S.M.H.
Streaming platforms repeat the same pattern: 1) They create a show, 2) the show gets a fanbase, 3) the show creators introduce WLW (woman-loving-woman) characters, 4) the show gets canceled. Is wanting SOME sort of representation TOO much to ask for?
Let’s be honest: The representation for gay men is greater than the representation for lesbians. This is due to sexism and the societal belief that sapphic relationships are not real or AS real as MLM (man-loving-man) relationships. It’s not a phase, mom.
Hot Girls-0, Patriarchy-1
Here is a list of some shows that got canceled if there was a WLW couple as the leads, a lesbian character was introduced, or if the main character came out as a lesbian and their story was beginning to unfold.
FIRST KILL
First Kill was a supernatural series about two teenage girls, one a vampire and one a vampire hunter, falling in love and defying the odds. The tricky thing is that both of them were ready to make their first kill. Will their love for each other prove to be stronger than each girl’s family tradition?
Well, we don’t know and we won’t thanks to Netflix canceling the show only after its first season. According to Forbes, tracking sites showed that First Kill had a total of 97.6 million viewing hours when it was in Netflix’s Top 10. In comparison, Heartstopper only had a total of 53.4 million hours while in Netflix’s Top 10 and it was renewed for two more seasons.
That isn’t strange to you?
The wilds
The Wilds was about 8 teenage girls who had to learn to survive on a deserted island after a plane crash. The teenagers all come from different backgrounds and have different stories to tell, but the need for survival and their love for one another perseveres and allows them to move past their differences. As the audience learns more about each girl’s trauma(s) and secrets, we also learned something else: they did not end up on the island by accident.
Amazon Prime canceled the show due to the lack of attention the second season received in comparison to the first season. Could this have been caused by the addition of boys in the second season, so the girls didn’t get as much screen time? I don’t know. Either way, this isn’t the first time a Female-Led LGBTQ+ was canceled. Toni and Shelby, you will be missed. #ShoniSupremacy
Fate: the WINX SAGA
Fate: Winx Saga was a live-action, teen drama remake of Nickelodeon’s animated series Winx Club. The show was centered around the teenage girls navigating their rivalries, supernatural powers, and their romances at Alfea, the magical boarding school in the Otherworld. The show followed Bloom, the leading, yet very annoying protagonist as she adjusts to life in this fairy dimension and learns to control her powers.
Terra, an earth fairy, has a very moving coming-out story that reveals that her character is a lesbian. the pro is that she got the girl in the end (*cue applause*). The con is that Netflix canceled the series after its second season, meaning that we will never get to dive more into her story.
In conclusion, streaming platforms need to be held accountable and questioned about their decisions. It’s very obvious WHY they keep canceling these shows, but I want them to look inward and answer with their chest. Inclusion shouldn’t be temporary and they know that. In conclusion, do better.