Lesbian-Led Queer Crime Drama “Hightown” Renewed for Season 2 by Starz

Yay! The queer crime drama Hightown will be coming back for a second season on Starz. I’m enjoying watching the first season, and this news has made me really happy.

According to reports, the debut episode of Hightown was able to set a record for viewership for Starz. The strong performance in linear ratings and on digital platforms helped ensure this series will continue. As far as my opinion goes, Hightown is another example of how people (around the world) are open to watching content with queer leads as long as said content offers them a story they can be invested in. 

The eight-episode first season will air episode five on June 14, 2020. So, this is a good time to begin watching this series now that you know it will return. Created by Rebecca Cutter, it stars out queer actress Monica Raymund (Chicago Fire) as Jackie Quiñones. The character is described as “a hard-partying National Marine Fisheries Service agent whose free-wheeling life is thrown into disarray when she discovers a body on a Cape Cod beach.”

Do read my review of the season premiere to get a better idea about the main plot, the main cast, and what themes the series addresses.

Here’s my reaction video!

“Rebecca, [executive producer] Gary [Lennon] and Jerry delivered an elevated and well-executed drama that embodies all the hallmarks of a Starz premium series with its dynamic, edgy storytelling, multicultural cast and female leadership both in front of and behind the camera,” said Christina Davis, president original programming at Starz. “Audiences are already deeply engaged with these flawed and complex characters, and in a second season we will continue to dive deeper into the relationships between them amidst the shifting tides on the Cape.”

The premiere episode (which aired on May 17, 2020) was able to attract 1.45 million viewers with a week of delayed viewing and replays. According to Starz, the debut set a series-premiere record for viewing across the Starz app and its worldwide OTT platforms, doubling the previous high.

Hightown deserves all the success it can get!

As I have already mentioned, it’s great to see very queer content finding an audience. It reminds me of how Money Heist has become extremely popular around the globe. I hope such shows serve as a learning opportunity for certain showrunners when it comes to creating narratives featuring queer characters.

It’s clear that unless the premise of the show is interesting, it won’t be able to attract viewers no matter how many good-looking queer characters and sexually charged scenes the writing team decides to jam into it. A majority of viewers, including the straight audience, can see through such poorly-written queer representation. Showrunners and TPTB need to do better. It’s the ‘Quality vs. Quantity In Queer Representation’ debate.

Anyway, the season one finale of Hightown will air on July 12, 2020, and I’m looking forward to seeing how things will end for our leads.

Also, I don’t know when production will begin due to what the entire world is going through, but I’m glad just knowing Hightown will come back.

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(via Hollywood Reporter)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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