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These LGBTQ+ Comedians Are Trying To Save Their Inclusive TV Show

Rebecca Farley
August 11, 2017, 5:15 PM
Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images.
Comedians Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher are actively trying to save their show Take My Wife from the clutches of Seeso's recent departure. Seeso, a comedy streaming service, announced Wednesday that it would close doors "later this year," Variety reported at the time. Though some Seeso Originals found a new home, as per the original press release, Take My Wife did not. Take My Wife also happens to be one of the most inclusive shows on the network, a fact that Esposito highlighted on Twitter.
"[Take My Wife] involved women, queer folks, and people of color in all-levels and aspects of production, with mostly female department heads," Esposito wrote in a traditional Notes app screenshot. "We had 3 female directors, female producers, editors, a female director of photography, and 1st and 2nd ADs." The show is an autobiographical look at Butcher and Esposito's life together as lesbian comedians. (The two host a live show in Los Angeles called "Put Your Hands Together" and will be touring the country together this fall. Esposito also recently debuted a podcast Queery, in which Esposito interviews members of the LGBTQ+ community.)
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Esposito went on to list the stats of the show's cast — the cast overall was 83% female, 25% women of color, 33% people of color, and 54% LQBTQ+ actors.
If you need proof, while shooting the second season of the show, both Butcher and Esposito documented the cast and crew of the show on Instagram. You can spot the show's woman director of photography, Tarin Anderson, or the woman director Cat Solen, or any member of the diverse cast. Production of season two wrapped in early June, but it has yet to air — and now that their distributor ghosted, it might never see the screen.
Esposito's tweet, originally intended to be an homage to the show, picked up traction, and is now a full-on Twitter campaign, with friends and fans alike demonstrating support for the LGBTQ+ infused show.
Rachel Bloom of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend expressed support, as well as comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Alice Wetterlund, and Josh Gondelman. The organization GLAAD also piped in.
Other Seeso shows Dan Harmon's Harmonquest and Hidden America with Jonah Ray have found a home on the video streaming app VRV.
Take My Wife's first season received very favorable reviews — it has an 84% on Metacritic. The New York Times said the show had "a D.I.Y. charm and a perspective that have long been underrepresented on the small screen" and Uproxx praised its "devoid of intense drama" narrative. (Esposito pointed out in a interview with the outlet that most queer narrative focus on "times of crisis.")
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Fans on Twitter are calling for streaming services Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Prime to pick up the lauded show. (One fan called customer service at Netflix — well done!) Shows that strive to be inclusive shouldn't be forgotten; largely thanks to Esposito, Butcher, and the show's fans, it might just survive.
Watch the pilot of Take My Wife, below.
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