The '90s Tom Hanks Movie That Spawned Two Canceled TV Shows

"Forrest Gump" and "The Green Mile" often rank high on the list of people's favorite Tom Hanks movies, but real ones know that "A League of Their Own" deserves the true top spot. With its charming, funny, and often hard-hitting script, this was the film that signaled a shift in Hanks' movie career. Before 1992, he mainly starred in comedies; after '92, he was more likely to star in serious, Oscar-worthy projects. It's tough for some actors to make that transition, but it helps when the movie designed to prove your dramatic talents is as strong as this one.

"A League of Their Own" was a critical success and an instant box office hit, one that was added to the National Film Archive in 2012 for its cultural importance. Most fans of the film today are also aware of the 2022 Prime Video reboot TV series "A League of Their Own," which was canceled way too soon despite its strong critical reception. Perhaps forgotten, however, is the TV show that aired in April 1993.

The '93 show was not a reboot but a loose continuation of the movie. It follows the Rockford Peaches during another season of baseball, with a handful of actors returning to reprise their movie characters. Unfortunately, major characters from the film (like Hanks' Jimmy Dugan) were recast. Other big names like Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell didn't return either.

The general consensus at the time was that the TV show seemed like cheap cash-in on the movie's success, but critics seemed at least willing to give it a shot. "Sitcom series based on films generally don't fare well in the ratings," wrote The Huntsville Times the day of the series premiere, "but this show's debut has the good fortune to have been directed by Penny Marshall, who also directed the theatrical feature."

"A Bomb of Their Own," wrote Mike Duffy, a TV critic for Knight-Riddler Newspapers. He ripped into the '93 series in brutal fashion:

"Lousy writing, an annoying laugh track, and a ho-hum cast do not make for a field of comedy dreams. ... A lively cameo by Jon Lovitz as sarcastic baseball scout Ernie Capadino offered the only moments of chucklehead cheer. But Lovitz won't be around as a series regular. So, the best way to remember the saga of the Rockford Peaches is to rent the original movie. The TV 'League' is a smarmy loser."

For viewers who would've preferred if Hanks had returned for the role of Dugan, there was small comfort in knowing that he did at least return to the franchise behind-the-scenes. He directed the third episode of the 1993 show, "The Monkey's Curse," although that episode (about the team getting a chimpanzee as a new mascot) wasn't well-received either. After only three episodes, the series was put on pause for four months. It returned in August for two more episodes, then CBS canceled it before the sixth episode could even air.

Nobody mourned the end of the 1993 series, but people did mourn the end of 2022's "A League of Their Own." Far from a cash-grab, Prime Video's show was a thoughtful, expansive story that very much stood on its own. The TV series managed to finish its full first season at least, which showrunner Abbi Jacobson paid tribute to after the show was canceled in August 2023. As she wrote on her Instagram page:

"What luck I have had to get to tell these stories and play this character I love so much. What a rare thing in life. And so I am sad today. To blame this cancelation on the strike (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections, and working conditions, etc...) is bulls**t and cowardly. But this post isn't about all that. About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer. Not today. This post here is about the special show I was lucky to make with so many incredibly talented artists and actors and writers and crew. A show I'm so proud of. Filled to the brim with stories worth telling. Full of so much heart and soul and value."