ABC recently canceled the musical series Queens after one season on the network.
The hour-long drama starred Brandy, Naturi Naughton, Eve, and Nadine Velazquez and had one of the hottest pilots released last fall. However, in October, the premiere’s ratings earned a mere 0.4 demo rating and 1.78 million viewers in Live+Same Day. Deadline reported that Queens, which aired on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., faced competition with its allotted time slot that likely contributed to the show’s ratings performance.
Queens struggled to maintain its viewership during its run after one of its stars, Eve, took a hiatus from the series after announcing her pregnancy. In January, the series’ creator Zahir McGhee spoke with the outlet about whether Eve would return.
“When Eve told me she was pregnant, we were extremely happy for her. I had just had a baby myself,” McGhee explained. “I didn’t know what she planned for the show, but instinctively I asked if she wanted Brianna to be pregnant. That’s when she told me she didn’t and that she had a date set to leave. The cast and crew wanted to give her the space to enjoy this incredible time. We will continue to build the story, as people will see in episode 9, and she will remain present in the minds of our characters. Since the beginning, she’s been Queens’ third partner, and she’s in this for as long as she wants to be in it.”
While producers had planned for Eve’s return, the series continued to provide viewers with jaw-dropping storylines about conservatorships, reproductive rights and overcoming sexual abuse in the music industry. After the season finale in February, Brandy shared her expectations for Queens’ sophomore season.
“I know I would love to see more performances, more rapping, and more stage stuff if there is a Season 2,” the 43-year-old said. We didn’t really get a chance to do a lot of the stage performances that I wanted to do this year,” she said. “I hope we get to tell more great stories and have a lot more entertainment in terms of the group. Fingers crossed.”
Queens, created by McGhee and written by Tim Story, tells the story of four 40-something women — Naomi (Brandy), Jill (Naughton), Brianna (Eve), and Valeria (Velazquez) — who reunite for an opportunity to recapture the fame they had with their ’90s group that made them legends in the industry.
On Friday, Zahir McGhee took to Twitter and expressed his thoughts on the cancellation while praising everyone she worked with during the season.
“While the news is disheartening because of the tremendous work hundreds of people put into the show, I’m grateful for what was an incredible journey with so many talented people. I’m proud of the stories we told, the incredible music we made and what our show looked like in front of and behind the camera. To Eve, Brandy, Naturi, Nadine, Taylor (Selé) and Pepi (Sonuga) – thank you,” McGhee wrote.
“I could never have imagined I’d get to work alongside so many current and future legends. Dreamy stuff. Endless gratitude to my partners at ABC for supporting the show until the end. Lastly, MAJOR love to the Queens fans. You are the absolute best, and I’m bummed that we don’t get to spend more Tuesday nights together. However, the show lives on forever. The music lives forever. In short, #QueensForever.”
#QueensABC ❤️ 🙏🏾 ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/8jQ1jPbJCf
— Z (@Zterps) May 7, 2022
