypical line and put it in the trailer trying to make the show look as offputing as possible it honestly deserves to be on a better service
there’s definitely something wrong with stereotypes
it was good too ☹️
THANK you!! Other than occasional instances like Twink's character, the show had really nuanced understanding of the American queer experience and had a subtle, clever comedy style to boot. Such a shame.
I am mostly upset that queer shows are being cancelled because somehow they aren't worth the effort, and yet services like Netflix are quick to release heterosexual "romantic" story lines that feature toxic/alarming behavior like 365 Days. I didn't think they cared about our community, but damn. Being repeatedly passed over for the comfort of a familiar poison hurts.
It's a business. It's not good business to pander to 2% of the audience.
Eh. I gave up on Netflix after the Dave Chappelle thing - not so much his remarks in and of themselves, but the utterly tone deaf response from their CEO. Made the decision there and then that until Netflix had a change in leadership, it wasn't the service for me. I'm disappointed to see that this still hasn't changed, and in an era where they're haemorrhaging subscribers they'd rather cancel shows than ask themselves what they're doing wrong.
@@taragwendolyn Tough. Netflix was right. Folks like you want to play censors.
@@donjindra it’s not 2% of the audience though..i’m pretty sure queer people are more likely to watch on streaming services than middle aged men with 9-5 jobs
@@violetmaritime It's probably roughly 2% of an audience for most of these products.
I don't know why you'd think queer people are more likely to watch streaming services than "middle aged men with 9-5 jobs." In fact, that sounds outrageously stupid. The set of "middle aged men with 9-5 jobs" includes queer people. Everyone ages, you know. And many queer people do have 9-5 jobs.
when you mentioned kiss booth my rage just increased. shows like Everything Sucks! being cancelled and this goes on???
I LOVED EVERYTHING SUCKS!!! so relatable for my gay teen self
ugh add on Tall Girl 2,,, seriously can't understand these decisions
kissing booth didn’t need a sequel at all. it’s based of a wattpad book and as far as i’m aware the book never had sequels… there’s shows that really needed to continue though, so many stories have been left unfinished because of the cancellations.
@@elskabee who is your profile pic?
@@kimlip_tree2009 hey fellow loona fan, it's Yoohyeon from Dreamcatcher :)
I hadn't heard that Paper Girls had been cancelled! That makes me really sad. It was a hidden gem that I didn't have a chance to see until last month, but I loved it. But now I'm wondering about the fate of Our Flag Means Death, which had been renewed the last I heard, which I suspect was likely due to the star power of Taika Waititi. Thank you for doing such a great, detailed analysis of this issue. It has been super disappointing watching and loving these shows only for them to be cancelled. I'm grateful that we do get to see a season 2 and 3 of Heartstopper, at least, but we're losing so many other great LGBTQ+-inclusive or even specifically LGBTQ+ shows, including some not even mentioned in this analysis. Sigh. 😞
I hope we get as much new lgbt shows at least
I was very disappointed to hear it was cancelled. I really like it.
They've started filming Season 2 of OFMD, so we're at least getting one more season. Beyond that, who knows.
OFMD's popularity is actually a really good case study on why it's important to give new shows time to grow and accumulate fandoms rather than expecting them to be immediate successes right out of the gate tbh. It started under the radar, and it didn't really explode in popularity until people caught wind that it was a canon queer romance with the last couple episodes. Once fans started discovering and discussing the show's depth, word of mouth carried it at that point. I genuinely think the new HBO Max exec team would have wiped their hands clean of it if it never got that boost (which is also probably why it took so long to renew once season 1 ended)
Issue is that most new shows aren’t afforded that possibility of fandom; they’re expected to be immediate hits as soon as they release, even without much promo or fanfare.
EDIT: Streamers also barely ever seem to explore other ways to make money from their streaming-exclusive shows outside of streaming, such as merch, unless a show is either close to Stranger Things popularity or connected to a pre-existing IP. I am confident that the OFMD fandom is devoted enough to buy t-shirts or a physical release, judging by how much I’ve seen through sites like Etsy or Redbubble and how I’ve seen the fandom flock to random Targets that carry products reminiscent of OFMD, but I don't think Warner is ever going to capitalize because that would force the post-merger exec team to admit that a queer romcom is worth investing in.
I liked Paper Girls more than season 1 of Stranger Things.
One of my favourite shows is I Am Not Okay With This and it was soo sad to see it only get one season
Yes! Also the cliffhanger! The shit was only starting
Same.
I think it's a comic?
@@chloe-fy4wc like fr, it was only the beginning
Same with paper girls :((( it could've been sooo good and even with the little time it got it's become one of my favorite shows ever and now there won't be any more of it :((((
I really feel like the fact that it seems like shows featuring Sapphic stories are getting canceled at a higher clip than gay stories can't be ignored
Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I want all LGBTQ+ shows to thrive but there's definitely a problem with Mlm vs Wlw centric shows. And, let's be honest, most of us know why the former does so well
Well, unfortunately it seems that sapphic stories are just more common in general, likely due to our fetishization.
@@Aisha_Luv Even though sapphic shows do get fetishized, I'd say that Mlm shows are often more festished by usually straight, white girls but, unlike our festishization, it helps produce more mlm shows whereas ours getting critically judged and cancelled.
People are less aware of mlm fetishization (because its more audience end than media end) than wlw fetishization imo and itsveasier to profit from one than the other
@@dragonuprising8378 oh, interesting
It’s tricky comparing First Kill and Heartstopper since - IMO - Heartstopper’s casting, dialogue, sets, lighting, and overall filmmaking was exponentially better. Whoever was lighting/set designing/etc First Kill either had no money and was forced to film on an old Hallmark movie set, or (less likely) was inexplicably *that* bad at their job. I say this as someone who wanted a sapphic vampire story more than anything! Still, I’m too much of an insufferable tv/film nerd to ignore the problems. But like other people have probably said, Netflix has given a second season to way worse, less popular shows. No excuses for them.
I think if it had been renewed, they would have got a bigger budget to fix things like the cgi and sets. They really gave them a tiny tiny budget and I think they tried to make the best of it
The production did a lot with what little they had, it's surprising. What made me think, it would be a cheap series to continue, whoever watched it was not given high expectations.
No, we watched the trailer knew the low quality, and can also see in the intro, that it's something that wasn't expensive to do, it feels like a standalone series that we see on TH-cam. And it went very well! Even with so much against.
I think Netflix wasn't interested from the start.
People spoke and publicized for themselves, Netflix did practically nothing, zero effort, it was good for the public that was excited to see an teen safico romance, Romeo and Juliet style.
It was pretty disappointing.
I was looking forward to First Kill. I just thought it was bad. Was really disappointed. They spent more money on the soundtrack than the script and filming.
I honestly dc abt the quality. I don't get why queer shows almost feel like they're subject to a higher standard than straight shows. Media doesn't necessarily have to be "good" to be impactful or instrumental to people, especially young people. Like it's safe to say Twillight was a sexual awakening for a good chunk of straight young women in its heyday. By no means was it objectively good, but was it highly influential and still remains close to several ppl's hearts. Not every movie needs to be Citizen Kane, bad shows with good representation are still good representation. I really enjoyed First Kill, and its really cute, and I really wish it wasn't cancelled.
you (and other people too) are complaining about the quality of first kill like we didn't all watch carmilla the webseries with no budget, bad acting, ONE camera angle and we ate that shit up lmao
Right now I’m praying for The Sandman not to get canceled
Honestly, I’m tired of not being able to get attached to a show. Before Covid most shows I watched got at least 2-3 seasons, if not more. Now though, it’saaad.
Also, i know manyyy shows, which 2-4 seasons are the best. I didn’t like first season of Office and Parks and recs, but then they became my favorites
same, but sandman, at least imo, is the most unbingeable series out there right now bcs there is so much to process in between the episodes. And because many people havent finished it yet, i got a feeling it's about to be cancelled. Unfortunatly, only the good stuff gets cancelled nowadays and trash doesnt stop.
365 days, after, the kissing both all kept going and going and at this point im about to cancel everything, dust my pirate hat, and turn back to 2013 sketchy sites
I believe they've confirmed that Sandman is getting a second season
@@chocolatbownie35 Yeah, it got a big budget too, so my hopes aren’t high.
Since The Sandman isn't produced by Netflix they are at a lower risk. They would need to find another distributer, though, and might get a lower budget.
@@petraw9792 Oh, I didn’t know that! I hope they do find another platform if Netflix dumps them
This push for new subscribers seems so weird to me, because they created inumerous streaming services and now they are doing the capitalism thing of pushing for infinite growth but they are probably already close to reaching most people they could reach, people with viewing devices and acess to the Internet.
I'm in Latin America, in a 200+ million people country and everyone I know who has the money already have several of this streaming services and the people who don't is because they don't have the money or the tech needed, I can get in a car and drive 30 minutes and find someone who has no phone and no acess to the Internet, 30 % of my country doesn't.
It's true. These executives don't realize there's a limit and that they've likely reached it. Idk if they expect to have all 8 billion people as subscribers or what, because they'll have to be content with an average number in the long run
Warrior nun treatment (no promo, release same week as Wednesday) and cancellation shows that show completion means very little too.. The impression is very much that Netflix never intended to renew
I’ll never forgive Netflix for canceling Teenage Bounty Hunters before April and Sterling got their happy ending.
Yes! I really wanted there to be a second season
I would have loved to see where the moms storyline would go too, you can't just end a show with a cliffhanger like that and never follow up on it >:(
Wait... they cancelled it? I was still naively waiting for S2 to pop up one day.
Yeah TBH is top of my 'never forgive' list.
@@EternalDensity it legitimately haunts me today the way it did the day I found out
It feels so counter-intuitive that streaming services put so much emphasis on initial viewership, yet due to their shitty behavior I now purposefully try to avoid unfinished new shows that haven’t been renewed for second seasons. When networks were more prominent, I would have willingly sampled first episodes as they premiered without much worry about them being denied the ability to grow, yet I now only ever watch shows that I’m confident have already grown out of fear of being cut off.
I was lucky with the one show I broke the rule with this year (Our Flag Means Death), and yet the two months between me giving it a chance and its Pride Month renewal felt far too precarious for a show with Taika Waititi's involvement that seemed like such a success through continuously being at the top of the streaming charts. Even now I'm worried it won't finish its three-season story or that it will be subject to HBO Max fuckery (i.e. budget cuts), and it has been exhausting enough that it reminds me of why I usually just wait to get invested in a show until I'm confident that its story will have a suitable ending
I do that myself. It's mainly trying to catch up on alot of popular/well known shows while also watching more obscure ones but yeah I don't watch new shows very often if at all
I'm crossing my fingers for A League Of Their Own -- the fact that it got made at ALL is a miracle, I really hope they renew
After killing my Paper Girls they'd BETTER give more League of Lesbians.
@@EternalDensity omg I was so sad when they cancelled paper girls, it was such a cute show. I really hope A league of their own doesn’t end the same way
A league of their own is really good. I feel like it has a good chance. Especially with Abbi Jacobson as a lead and a producer.
@@EternalDensity Good news: Last month, the show finally got renewed for a second season! 🥳
Bad news: The second season will not only be the *last* season, but also *4 episodes* long! 😅
something i haven't heard a lot of people discussing is the disparity in the overall quality of plots of queer shows and how they don't always seem like they're being written with future seasons in mind, even more so when it comes to plot lines for sapphic characters. idk if this is em being jaded but more often than not it feels like lgbt characters are written into shows to appease viewers and to give the network/ streaming service a chance to be like "look we're progressive" .
This comment still early so I reckon you’ll address this but I’d like to point out that it’s disproportionately sapphic/lesbian shows being cancelled, not simply lgbtq+/queer shows.
Keeping mlm shows on the air and labelling it ‘lgbtq+’ gives platforms a pass to neglect any part of the queer community that isn’t cis, white, sanitised and male while claiming to be champions of queer representation. In critiquing the simultaneous usage and abandonment of queer people i think it is important to be specific just what the queer rep media companies put their faith and marketing into.
Yup which is so sad
Capitalism. Companies are trying to make it like they care, when they’ve found a way to fly past it, safely alluding while getting money out of us all along :/
It’s just furthering the notion to cishet society that we’re all just white gay men who act like straight people too, which is so frustrating in a time where we are finally getting more voices out there. They’re covering it all up
THIS
Exactly
some of these shows i didn't even know were already cancelled and i'm extra sad & mad now
I didnt know Gentleman Jack had been cancelled until this video.... absolutely heartbroken. But thank you for the enlightening video Rowan.
Honestly I loved Gentleman Jack, anything with Suranne Jones has my heart.
i really wanted to watch that so sad it got canceled 😭
It got cancelled? I haven't heard anything about it being cancelled on bbc
I know! I was so worried HBO Max was ditching the show because season 2 wasn't promoted at all. It hurts to be right
@@annoyingginger5077 hbo canceled it i think
@@kimlip_tree2009 pray that the BBC doesn't. I like the old gays and I can't just be left with the captain.
If new series bring more new viewers, then why not make more single season series in the first place? It would also offer a greater range to experiment and see what themes and executions viewers like. After all, a large initial audience of which few people finish watching the show seems to indicate interest in the theme but dissatisfaction with how it was handled.
Yeah. I'm a sucker for short series because the people making them know exactly what they want to say, know how long they have to say it, and can therefore produce a tightly written story that has a definitive beginning, middle, and end with all loose ends tied up.
The season by season shows tend to lose me somewhere along the way either because they rush the ending due to impending cancellation, leave you on a cliffhanger due to surprise cancellation, or they jump the shark because the writers run out of ideas but the show is too popular to let go of.
The reboot of Queer as Folk was canceled a couple of days ago too. I really enjoyed most of these shows and I can't remember seeing a single one of them advertised. I only knew First Kill and Queer As Folk existed because I heard them mentioned on TH-cam. Most of these shows would do better if the companies would simply advertise them!
I only found out about the reboot because a mention of it being cancelled. I didn't see it being advertised at all
@@whatever3440 Unsurprising. If I hadn't heard James Somerton mention the reboot in his video about the original US version, I wouldn't have known about it either. If companies don't tell us something exists, we can't support it!
Wait, the reboot of Queer as Folk GOT CANCELLED?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!
@@dragonuprising8378 They announced its cancelation 2 days ago. I'm so mad. The episode 'F*ck Disabled People' meant so much to me, as I'm a queer wheelchair user. The show deserved better.
@@mandipandi303 I fucking loved that show! That's it! I've lost whatever little faith I've had and I'm gonna stop investing my time in shows that'll get cancelled
Incredible researched and absolutely terrifying Rowan. I so feel you that the cynicism I have towards media in general has PLUMMETED over the past few years. I no longer really watch series because I feel dirty supporting an industry that is so broken by monopoly capitalism and intense budget cuts
Honestly, Netflix cancelling First Kill was the breaking point for me. Absolutely loved the show, wished it was something I had when I was younger and Netflix had the audacity to cancel it?! After it did so well viewership and number wise? Seriously?! Luckily, there's a campaign that's trying to save the show or have other service pick it up and I'm gonna help them fight until my last breath!✊
In hindsight, it's just disgusting that streaming services are doing this. Especially during a time where these shows are desperately needed with everything in the world right now.
I will literally be in denial about the cancellation of that show until I die
@@whatcanidooo Hopefully, we'll get it back onto air if we fight hard enough
I also blame Netflix for their pr trailer of this show. I didn't watch this show because when I left it highlighted the "trailer" which made it seem like every episode was a different story not episodic and was confusing cuts. From what the show is described here, I probably would have loved it because I love sci-fi and vampire genre. Now plan to watch it but disappointed knowing there wont be more to watch.
months later I still haven’t gone back to Netflix after first kill got cancelled. I will actually never be over it.
So theyre still treating Bipoc and LGBTQ+ as disposable. They are idk wokebaiting with new content titles, to draw marginalized viewers into their respective platforms and then dropping the titles.... and saying dont worry there's more in the pipeline, which again they divest from. Sounds like an abusive relationship where they put in the absolute minimum to get you to stay, and want to make you feel grateful they ever acknowledged you...
Our flag means death and what we do in the Shadows breaking their backs carrying the gay hopes and dreams of all these cancelled shows 💀
If a league of their own on prime gets cancelled I will fliiiip
OMG PLEASE DONT LET THEM CANCEL IT!!!
I feel like Prime is weirdly safer. HBO/CW are basically selling itself for scraps and Netflix is self-immolating
I’ve never heard of Naomi until this video, so yeah, they didn’t do a good job marketing it. And I’m glad you break down the business model of the streaming war. It’s fascinating. Didn’t expect capitalism to ruin LGBTQ+ shows, but can’t say I’m surprised 🙄
Naomi was fine, other than a bit too much talking. It was neat that she was bi without anyone making a deal out of it, though it wasn't great that they did "girl hangs out with girl who's interested in her to make boyfriend jealous".
same I didn't knew it existed until I saw it on HBO max. Bing watched it then found out it was canceled. So hearbroken. That was a cool show, with a cool premise.
There's also a side of TH-cam that reviews these shows for clickbait hate, and they cause more harm than good. I wish there were more folks on here and various platforms that provide valid criticism to combat it 😓
I don’t think First Kill is as bad as a lot of people are saying. Sure, it’s not art, but I don’t think it was really meant to be; it’s a cheesy supernatural romance that the straights have an overabundance of. The characters are a bit flat, but that’s hardly unique to this show, and with so much plot packed into only eight episodes, they couldn’t afford a lot of time to fleshing the characters out. The lore kind of falls apart if you analyze it, but it’s at least consistent enough to suspend your disbelief, just like most other supernatural dramas. They laid threads for a second season, and I think getting one would have served them well in going deeper into, and improving, those aspects.
Yeah, why does lgbtq+ content always have to be a masterpiece. Crappy shows are needed sometimes as well
That show was absolute trash but it was 100% my trash I ate that shit up I’ve been fuming ever since it was canceled
My issue with that is that the show is NOT self aware. It thinks it's being sophisticated with innumerous Shakespeare references, it thinks it's being topical with the "moms against all monsters" subplot, it thinks it's being romantic when the two leads have almost no natural-sounding conversations with each other, and it thinks it's being dramatic with its unnecessarily convoluted side character subplots. We're supposed to take all that seriously and... it's just so hard to.
@@serazvi5387 I keep people saying that the Shakespeare references are trying to make it sophisticated which just makes no sense to me. The Shakespeare references are one of the cheesiest parts, I mean they literally sleep on the set of their school plays production of R&J and you’re telling me they think that was high art? They’re just being ridiculous and having fun lol
Same. Let me consume my cheesiness.
First Kill was so nostalgic 😭 it was like an extra trashy gay Buffy and I was so into it. It felt like it was made for my inner 14 year old. Mine specifically haha! Ah. It sucks :/ no pun intended.
fr it was like a lesbian twlight
yeah it felt quite self aware
Instead of a monopoly being a solution, the better option is outlawing exclusive licenses, even with in-house shows. License your content to anyone who offers a price that makes it profitable. Let content providers compete for the best service and content creators compete for the best prices.
So, if I understand you correctly, the solution to capitalism is more capitalism?
...
Okay.
@@ondnagy1991 Is it the best solution? Maybe, maybe not. It is, however, better than the current system. Well regulated capitalism to prevent monopolization is an improvement on laissez faire capitalism, by far. And a solution that is achievable in a relatively short term.
@@ondnagy1991 there’s no better realistic solution at present
The monopoly would still be there thou this would just move it a little. You still need a studio to have the budget to make a decent product and studios merge and buy each other all the time. Disney was a monopoly for years before it had a streaming service...
Still outlawing exclusive licenses would definitely help. There could be a problem of the big streaming services not buying or not renewing licenses for the less "mainstream audience friendly" stuff or the big studios not being willing to make it, but smaller studios could possibly also show up to make it for more indie budgets and a smaller more niche targeted streaming service could show up to claim the licenses (since it wouldn't have to have the money to both make AND host/market it)
Overall sounds like it's definitely a step in the right direction but wouldn't hold out hope for it actually completely fixing things. (like cinemas without exclusive licenses didn't make the monopolies go away)
@@postrachsmietnikow That's a separate monopoly problem. That's a horizontal monopoly. I was talking about a vertical monopoly. Both are bad, but they're different problems that need to be addressed in different ways.
And Disney's monopoly over blockbuster media was secured when they acquired Fox. Which should have been blocked by the FEC. They use that horizontal monopoly to dominate a new market by creating a vertical monopoly, which is why Disney Plus launched at around the same time as the aquisition. It is also why Disney has no desire to improve Hulu. It's where they throw the stuff they don't want on Disney Plus because of the kid friendly image they try to cultivate. But they don't care if it is good at content delivery.
Who are our queer streaming plateforms? Let's build and support them.
gagaoolala is one i know of but it's more asian forward.
Dropout TV has a lot of comedy and D&D stuff with lots of POC and queer cast members in them, I don't know any beyond that.
Lesflicks is one I know. Evelyn Dar mentions several of them in her videos and has a whole video about LGBTQ streaming services
There needs to be one created to become as big as Netflix or Prime Video. They could take Teenage Bounty Hunters, First Kill, Batwoman, Gentleman Jack, Julie and the Phantoms, Love Victor, The Wilds, Charmed....
I feel this is something that needs to happen that can create freely LGBTQ+ shows
There's a limited amount of queer people, let alone queer people who identify with 'queer culture'. It's the reason why gay bars have to appeal to straight girls to keep their business afloat. Queer streaming platforms can exist, but they'll never reach the levels of production of Netflix or Prime videos.
I'm still traumatised by the cancellation of "i am not ok with this"😭
I’ll never be over it honestly
Still recovering 😭
Same
Gypsy with naomi wyatts being cancelled gutted me.
There's been a strange rise in, homophobia in general, but especially lesbophobia, so I don't think it's a coincidence that most of these shows are sapphic and center around women of color. :/
I WILL die on the hill that Legends of Tomorrow was not only the best Arrowverse show ever, but when it was airing was plainly the BEST SHOW ON THE NETWORK.
Agree, it had its ups and downs but that was the only one I kept with (in part with constantine jumping shows, but also for the rest of the cast)
Batwoman was absolutely spectacular as well (specifically season 2 and 3, season 1 was eh)
THE BEST. Legends was the only Arrowverse show that was consistently good and easily the best of the other shows on the network.
The Arrowverse seems to just be ending and ending. The only thing they've held onto is The Flash. 😔
I never got to watching it, but I absolutely live for seeing the gifs and stuff on Tumblr.
What's also funny is that because of it, I know a lot of people who also started turning to anime/manga/manwha for their fix because of all the massive increase of content coming from East Asia aimed at a queer audience
That Adrian Shaw quote about how "if they have enough of another audience, the marginalized audience is the first to go," is so true especially considering that the first show that got Netflix prestige was Orange is the New Black because it was a funny show with diverse characters that couldn't be found anywhere on tv. If that show came out now it likely would've been cancelled after the first season because they wouldn't have promoted it or given it a good budget since the diversity would be seen as a risk.
Loved the video, but please make the audio louder in future videos. I have to turn the volume way up to hear it clearly and then my ears are blasted when ads come on
Logic will not make me okay with losing my gay campy vampire's IT ENDS WITH THEM RUNNING AWAY FROM EACH OTHER I AM GUTTED
This isn't helpful.
Why is logic always so homophobic 🥲
I really mourn where Steven Universe could have gone. Interviews with the staff confirmed that Cartoon Network cancelled the show early because Rebecca Sugar pushed so hard for the on screen lesbian wedding. There could have been more of my favorite show ;.;
I’m still sad that The Society was cancelled, since the second season was already in production when the pandemic hit 😢
something related i want to bring up is how in the asian sphere, sapphic content is basically nonexistent. ive watched COUNTLESS bl shows from different countries, but have had such a hard time finding gl shows with the same quality as the bl ones. you really have to dig deep for them, and when you find them, theyre often so short, overly sexualized, or independently produced (often low budget). the asian market doesnt care about gl, because bl is the most profitable to the straight women audience theyre catered to. the recent cancellations of all these shows w/ sapphic rep is so disheartening because so many stories are being erased for the sake of 'not being appealing to a general audience.'
heartstopper is being funded by an independent company outside of Netflix which is probably one of the only reasons it's not canceled
thats smart of them
I hate completion rates being a reason for cancellation, like, I'm sorry I don't have the time to watch eight 50 minute episodes in the first two days the show is out. Plus, my gf and I are long distance right now and we were watching first kill together, a few episodes every weekend 😭
It's not queer shows getting cancelled, it's lesbian/sapphic shows getting cancelled. I wish we didn't obscure the actual problem. WLW content is treated vastly different by networks and fandoms and it is a problem.
Sweet Tooth is fairly unique in that it was filmed here in New Zealand, this is key for a couple of reasons... We were fairly COVID free while the rest of the world was in lockdowns this allowed productions to continue relatively unhindered whereas elsewhere productions were either shutdown or heavily restricted/controlled (and expensive). On top of this the NZ government gives good tax brakes for filming in New Zealand. This made it easier/cheaper to film/produce in comparison to many other productions.
OMG THE MENTION OF *IN THE FLESH* right in the beginning. Seriously, I'm still not over that one. As a queer person with super complex experiences with grief and queerphobia, that show was heckin everything to me. It's rough to know that such important pieces of media just get scraped like it's nothing ...
I will say, one of the big things i've enjoyed about a lot of the korean series i've watched lately (which are, unfortunately, years behind western tv in terms of queer representation, but still making progress) is that they are almost invariably ONE season, 16-24 roughly hour-long episodes, no need to advocate for a second season because it almost never happens. That design gives writers more room than a movie to let the story breathe but forces them to decide on a conclusive ending and stick with it. No dragging things out year after year, no clearly setting up a next season that never happens and leaves the series on a massive cliffhanger, just this is our story and we're done. It also takes away a lot of the "why bother, the network will just cancel it anyway" malaise because as an audience member you know going in that everything is already in the can. It even gives the performers a clearer scope for the project so they know when they'll next be available for new projects.
Asian shows and even most Eastern tv shows (that includes European shows as well since most of the shows has 3-4 series at most and with less episodes, but run time is longer though) also follow this model and format. And like you said, it's a one and go over arching story told in 1 or 2 series and the series is literally done. And yes, no dragging a show out in general for years. It's a model that I think forces (but in a good way though) writers to provide actual progress for characters and it's overall story because of the limit it has as a series. But you'll be done with it in just mere hours rather than waiting and years to have a conclusion. Pretty much agree with everything you said and basically a different format of a very very long movie. And just this satisfying feel that ah yes it's done and I can watch another Italian different show for example.
@@marleymarss Yes! I think it's especially good for romantic plots and subplots as it alleviates the urge to just keep ripping a couple apart and sticking them back together endlessly, or to have those weekly Big Dramatic Arguments like you'd see in grey's anatomy.
Now if we could just get more queer representation outside the somewhat siloed BL genre...
I really liked First Kill. I was sad when it was canceled.
As a huge fan of both Legends and Batwoman (and has also seen firsthand the joy both have brought members of the represented community) thank you for being one of the few TH-camrs to talk about them without shitting on them
This is how I learned Paper Girls has been cancelled. I hope some other service can pick it up for a second season. Damn.
Legendary have bought back the rights from Amazon and they're currently shopping it around to other services - so fingers crossed! All is not lost!
I was really pretty devastated to hear of this cancellation in particular as I'm a huge fan of the comics and the casting for the show was just absolute perfection (seriously, the four main leads look so much like their comic counterparts it's like it was meant to be.
Plus, they all had damn fine acting chops to boot!!! They were perfect!! Ahhh! Sooooo frustrating!!)
Paper Girls was the one that hurt me the most
the whiplash of hearing 'in the flesh' in 2022 hit me like a freight train 😭 one of my formative queer shows growing up
Warrior Nun wasn't cancelled yet when this video came out, but OMG, that was a good one
At least there's fanfictions to save the day, without it the Wilds cancellation would've been particularly soul crushing for me, Shelby/Toni 4ever
some the fics out there are so so cathartic and give me the closure I needed... fandom is so important and writers are doing so much for the rest of us.
I related to Shelby's "queer girl with super conservative family and upbringing" deal so much even though I was just a cis hetero guy OH WAIT I mean an ace transbian, that makes sense :P
@@EternalDensity I feel ya, trans lesbian myself, not a conservative family or upbringing but good Sapphic romance is like the only effective form of escapism for me(still no hrt for me yet...) when I was a kid I was so obsessed with Sapphic stories too and fuck they were even less common, and I read twilight only cuz I was always imagining Bellice stories. I'm so glad femslash exists and others might see that as a negative, but I love that there's almost always a happy ending, at least there's one place where we don't have to worry that they kill off, cancel or otherwise ruin our ship ^_^
I remember when streaming services started to go mainstream and it was rare that a show got canceled. Now, it's the same story every single time. You are 100% right, now I don't even want to watch them because what's the point? I know that cliffhangers are "necessary" but it also means that we are left with a thousand canceled shows with very very shitty finales.
you mentioning the wilds amongst all these wonderful shows we've lost,, made my heart break like the hundredth time since the news of cancellation came out. toni's character and storyline was so important to me because i saw so much of myself in her: being an angry teenager because of fear and insecurity but also being able to have good moments and relationships too, to learn how to be vulnerable, forgiving and to love oneself. not to mention shelby's representing queer young people growing out of suffocating homes, dealing with guilt and shame... i could go on and on about dot, fatin, leah, martha, and the boys for days. i could only wish i had discovered the wilds sooner and that we never lost the show. but alas.
First Kill is really sad, I only learned about it because it was canceled. Finally a good vampire romance and it didn't get a second season! :,(
Uuuh, hate to tell you, but it really wasn’t that good
@@DotRD12 I hate to tell you this but people like different things. Just because cheesy fun isn't your thing it doesn't mean it wasn't good. It was good at its genre.
@@whatever3440 no it was awful I like cheesy and camp is my favourite genre but first kill wasnt any of those things it was just bad
@@spliffyrodgers4266 it wasn't, it just wasn't for you lmfao
Don't forget The Owl House
Never forget
What could have been….
Completion rate isn’t a great metric, especially when they seem to expect people to complete it within a quick time window and judge it based on that. I was watching a bunch of shows when First Kill dropped, like their own especially LONG Stranger Things season (which was a guaranteed decent watch and a returning series versus something completely new, thus watched first). My completion of the series may have very well been after they collected their decision-making completion data!
I'm the type of person who likes to take their time with shows and spread them out over longer periods of time, like how I spent an entire week watching the new season of Stranger Things when it came out while others binged the whole thing in one sitting. People consume shows at different rates, yet Netflix seems completely oblivious to this concept and basically just focus their attention on shows that provide quick and immediate gratification
I’m curious as to how all this fits with shows that are not released in different countries until ages after they are in the US as if we were back in the era of VHS tapes (eg our flag means death in the UK). If projects are cancelled/at risk of cancellation before they make it out of the US, does that narrow down the type of shows that are created and are “allowed” to be successful?
I think first kill is a great example of not giving a show a chance to find its footing. With a better budget and better writers, I think it would be a hit.
I was so upset that Legends got cancelled. It had finally gotten really good again after a bit of a slump and ended on a cliffhanger and then they just cancel it. Flash has been hot garbage for years and still got a season to rap it up.
I know I was annoyed that it got cancelled before Riverdale while having twice the viewer rate and audience reception. Also whilst season 6 was a weak season overall I felt like it had some strong episodes and they did pretty well considering it was made during the lockdown.
@@owenhayes2837 Yeah, and season 7 was pretty much strong the whole way through, they even finally introduced Booster Gold
@@elliot2331 his introduction scene was a lot of fun season 7 was brilliant and the my future favourite was a bop
I miss this show so much, and they even had asexual representation, which is pretty much never seen in media
The past few seasons had been fun but season 7 was so strong, really had so many high points, plus asexual representation confirmed!! I was so angry when Legends and Batwoman were cancelled
It's almost like they're torturing us. Giving us the things we always wanted and then cruelly taking them away.
I'm a sucker for some sapphic teenage romance. All these cancelled shows you've listed are pretty much what I've exclusively watched over the last few years. I more or less expect everything I like to be cancelled anyway, but knowing the pain is coming does nothing to dull it.
Love Victor didn't get cancelled it just reached its natural ending season 3 was always planned to be its last season
Same thing with Motherland: Fort Salem. It seems to be more of a thing that people in general are confusing a show being cancelled and a show being renewed for a final season. Otherwise I see the point Rowan is making
Yeah... I like it when a show knows exactly how long it will take to finish their story and stick to it rather than an early cancellation or jumping the shark.
@@devonmunn5728 I heard that Motherland Fort Salem was originally supposed to have 7 seasons but because it's on Freeform they had to cut the show down to 3 seasons, Freeform loooooooooves to cancel shows after 3 seasons
It did get cut back for series 3 though and didn’t have the proper number of episodes.
@@devonmunn5728 motherland DID get cancelled. They planned for way more than just 3 seasons
If Disney can release Blu rays of The Mandalorian, HBO max can release blu-rays of Our Flag Means Death and the rest.
I'm still not over the cancellation of Teenage Bounty Hunter!!! What am I supposed to do without resolution for Sterling and April??
Binge read a bunch of fanfiction, I guess 😂 at least that what I plan on doing
@@NataliaNNS I need to do more of that. There's been some lovely ones!
I am SO grateful for Princess Weekes' video on First Kill from Nebula because it incentivized me to watch it (even though it had already been cancelled) and now I'm totally gutted. It's actually brilliant and has so many interesting creative choices in it. It knows what it is and honestly, I ripped through it. Sure it has some cheesy moments and an overbearing narrative overlay once or twice, but it has SO MUCH POTENTIAL to turn into something so cool. IT'S SO ACTIONY AND THERE'S SO MANY MONSTERS. The leads have such strong, believable chemistry and the villains are so strong.
You missed a Peacock show that was also good representation of Indigenous peoples: Rutherford Falls, which was cancelled a few weeks ago. It had 2 seasons, and one of the major supporting characters in both seasons was Bobby, an Asian nonbinary assistant to Ed Helms' character. Spoiler alert: the show ended with Bobby winning the mayoral election, becoming the youngest mayor in American history & the first nonbinary mayor, thanks in large part to the backing of the local Chief of the (fictional) Minneshonka nation, played by Michael Greyeyes. They were also getting more involved in Indigenous issues, and were one of the few shows with significant native representation in the writer's room, so that was a huge loss to our community too.
A large part of the Netflix discoverability issue is that the site is useless. Sometimes the same show will show up in the first few suggestions in five categories. Do they think people are going to decide to skip it the first four times then change their minds?
Also it's often shows or films I've already watched or I'm halfway through. You don't need to tell me about shows I'm already watching Netflix. Tell me about the ones I haven't seen yet.
the wilds was setting up their second lesbian pairing and, also gearing up for four seasons but no they had to cancel it. I also loved Motherland Fort salem and it needed another season. Paper girls was also decent and KJ being both jewish and Gay made me really happy.
Yes, queer shows across the board are getting cancelled, but it is disproportionately lesbian/wlw shows.
Out of all the shows you mentioned that got cancelled this year, only 1 focused on a male gay relationship (Love Victor). 3 more were just generally queer (Q-force, Babysitter's Club, & Legends), and the other 10 primarily centered lesbians and lesbian relationships (The Wilds, First Kill, Batwoman, Gentlemen Jack, Work in progress, Charmed, Naomi, Paper Girls, Teenage Bounty Hunters, Motherland Fort Salem)
i feel like it's not "queer" shows that get canceled, it's sapphic shows in particular but nobody wants to be the one to say it.
Yeah I think they aren’t seen as as marketable to a wide audience as mlm shows
Let's see how much Heart stopper last till it gets canceled. 🤞
@@gocelotspice5766 "wide audiences" being the straight girl crowd, yes
@@Dojafish It will never get cancelled
I didn't even know western sapphic live action series were getting cancelled and I haven't really seen much sapphic/ lesbian couple live action shows be advertised on social media or here on TH-cam. I would love to watch a sapphic show but I am looking for shows with young couples since I enjoy these more. The ones I have heard about have older couples or are a thriller genre which I'm not into. Do you or anyone have recommendations for sapphic shows with young couples as I haven't really come across any?
Also, it's interesting how there are more lesbians couples than gay couples in animated shows that are advertised. I guess this is due to the female lgbt+ persons working in animation and them getting to include female lgbt+ characters in animated shows, which is really great.
If lesbian sapphic shows are getting cancelled unlike ahem male gay couple shows then the reasons are quite obvious as people in other comments here on this page have said. The reason western gay couple series don't get cancelled is because the western studios have realised there is a market for them and they know exactly how to advertise to said market. This is probably something they learnt from the Asian BL industry which while has shows with gay couples it doesn't really put in a lgbt+ perspective into these stories.
PS: Sorry for the long post but just wanted to share things I have observed.
This was an excellent video, glad I somehow found it! And yep, the marketing of those queer shows is... lacking. On Prime Video, there was little to no marketing done for A League of their Own and Paper Girls. Paper Girls got canceled after a month, and so far ALOTO is still waiting for news of a renewal, despite having some great viewing numbers due to word of mouth. It's... Frustrating.
Man when Our Flag Means Death got renewed in June I didn't expect to later feel like the victor of the gay streaming hunger games
Thank you SO MUCH for reminding me about In The Flesh. I watched this (at least the first "series") when it aired - I had totally forgotten, but the moment you said the name of it, suddenly it came back to me and how brilliant I had found it.
Thank goodness, it's available on iPlayer so now rewatching it, and it's living up to my memories.
Incredible video!! I didn’t know paper girls got cancelled that is a HUGE bummer. Literally all that’s left is heartstopper…
There’s also the sandman. There’s LBGTQ+ and POC representation there.
OFMD.
Warrior Nun (plz!)
Stranger Things kinda
hopefully A League of Our Own.
Arcane?
Edit: oh, um, does Euphoria count?
oh and SLOCG
I think we may just have to bring back commercials and live with it.
You mean normal tv not streaming?
Don't worry, under capitalism's let's-make-everything-worse MO, they'll probably wait until there's only 2-3 megacorporation streaming services left (and no traditional networks), then re-introduce commercials along with your $90 total in subscription fees.
Motherland: Fort Salem was an amazing show. I am really going to miss it.
Wait The Babysitter's club was canceled? And are there any other queer characters besides Bailey and possibly Dawn (I think she's pan) and now I remember Janine is sapphic and Dawn's dad is gay and now it kinda makes sense
and there was that episode where dawn explains being trans to mary anne
@@kimlip_tree2009 yeah I remember
Hi! I am happy that The Babysitter’s club was able to get a season 2 but I am so disappointed that the show is cancelled. After introducing new characters like Jessi and Mallory I was expecting to see those characters to get their own focus episodes. As well, continue incorporating stories from the original and expanding them. I can’t wait to see what other projects the main cast do in the future!
@@wonderlucky1912 yeah same! i luv xochil gomez
@@kimlip_tree2009 yes so far I have seen Xochitl as America Chavez, Malia was in a lifetime movie, Momona was in a movie with Walker who is playing Percy Jackson and now she was casted as Ty Lee in Avatar the last air-bender show.
Television and film production have adopted the practices of fast fashion: a constant output of cheap rubbish that appeals to the masses and is quickly forgotten and replaced by new rubbish. No one is willing to take any risks to potentially create something truly beloved, which will last for a long time.
The cancellations of The Society and Everything Sucks really irritated me as well as so many other good lgbt shows that just stopped after one season
I rarely start new shows this days, because I'm scared, that they will get canceled and never get to complete their stories. That really sad, I used to love watching series
Another queer show that got basically canceled is The Owl House- we were supposed to get 4 seasons but Disney decided to cancel it and shorten the 3rd season into just a few episodes instead of 16 like the 2 other seasons. It honestly makes me so sad
I love the conversation that was had in this video!! Something I've really noticed is how so many queer teens and young adults are now instead gravitating toward kids' shows and some shows on the CW. Shows like Steven Universe and Owl House or Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin. Since streaming platforms are all trying to sell to a mainstream audience, queer people have had to carve out their own niche in these spaces where maybe they can put in the representation and tell the types of stories they want in more than one season. Thank you so much for this video, and I would love to see this topic further discussed!!
I just finished Paper Girls and THANK GOODNESS I have the rest of the comic books to cope with 😭
What? There won’t be a season 2?!?
@@quirkyblackenby the show creators are trying to get another streaming service to pick it up but amazon will not be doing a season 2
The legends cancellation still hurts, at this point, I just want a proper ending, 2 episodes, nothing more
A movie!
In my experience, it is Difficult to find Trans media, it is Difficult to find Sapphic media, and it is a Unicorn to find media that involves both. Intersectional rep is a helluva thing huh?
At this point, we just need to band together to pool money into our own streaming platform to produce fun, queer, poc, and otherwise minority-lead & featuring stories. most of us arent money-hungry shitheads, so id hope we could do our community justice. if i had the money, it'd definitely be on the top of my to-do list
This is literally why I dont watch TV anymore. I dont want to invest my time when I know every show I like these days gets cancelled immediately
Amazon really did Paper Girls dirty with their total and complete lack of advertising.
Being a huge fan of the comics that the show is adapted from I was a ready and willing target to be swept up in Paper Girls hype...and yet I didn't even know it existed until a few weeks after it was released!
Absolutely rubbish.
I understand that Amazon doesn't give a damn about the diverse representation that Paper Girls offers and the fact that it's a really important story for so many people - but you already said yes to it Amazon, so why not toss it a tiny bit of your millions of squillions of pounds/dollars to actually market it to the pre-existing fan base???
Ahhh!
Currently praying and hoping A Leage Of Their Own gets a second season
It's obvious you did so much research for this, and your analysis is spot on. Thank you Rowan, really interesting!
I don't even start watching anything created by Fox anymore because they have cancelled so many of my favourite shows.
I Am Not Okay With This could have been so good, there are a lot of shows I'm sad that Netflix cancelled but this one still hurts the most imo