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NBC Sitcom Abby's to Feature Bisexual Lead Played by Queer Actress
This will be the second network sitcom to feature a bisexual lead.
NBC is upping their representation game!
Their new midseason comedy, Abby’s, will be their second sitcom to feature a bisexual female lead, and possibly the second network sitcom ever to do so. (The first title, of course, goes to The Good Place’s Eleanor Shellstrop.)
The show is about an ex-marine who runs an illegal neighborhood bar with highly specific rules out of her backyard.
As an interesting, behind-the-scenes twist, Abby’s is going to be shot in front of a live audience…outdoors — a first for a multi-camera comedy.
The sitcom also gets extra brownie points for casting a queer actress, Natalie Morales, to play the titular lead.
Abby’s will premiere on March 28th for a 10 episode first season. Unfortunately, both The Good Place and Will & Grace will have already finished their season runs by then, but the new show will be paired with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which features a gay black man and a bisexual Latina woman as lead characters.
LGBTQ representation on TV has been on the rise, with a report by GLAAD for the 2018-2019 season estimating 8.8% of broadcast characters as LGBTQ, with bisexual characters making up 27% of the LGBTQ representation across all platforms (broadcast, cable, and streaming).
The inclusion of LGBTQ characters of color has also been on the rise, finally outnumbering the number of white LGBTQ characters (but just barely).
With the CW’s order of the new Batwoman series, and The L Word sequel on its way, representation will hopefully continue to increase.
And a bisexual-led sitcom is certainly a step in the right direction.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
