The goal of Abbi Jacobson and Will Graham was to make the gay women of color who played baseball in the 1940s the center of Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their League.”
There may not be sobbing in baseball, but there were tears at “A League of Their Ownworld “‘s debut on Prime Video.
“A League of Their Own” had its debut at Tribeca 2022 on June 13. It was co-created and executive produced by Abbi Jacobson (“Broad City”) and Will Graham (“Mozart in the Jungle”). The pilot episode, which debuts on Prime Video on August 12, was a “labor of love that has absorbed most of our adult lives,” quipped Jacobson when announcing the TV adaptation of Penny Marshall’s acclaimed 1992 film of the same name.
Is “A League of Their Own: Season 1” based on true story?
“A League of Their Own: Season 1” is a true story. “A League of Their Own” depicts the actual all-female touring baseball league established in 1943, with a focus on the racially segregated Rockford Peaches in Illinois. As Carson, a catcher who flees her marriage and attempts to sort out her sexual orientation, Jacobson plays the lead role. In a genuinely career-defining performance, “Barry” and “The Good Place” actress D’Arcy Carden plays Greta, a vivacious, powerful powerhouse slugger.
Real-life Negro League players Mamie Johnson, Connie Morgan, and Toni Stone are composite characters played by Chanté Adams (“A Journal for Jordan”) as baseball phenom Max. Clance is Max’s “chosen sister,” and scene-stealer Gbemisola Ikumelo (“Sex Education”) is her. The Rockford Peaches’ head coach is also played by Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”), filling Tom Hanks’ former position.
The “North Star” for the series, according to executive producer and author Desta Tedros Reff, was honesty.
Co-creator Graham was reminded of his own background playing Little League as a child by “A League of Their Own,” which fit endearingly like an old glove.
The “transformative nature of joy” and the desire to find a genuine team both on and off the field serve as the series’ central themes.