The coming-of-age drama series High School, inspired by the memoir of Tegan and Sara Quin, has been canceled by Amazon Freevee after one season. The series, created by Clea DuVall, premiered in October 2022 to critical acclaim but will not be returning for a second installment.
High School nostalgically depicted the 1990s, with TikTok stars Railey and Seazynn Gilliland playing younger versions of the Quin twins, offering a unique insight into their teenage years. The series also featured Cobie Smulders and Kyle Bornheimer as the girls’ parents, with a supporting cast including Olivia Rouyre, Amanda Fix, and Brianne Tju.
Switching between the parallel but different memories of the twin sisters, the show explored their struggles and journeys of self-discovery against a grunge and rave culture backdrop. The first and only season explored the sisters’ separate but intertwined lives, offering a fresh and authentic take on the coming-of-age genre.
Despite its initial success, the series fell victim to low completion rates, leading to the recent cancellation by Amazon Freevee. This decision comes as a surprise, given the positive reviews and the initial optimism from Amazon executives for a second season. The show’s cancellation is another blow to LGBTQ-themed programming, which has been on a downward trend as broadcasters push for more broad-appeal content.
The cancellation of High School adds to a growing list of LGBTQ+ shows that have been cut short in recent times. Amazon also scrapped plans for an abbreviated second season of the queer-led A League of Their Own, and other recent cancellations within this genre include Our Flag Means Death and Uncoupled.
The trend is a concerning one, suggesting that LGBTQ+ representation and stories are being sidelined in favor of more ‘universal’ content. With each cancellation, the diversity of stories and representation on screen takes a hit, and viewers are left with fewer options that reflect their own lives and experiences.
