Play Ball

Mention “A League of Their Own” to any queer woman and she’ll likely get a warm, far-off look in her eyes as cherished memories of what is no doubt many a gay lady’s root come flooding back. And now, a whole new generation (and us old fogeys) get to feel that warm embrace anew with the new “A League of Their Own” series coming to Amazon Prime. But more than just a reboot of Penny Marshall’s classic film, this new hour-long show will be a more inclusive reimagining of the original movie. So that means the stories of both women of color and queer women will hopefully be told to make for an even richer, more welcoming root for all.

The series, from “Broad City” co-creator Abbi Jacobson, is described as taking “a deeper look at race and sexuality, following the journey of a whole new ensemble of characters as they carve their own paths towards the field, both in the league and outside of it.”

Jacobson and her co-creator (“Mozart in the Jungle” executive producer Will Graham) released a statement that said:

“28 years ago, Penny Marshall told us a story about women playing professional baseball that up until then had been largely overlooked. We grew up obsessed with the film, like everyone else. Three years ago, we approached Sony with the idea of telling a new, still overlooked set of those stories. With the help of an enormously talented team of collaborators, an amazing cast, and the devoted support of Amazon to this project, we feel beyond lucky and excited to get to bring these characters to life. It took grit, fire, authenticity, wild imagination and a crackling sense of humor for these players to achieve their dreams. We’re hoping to bring audiences a story with all of those qualities.”

The series stars Jacobson along with “The Good Place” Janets extraordinaire D'Arcy Carden, “Vida” regular Roberta Colindrez, “Killjoys” actress Kelly McCormack, “Famalam” (a UK series) actress Gbemisola Ikumelo, and Chanté Adams who was most recently in Issa Rae’s “The Photograph” - among others.

I love that it will tell a more diverse story than the original, which never broached the subject of sexual orientation (I mean, come on, Marla Hooch is family). And I love seeing women’s stories step up to home plate in such a big way. So, yeah, I’ll be watching. And, yeah, I’ll be rooting for a whole lot of new roots to come out of this show. Play ball, ladies.