Why Do All the Good Queer Shows Keep Getting Cancelled? An Insight into cancelled queer media

Another queer show has been cancelled. Another fan base left confused…

Recently the popular queer dating show ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and its male variation have both
been cancelled with their new seasons airing this summer being their last. Despite
popularity with viewers, it was confirmed the shows cancellation was due to funding
challenges. This has left fans disappointed as it feels like queer shows that viewers genuinely
enjoyed are being forgotten about while straight dating shows are the norm.

This isn’t the only show that has been unduly cancelled, The Ultimatum: Queer Love, a
queer spin-off of The Ultimatum was announced that it would not be making another
season. Whilst the heterosexual version will continue to air. This is a pattern not a
coincidence. Both shows received widespread support, so their cancellation doesn’t make a
lot of sense. Budget cuts and failure enter Netflix’s top 10 were the disheartening
justifications for why they wouldn’t be continuing. The queer community is disappointed
especially when queer inclusive shows continually struggle to last beyond a couple of
seasons.

The problem is that queer media is being treated as disposable, even when it performs well.
It makes it so much more frustrating that these shows aren’t even failing.
A lot of them have strong fanbases, consistent engagement, and a lot of people actively
talking about them, especially on social media. They trend, they form communities, and
they build loyal fanbases that streaming platforms always claim to want. People become so
invested in these shows because the queer community get a fraction of representation in
the scale of dating shows. Even more of a small percentage for queer women who continue
to be underrepresented.

The explanation is almost always the same: budget

Honestly it begins to feel like a weak excuse when you look at shows that get renewed.
There are plenty of shows that are not better than the queer ones in question, but they are
constantly renewed. Like I am the first one to be begging my house to watch Love Island
with me every night but even I question how many more seasons are really worth it. The
ratings have been declining for some time, yet it come June (even winter now) there’s a new
season coming out.

It creates a pattern where queer media is given just enough space to exist, but not enough
to actually last.

I believe that’s where the real issue lies. It’s not just about the cancellations; it’s about the
lack of long-term investments. These shows aren’t really given the same chance to grow,
attract a wider audience, or to develop properly over time.

Instead, they are expected to gain attraction and prove themselves almost immediately. If
they don’t exceed expectations straight away, they get cancelled. For queer shows, it feels
like exceptional is the only way they can survive for more than one season.

Queer shows are often doing something a lot of mainstream media still doesn’t. They centre
queer characters as without making them side plots to fill an inclusivity tick-box. It shows
relationships, friendships, and identities that queer people are able to relate to. When these
storylines disappear it’s like queer life is being subtly removed from view.

It’s also the consistency. Representation isn’t just about having one show at a time. When
queer media is constantly being cancelled, it never gets a chance to be part of the norm. it
stays as something easy to overlook.

It also affects the kind of stories that are even being told in the first place. If creators are
aware that queer shows are less likely to last or perform well, they don’t want to take the
risk creating slow-burn narratives. Everything has to be impactful and intense to be ‘worth
it’.

When these shows get cancelled, it’s not just losing something in the moment that people
enjoyed. It narrows what is possible for the future of queer media.

It just feels like a setback to be honest.

Seeing yourself in a show, getting invested, watching it build and then it just goes. Not even
because people didn’t care but because these shows weren’t really seen as worth
continuing. The intention of representing queer communities is there but it gets taken away
before it can actually mean something.