Cancellations and Renewals: ‘Awkwafina is Nora from Queens’ gets Another Season
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens - Comedy Central
An annual studio study from GLAAD reveals a record high LGBTQ representation in major Hollywood films this year, though diversity and trans visibility hit troubling lows. For the third consecutive year, trans people were not included in any major studio release. Equally troubling was a downward trend in racial diversity. In 2019, 34% of LGBTQ characters were people of color (17 out of 50), down from 42% in 2018. This is why series like FX’s Pose should stand the ground to ensure trans BIPOC visibility in the entertainment industry. Pose’s renewal is no surprise because of its continuous success in ratings. However, the intimate nature of the FX series and the extravagant background of actors in the ballroom raises new concerns for post-pandemic production. During a recent Variety interview, co-creator Steven Canals said “the politics of Pose have always been up front and center, so in terms of the narrative of Season 3 and the way we’re moving forward, I think it will inherently address what’s happening currently with COVID-19. All of that was already baked into the DNA of the show.”
Another popular series about queer love, although twisted and not-so-subtle, is BBC America’s Killing Eve, starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. The phenomenal story created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge was renewed for a fourth season before the third season aired. Many more BIPOC women-centered original stories are thriving in cable TV-like BET’s Sistas, Comedy Central’s Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, and HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, all of which have been renewed for the upcoming season.
There are also reboots of a classic like The L Word, First Wives Club, and Snowpiercer. These series face a unique challenge of balancing between living up to the original success and establishing the voice for a new generation of storytellers. Sometimes the reboot is much needed like Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q, when there has been so much groundbreaking development in the public mind and around LGBTQ policies, or BET’s First Wives Club, featuring a whole new cast of Black women; Sometimes not so much. TNT’s Snowpiercer has been long in development but aired to underwhelming ratings. Although it was renewed for the second season before the premiere, the audience has been underwhelmed by the series’ lack of individuality from the movie.
Another renewed series is HBO’s Insecure, created by Issa Rae and Larry Willmore. It examines the complexities of Blackness from a Black woman’s point of view, at a time such perspective is much needed to be amplified globally. Although the heroine is juggling her personal relationships in the series, there is an essential larger conversation to be had in the upcoming season amidst the recent political awakening.
See below for the complete list of cable series:
AMC
Fear of the Walking Dead: Renewed for Season 6
The Walking Dead: Renewed for Season 11
BBC America
Killing Eve: Renewed for Season 4
BET
American Soul: Renewed for Season 2
Bigger: Renewed for Season 2
Boomerang: Renewed for Season 2
First Wives Club: Renewed for Season 2
Sistas: Currently airing Season 1
Twenties: Renewed for Season 2
Cinemax
Warrior: Renewed for Season 2
Comedy Central
Alternatino with Arturo Castro: Moving to Quibi for Season 2
Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens: Renewed for Season 2
South Side: Renewed for Season 2
Epix
Godfather of Harlem: Renewed for Season 2
Freeform
Good Trouble: Renewed for Season 3
Grown-ish: Renewed for Season 4
FX
Atlanta: Renewed through Season 4
Mayans M.C.: Renewed for Season 3
Pose: Renewed for Season 3
Snowfall: Renewed for Season 4
HBO
A Black Lady Sketch Show: Renewed for Season 2
Betty: Renewed for Season 2
Insecure: Renewed for Season 5
Los Espookys: Renewed for Season 2
Random Acts of Flyness: Renewed for Season 2
Westworld: Renewed for Season 4
OWN
David Makes Man: Renewed for Season 2
Greenleaf: Ending with Season 5
The Haves and the Have Nots: Renewed for Season 7
If Loving You Is Wrong: Ending with Season 5
Queen Sugar: Renewed for Season 5
Pop
One Day at a Time: Canceled by Netflix after three seasons; Renewed for Season 4 on Pop
Showtime
The Chi: Renewed for Season 3
The L Word: Generation Q: Renewed for Season 2
Spectrum
LA's Finest: Renewed for Season 2 (Season 1 to re-air on Fox)
Starz
Hightown: Renewed for Season 2
Vida: Ended after three seasons
Step Up: Renewed for Season 2 at Starz after cancellation on YouTube
Syfy
Vagrant Queen: Canceled after one season
TNT
Claws: Renewed for the fourth and final season
Snowpiercer: Renewed for Season 2
USA
The Purge: Canceled after two seasons
Queen of the South: Renewed for Season 5