Female-, minority- and LGBTQ-led shows seem to be the biggest casualties during the pandemic

Observer

The news that Showtime was reviving Dexter one week after canceling Kirsten Dunst’s On Becoming a God in Central Florida "underscores the reality of who is and isn’t receiving opportunities to remain and return to the air in this unprecedented ordeal," says Brandon Katz. "Take the case of Netflix, which has in many ways thrived in the pandemic. Of Netflix’s 23 most recent cancellations, 17 of them feature a female lead, a person of color in the lead role, or are LGBTQ-centric. While the trigger-happy streamer’s business model has always prioritized splashy new premieres to attract new subscribers as opposed to longer-running series with diminishing returns, it has been criticized for canceling a wide swath of shows that promote diversity. Series such as AJ and the Queen, Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love, I Am Not Okay With This, and Teenage Bounty Hunters were all given the axe after just one season. (Of Netflix’s 23 series orders in 2020, 12 are specifically female-focused)." Other shows axed that weren't led by straight white males include Showtime's The President is Missing starring David Oyelowo, Cobie Smulders' ABC drama Stumptown and Andrea Savage's TruTV comedy I’m Sorry. In the midst of a pandemic, says Katz, "television is becoming more fragmented by the day with a vast array of platforms to choose from. Yet ironically, this has led its decision-makers to retreat into the safety of pre-established brands and traditional on-screen leads. What should be a showcase for the next generation is instead becoming a time loop in which we reach to the past for recycled concepts and strategies. Experimentation and differences that stand in contrast to the decades-old status quo are no longer celebrated like they once were at the start of the streaming revolution. Many of the shows canceled this year were original properties—new intellectual property opportunities that offered open canvases for representation and narrative creativity alike. Canceling them only to revive corpses doesn’t feel like progress."