Abbi Jacobson has knocked it out of the park.
The A League of Their Own co-creator and star celebrated the success of the Prime Video series, which seeks to include new stories that were left out of the 1992 film. "I've been pretty blown away by the response this weekend," the Broad City alum tweeted Aug. 15. "I was really changed learning about this generation of women. I feel really proud of this show + to know its resonating with people really means a lot."
Continuing, Abbi noted that some viewers, however, haven't been all that receptive to the diverse stories the show is telling. "I have seen a lot of people angry and mad at our inclusion of more experiences (POC, QWOC, queer) and that anger (aka fear) has only made me more sure about why this reimagining needed to be made," she explained. "[It's] why representation matters so much."
Abbi's tweets come just a few days after sharing her desire to diversify the beloved movie in an Aug. 14 interview with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah. She admitted the writers were "full-on" when it came to showcasing POC and LGBTQ+ people, joking there's no "alluding" whatsoever.
"Women playing baseball, some of them are going to be queer," Abbi said. "And none of them were in the film, even though it's kind of this iconic gay movie. But no one's gay in it!"
She continued, "The more research we did, the more we found out that this was a really queer league. And queer people didn't just show up at Stonewall, like we've been around forever."
Abbi acknowledged that the 1992 film, directed by Penny Marshall, didn't include gay women or people of color, but added, "In '92, I think Penny couldn't tell that story as thoroughly as we can now."
The stars of the Prime Video series have also spoken about the importance of including more diverse stories. As Melanie Field, who plays Jo Deluca, told E! News Aug. 12, "I just hope that people watch the show and are reminded that your dreams really do matter, even if you're in a world or a circumstance or a home or an environment where it doesn't feel like anyone really supports it or is interested. Stay committed to your dreams."
A League of Their Own is streaming now on Prime Video.