A League Of Their Own In The Media

[BetterButter]

[BetterButter]

Rosie O’Donnell to Appear in ‘A League of Their Own’ Series

[BetterButter]

[AnimeMania]

"A League of Their Own" is an 8 episode TV Series on Prime Video where all of the episodes will be released on August 12.  It is a reimagining of Penny Marshall’s 1992 film "A League of Their Own". This is not the first TV Series based on the movie, in 1993, CBS made a six-episode "A League of Their Own" TV series starring Sam McMurray and Carey Lowell, where Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks directed episodes.

The show begins with the formation of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1943 in the midst of World War II. It will embody the spirit of a generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball. It encompasses their fight to keep the League alive through close games, injuries, sexual awakenings and road trips across a rapidly changing United States. While also shedding light on the treatment of women at the time and topics of racial discrimination.  

The Rockford Peaches: Lil Frex, Roberta Colindrez, Kate Berlant, Abbi Jacobson, Rae Gray, D'Arcy Carden, Melanie Field, Molly Ephraim

Rosie O’Donnell plays Vi, a bartender at a local gay bar. A warm, gregarious woman, who is a fan of the Rockford Peaches and welcomes Carson into her orbit. 


Abbi Jacobson plays Carson Shaw, a girl who runs away from home from a tiny farm town whilst her husband is off fighting the war. She tries out for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League after seeing an advertisement. Carson wants to be a catcher for the Rockford Peaches. She’s scared of the unknown but leans into new experiences. Her confidence grows, both on and off the field, opening her eyes to who she could be, and the joy of truly being a part of a team.

Kate Berlant is Shirley Cohen. Shirley struggles with anxiety on and off the field. She and Carson are roommates, and Carson helps her to overcome her fears and become a vital member of the team. Shirley is a Rockford Peach who plays left field.

Patrick J. Adams plays Charlie, Carson’s handsome, midwestern husband, who will soon return home from fighting overseas during WWII. He’s eager to resume his life back home with his wife.

Rae Gray portrays Terri Cobell, a player on the Rockford Peaches. She is a pitcher whose husband is also overseas at war.

Kate Berlant is Shirley Cohen. Shirley is a sweet Rockford Peach who plays left field and struggles with anxiety on and off the field. She and Carson are roommates, and Carson helps her to overcome her fears and become a vital member of the team.

Roberta Colindrez as Lupe García, a cool, calm and collected pitcher from Texas ranch country who ran away from home and her complicated past to try out for the Rockford Peaches. Lupe’s got a killer poker face, on and off the field, and while she may seem aloof, she cares deeply about her own success and being a part of the team, but she won’t reveal her secrets easily. Lupe is a gifted athlete — as talented a pitcher as she is a hitter. 

Priscilla Delgado plays Esti González, an optimistic and fun girl who is probably the youngest player to try out for the Rockford Peaches. The brave teenager left Cuba to pursue her dreams, and while the language barrier can be challenging, she came to the Midwest just to play the game. Her optimistic and playful spirit shines through, on and off the field. Esti plays 2nd base. 

Molly Ephraim is Maybelle Fox. She is kind-hearted and wants everyone to get along, and is known for her wild streak and easy laugh. Maybelle plays center field for the Rockford Peaches. 

Melanie Field is Jo DeLuca, who has survived countless escapades with her best friend, Greta. Boisterous and up for anything, Jo will defend her teammates til the end. She and Greta are long-time best friends. Jo has a larger-than-life personality, a sarcastic sense of humor, and isn’t afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what’s right. Jo is a Brooklyn native who plays third base and is the power hitter for the Rockford Peaches.

Melanie Field   Abbi Jacobson  D’Arcy Carden


D’Arcy Carden plays Greta Gill, a beautiful and worldly player who once was in the Army. Originally from Brooklyn, she came to tryouts with her best friend Jo, and her adventurous spirit and playful attitude keeps Carson and the rest of the team on their toes.  Off the field, Greta also remains effortless, traveling the globe seeking new adventures and liaisons. Greta is the sophisticated, enigmatic, first basewoman with unbelievable stretch for the Rockford Peaches.

Emma "Lil Frex" Carroll is Ana Blair. She is eager to step in and get her shot as a catcher on the Rockford Peaches.  

Kelly McCormack plays Jess McCready, a tough, no nonsense Rockford Peach, a vocal leader who is not afraid to speak up. Jess was born to play the game, but struggles with the doing the performative theatrics required by the League management. On the field, Jess feels the most herself and wishes the game would never end. She came here to play ball, and is determined to keep the team on track. Jess is a shortstop from Moosejaw, Canada.

Dale Dickey is Sargent Beverly, the team chaperone.

Nick Offerman as Casey “Dove” Porter, an ex-Cubs pitcher brought in to coach the Rockford Peaches. He became famous and got his nickname because his forkball killed a dove in mid-air in the middle of a game. Inspiring and charismatic, Dove was thought to be the next big MLB star, but blew his arm out after only three years. He is now looking to make his comeback by taking the Rockford Peaches into champions. The players quickly realize that Dove Porter might not be the charming celebrity they all idolized.

Nat Faxon plays Nathan Marshall, the Rockford Peaches’ team manager who works for league owner Morris Baker. Although he’s a “suit”, he has a kind heart and believes in the Peaches to succeed.

Kevin Dunn plays Morris Baker, the league owner who has conservative views on how to market a baseball team of women. He has invested quite a lot of money into the league and is nervous about how having women ballplayers in a men’s sport might turn out to be a huge financial loss.

Don Fanelli portrays Alan Baker Jr., a nephew of Baker’s who tries to fill his uncle’s shoes as he fumbles his way through his new role as head of Public Relations for the Peaches.

Nancy Lenehan is Vivenne Hughes, a cosmetics entrepreneur who has been hired by Baker to try and “feminize” the players on the team. Vivenne takes pride in having “invented” the notion of the "American" beauty.

Chanté Adams is Maxine "Max" Chapman, a pitcher with an arm that could make men weep. She is ready for the big leagues and now, she just needs to make her own path there. Max is a wildly talented pitcher who is determined to play ball. She’s strong, blunt, and knows she’s good, but she’s still going to have to fight against her mom’s expectations and work harder than everyone else to pursue her dream.

Andia Winslow plays Esther, a striking, witty, competitive woman who is introduced to Max and there is an instant connection that sizzles between the two.

Saidah Arrika Ekulona plays Toni Chapman, mother of Maxine "Max" Chapman, a successful entrepreneur and the unofficial mayor of the small but growing black community in Rockford, Illinois. She has big dream for her daughter, but Max has dreams of her own. 

Alex Désert is Edgar Chapman.

Marinda Anderson is Leah, the pastor’s poised wife, who is visiting Rockford for the occasion of the church revival and who Toni is eager to impress at her salon.

Lea Robinson portrays Bertie Hart, Max’s uncle. He is kind, charming and nurturing. Estranged from his family, he lives with his longtime partner, Gracie on the outskirts of Rockford.

Patrice Covington plays Gracie, who is in a longtime romantic relationship with Bertie. Gracie is a supportive, sharp woman who works at the factory with Max and introduces her to her colorful life and friends.

Gbemisola Ikumelo plays Clance Morgan. Born and raised in Rockford, Clance is Max’s devoted best friend and biggest supporter, and a budding talented young artist who loves comic books. Clance will do anything to help Max achieve her dreams, and her quick wit and sense of humor gets them out of sticky situations.

Aaron Jennings is Guy Morgan.

Marquise Vilson plays Red Wright. A showman and a former Negro Leagues pitcher, Red is the celebrity coach for the Red Wright All Stars, a barnstorming exhibition team that tours the country.

Kendall Johnson is Gary Hall.

Edited July 31, 2022 by AnimeMania

[Cranberry]

Review embargo lifted. So far the reviews are mostly positive!

[Cranberry]

On the subject of reviews, the show is, unsurprisingly, being review-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB by people complaining about how it's "woke" and "historically inaccurate" because it dares to include queer people and Black people (never mind that a surviving member of the AAGPBL, Maybelle Blair, has said, "Out of 650 [players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League], I bet you 400 was gay"). If you actually liked the show, consider leaving a review and upvoting the good-faith reviews/downvoting the bad-faith ones. The showrunners will thank you:

[gesundheit]

5 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

On the subject of reviews, the show is, unsurprisingly, being review-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB by people complaining about how it's "woke" and "historically inaccurate" because it dares to include queer people and Black people (never mind that a surviving member of the AAGPBL, Maybelle Blair, has said, "Out of 650 [players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League], I bet you 400 was gay"). If you actually liked the show, consider leaving a review and upvoting the good-faith reviews/downvoting the bad-faith ones. The showrunners will thank you:

So depressing. I've seen a lot of "ruined the original" and "just swapped out LGBT and people of color for the real characters," clearly written by people who did not watch it since that did not occur. If a completely different story that springboards off of a beloved earlier story "ruins" the earlier story for someone, they might want to seek some help. Such a silly pattern. Thankfully it's gotten a lot of good reviews and press! 

[possibilities]

Our history has been erased for a long time. So a lot of people just don't believe it happened. It's frustrating. I watch this show for myself and am happy it's finally being told. I feel sorry for people who are so closed off that they have no idea what reality is actually like.

[gesundheit]

Abbi Jacobson is doing an interesting Q&A on the show's Twitter account right now -- it's got some fun goodies about improvised moments, the extensive research, etc. It's pretty interesting!

[Cranberry]

How Realistic is “A League Of Their Own”? Let’s Do a Historical Deep Dive!

This is great -- it answers a bunch of questions like, "Were Black Women Allowed In the Negro Leagues?", "Did Latina Women Play in the AAGPL?", "Were AAGPBL Players Forced To Wear Skirts and Go to Beauty School?", and "Were There Really That Many Lesbians in the All-American Girls Baseball League?"

[buckboard]

On 8/16/2022 at 5:15 PM, Cranberry said:

How Realistic is “A League Of Their Own”? Let’s Do a Historical Deep Dive!

This is great -- it answers a bunch of questions like, "Were Black Women Allowed In the Negro Leagues?", "Did Latina Women Play in the AAGPL?", "Were AAGPBL Players Forced To Wear Skirts and Go to Beauty School?", and "Were There Really That Many Lesbians in the All-American Girls Baseball League?"

Autostraddle -- where this link leads you to -- has several excellent articles about ALOTO -- as well as recaps of the episodes.  Thanks for the link, Cranberry.

[possibilities]

I love the recaps. They make the show last longer.

They say the show is getting panned in Amazon reviews, so I might head over there and give it some love.

[Cranberry]

We've brought it up from the 50s to 83% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's still slowly climbing (yesterday it was 82%)! IMDB has been a bit harder as there are more of the "woke"-hating crowd over there, but it's very slowly moving up and is currently at 6.6/10. Autostraddle did a whole article on the Amazon reviews. Looks like it's at 4.4 out of 5 stars there now (on the .com anyway), with 1-star reviews making up only 14% of overall reviews and 5-stars making up 81%.

[AnimeMania]

There is a rumor that A League of Their Own Season 2 is currently in production. I will try to keep you updated.

[AnimeMania]

‘A League Of Their Own’ To End With Four-Episode Second Season At Prime Video

A League Of Their Own Second and Final Season will be 4 episodes.

[Cranberry]

Better than nothing, I suppose.

The Hollywood Reporter has a longer story.

[Bastet]

I wish we were getting more, but the first season could have stood alone, so I'll try to think of these four episodes as a bonus rather than thinking of it in terms of being shortchanged.

[shantown]

I guess I’ll try to look on the bright side too - four is better than zero, and maybe they’ll do something fun since there’s no worrying about renewal status. 

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, shantown said:

I guess I’ll try to look on the bright side too - four is better than zero, and maybe they’ll do something fun since there’s no worrying about renewal status. 

Yes, the fact that they know they only get four eps hopefully means they will wrap up any loose ends and not have a cliffhanger type ending. I like when shows are given an end date that they can work towards rather than the network or whoever, pulling the plug right in the middle of the story the writers are trying to tell. 

[ofmd]

With so many shows with wlw content getting cancelled - and this one actually being a good show - I find it hard to look at the bright side...

[AnimeMania]

‘A League Of Their Own’ Could Swing Beyond Shortened Season 2 at Prime Video, Says TV Head Vernon Sanders

Amazon Studios Television head Vernon Sanders said “It will totally depend on how it performs and how the cast and creators all decide they want to revisit it if they do. So let’s hope we get that big audience.” 

If the audience response is "good enough", Amazon is open to streaming more episodes.

[Mabinogia]

This is the type of show I can watch multiple times and still enjoy, so maybe it's time for a third viewing. IDK if repeat viewings help the numbers at all but I really do think the show is worthy of a full second season. I think the story it was/is telling is one that should be told so... fingers crossed.

[BetterButter]

‘A League Of Their Own’ Canceled: Prime Video Not Proceeding With Second & Final Season Amid Strikes

[Bastet]

Here's what Abbi Jacobson posted in response to the cancellation:

Quote

What luck I have had to get to tell these stories and play this character I love so much. What a rare thing in life. And so I am sad today.

To blame this cancellation on the strike, (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections and working conditions, etc…) is bullshit and cowardly. But this post isn’t about all that. About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer. Not today.

This post here is about the special show I was lucky to make with so many incredibly talented artists and actors and writers and crew. A show I’m so proud of. Filled to the brim with stories worth telling. Full of so much heart and soul and value.

Thank you for watching.

To the five. ❤️

 

[ofmd]

Sony to Shop Around ‘A League of Their Own’ After Amazon Cancellation

Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham’s “A League of Their Own” television show could still see some extra innings.

Sony plans to shop the show around following the cancellation of its shortened second season by Amazon Studios Friday, an insider close to decision making told TheWrap.

https://www.thewrap.com/sony-shops-a-league-of-their-own-amazon-cancellation/