Attention ladygays: coming-of-age queer stories that were canned too soon
Being a teenager is tough at the best of times. Being a queer teenager can be even harder. Fortunately, in recent times, the powers that be in charge of making stories have caught onto the fact that queer teens need representation in their lives. Coming-of-age queer stories are now frequently gracing screens worldwide these days.
However, despite the fact that these queer teen stories are being made, the rate of survival for stories featuring queer female or female-presenting teens is relatively low. If you’re an adolescent of the ladygay persuasion searching screens for representation, you’re probably well aware of this fact.
Companies like Netflix are making shows for queer females, but they’re also canceling them at unprecedented rates. As the writer’s strike sinks its very important teeth into Hollywood, we decided to take a look at all the high-quality sapphic productions geared at teens that Netflix canned way too soon. Here are just some of the popular titles that were not renewed for continuation.
I Am Not Okay With This
Sydney (Sophia Lillis), the main character in I Am Not Okay With This, is going through it. Adolescence isn’t easy for anyone, but for Sydney, it’s a whole new level of hard. Her father recently died and she has been drowning a little in her grief. On top of this, she’s battling with her sexuality (Is she, isn’t she? What exactly is she?) and it also happens that Sydney has superpowers. Totally normal adolescent stuff, right? Right.
Sydney is clearly into Dina (Sofia Bryant) and Dina is also clearly into Sydney, but high school is high school and the two are having a bit of a hard time reconciling their feelings for each other – despite the very obvious attraction between the two.
The first and only season of this queer coming-of-age story is available to watch on Netflix. The streaming giant canceled the show in August 2020. Watch it while you can!
Trinkets
Trinkets is a dynamic story about three girls who become fast, unlikely friends. Elodie (Brianna Hildebrand), Moe (Kiana Madeira), and Tabitha (Quintessa Swindell) are incredibly different people with one thing in common: they all share a terrible shoplifting habit. They meet at a Shoplifter’s Anonymous meeting and thus evolves the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
Elodie is our resident ladygay and is also pretty introverted. Despite the fact that she feels the need to shoplift what she wants, Tabitha comes from a wealthy family, and Moe pushes the punk rock persona. They might all come from different backgrounds and have different personalities, but they bond over their family issues and problems they’re individually facing at school.
After two seasons, Netflix announced that this coming-of-age queer story would not be renewed for a third season. The first two seasons of Trinkets are available to stream on Netflix now.
First Kill
For fans of the supernatural, First Kill should have been an absolute treat. However, like many other sapphic coming-of-age queer shows, First Kill didn’t make it past the first season. The vampire coming-of-age story is one that never seems to tire, however when Netflix decided to queer-ify this particular story, ladygays everywhere held their breath and waited to see if it would stand the test of time.
Sadly, it did not, and sapphics everywhere lamented its cancellation. In First Kill, Calliope (Imani Lewis) comes from a long line of prestigious and elite vampire slayers, and Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) comes from a Legacy Vampire family – super important vampires in the vamping community. For obvious reasons, their families are rivals and all hell breaks loose when the pair fall in love.
This coming-of-age queer story has all the trappings of popular vampire lore and all the heat and desire of queer teen romance thrown into the mix.
Despite the fact it has been canceled, the First Kill fandom is still ever-present online and discussions about this show are still happening.
Stream the first and only season of this show now.
Everything Sucks!
This quirky show is set in 1996 at Boring High School in Oregon. Like so often portrayed in 1990’s centered television, Everything Sucks! focuses on the drama and the AV club, both of which are considered the school outcasts and misfits. One of the geeks, Luke (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), develops a crush on Kate (Peyton Kennedy) who just so happens to be the Principal’s daughter. However, Kate has other things in mind and is currently in the middle of a sexual awakening of her own, and develops a crush on one of her female classmates, Emaline (Sydney Sweeney).
Rumors start circulating in the school that Kate might be gay, and like so many queer teens do, to divert attention from the truth, she begins dating Luke to deflect all the attention.
Despite the fact that Netflix canceled this show before a second season could see the light of day, this coming-of-age queer story was popular when it was released. If you haven’t already seen it, there are ten, thirty-minute episodes currently available to stream on Netflix now.
One Day At A Time
This show focuses on a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles just doing what they can to get by. Penelope Álvarez (Justina Machado) is a US Army Nurse Corps veteran struggling with PTSD and is the matriarch of this family. Her husband (and father of her children) is an alcoholic and barely in the picture anymore.
The reason this hilarious show has landed itself on this list is two-fold. Netflix did, in fact, cancel it after three seasons, but the show was then picked up by another network (Pop) and continued for only half a season more. Secondly, Elena (Isabella Gomez) comes out as gay in the first season.
Although a lot of the issues this show deals with are of a highly serious nature (including the homophobia present within the Cuban community), One Day At A Time adds a comedic spin that makes this story such a delight.
One Day At A Time is still available to stream on Netflix.
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Featured Image: Courtesy of Netflix
