A League Of Their Own and The Peripheral both just got their second seasons yanked away by Amazon
The League Of Their Own show and William Gibson adaptation The Peripheral have both had their previously granted second-season renewals taken away
Aux News The Peripheral
Some grim, “Just when you thought it was safe to love a TV show” news out of Amazon today, as Variety reports that two series that the consumer mega-giant had previously renewed for second seasons—including the critically heralded A League Of Their Own adaptation—have now had those second seasons abruptly scrapped.
In addition to League, The Unrenewal Man also came for Amazon’s William Gibson adaptation The Peripheral, which starred Chloë Grace Moretz, was executive produced by Westworld team Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and which received a second-season renewal back in February of this year. But, of course, nothing is promised, ye know not the hour nor the day, etc.—especially if that hour and day turns out to be Friday evening, the traditional dumping spot for murdered shows.
As for A League Of Their Own, it was already facing a reduced lifespan: The show, created by Will Graham and star Abbi Jacobson, had already been told that its second season—issued back in March, after the show debuted in August 2022—would be both shortened, and its last. Now, though, it’s not even getting that four-episode grace note to wrap up its storylines, which adapt and expand massively on the story told in the 1992 film, and which have received significant praise for handling the myriad issues in the world of women’s baseball in the 1940s with both skill and humor.
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen any of the major studios resort to rescinding previously granted renewals; it was, at least in part, seen mostly as a symptom of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and had largely abated over the last year or two. Reports from the trades, unsurprisingly, see unnamed decision-makers blaming their choices on Hollywood’s ongoing double strike, since pushing production on both shows to 2024 would mean a “logjam” for their production pipelines, with new episodes not coming out until as late as 2025. Fans and creators, presumably, would be fine with the wait—the corporate decision-makers, not so much.
69 Comments
Aw, The Peripheral was pretty good; I hope they figure out another home for it.
William Gibson just can’t get a break.
That sucks. I enjoyed both. Fortunately, both told a complete story and did not end on a cliffhanger. “The Peripheral” told the whole story of the first book, the second book is very different and probably wasn’t going to be the story they told in season 2.
I couldn’t get into the second book, it felt a little too…real. I feel the need to share this quote by him from The Guardian:
It feels like the “outlandish future fiction to reality” pipeline is shrinking fast. Episode one of black mirror seemed realistic but outrageous in 2011 but in 2023 I don’t think it’s a stretch to think a QAnon nut would abduct someone to force Joe Biden to fuck a pig.
Brit’s already had Prime Minister who fucked a pig.Later, he would go on to fuck 67 million Britons.
I think not getting a second season/series of The Peripheral is a good thing, tbh. You’re right in that they told the story of the first book and it didn’t end on a shitty cliffhanger – it was wrapped up very nicely (if a little messily – but then, look at the book) and it did what it did and said.
A League of Their Own very much ended on a cliffhanger.
Damn, we loved The Peripheral, even when it was a little confusing. But the real tragedy here is that the strike isn’t just going to DELAY shows we enjoy, but is apparently going to kill them altogether?! Now THAT sucks. And I fear will slowly turn people against the actors and writers, which I do NOT want.
Of course the strike is gonna kill shows. It did the last time, why wouldn’t it this time?
Friendly reminder that it isn’t “The Strike” that is killing shows, it is the corporate suits who refuse to negotiate in good faith with the unions who are killing shows.
I mean, it’s not like William Gibson blew the production budget and nearly killed the show, like he did with The X-Files.
huh? he didn’t direct or product. that’s on them for picking his material and letting him make suggestions.
This has just got to stop. Especially these shows that don’t end with tidy bows wrapping them up, like ALOTO. It’s not just that it does a disservice to the viewer community, its that its going to change the both the viewing and creative dynamic in very bad ways. People will stop rolling the dice on the smaller productions, they’ll stop getting made, and the creative output will just be crushed.
Nooooooo! (The Peripheral) 🙁 🙁
F you Bezos and co. League of their Own was miles ahead of what Rings of Power was (and I enjoyed the latter) Your racist algorithms are going to get you no where.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if part of the reasoning for reneging on the planned second seasons is to attempt to sway public opinion. “We really want to provide you with the shows you love, honestly, but these unreasonable writers and actors are making it impossible with their ridiculous demands. Blame them, not us!”
Amazon: Won’t someone PLEASE think of the corporations worth over $460 billion!!
I work in film (VFX) and so far most of the comments I’ve seen on social media are how the writers/actors are spoiled and should give in to…Disney? Always picking on the workers and never the billion dollar corporations. Weird country.
Oh that’s definitely it.
I don’t think there were enough people watching either show for any executive to think cancelling them would have an impact on strike negotiations.I’m not sure we need some kind of 3-D chess explanation here. Neither show was particularly widely watched. One had already been effectively cancelled, with the original plan being a four-episode wrap-up. But if shows largely haven’t connected with audiences, a two year wait for new episodes isn’t going to help. Watching a TV show is a habit, and if you fall out of the habit for an extended period of time, there’s a good chance you won’t come back, especially if you weren’t necessarily that committed to watching it.
Neither show was particularly widely watched.
What are you basing that on? League was the most watched show on Amazon during its initial run, not to mention one of the most talked-about shows on any streaming service at the time.
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/prime-videos-a-league-of-their-own-just-took-down-the-terminal-list-and-its-95-on-rotten-tomatoesMeanwhile, Amazon went ahead and renewed Citadel, a show with dismally low ratings that cost about three times what League cost to make.https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/citadel-ratings-nielsen-viewership-low-1235637650/League was a female-led show that was really popular with LGBT audiences. Meanwhile, Citadel was popular with basically no one but Amazon is still committing $150 million to make more of it. Sure smells like a double-standard to me.Even if it’s not, it’s simply incorrect to think this decision was solely about ratings, because League had those, and other Amazon shows that didn’t have them are still moving forward.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Bezos has explicitly marked his favorite shows as uncancellable and Citadel is one of them. I happen to think Rings of Power is just fine, but the fact is that he basically said “I have a billion dollars, somebody give me a Lord of the Rings show.” He might just have bought it because he wanted to see Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden bone (I haven’t actually seen the show, and know nothing about it, so maybe this isn’t a thing).
I agree with you: they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face. That said, Citadel has “we want this to be a global franchise like the Marvel movies“ written all over it. Someone at Amazon really wants it to happen and to have directors in India writing about the India-based team and writers in China writing about the Chinese team. Those projects will proceed without the American union strikes. “League” was only ever going to appeal to an American audience, and it would have been impacted by the American strikes. It sucks, but we’re no longer the biggest audience to target for a multinational, just one of the most affluent right now.
They are basing that on bootlicking, I’m afraid.
“Sure smells like a double-standard to me.”
Yeah, well, welcome to life as a human being. Where the fuck have you been until now?
It’s not working. It’s making me hate these bastards even more. What these unions are asking for is NOT unfair.
I guarantee you that there is not enough people interested in either of these shows to sway anyone’s opinion on anything. lol.
That is bundled in there.
ZASLAV!!!
Bezos!
It’s funnier to blame Zaslav personally for all negative industry news.He cancelled all the shows you love over at Netflix too.
Yeah, but Bezos just sucks so much, too!
Also, Zazlav is the actual CEO of a company. Bezos hasn’t been CEO of Amazon for over two years.
Also Zazlav, for all his faults, doesn’t look like a walking penis.
He just personifies one.
Hey, he was starting to look good as more people were holding him up in comparison to the elongated muskrat. He had to do something to regain his rep!
thanks oba- i mean, zaslav
“Zaslav, I knew it was him! Even when it was the bears, I knew it was him!”
I’m surprised Amazon cancels anything, their entire streaming service could just be a rounding error.
I wasn’t a fan of The Peripheral. I did enjoy the first episode, but then after that it just wasn’t much for entertainment. But I saw the potential, despite a slightly wonky season 1 ending, for improvement. When I found it was renewed for season 2, I would’ve watched it out of curiosity to see if it can improve from the flaws of season 1. But, how I felt about season 1 left me feeling I could take it or leave it. So, while I may not lose any sleep over the reversal, I am curious to see if Amazon would try to up the ante by sending subtle threats about The Boys in response to the strikes?
Felt the same way. I usually love this kind of sci fi, but the first two episodes were great! then it kind of lost the plot. (bringing the people from the past into the future ended up not having any difference)
I also liked the first few episodes and had high hopes but then it devolved into such a generic sci-fi show that i ended up hating it so much. Same thing with Westworld, great concept, terrible execution
I liked it ok, but I do mostly feel the same way. I was into some stuff they were doing, but not enough to feel much more than indifferent to this news.
I was just about to start watching “The Peripheral” so I guess I’m glad this news broke today and saved me the eventual frustration.
It does not end on a cliffhanger. You can watch the first season as a single story.
Shame on all the corporate suits not giving the writers and actors their due. Double shame on Amazon for negating on their promise to give us fans a season 2 of A League of Their Own. I loved the first season – the storylines, characters etc. It had so much promise. I’m tired of getting into a show only for it to be axed, especially when it ends on a cliffhanger. This is the pattern nowadays – new show, good reception with good reviews, axed. Again and again. It’s absurd.
Too many shows. Until all these bespoke streaming services go away and we get back to a more television/cable model, this will just keep happening. No other way to build an actual audience that justifies spending money on more seasons of a niche show.Kill the streaming services.
Is the Peripheral worth watching or does it leave us on a cliffhanger at the end of s1? thanks x
The Peripheral ends on a very confusing resolution to the central conflict, with a clear “here’s where we go next.” It’s entirely watchable and enjoyable as a standalone.
cheers. i’m intrigued.
Honest opinion: I liked the show, but I never “loved” the show, and kinda do feel a little like I wasted my time now. I would honestly say if you skip it, you aren’t missing anything. Even with moments of cool action, Season 1 is a slow burn and while it might not technically end on a cliffhanger, it really has a “we’re just getting started” ending (questions still remain, the larger threat still looms, character arcs haven’t finished) that makes cutting it off still feel like an incomplete story.
I’d say if you like dystopian sci-fi it might be worth at least an episode or two to check out what they do with the world. But you’re not going to get much more on that front. So it’s really just about how much you like Chloe Grace Moretz.
thanks for the response. i think i will give it a try as i love Chole Grace Moretz work.
The show ends with her character asking to be assassinated by a close family friend in her own timeline so she can continue her fight in the proxy “stub” android body she has in the future London timeline.
League should have been a huge hit, a home run if you will, but it was a lifeless, unfunny and preachy adaptation of a beloved movie. Yes it’s made primarily for the Sapphics but it had a huge built in audience of non queer people who adored the movie and would have loved to have shared a series with their kids now. Instead we got Abbi Jacobson being awkward and having a sexual awakening with the worst person on the show. None of the charm or tenderness if the film but hey something had to replace L word generation Q (which was also dreadful)
I notice this happens a lot with supposedly female centric shows that is supposed to be all about women ONLY. A lot of other groups start pissing all over the material saying what about “x” group. (see Handmaid’s Tale). The movie was great because this was a story about women playing baseball in a mans game. It already had that on its plate. Bringing in a bunch of other stuff undermined the entire purpose of the story. But some people just never, ever get that.
Harsh. But I’m not one of those “If you didn’t like it, then you’re a homophobe” type of people, because you’re not entirely wrong. No doubt there was a built-in audience that was alienated by the new direction. That’s like water being wet. But this show was heavy-handed (At one point a
character claims The Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz are being ‘colonized’
by Dorothy; this kind of stuff gets exhausting) and I’m sure there were folks that wanted something lighter and more fun. Personally, my gripe was more about how anachronistic the show often felt. It’s supposed to be 1940s, and characters are talking and behaving like the 2020s. That sort of thing always takes me out of it.
and characters are talking and behaving like the 2020s. That sort of thing always takes me out of it.This is why I stopped watching Mrs. Maisel, as good as it was.
So are there any services out there these days that don’t just reflexively cancel things that don’t instantly become mega-hits, and allow good things to organically grow an audience? It seems like Apple tv isn’t insanely cancel-happy these days, but I may be mistaken…
Dropout.
Any ones that have good tv shows rather than reality tv.
Definitely on the list to subscribe to once I get off my lazy butt. I’ve seen enough clips online to know I’ll get my $4 a month worth from it.
I’m sorry, David Icke, but you can’t blame this one on the lizard men. All of the streamers and networks are looking at ways to cut costs and maximize profits during the strike and after. Killing a bubble show and a cancelled show that was miraculously and very generously granted a four episode exit bow are hardly travesties or tragedies. Shows have been mercilessly cancelled since the days of “Bowling for Dollars” so wipe your asses, change your diapers and grow up. This is like shitting your pants because your grocery store quit carrying your favorite organic salad dressing that no one but you bought and attributing it to a conspiracy. Jesus, you’re watching too much TV anyway. Get a life.
Bummer on “ The Peripheral” that was a great show.
I’ll be ok.
“Love” would be a strong word for Peripheral. Moretz’s chops carried it, the rest of the cast not so much – they were various identikit network TV actors, only like uncanny valley versions of the ones who have been good in the past. Some decent effects but aside from that, pretty forgettable stuff.
::reads grays::AUTHOR: Man, kinda sucks that this was canceled, and the creator feels the same way.A DEEP WEIRDO: Shows have been mercilessly cancelled since the days of “Bowling for Dollars” so wipe your asses, change your diapers and grow up.It occurs to me that “grow up” could similarly be levied at, say, a weird dipshit going way harder in the pain than necessary on a c-list blog.
Man, I really liked “The Power” on Amazon but apparently, I’m alone in this. My point is, I don’t think it’s getting a second season but it bombed so emphatically no one has to say as much.