I do apologise for such a late reply on this, not sure how I missed it.
I did watch, the finale didn’t leave much of an impression, though I might have to re-watch at some point. I do hope they bring Bill back – loads of potential there and a shame if she was just a one-and-done for a season. Black lesbian characters are awfully rare and she was fun to watch.
I agree the Master was wasted (save for Michelle Gomez’ performances), but I think that of most of the female characters.
I’ve no idea what sort of Doctor Whittaker will be, and I like not knowing, really (though I always hope for stronger science fiction in the writing and a sort of alien-ness that never seems to quite happen). Trying not to have any theories or get my hopes up too high. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt truly invested in it.
Still, I’m delighted for such a major change. It was awful being mocked over the possibility of a female Doctor when I was a teen, and this feels like a long fight that paid off. I wish them success.
Lucy Lawless was never going to return as a regular Xena. She was only ever willing to do a one-shot. It would have been nice to see – but it would only have been a brief moment, then gone. A sentimental send-off, at best.
A reboot would have given us a new cast and, if JGM had his way, a strong, queer romance to centre the action. Something that might last. He knew how important this was and was willing to go there, even discussing hiring queer writers.
But it seems it was this very queer adaptation that put an end to it. NBC wouldn’t go there.
This isn’t some triumph for those who didn’t want to see a version without Lucy. This is a loss of a potentially great project that would have brought an iconic queer character back to the screen and there are so few of them now and we’ve lost so many in just the last year alone.
What part of that is hard to figure out? A new Xena could have spearheaded a new generation of queer characterisation and representation.
We need showrunners and studios willing to produce queer-centric programmes. If they keep getting shot down (no pun intended), and those like Bruce Campbell and anyone who supports his narrow point of view applaud this and are applauded for praising it – what can we parse from this? Xena’s past success and iconic status should have made her a shoo-in for a major return and, being well-known, would have given the project a lot of needed light.
This was never about Lucy and she knew it, too.
A dead reboot is another opportunity at potentially great representation shut down.
But this sounds disingenuous – as if he is leading a comment on how they all feel – they being Tapert and Co.
Trouble is, a show like Xena is the rarest of the rare – she is still the standard-bearer for how to do Queer programming, and she was one of the most successful female-lead programmes, ever. If you ask someone who has never seen Xena who she was, they’ll still know. She’s part of our cultural fabric.
And she is absolutely queer af.
Programmes that feature straight male leads get reboots all the bloody time. They get film versions, even. Do we see that many with female-led heroes?
It took forty years to bring Diana Prince to the big screen – and in no small part with thanks due to the success of shows like Xena.
But leave her be, I guess.
I don’t trust for one moment that they have any intention of ever bringing her back – the only way to do it is to embrace her queerness and her relationship with Gabrielle, and if they’ve not the guts for it, any other version would fail upon arrival. They’re not stupid, they know it.
Let’s have another Thor flick or another Spiderman or Batman or Wolverine – I mean, all these icons, right? They’ve stood the test of time and, yet – we keep getting more of them. No one wants to leave them be.
But Xena – well.
I guess only the straight white male icons get to return again and again. Queer icons? The dustbin.
Well this just sucks! I really wanted to see an updated version of the Amazon Nation
sad but unsurprising since Javi left 😦
In a statement, NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said, “nothing is happening on that right now,” and after looking at “some material,” the network decided that Xena “didn’t warrant the reboot.” She suggests that NBC might come back to it eventually, “because it’s such a beloved title,” but the version that was in the works up until now “is dead.” Based on some comments from back when he left the project, it sounds like Grillo-Marxuach was concerned that NBC didn’t want to emphasize the romance angle as much as he did.
They didn’t even want to try. They’re cowards.
Didn’t ‘warrant the reboot?’ Twenty years of fan conventions and grassroots campaigning, the emergence of female-led programming, including Wonder Woman – a precursor to Xena and a benefactor of her success – but it didn’t warrant a return?
The fact that they won’t license ANYTHING new (not even for the 20th, which they let pass without notice) suggests this is queer kryptonite for this studio and they won’t touch it at all. One of the queerest – and most successful – programmes ever made – and they won’t do it again?
Cowards.
They need to be called out in the worst sort of way. Can Tapert sell it elsewhere? He works with Starz on Ash vs. The Evil Dead – would they take it on? Would anyone? I’m sure these are not new ideas, and it’s frustrating to know the rights might be wrapped up so tightly, no one can touch it, ever – but all the more reason to speak out, louder than ever.
If they won’t even take on Xena again – a known quantity, a known success – would they ever offer us any meaningful representation? American networks are insanely wealthy – but they’re run by cowards.
The Doctor Is Out 