#SaveQueerStories

Why #SaveQueerStories?

1. HALF of queer shows were canceled in 2024!2. Queer shows were canceled more than TWICE as often as other shows.3. Queer shows were canceled FASTER than non-queer shows.4. Queer shows are in very HIGH DEMAND, but are often canceled anyway.5. Vanishing representation harms LGBTQ+ people.6. Positive representation reduces stigma and supports mental health.8. Queer voices and stories matter!

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Findings1. Half  (54%) of queer shows were canceled this year.2. Queer shows are canceled more than twice as often as non-queer shows.3. Queer shows are more likely to be canceled after just one season than non-queer shows.4. Shows are more likely to be canceled when their queer characters are more visible.5. Queer shows perform as well as, or better than, non-queer shows in terms of viewership numbers and critical reception.

This independent study is based primarily on data pulled from the complete 2024 Renewal and Cancellation lists from Deadline and Rotten Tomatoes. The Rotten Tomatoes list was noticeably out of date, so its information was supplemented by Vulture's 2024 Cancellations list. Both the supplemented and unchanged versions are included and clearly labeled in the Data Breakdown.The lists contain data regarding series on cable, broadcast, and streaming, though the analysis emphasizes streaming. This is because the majority of applicable series either belong to, or also air in partnership with, streaming services.Both the Deadline and Rotten Tomatoes lists produce very similar ratios, indicating that this is not a fluke of one site's data, but a consistent trend. Moreover, this trend is visible in data from 2022 and 2023, where queer series were canceled 1.7x more often than others. This demonstrates that 2024 is not an outlying year.These findings are congruent with reports from GLAAD and Autostraddle: queer shows are canceled at unusually high rates and don't last as long as non-queer shows. Yet there appears to be no concrete justification for this disparity.

Rotten Tomatoes Cancelled and Renewed Shows for 2024
(with Vulture Cancellations for 2024)

Queer shows are canceled at more than double the rate of non-queer shows. Applying Vulture's additional cancellations, 54% of queer shows were canceled this year vs. just 21% of non-queer shows.Despite making up only 16% of shows, queer shows make up 33% of cancellations.They are also canceled at about four times the average cancellation rate for streaming last year, according to Variety (12%).Additionally, 35% of canceled queer shows were axed within one season, compared to 23% of non-queer shows. In fact, queer-embracing shows made up the majority of one-season cancellations this year at 55%.Not only are queer shows canceled more often, they are also canceled sooner.However, these shows are not under-performing. All together, they averaged an 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% viewer score.This puts our canceled queer shows on par with heavy hitters such as Bridgerton (84% / 74%), Outer Banks (79% / 75%), and Wednesday (73% / 85%).

Deadline Cancelled and Renewed Shows for 2024

Deadline reports higher cancellation rates across the board than Rotten Tomatoes, but the trends remain the same.Queer shows on Deadline's list were canceled 68% of the time. This is twice as often as non-queer shows, which were canceled only 30% of the time.42% of canceled queer shows were axed in one season vs. 29% of non-queer shows.However, the average Rotten Tomatoes critic score for canceled queer shows was 82%, with an average 76% viewer score.
Note: The combined Rotten Tomatoes and Vulture list totals almost exactly the same as the original Rotten Tomatoes list when averaged with Deadline's.The averaged numbers are: 54% of queer shows were canceled, and 39% were canceled early. Meanwhile, only 21% of non-queer shows were canceled, with 14% canceled early.

Case Studies

Some may be tempted to argue that queer shows are over-represented in cancelations because they only appeal to a niche audience - thereby earning fewer views, which makes streaming services more likely to cancel them.However, the data shows that queer shows appeal to a broad user base and are able to perform exceedingly well. For example, in GLAAD's "Accelerating Acceptance 2023" survey, they found that 73% of non-LGBTQ people were comfortable with depictions of queer people on screen. Given that a supermajority of young adults actively seek out queer media, this means that the number of people actively opposed to queer representation is vanishingly small.The fact that queer shows are enjoyed by everyone is also apparent in demand and viewership numbers. Below, we will review case studies for six successful queer shows across four streaming platforms, then three canceled queer shows, and finally three successful non-queer shows.The intent of these examples is to demonstrate that queer shows are in high demand while being held to different standards of performance.
Success Stories1. Stranger Things
Having two queer characters in at least 50% of episodes, Stranger Things is considered "queer-embracing" under this study's criteria. This superstar show is famously one of Netflix's most popular titles, appearing twice on the streaming service's Most Popular TV of all time list as of Nov 15, 2024. Its original Season 1 debut collected over 14 million viewers in its first 35 days. The show's popularity exploded due to strong promotion and word of mouth, such that its Season 2 release earned over 15 million views in its first THREE DAYS. Between Seasons 3 and 4, it has achieved over 2 billion viewing hours.
Stranger Things is a towering example of what strong promotion can do for an original, queer sci-fi series - and in turn, what these series can provide for their streamers.2. Heartstopper
Similarly, Heartstopper has become a cultural phenomenon since its launch. This very queer show earned over 50 million viewing hours in its first four weeks, and then achieved that number again with the release of its second season. These two seasons each remained in the Netflix Top 10 for four weeks. It holds a "Universal Acclaim" 81 score on Metacritic.3. Arcane
In its first six months, Arcane shattered records and earned over 120 million viewing hours. As of Nov 15, 2024, it sits in the Netflix Top 10 and boasts a perfect 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. In the weeks following its finale, Parrot Analytic found that demand for the show was 50 times higher than the average TV series.4. Agatha All Along
Despite being a very recent release, Agatha All Along has become a breakout success for Marvel and Disney+. The streaming platform released its first ever Top 10 list on October 30, 2024, with Agatha All Along sitting at #2. As of Nov 15, 2024, it remains there, according to FlixPatrol. It now also holds the record for the highest continuation rate of any Marvel show to date.5. Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building has become a flagship series for Hulu, charting high on multiple "Best Of" lists, including those from TV Insider, Collider, and ScreenRant. On the week of its Season 3 release, the first two episodes alone earned the show nearly 12 million viewing hours and landed in the #3 spot on the Nielsen Top 10.6. The Wheel of Time
TV Insider's Top 25 list for Prime includes at least a half-dozen queer shows, including Gen V, Good Omens, Outer Range, Harlem, A League of Their Own, and The Wheel of Time. As of Nov 15, 2024, all six of these shows rank in Prime's top 100 most popular shows along other queer shows such as My Lady Jane, Deadloch, and Paper Girls.
The Wheel of Time in particular has been touted as a win for the streaming platform, earning over 19 million viewing hours in its first week. On its day of release, it overtook The Boys and The Terminal List as Prime's most popular show. At the end of its first four weeks, it had earned over 80 million viewing hours.


Canceled Prematurely
All three of these shows met this study's criteria of "queer" twice - by having at least one queer main character AND an additional queer character who appears in at least 50% of episodes, and by having at least four queer characters who appear in at least 50% of episodes.
1. Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives closed out its first week with over 22 million viewing hours, landing in the #3 spot on the Nielsen Top 10. It charted on Netflix's Top 10 for three weeks, despite powerhouses Baby Reindeer and Bridgerton S3 launching at the same time. At the end of its first three weeks, Dead Boy Detectives had earned 70 million viewing hours, which is fairly close to the launch numbers for The Wheel of Time. Adjusting for series length, it also came close to Heartstopper's debut and S2 viewership numbers, as well as Stranger Things Season 1's launch views. It won widespread critical acclaim and a 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite high praise and viewing numbers, the DC property was canceled after one season.2. Our Flag Means Death
Our Flag Means Death exploded in popularity as it neared its Season 1 finale, with interest growing by more than triple. It rocketed to become the most in-demand show by audiences, according to Parrot Analytics, and held that position for seven weeks - then charted #1 again two weeks later. Its first season debut ranks among the top five most watched HBO Max comedy series launches.
The show currently boasts a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a "Generally Favorable" 72 Metacritic score. This places Our Flag Means Death in the range of other big name shows like Only Murders in the Building and Ted Lasso. It also outdoes the Emmy award-winning Wednesday.
Even while faced with steep budget cuts, the show managed a second season before it was prematurely canceled.3. KAOS
KAOS premiered to 22.8 million viewing hours in its first week. It landed in the #4 spot on the Nielsen Top 10 and stayed on the list for two weeks. It went on to spend four weeks in Netflix's Top 10, earning over 84 million viewing hours in its first three weeks. By the end of its first 30 days, it had outdone the number of views Stranger Things Season 1's debut earned in the same amount of time. These numbers far outstrip most of the best launches for other streamers like Hulu and Prime. The show was also well-received, earning a 76% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a "Generally Favorable" 70 Metacritic score. These scores put KAOS in the class of successful shows like Agatha All Along and His Dark Materials.
However, citing low viewership, Netflix axed the show after just one season.


Non-Queer Examples1. The Diplomat
The first season of The Diplomat aired in April, 2023 and earned 155 million viewing hours in its first three weeks. However, views rapidly dropped by halves (from 66m viewing hours in its second week to 31m, to 18m in its fourth week), and the show vanished from the Netflix Top 10 after four weeks. Its Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores are comparable to our queer examples - 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and 75 on Metacritic. The Diplomat was renewed for a second season within a month of its release, and then for a third before the second season had even aired.2. The Bear
Season 2 of the hit series The Bear aired in July, 2023 to 14 million viewing hours in its first week. It landed in the #2 spot on the Nielsen Top 10, against competition such as Black Mirror and Suits. By the end of its third week, it had earned 44 million viewing hours. Notably, the show has only grown in popularity and acclaim since its release, with each new season gaining more viewers than the last. Season 3 launched in June, 2024 to 20.5 million viewing hours in its first week. The story of The Bear illustrates that shows need time to gather a strong audience, and they need intentional promotion to be considered successes.3. Reacher
The first season of Reacher aired on Amazon Prime in February, 2022, earning over 26 million viewing hours in its first full week. It landed in the #1 spot on the Nielsen Top 10, the first Prime show to do so. Its metrics align very closely with those of Dead Boy Detectives - a "Generally Favorable" 73 Metacritic score and a 92% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. These numbers were considered a huge success for Prime and won Reacher a second season renewal within three days of release.

The Issue of Representation

The Growing Trend of ErasureEspecially over the last two years, media representation for queer people has been declining. This trend has been noted in the press: GLAAD and Autostraddle both published unsettling data regarding the state of LGBTQ-inclusive shows they have been tracking. Autostraddle reports that 1 in 4 shows tracked by the site were canceled within one season, and GLAAD's analysis found that 24% of queer characters will not be returning next year due to series cancellation or ending.At the same time, the United States is seeing record-setting numbers of anti-LGBTQ+ book bans. This year saw a continued surge in requests to ban LGBTQ+ books in schools. As Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, explained to ABC News: "Their aim [in banning books] is to suppress the voices of those traditionally excluded from our nation's conversations, such as people in the LGBTQIA+ community or people of color."This silencing is not limited to book bans, however. In the last few years, news reports have continued to crop up regarding internal censorship at major media companies, especially Disney - from reports that executives demanded Inside Out 2's protagonist Riley appear "less gay," to the shelving of a Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode which provided an empathetic view of a transgender child athlete, to the removal of Love, Simon from their streaming platform, to the potential formation of "superfan" panels that aim to reduce diversity in future adaptations for existing franchises.The systematic erasure of queer people from media signals a worrying first step towards the erasure of queer people from the public eye altogether.

The Anti-Queer LandscapeFrom the Trump campaign's transphobic ads to bathroom bans across the country, anti-LGBTQ propaganda and sentiments are on the rise in the United States. Anti-trans legislation has continued to pass in multiple states - a phenomenon which is proven to negatively impact the wellbeing of trans people no matter where they live. More than 70% of LGBTQ+ adults in GLAAD's "Accelerating Acceptance 2024" survey said the state of national discourse was negatively impacting their emotional wellbeing. Following the Presidential election this year, The Trevor Project LGBTQ crisis line reported a 700% increase in call volume.

Why Representation MattersOf course there are many serious, pressing legal battles facing queer people right now, and there will be many more in the coming years. Vanishing media representation is but one small arm of a kraken-sized problem. However, it is one that is still intimately felt by everyday people - and it is a powerful tool for addressing larger issues in these troubling times.For many people, their first and only real exposure to LGBTQ+ identities comes from media. For queer people, seeing positive depictions encourages feelings of possibility, validity, and hope - a knowledge that they are not alone. This knowledge is critical for emotional wellness in a population at particularly high risk for anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma. Queer shows matter because we know that positive representation improves mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals, which is particularly important given our political climate.Moreover, positive LGBTQ+ representation is shown to reduce stigma and improve attitudes towards queer people. Aside from face-to-face interaction, exposure to LGBTQ+ people in media has the strongest positive impact on perceptions. The more opportunities someone has to see queer people as human beings - outside the setting of a threatening political ad - the more we all learn that we have more in common than we have differences.We are living in a time when it is absolutely critical that LGBTQ+ media representation remains bold, accessible, and positive. Queer stories MUST be as loud as possible. Especially now, representation matters.Queer stories are powerful. We cannot allow them to disappear. Our art is meaningful, our voices are important, and our visibility is life-saving.

What About the Bottom Line?Queer media is a money-maker.In the Where We Are on TV 2023-2024 report, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis laid out why television media providers should care about producing and maintaining queer shows:"LGBTQ stories have power and resonance that audiences are craving. Through their nationally representative research, MRI-Simmons reports that LGBTQ inclusion in entertainment is important to more than two in five of all American adults. WPP found that super majorities of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ 18-24 year olds actively seek out queer inclusive media (93 and 85% respectively)—but only 38% are satisfied with how LGBTQ people are represented."This tremendous gap provides an opportunity for networks and streaming companies to win audiences and subscribers who are hungry for more inclusive programming and fresh new perspectives."... Yet, TV networks and streamers are passing up on the opportunity to fully engage with this meaningful audience, and are leaving stories that will help bottom lines and earn buzz and accolades on the table..."A YouGov survey reported that a quarter of U.S. adults wait for a streaming originals’ finale before starting to watch, with 27 percent of those citing worry about a series potential cancellation with no resolution as their reasoning for delay..."LGBTQ-inclusive series which have received full marketing and promotional pushes have been massively successful... Stories with significant and impactful LGBTQ characters continue to be a rousing success."Networks and streamers that do not tell nuanced and meaningful inclusive LGBTQ stories are at true risk of alienating a huge audience and tarnishing future brand recognition."Additionally, the GLAAD report cites that "according to the MRI-Simmons Fall 2023 Survey, two in five LGBT people say they subscribe to streaming services for original content specifically and are 15 percent more likely than non-LGBT people to do so. This is a valuable audience for new streaming originals and it would be detrimental to the streamers to lose this audience by canceling these inclusive streaming originals."In summary, queer stories can be extremely valuable for streaming services. Providing rich and meaningful representation is proven to bring in and keep new viewers, while finishing the stories encourages sustained viewership. Queer viewers will also seek out and commit more to streaming services that provide full, complete queer stories.The data provided in this study only serves to support these statements. It's time for streaming services to stand by their queer stories.

Why Are They Canceled?

Over the last few years, several in-depth articles have come out of major entertainment news outlets speculating about why so many shows are canceled lately. Many point to streamers chasing the viral fame of shows like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones, launching too many new shows while creating a self-fulfilling prophecy by axing them too early and discouraging new viewers. Yet if all of these outlets can see the problem, surely the leadership at these streaming services can, too.Once the data is reviewed, the trend of cancellations can't be explained purely by viewership, ratings, or demand. But there is something far too many canceled shows have in common. They're queer.If the majority of critics and viewers are happy to support quality queer shows, why are they being canceled more often?
1. Streaming services may not be promoting their queer series as much as they promote non-queer series.2. Streaming services may not be promoting their queer shows appropriately. Where other shows may see a boost in advertising when they perform well in their first week, queer shows may not. Additionally, effort should be targeted towards promoting queer shows to users whose viewing behavior indicates an interest in queer-inclusive media.3. Streaming services are not giving queer shows enough time to find traction with their target audiences. Many shows that have gained massive popularity among queer viewers took several seasons to gain a following. These shows are considered profitable cult classics today. Notable examples include Schitt's Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The 100.4. Even when queer shows show strong numbers and promotional value, they are often canceled anyway. The most recognizable instance of this is the cancellation of Our Flag Means Death.5. Given the sizeable disparity between the cancellation rates of queer vs. non-queer shows, one can conclude that these shortcomings are not fully the result of ignorant mistakes, but of discriminatory decision-making.

Call to Action

For Streaming ServicesDavid Jenkins, creator of Our Flag Means Death, said of the show's massive popularity: "[this] is what happens when a major media company invests in inclusive mainstream stories." This truth is evident in the stunning acclaim and viewing numbers for many queer shows. Queer stories are popular, in-demand, and performing well. But even more than that, they matter.In the current political climate, which threatens to take away the rights of queer people, and which actively bans depictions of us, streaming services that adjust to openly embrace their queer and allied viewers would send a strong and positive message.GLAAD recommends in its Where We Are on TV 2023-2024 report "to greenlight new work featuring the diversity of the LGBTQ community, [and] for those shows to be fully supported… [Promoting] new inclusive series is paramount."Not only should streaming services commit to completing future queer stories, they should allow their existing, canceled queer shows an opportunity to finish, too. Many of these stories had written scripts for their closing season already when they were canceled!

For Viewers
^{Visit our Take Action page}#SaveQueerStories encourages fans and allies to make as much noise as they are able, in whatever way they can! Every effort, no matter how small, helps to spread the message.Writer Angel Wilson, in an article for The Geekiary, provided strong recommendations to LGBTQ+ and allied viewers who want to get the word out: "Send strongly worded, but polite letters that get the point across. Preferably send them through snail mail to show we mean business with our extra effort to get off the Internet and do something meaningful in the real world. Make fan campaigns. Be a little irritating to the networks if you need to (within reason, of course). Do what you’ve always done, lovely fandoms of the world! Just turn it up to 11."You could sign petitions for renewal campaigns, request queer and canceled shows on streaming websites, stream queer and canceled shows, or speak out on social media. You can also contact streaming services directly.

How we can tell streaming services that queer stories deserve to be fully told:1. Use the hashtag #SaveQueerStories on all of your social media.2. Spread the word to family, friends, followers, and anyone who will listen! Encourage them to join the effort.3. Contact your streaming services and tell them to commit to our pledge:a. That they will issue a statement committing to diverse storytelling, including stories that center LGBTQ+ voices and people of color.
b. That they will properly promote and support future and existing queer shows
c. That they will mindfully reduce the number of early cancellations of queer shows such that they are less than or equivalent to non-queer shows, and
d. That they will restore and complete one or more canceled series.
Use our template, get contact info, and learn more about how to help on our Take Action page!

Glossary

Queer-embracing: At least two queer characters each appearing in at least 50% of episodes (according to IMDB's cast information).Queer shows: At least one queer lead character (top three "Top Cast" on IMDB), plus another queer character appearing in at least 50% of episodes, OR four or more queer characters who each appear in at least 50% of episodes.Twice-queer / Queer-normative: Meets BOTH sets of criteria for "queer show" - at least one queer lead character (top three "Top Cast" on IMDB), PLUS three or more additional characters who each appear in at least 50% of episodes.Exclusions: "Non-reality" excludes competition shows, game shows, true crime, talk shows, cooking shows, sketch shows, review shows, sports, investigative journalism, documentaries, etc, and all unscripted media. Anthologies are also excluded.
There were some instances where a show technically met the "queer" threshold without offering actual representation. These handful of shows were disqualified based on: "implied" queerness, instances where a character's queerness exists purely as a joke (eg "gross-out humor"), or instances where a character's only implied queerness is sexual assault/manipulation of another character of the same sex.Canceled vs Canceled Early: These numbers were decided by Internet searching for the phrasing used in a show's cancellation announcement.
All shows that are ending (for whatever reason) are defined as "Canceled," using Rotten Tomatoes's criteria. Shows for which it was announced the story was not getting a concluding season were marked as "Canceled Early" ("Hard Axed").
It is hard to know for sure whether a show was "ending" because the story was naturally coming to a close, or "ending" because it was not allowed to continue. For this reason, my synthesis uses the numbers for the "Canceled" category, vs the "Hard Axed" category.CAVEAT: Interpretations of what is considered a queer or queer-embracing show are partially subjective. I tried to maintain as much objectivity as possible by setting numerical standards to compare against.

Method

This study is based primarily on data pulled from the complete 2024 Renewal and Cancellation lists from Deadline and Rotten Tomatoes. The Rotten Tomatoes list was noticeably out of date, so its information was supplemented by Vulture's 2024 Cancellations list. Both the supplemented and unchanged versions are included and clearly labeled below.All lists were initially pared down on the basis of the following qualifying criteria:  1. non-reality
  2. non-anthology
  3. intended to last beyond one season.All remaining titles were then researched individually online for the following information:  1. whether they were canceled or renewed
  2. whether they were canceled prematurely or have a concluding season
  3. whether or not the show has confirmed queer characters, and if so:
    a. how many
    b. appearing in how many episodes
    c. the circumstances under which their queerness is demonstrated (coming out, relationships, physical acts, etc)
    d. whether they are listed under the first three "Top cast" on IMDB.Shows that met the criteria for canceled and queer/queer-embracing were researched for series length, streaming provider, and Rotten Tomatoes scores.Finally, queer and non-queer shows were compared by their cancellation-renewal ratios and series lengths.Sources for series length were typically included in the original Cancellation and Renewal lists. Data regarding top casting and episode appearances was pulled from IMDB. Critic and viewer scores were collected from Rotten Tomatoes. Information regarding whether or not characters were queer came from a variety of sources and typically confirmed by more than one source to ensure validity. Primarily, references for queer characters were drawn from LezWatchTV Database, LGBT Characters Wikia, individual fan-made show Wikias, Reddit fan discussions, news articles, queer series lists from websites such as Autostraddle and Advocate, Google images, official series descriptions, and plot/episode synopses.Case studies were investigated primarily through accessing viewing data as provided by Nielsen Top 10, Netflix Top 10, or FlixPatrol. News articles were also used for reference and are cited. Critical reception was gauged through Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.