Where is the inclusivity?
In 2022, according to Gaytimesâ website, nine queer rep shows were canceled in 2022. Another source says over 40 queer shows were canceled this year alone. Now, 40 shows seem like a tiny amount of shows, but those shows were very celebrated and loved in the queer community.
Letâs take V.E. Schwabâs First Kill as an example. It was watched for over 30.3 million hours in itâs first week, while heartstopper was watched for less than half of that. Guess which one got a double renewal?. Listen, I love the show and Iâm not mad that heartstopper got renewed, and Iâm not saying that the show didnât deserve it, Iâm just questioning Netflixâs choice.
I am one of the thousands of people that watched and adored First Kill. And I think I speak on behalf of the fans, when I say that the show has touched my heart in so many ways. The show also became a safe haven for many people, including me. Just like many people, I was devastated, when I got the news, that the beloved show got cancelled.
Although, Schwabâs First Kill wasnât the only inclusive show that got cancelled by Netflix. Shows like Derry Girls, Killing Eve, Grace and Frankie, Babysitters Club and more got cancelled by Netflix this year. I guess Someone was in a homophobic mood.
Iâm that kind of person that gets attached to a show when I see myself in the characters. That includes LGBTQ+ representation too. Hell, netflix doesnât even have a category for inclusive shows. Also, it has come to my attention that Warrior Nun, another wlw show, got cancelled just after the fans found out that it was getting a double renewal. What. The. Fuck. Netflix?
I have to admit that there are other shows on Netflix than the ones I just mentioned. But Iâm just angry that netflix is advertising the wrong shows. Now, netflix has advertised shows like Heartstopper, and Young Royals, and the fans are eating it up. They love that the streaming serviceâs social media account(s) are releasing behind the scenes footage, set tour and cast interviews. But what about shows with wlw leads? When you search âFirst Killâ in youtubeâs search bar, youâd obvously see a few interviews and stuff like that with the First kill cast. But funny enough none of them are by the official Netflix youtube channel.
Letâs not give netflix all the blame though. There are of course other streaming services/broadcasting companies that have canceled their inclusive shows.
Iâm talking about the CW.
They canceled their only two LGBTQ+ women led shows, Legends of Tomorrow and Batgirl in the same week. Not only that, they cancelled both shows During Lesbian visibility week. How funny. âcause on June 16th 2020, the CW released a statement on their social media, saying:
Words matter. So does action. We can do more. We will do more
The CW appreciates and welcomes enthusiastic and thoughtful commentary about our shows. We are committed to making our social pages a safe place for our fans and talent to engage with each other.
We will not tolerate and will block racist or misogynistic comments as well as any hate towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Most of these Queer rep shows, usualy run for around 1-3 seasons. Five, if youâre lucky.
But the CW decided to let Legends of tomorrow run for seven seasons. The show was, and still is loved by fans around the globe and the cast even going to comic-con on multiple occations, and still continue to, to this day.
Legends of tomorrow is also one of the wlw lead shows that never got a proper ending, along with batgirl, leaving thousands of fans devastated, and the CW canât even give us a proper expanation, as to why they did what they did. So where the fuck is the support for the LGBTQ+ Community, CW, huh?
Another factor I should bring in to this, is that Legends of Tomorrow had significantly more viewers than shows like Riverdale and Kung fu. Three guesses as to which two got renewed for a new season. Much like Netfix, the CW chose to cancel the shows which have a higher viewership, knowing damn well that viewership typically is a large factor, when deciding to renew a show.
There has also been tooooons of hashtags in protest too. hashtags like: #SaveLegendsOfTomorrow, #RenewFirstKill, #RenewWarriorNun and my personal favorite, #CancelNetflix are all (currently) trending on twitter.
Honestly, I think itâs about time, that I ask my dad to cancel our netflix subscription.
Streaming services like Netflix are trying so hard to be inclusive nowadays. Meanwhile theyâre canceling inclusive shows that are actually good. Where the fuck is the inclusivity then?
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