With time, Batwoman became a safe haven for Black queer nerds looking for a home in a comic book pop culture terrain that is often centered around the needs and wants of white people. So that’s the first thing.īut with time, those fans did fade away. And no actor should have to put up with that (other Black stars of CW shows, many of whom have built community with each other, have also discussed the difficulty of fan interactions online while fulfilling work obligations). I’m the Black Editor-in-Chief of a queer website on the day that the first Black lesbian superhero show (and one of the very few Black-led lesbian shows in television history) was cancelled so I should just say it - Javicia Leslie faced sizable racist backlash. When Batwoman was recast at the start of Season Two, following the departure of Ruby Rose in Season One, many white fans were less than receptive. Javicia Leslie, as a Black queer actress working in this industry, knew that more than most. Gotham might be night, but she was like walking into daylight. And Black queer fans looking to see how we love and fight and survive, and yes become our own heroes - we’ve survived on dust for far too long. Once lungs have been filled with fresh air, they can’t go back to surviving off dust alone.
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Once a ceiling has been cracked wide open to let in the sky, it can’t be all the way closed back off to darkness. We’ve done it already though - that’s the great part. Last night on her Instagram Live, lead actress Javicia Leslie (Ryan Wilder/Batwoman) said of the show’s potential renewal that “whatever’s meant to be will be, in the most beautiful way. And there are no words for that kind of hurt. The first love story between two Black women to lead its own show. The first Black lesbian superhero character to lead her own show.
What matters is that Batwoman was a shining beacon of what’s possible in Black queer storytelling on television. Batwoman wasn’t the network’s highest rated (though it’s worth noting that Batwoman had higher ratings than two shows that were already granted early renewal, Nancy Drew and Riverdale) - but in a streaming era it’s always hard to gauge how much network ratings factor, writers’ rooms and stars often encourage fans that after they’re done watching live to stream the next day on the CW app. But honestly, all the armchair post-game analyzing won’t matter much anyway. The CW is in the middle of a drawn out sale of its network, which certainly has complicated the renewal process for many of its shows. There will be a lot of speculation in the days to come, just as there has been over the last months while fans anxiously awaited news for a renewal. So many inspiring, brilliant people contributed to this series. Just got the sad news that #Batwoman will not be seeing an S4. Here’s the announcement from Batwoman show runner Caroline Dries: After three seasons and 51 episodes, the CW has cancelled Batwoman. This is the one post I never wanted to write. The 200 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies Of All Time.LGBTQ Television Guide: What To Watch Now.