“Good Girls Revolt” might be getting a second life. The much-loved, short-lived series was cancelled nearly a year ago by Amazon after just one season, but Deadline reports, “Sony Pictures TV Studios, whose TriStar Television division produced the series, is preparing a pitch for a new season that would go out shortly.”
Set in 1969 and based on Lynn Povich’s book of the same name, “Good Girls Revolt” was created by Dana Calvo and centers on young female researchers who work at News of the Week. The plot was inspired by true events and depicted a landmark sexual discrimination case. Genevieve Angelson, Anna Camp, and Erin Darke starred.
While Amazon doesn’t release ratings data, “sources say streaming monitor Symphony Advanced Media metrics had ‘Good Girls Revolt’ collecting more viewers than many of Amazon’s other originals,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote when the show was originally cancelled. It was also one of the streamer’s biggest hits ever among female viewers.
So what was the deal? “Sources say Amazon Studios head Roy Price was not a fan of the series and didn’t deem it to be an awards season player in opting to pass on ordering a second season after hearing Sony’s Season 2 pitch this week.” Calvo also spoke about Price’s unenthusiastic response to the series. Yep, that Price. The guy who resigned from his job about a month ago after being accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. His decision to ax “Good Girls Revolt” despite its strong ratings suddenly makes a little more sense.
It’s not especially surprising that someone who is alleged to have harassed a female producer of on one of Amazon’s shows (“Man in the Castle”) didn’t take to a feminist series about women fighting against sexism. This is, after all, the same guy who reportedly turned down ratings and critical hit “Big Little Lies” because stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman were’t guaranteed to “show their tits.”
“While Sony TV is known for going the extra mile on saving its shows, this time ‘Good Girls Revolt’ is being resurrected by popular demand,” Deadline writes. “The series, which tackles gender equality [and] sexual discrimination in the workplace, emerged as an unlikely poster child in the current crackdown on sexual harassment in Hollywood, which started with the demise of Fox News’ Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly and switched into high gear with the Harvey Weinstein scandal.” And has continued with powerhouses like Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K.
“Good Girls Revolt” revisits a critical time in history that remains all too relevant today. With stories about serial predators dominating the headlines, it’s the perfect time to greenlight more of this show, and doing so would send a powerful message to — and about — Hollywood. Entitled, abusive men can no longer reign with impunity.
The source writes that multiple outlets are interested in picking up the series. According to the buzz, “Calvo and the rest of the series’ original producing team are on board, and a pitch was put together for a second season — which … won’t necessarily be a formal second season, picking up where Season 1 left off, but a series in the same setting with the same characters and the same subject matter that would be tailored to the individual network that picks up the show.”
While the cast isn’t guaranteed to return — “because ‘Good Girls Revolt’ was canceled so long ago, the studio doesn’t have deals with the cast” — they’ve all have been active on social media, “tweeting in support of the show and expressing desire to come back, so the actors are expected to rejoin if the show is resurrected.”