Nathalie Kelley isn't letting The Baker and the Beauty go without a fight.
After ABC pulled the plug on her dramedy, fans launched a petition urging another network or streaming platform to pick up the series. Kelley and other stars of the show have supported the petition which had over 115,000 signatures as of press time.
Each week the series got less than 3 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings. In a statement, Kelley, who also starred in the first season of the Dynasty remake, said ABC's decision to cancel the show was "tone deaf."
"We are seeing now more than ever that representation is important for Black and brown people of color. How we are represented on our television shows determines how society sees us, and the empathy and support they will grant our communities. When we are constantly depicted as narcos and maids, we can't expect to find favor with voters when they go to the polls and elect leaders who will decide on the fate of immigrants," Kelley said in a statement to TVLine on June 18.
"Baker and the Beauty is a show that depicts Latin families as warm, lovable, full of joy and compassion and humor," she continued. "A cancellation by ABC means that there are now no shows on the networks with a Latinx cast. At a time when the public is marching in the streets demanding representation and diversity this is an extremely tone deaf decision."
In an interview with Deadline, Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, said the ratings were "primarily" the reason for the cancellation.
"The Baker and the Beauty is a show I was personally very fond of, it's a very sweet and hopeful and inspired and optimistic show that I wish we had been able to find a bigger audience for," Burke told Deadline in an interview published June 17.
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ABC recently revealed its 2020-2021 TV schedule, but did not indicate any premiere dates given the coronavirus pandemic.