The small screen is embracing sports like never before, and sports romance in particular is having a huge moment. It seems like each week news breaks of another sports story being greenlit for development or being adapted for television, with the majority of them focusing on male athletes and their romantic interests and escapades.
The ice in particular is getting a LOT of attention; first Crave’s Heated Rivalry, then Prime Video’s Off-Campus, and earlier this month Netflix announced that their own hockey romance is on the way, a new series about a competitive figure skater and a college hockey captain, titled Icebreaker.
Over the last decade, not many television shows about women athletes have gotten their fair due and longevity.
There was Fox’s Pitch starring Kylie Bunbury, which followed a pitcher who becomes the first woman to play in the Major Leagues.
Then there was Netflix’s Spinning Out, starring Kaya Scodelario, about a competitive figure skater who dreams of making it to the Olympics while battling mental health challenges.
And then there was Prime Video’s beloved and critically acclaimed A League of Their Own, a reimagining of the 1992 film of the same name that contributed innovative representation for the queer community and women of color.
All three shows were canceled after one season.
There are a few bright spots that received multiple chapters in their story, like Netflix’s Emmy- and SAG-Award-winning series GLOW, which followed a women’s professional wrestling circuit and ran for three seasons. There’s also Netflix’s YA romance drama Finding Her Edge, which follows three sisters who navigate the pressures of their family’s figure skating dynasty — the show was renewed for a second season in February 2026.
But if you’re like us, women’s sports fans who are always yearning for more exploration, representation, and celebration on-screen, then don’t fret — because more stories about women athletes, like Finding Her Edge and Icebreaker, are coming to television over the next few years.
SLO PITCH
Crave’s next LGBTQ+ sports show will be Slo Pitch, a mockumentary about a queer slo pitch softball league that is very much the underdog. The new series will be co-produced by Elliot Page’s production company, Pageboy Productions, and is based on the 2020 Canadian web series of the same name. Slo Pitch will premiere in 2026. (And will also feature a cameo from softball icon Ayami Soto!)
CREW GIRL
Netflix’s next YA sports drama is Crew Girl, airing September 10, 2026. The coming-of-age series uses the competitive world of high school rowing as its backdrop, following a 16-year-old female rower who becomes the coxswain of a chaotic all-boys rowing team at an East Coast prep school.
THE W
Peacock is developing The W, a series set in the world of the WNBA. According to Deadline, the half-hour comedy will follow a “hot-shot rookie WNBA player and her inexperienced agent navigating the wild ups and downs of the world of women’s professional basketball,” focusing on the “glamour and grind of women’s sports.” The show, which will be the first project under WNBA All-Star and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike’s production company Victorious, is loosely inspired by Ogwumike’s experiences and will be helmed by GLOW creators Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive.
ON THE LINE
A drama series about a female high school basketball team titled On the Line was announced to be in development in 2024 and is set to follow “the on- and off-court stories” of the girls who make up the team. The series is reportedly being developed with former player and North Carolina A&T alum Melanie Page.
PLAYING THE FIELD
Amazon MGM Studios announced the greenlight for Playing the Field in April 2026, a new series based on the 2023 queer sports romance novel Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. Per Deadline, “Playing the Field is an ensemble comedy following the sexy, messy, and exciting lives of four female players on Crescent City, a professional New Orleans women’s soccer team, anchored by the will-they-won’t-they romance of their new phenom draftee and the team captain.”
It’s been a long and steadfast wait, but more women’s sports series and sapphic sports stories are on the way — and they wouldn’t be able to exist without the aforementioned series that paved the way. These shows may not have stuck around for very long, but they made a radical impact while they were on the air. Our stories matter, too, and Hollywood is finally listening.
MEET KAITLYN MCNAB
Kaitlyn McNab is a contributing writer for TOGETHXR.com and an award-winning culture reporter and editor. Her creative mission is to celebrate and articulate diverse experiences across all narrative mediums.
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