ONTD dears, I compiled for you a list of women-fronted TV shows that have been cancelled in the past year, way before their time, because
fuck the patriarchy.
Some of these shows never had a cancellation post on ONTD, and some of these gems still deserve our attention. Let’s begin…
Jan 17th, Amazon cancels Tig Notaro’s
One Mississippi and
I Love Dick, co-created by Jill Solloway and featuring Kathryn Hahn
One Mississippi was Tig Notaro’s fantastic autobiographical show (about her cancer, her mom’s passing, her relationship blooming with her current wife, her career, etc), was tragically produced by Louis CK – and that may be the reason for its cancellation. In its second season, Tig devotes an entire arc to a male exec who masturbates in front of a female colleague , obviously without her consent – pretty much directly calling out CK before the allegations resurfaced. What a boss bitch. He produced a TV show that allowed Tig to diss him openly, and for that, I will always remember One Mississippi as brilliant, bleak, and really important. Sadly it went mostly unnoticed and now gets canned because, most likely, of a dude.
I Love Dick, despite its phallic title and hetero core, had brilliant Kathryn Hahn in, finally, a leading role. She has the Judy Greer curse of being fucking talented and having an impressive résumé of ONLY supporting roles. Oh what have you seen her in? literally everything. It was a good show, whatever forever, it wasn’t well-received critically but remained thoroughly enjoyable IMO.
January 14th - Netflix kicks off 2018 by cancelling
Lady Dynamite and ending my life.
I must confess, I am a huge Maria Bamford fan. An absurd, quirky, silly, sassafras-lady feminist TV show focusing on mental health?
YES PLEASE. A standup comedian fronted-TV show that’s NOT about a dude?
(Looking at you, Pete Holmes, Jim Gaffigan, Aziz Ansari, Louis CK, Jerry Seinfeld….y’all are the SAME and so are your shows). Maria’s been in the business forever and her TV show was long overdue, had great ratings and reviews, and now Netflix has cancelled it for whatever reason. I'm upset. BYE.
November 14th, Hulu cancels
Difficult People by Julie Klausner.
I’m well aware that ONTD is not a fan of this show due to the awkward Blue Ivy joke in s1, but HEAR ME OUT --- that was kinda the point. It was meant to be terribly offensive and offputting, because Julie and Billy’s characters are just awful. But let’s not forget this show openly called out Woody Allen and Kevin Spacey before the
#MeToo movement, and in this day and age, we really need Julie’s open defiance on TV. The show has great queer representation, and it just so happens that the POC on the show are really the only ones keeping it together – love you forever, Gabourey Sidibe. Difficult People was like a grown-up, bitter, failed-actor in NYC version of Gilmore Girls Pop Culture Trivia hour. The cameos were hilarious and well done
(looking at you, Broad City – love you girls forever but please calm down on the cameos JEEZ). Its cancellation was kind of a shock and I’m not over it yet.
October 30th, USA cancels
Playing HouseNow, this one still stings. Really stings.
I discovered Lennon Parnham and Jessica St-Clair through the first season of Playing House and fell in love right away.
(Turns out, these amazing lady collaborators had a previous short-lived TV show I’d never heard of, Best Friends Forever. Find a torrent ONTD, it’s cute and really worth it). Playing House begins as Maggie, a heavily pregnant woman, finds her husband cheating on her via baby monitor webcam during their baby shower, crowd included. She then leaves him to raise her baby with her BFF Emma. It’s hilarious, Keegan Michael Key plays a love interest, there’s a lot of dancing and sisterhood. I naively thought this show would go on forever. There was a pretty long hiatus between the 2nd and 3rd seasons, which may account for the cancellation? Maybe? – but it’s because Jessica St-Clair battled breast cancer, with the help and support of Lennon, cause yeah they’re real life BFFS by the way. She got better and wrote her experience with cancer into the 3rd season of the show, a small 8 episodes of sheer comedic brilliance, with Michaela Watkins and Laurie Metcalf playing oncologists. Still baffled about the cancellation, and I always thought ONTD gave the show very little love, so go ahead y’all. Mourn with me.
August 9th, Amazon comedy streaming channel Seeso shuts down, taking down with it Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher’s comedy
Take My Wife after 2 seasons.
Okay, as the headline suggests, this show isn’t exactly cancelled – it’s just homeless, and we’ll never get to finish season 2, and that’s tragic. This show was fantastic, featured an episode calling out rape culture in comedy in a way I’d never seen before, not to mention their queer representation – a TV show where lesbian lovers get to show affection and it’s NOT intended for the male gaze? Of course it had to be cancelled. There wasn’t another show out there quite like this one, and I’m afraid there won’t be again. This show was such a breath of fresh air in this gross political era, and I truly hope it gets picked up by an actual channel and gets a proper chance.
Honorable mentions:Dec 18th, Amazon passes on Bridget Everett’s Love You More
Another mistake by Amazon. This isn’t technically a cancellation, but the show had such promise and Bridget is a gem. I suggest watching the pilot if you haven’t, and treat it as a short film to overcome the sadness of its ~cancellation.
What else?
Dec 1st,
Haters Back Off cancelled by netflix. (
I’m not upset, it was a bit of a bummer, but a woman-fronted show nonetheless.)Oct 18th,
Chelsea cancelled at Netflix
Oct 11th
Being Mary Jane cancelled after 4 seasons
August 17th
Sweet Vicious cancelled by MTV.
June 24th
Girlboss cancelled by Netflix
(good riddance tbh)June 23rd
Downward Dog cancelled after 1 season
(featuring Alison Tollman, t’was cute tbh)June 12th,
Loosely Exactly Nicole cancelled
and then picked up by facebook video? (Has anyone watched?)In order to not end this post on a sad note, here’s a list of great women-fronted TV shows still on air!
Better Things by Pamela Adlon (2 seasons of brilliant writing & renewed for 3)
I’m Sorry by Andrea Savage renewed for s2 (everyone I love is in this, give it a shot)
Insecure by Issa Rae renewed for 3rd season.
SMILF by Frankie Shaw renewed for s2 (by far my fav new show, it’s so good, and ROSIE y’all. ).
Glow on Netflix features a bunch of ladies, renewed for s2.
Unreal s3 coming soon, featuring Constance Zimmer (now known forever as a Rupaul’s Drag Race All Stars3 judge)
Claws renewed for s2 on TNT.
Feel free to add more in the comments!
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