I can't even believe there is even a video essay on this! i thought there really wasn't anyone who watched this. I will forever be crying at the wasted potential of Still Star Crossed, that fact that Rosaline was portrayed by a dark skinned black woman, being pinned by two men, the face that there was more than one woman of color in a fictional period setting, that fact that Lydia was written like a ray of sunshine and Isabella was so obviously attracted to women. It was very obvious that the network it was on didn't even give it a chance. Fantastic analysis and video!
For me, the marketing is what killed the show. I didn't hear much about it, but was under the assumption that it was just another retelling of romeo and juliet. If I had known what it really was, I would have checked it out.
Oh FOR SURE the marketing - or lack thereof - at least played a large part in why the show got cancelled. It was also moved from a normal primetime night (Tuesday or Thursday, but I can't remember which one) to Saturday. No one watches primetime ABC on Saturday nights. ABC did nothing to help this show and I'm super salty about it -- The Princess
I think I am the last person who found out about this show. I watched it only in 2023. And it's soooo good. My heart is broken that we won't have a decent ending of the best show ever.
This show was cancelled after a mere THREE EPISODES...I remember being so bitter watching the rest of the season after the cancellation announcement came out. People were so pissy about the colorblind casting that they boycotted, THAT'S why it died. That and the Shakespeare purists smh. As you said, we were truly robbed 😭. Isabella was my favorite too...I miss my Shakespearean lesbian princess :/.
That makes sense as to why the time slot got moved, if it was cancelled so early! UGH. Honestly the casting never felt color blind at all - it felt very intentional, knowing it was a Shondaland show. The fact that people actively boycotted over that makes the part of me that thinks she knows Shakespeare's ghost really well SO ANGRY (I mean, angry nonetheless but I really just feel that Shakespeare would've HATED seeing people so upset about it). -- P
I absolutely loved this show. I even signed a petition for it. Great acting. Diverse cast. Beautiful location. Wonderfully scripted. I miss Still Star Crossed.
they should put it on netflix. i feel like it would do so much better on there. also i don’t have cable so i didn’t know that this was even on tv. & now i’m gonna watch because it seems interesting.
I thought at some point it was on Netflix (in the US), but it's possible I imagined it. Some time ago, some news came out about Shonda going to Netflix with her shows - which is gonna be interesting with Disney (who owns ABC) staring their own streaming service. I agree and think it should go to Netflix, though -- The Princess
There were Tumblr users who were boycotting this show because Shonda didn’t put Fitz and Olivia from scandal back together 🙄 But in all honesty, ABC wanted this show to fail because they thought it was too expensive, so they never promoted it like they needed to for people to watch.
There was more mess on top of that as well,people were starting petitions cancel the show because of the " historic and accuracy" but we all know what that is really code for 😒. When the show was even announced it became the most hated thing on Tumblr for obvious reasons, even with Word of Mouth I figured it wasn't going to succeed at continuing as a series despite this being Shonda Rhimes first hand and doing Shakespearean period Drama.
My favorite part of Still Star-Crossed was the time it was on the air and we were getting new episodes. Also two hotties fighting over a heroine of color.
Finally, another person who understands how amazing this show was. This show had such a great primetime slot at first, but ABC conpletely screwed it over with the minimal promotion and constant pre-empting in favor of NBA games. I will be forever salty. I needed more of the Benvolio/Rosaline romance. I needed more Isabella. Prince Escalus was starting to grow on me towards the end. I miss it so much. I know the book exists, but it seems that most of my favorite parts of the show were inventions of the TV writers. So I wade through the minimal fanfiction for as long as I can.
If you want more of this show just read the original, Still Star Crossed by Melinda Taub. Yes it was a book first and is just as good as the show but with more closure and a really interesting thing where the text of the book is modern and the dialogue is Shakespearean. It is my favorite book ever!!!!!
The Princess and the Scrivener yes she is! I never got quite the emphasis on the gay in the book but she is most definitely in it as well as the best character ever. Also Paris is less of a terrible person, that's nice too.
Never before have I been more sad about a show being cancelled than this one. The last episode aired a year ago this Sunday and I'm still bitter about it.
I don't think it was the fandom fault for the show being cancelled. ABC did not pro mmm one the show and put ridiculously long breaks between the first 3 episodes, so with the lack of promotion, that made it difficult for the general audience member to know when it would be on.
You're right, for sure. I tried not to make it seem like it was necessarily /our fault/ in the script, but I can see how at least the title might misconstrue that. ABC also switched the slot for SSC from like Tuesday/Thursday (a normal night when people are home watching television) to Saturday (a night when most people are not home watching television), and when that happened, I pretty much knew ABC was done with the show. ABC let us down, for sure. I guess, when I say that "we let Willy Shakes down" I mean the "Royal We" more than us as fans of the show -- The Princess
All I could do during this video was shake my head and sigh in agreement. It was such a good show in so many ways and just my aesthetic honestly and it got canceled :^/
Thank you for reviewing this show and giving us so many glimpses about how amazing and beautiful and diverse this show was. I never had a chance to watch it and couldn’t catch the airtimes, and then the show’s plug was pulled. What a travesty! **You have a dachshund!! A long haired one at that! ☺️😍😘**
A review of this show was inevitable, in any form :D And yep! I have 3 dachshunds, actually! Two are long haired (they need haircuts, actually XD) and one is a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix (he's quick and doesn't much care for cameras though)! -- P
Oh gosh! I thought I was sad at Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency getting cancelled after only 2 seasons, I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to have a show that sounds that amazing getting cancelled so soon
Drinking game: take a shot every time Paige says "we were robbed" and be out by the end of the video 😂 This show looks amazing though! (Sorry, I mean looked.)
I just watched again, and you said that specific line five times. I didn't count the times you said "only seven episodes!" or "it was canceled!" but still, 5 times in a 8 minute video is, well, a lot :P
I just recently binge-watched the 1st season of this show and I absolutely loved it. The show has a lot of great things that are not often seen in period dramas such as diversity and interracial romance. Aside from being a Shakespeare enthusiast, those were main factors of the show that intrigued me the most. I really liked that the casting was similar to Roger & Hammerstein's film Cinderella (1997) starring Brandy. The acting was superb and it was quite refreshing to see a dark-skinned black actress take the role of leading lady in a Shakspearean world. The character of Rosaline reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice and also Dido from Belle (2013). I also really enjoyed the decadent costuming and the growing love triangle; I'm a sucker for both those things. And so I was completely devastated when I found out that there wasn't a season 2. The show deserved so much more time than it was given and it was left at such a bleak/chaotic cliff-hanger. If you feel the same and are a fan of the show, please support #savestillstarcrossed and sign the petition to get the show renewed for a 2nd season (if you haven't already). Here's the link: www.change.org/p/abc-save-still-star-crossed?recruiter=209973931&.pacific_abi_share_button_ordering_1.abi_featured_fb
I feel like I didn't last because there were too many women of color and people just couldn't buy into it which really really sucks because as a black woman and an aspiring actress I dream of playing roles of Old English and not having to be a slave and they made a dream come true for me and it really sucked that they cancelled the show
So glad SOMEONE talked about this amazing show! I watched the entire thing with my mum and we were so disappointed when we heard about its cancellation. Now that I know it's on ITunes, I'm probably gonna buy it
I am sorry you were robbed!! I guess I was robbed, too?!? Haven't seen it, but based on your lovely description, I was quite intrigued. I love Shakespeare's plays. Need to get back to them in the most joyful way!!! Thank you!!
I like you really loved this series. I was do surprised to see a diversed cast. It was great and hated to see it cancelled. Your interpretation of this was very good.
I love your dress! Very appropriate. Stars, I gotcha. "Romeo just has a thing for the Capulet girls." Whoa, flashback to high school. (That's basically the gist of a song I had to write for a project.) I was going to stop to watch it, but it costs money (which I do not have.) It looked like a good show! Literally all I had heard about it was that it had something to do with Romeo and Juliet. I assumed it was just a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I didn't even know about the diverse cast! (Or I might have actually watched it.)
It's a shirt, actually, but that's exactly why I wore it! :D Same XD Yeah...It's not even on ABC's website which...is ridiculous. I wish they'd done more to market it. It's a Shonda Rhimes show! How could they not?! -- P
Either way, it's super cute! Also, "She initially came off as the cold-hearted bitch in couture that I desperately want to be." You're seriously one of the nicest people, but follow your dreams! If we've learned anything from Disney, it's that princesses are good, but most queens are evil. So, you know what? I support you, and would be happy to provide a reference if you ever need to frighten a peasant or something.
The great thing about Isabella was that she wasn't actually a /bitch/ in couture. She was just...a badass Princess in large gowns and like...that's still me XD
Thank you for the wonderful recommendation. Benvolio is such a great character and makes you wonder if he was the most sane person in verona at the time. so he deserves his own series, his story needs to be told. The diversity in casting has made this much more lovable. Although Benvolio was my favorite too in Romeo and Juliet, in this show my favorite character was Princess Isabella. She is a very efficient ruler and diplomat, got style and swag. At a time when women were sidelined , this show help to see how really powerful and important they really are. Agree with the princess completely when she says we've been robbed. ( i chuckled everytime she said that). so wrong that they cancelled the show . And thank you both Princess and the scriviner for caring so much about these characters
When I had to read the play in high school, Benvolio was legitimately the only character I liked. I mean I guess I liked Mercutio, too, but Benvolio was definitely the most level-headed of the three (between him, M, and Romeo). So I agree - getting to see him in the wake of the tragedy was SO GOOD
The costumes are fabulous. Most of the characters had a colour assigned to them like Disney characters. Princess isabella and her spectaculour purple gowns and accessories, Rosaline in her blue dresses, homeboy BennyV( inspired by your Willy Shakes ofcourse) in black with his cool jackets , julianna in mourning and madness but in style and the prince in those amber suits that complemets his eyes ( Dreamy indeed!)
I found this show a couple days ago fell in love like obsessed! It’s so good! ended season one thinking ah nice season ending clif hanger can’t wait for the next season only to find out it was cancelled WHYYYY😭 I know this video is 6 years old but thank you for making it glad to know I’m not crazy and this was a good show. They should’ve gave it a chance.
I know this isn't the point of the tv series or this video - I'm really annoyed that the show ended so soon, it could've gone so many places - but seeing every character swept up in corruption, deception, power-struggles, the need for self-sacrifice and a hell-of-a-lot-of-backstabbing, I still sort of think that even though they only had a day or two together and then their story ended badly, that Romeo and Juliet were probably the only two people in the entire 'fair city of Verona' who were actually happy.....I'm a bit of a romantic, I'm still trying to snap out of the phase
That's literally how the show starts! Rosaline and Benvolio /don't/ actually stop Romeo and Juliet from marrying because they know their best friends in the entire world are HAPPY!! And Rosaline knows what that's like, having been happy with Escalus before, but maybe Benvolio's really only ever been happy with Stella, who would never actually marry him but even that's reason enough to let him allow his best friend to marry the girl he loves /regardless of their names/. Just. Wow. But what I loved about Rosaline and Benvolio is that they LEARN to be happy together. I really think they would've found genuine love and happiness with one another - that scene in the dungeon where they kiss through the bars...it messes with me. He tells her that he knows she loves Escalus and SHE CHOOSES BENVOLIO ANYWAY, because she trusts him and wants to see him live! The more I think about this show, the more I just want to cry about how much we've been ROBBED. -- The Princess
I know. They were so many other things they could've done with the show, I really hope they bring it back for another season, just to let us know where they're going next.
I haven't seen this yet but I"M DEFINITELY GOING TO NOW!!!! I am already pissed that there are only 7 episodes- from what I can gather, Willy Shakes WOULD love this adaptation- especially the gay characters! I adore Shakespeare and in my AP English notes, I refer to him as Will.
YES!!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOOOOOOOVED STILL STAR CROSSED And YES!!!!! WE WERE ROBBED OF A VERY ONCE IN A LIFE TIME TV SHOW. IT WAS GREAT I LOVED ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE AND MOMENT OF THIS TV SHOW. I REALLY WISH SHONDA RHIMES HAD NOT GOTTEN RIDDEN OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SHOW.
Willy Shakes! I haven't watched the show, so I'll say the best part of your video was your pups being all, "I'm outta here' halfway through. Such tiny little legs!!
I LOVE the amount of salt in this video because honestly, same. We were robbed. Also can we talk about the ridiculously fancy transition shots, because I lived for those. xx
This show was based on a book by the same name. i've never watched Still Star Crossed but I just finished the book and IT IS WONDERFUL! If you want some conclusions to the series I 100% reccomend reading it, it has been the book i loved reading the most this year!
"I have no choice; you have the spacebar." I'm cackling!! XD We were so robbed of this. I do feel like somewhat of a failure for not supporting this, but looking back at the air dates I was traveling so I missed the first couple episodes and ABC really did no favors with scheduling and decided to scrap it pretty quick, eh? (Also let's talk about how I'm super worried that Star Trek Discovery will do poorly because it's only on the cbs streaming service and then they will use it as further excuse that diverse tv doesn't do well. I'm not fully caught up with the show but I also have some conflicted feelings about its writing).
Yeah ABC wronged us. The show as originally on a /normal/ primetime night, but as it went on, they changed to Saturday - when no one is home watching ABC historical/period dramas! -- The Princess
I've never heard of this show but I want to watch it now, it's been a while since I read R&J but I saw a film of it a few months ago, though it was never my favourite Shakespeare play this has me super intrigued!
Thank you for sharing about this show! Just binged all 7 episodes and I'm so hurt that this got cancelled. I'm wondering if ABC set this up for failure because I never heard about it until your video. This show is up so many people's alley. I think if it had gotten proper promotion it could've gained quite the following.
The show sounds interesting but, how do you think it holds up for people who really don't like Mr. Willie Shakes? I'll have to check it out for sure, thanks to your recommendation!
It's not written in iambic pentameter, to start. I think for people who aren't fans of Shakespeare, it's still rather accessible. Romeo and Juliet is so well known that anyone watching could easily catch up - especially since the show starts and the titular characters of the play aren't even dead yet. I like to give Shonda Rhimes a lot of credit for adapting this because, honestly, it's just as accessible as any other historical drama :) -- The Princess
I'm not into Willy Shakes that much (tho I do love me some Hamlet), but I like the whole enemies to friends to lovers trope. The show gave it to me and I ate that shit up.
elephantbrandmcmahan I’m not much for Shakespeare - excepting AMSND - but I absolutely loved this show and was furious when it got cancelled so quickly. The costumes, characters, scenery - everything is so beautiful. Rosaline is my babe. I love her with Benvolio, but I also really enjoyed her story with Escalus. It’s an extremely diverse cast, strongly feminine-led despite its many men, centred around a darker skinned black woman, has accents and features the great Anthony Head. What’s not to love?
The only time I saw this show was on its premiere. I was at Disney world and I was tired AF. I didn’t catch the parts as I was busy trying to get ready for bed and I was very confused. I legit thought that Rosaline was Juliet who somehow didn’t die and thought it was stupid and turned off the TV. I kinda regret doing that now that I know what this show could have been. Oh well.
I am pretty confident that this is based on a book. Like I remember seeing it in my local library a few years ago. if you want to know how it ends, you could try finding and reading the book.
It is! The book's been recommended a few times since this video came out, so I might check it out :) I'm not so much sad I didn't get to see how the show ends as I am that it ended so abruptly. Like there wasn't enough of it, let alone it being finished -- The Princess
Can you guys react to racist, sexist or homophobic commercials? I just think that it would be interesting and funny to see your guys reactions to them.
When I saw the promo's for it, it didn't pique my interest. I passed but heard about the diverse cast and still chose not to watch. Wish I did though because it sounded pretty amazing.
Honestly the promotion for it didn't do the show justice - and it was very sparse. ABC hardly seemed to care about actually promoting the show, which is really rather disappointing -- The Princess
I'm slowly learning how to use a curling iron XD I had never seen Sterling in anything other than this so I had to look up how you'd know him otherwise (I'm guessing PLL?)! Yes. Yes I am ;) -- P
I honestly had never even heard of it until right now (I don't watch MTV, honestly, so I'm not surprised I hadn't heard of it). But I'm definitely interested... -- The Princess
I don't watch it either, but this show was recommended for me in iTunes and it is honestly the best. Probably the only quality show MTV has made, but it was the best and unfortunately done dirty by MTV :/ Please watch and do a video, I think both of you would like it.
I still haven't seen it, but last I saw, it was still on Netflix, so I might. I wasn't really interested in it when it was on TV, but now I am and I realize how backwards that is, but that's just how it ended up being, I guess -- P
Not gonna lie, I watched this review before watching the show. Now I'm going to watch the show! But something already tells me I'm going to be pissed off because it ends at 7 episodes. Smfh...I read somewhere in the comments that there wasn't enough promotion. I didn't know it existed until I saw all the twitter stans talking about it. Shame on the network for letting this rare jew slip thru the cracks. Its looks like a good watch.
But my fave part of the show was Rosalind & benvolio. Like, arranged marriage is my fave fic trope and this show did ALL my fave fic tropes it was glorious
I was pulling SO HARD for them! I loved the backstory of Escalus and Rosaline but he clearly has some bigger things to deal with...whereas Benvolio genuinely likes Rosaline as a person and treats her as such, not a subject under his domain (again...I tend to not blame Escalus entirely for it. He basically got plopped on the throne in the middle of an all-out war that he can't stop, no matter what he does). -- The Princess
Watching what couldve have been megahulu.com/watch/Ge0EQr7x-still-star-crossed-season-1/episode-1.html Seriously, though I am so mad, they cancel this show! It would've been a jewel and juicy. I wish it gotten at least a full one season.
Oh man I really wanna watch this show now, but it looks like it's not available in the UK ;-; (and probably never will be, going by what happened with Kings.) Whyyy
I was so disappointed that the show ended. It was boring and un engaging to me at first. But by the time the whole ‘conspiracy to keep the feud going in order to make Verona vulnerable to attack’ plot was revealed (with the whole terrorism wagon/bomb thing) I was fully into the show. I wished it lasted at least two seasons.
It definitely warranted more than what I consider half a season (though, I guess for a first season, seven episodes isn't completely out of the norm). -- The Princess
I'm pretty sure it's been around since the show was cancelled back in July. I don't think ABC's really shown any acknowledgement of it, unfortunately -- P
While reading Romeo and Juliet in highschool I always thought Romeo and Juliet were an interracial couple. While Romeo's family may not be filthy rich and not a Moore,( Black person) may have had more money than the other family.
I both liked the show but also didn't? Like some things were very nice and well done but there was a few subplots and character traits that inspired major eye-rolls from me. I don't really remember what those were now cause it's been forever since I watched it. I'm still really sad it was canceled.
The show was like "Yeah he got stabbed but don't worry Lady Capulet brings him back to life!" Also, off topic but I'm so glad Baz Luhrman skipped this part too because...I would've cried or screamed or both if Paul Rudd as Dave Paris had died in the 1996 movie. -- The Princess
Paris is on the brink of death at the end of the first episode, and then Lady Capulet and her nurse revive him. Like I said, it's kind of fan fiction-y. -- The Princess
Um.... Fair Roselind is not a Capulet. She is the neice of Lord Capulet but not a Capulet herself. Otherwise Romeo's reaction to finding out that the servant's master was Lord Capulet would make no sense. Also his prior summary of his situation wouldn't make much sense either. I'm glad other people enjoyed the tv show, but it's not for me. I don't care for sequels that miss the point of the original or have to change so many established facts from the original. Perhaps if I liked the play less or SSC hadn't been advertised as a continuation of Shakespeare, I would have had more interest.
I mean, if the show was good, great. But all i’m getting is reinforcing that Romeo and Juliet is one of the worst stories of all time. Since the point of the play isn’t their love, but how their death ends the feud between the families. But screw all that, they were so bland and pointless as characters that their death had basically no impact and the war just continued. So much for “doth with their death, do but bury their parents strife”. It also ruins all the good elements of the play, Romeo and Juliet were awful and bland but everyone else was pretty good. But sure, just have the parents continue fighting rather than realising that is what caused their children’s death and stopping it before any more lives or lost. Or just have the mother be the only one with common sense while the men are too prideful to back down even after the war costs them what they held most precious. As I said, i’m sure it’s a good show, but I just can’t get behind something whose concept makes an awful play seem completely pointless.
The show begins before they die, and then shows the families attempting peace before outside forces reinvigorate the feud. But like I said, even as someone who loved the show, it did feel much more like fan fiction than a continuation of the original story. I'm personally okay with that, but I'm sure not everyone would be -- The Princess
Probably because the costumes were awful, and not in A" Wee used Artistic License" kinda way, a "We used current trends in fashion, and stuck in a time period where this wasn't a thing yet." kinda way. Renaissance Italian Women didn't have cold shoulder dresses I can assure you! They had slightly off the shoulder dresses with ornate multitiered sleeves, and deep v or square neclines, Oh, and they didn't have over dresses that showed their underwear! Stop doing period drama's Shondaland! Stick with the modern set stuff it's what you're best at!
I didn't mind the costumes at all, but I also have never really seen the show as /historical/ drama. Like I said, it's kind of a fanfiction of Shakespeare (which, in itself if I remember correctly, is almost a fanfiction too). With this specifically, I didn't go in looking for historical accuracies. I just wanted to see what Shonda and the ABC team could do with the material (the ABC team let me down by not caring enough) -- The Princess
My favorite part of Still Star-Crossed was the time it was on the air and we were getting new episodes. Also two hotties fighting over a heroine of color.
![Lil Uzi Vert - Chill Bae [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7F42F_JM3U/mqdefault.jpg)
I can't even believe there is even a video essay on this! i thought there really wasn't anyone who watched this. I will forever be crying at the wasted potential of Still Star Crossed, that fact that Rosaline was portrayed by a dark skinned black woman, being pinned by two men, the face that there was more than one woman of color in a fictional period setting, that fact that Lydia was written like a ray of sunshine and Isabella was so obviously attracted to women. It was very obvious that the network it was on didn't even give it a chance. Fantastic analysis and video!
Agreed
For me, the marketing is what killed the show. I didn't hear much about it, but was under the assumption that it was just another retelling of romeo and juliet. If I had known what it really was, I would have checked it out.
Oh FOR SURE the marketing - or lack thereof - at least played a large part in why the show got cancelled. It was also moved from a normal primetime night (Tuesday or Thursday, but I can't remember which one) to Saturday. No one watches primetime ABC on Saturday nights. ABC did nothing to help this show and I'm super salty about it -- The Princess
The Princess and the Scrivener agreed
Luckily, you can watch what could've been
megahulu.com/watch/Ge0EQr7x-still-star-crossed-season-1/episode-1.html
I think I am the last person who found out about this show. I watched it only in 2023. And it's soooo good. My heart is broken that we won't have a decent ending of the best show ever.
This show was cancelled after a mere THREE EPISODES...I remember being so bitter watching the rest of the season after the cancellation announcement came out. People were so pissy about the colorblind casting that they boycotted, THAT'S why it died. That and the Shakespeare purists smh. As you said, we were truly robbed 😭. Isabella was my favorite too...I miss my Shakespearean lesbian princess :/.
That makes sense as to why the time slot got moved, if it was cancelled so early! UGH. Honestly the casting never felt color blind at all - it felt very intentional, knowing it was a Shondaland show. The fact that people actively boycotted over that makes the part of me that thinks she knows Shakespeare's ghost really well SO ANGRY (I mean, angry nonetheless but I really just feel that Shakespeare would've HATED seeing people so upset about it). -- P
Agreed
seconded!
I absolutely loved this show. I even signed a petition for it. Great acting. Diverse cast. Beautiful location. Wonderfully scripted. I miss Still Star Crossed.
they should put it on netflix. i feel like it would do so much better on there. also i don’t have cable so i didn’t know that this was even on tv. & now i’m gonna watch because it seems interesting.
I thought at some point it was on Netflix (in the US), but it's possible I imagined it. Some time ago, some news came out about Shonda going to Netflix with her shows - which is gonna be interesting with Disney (who owns ABC) staring their own streaming service. I agree and think it should go to Netflix, though -- The Princess
There were Tumblr users who were boycotting this show because Shonda didn’t put Fitz and Olivia from scandal back together 🙄 But in all honesty, ABC wanted this show to fail because they thought it was too expensive, so they never promoted it like they needed to for people to watch.
Ew and also...wow ABC/Disney can definitely afford a period drama. So cool of them to let it just die because they didn't want to pay for it -_- -- P
There was more mess on top of that as well,people were starting petitions cancel the show because of the " historic and accuracy" but we all know what that is really code for 😒.
When the show was even announced it became the most hated thing on Tumblr for obvious reasons, even with Word of Mouth I figured it wasn't going to succeed at continuing as a series despite this being Shonda Rhimes first hand and doing Shakespearean period Drama.
My favorite part of Still Star-Crossed was the time it was on the air and we were getting new episodes.
Also two hotties fighting over a heroine of color.
Finally, another person who understands how amazing this show was. This show had such a great primetime slot at first, but ABC conpletely screwed it over with the minimal promotion and constant pre-empting in favor of NBA games. I will be forever salty. I needed more of the Benvolio/Rosaline romance. I needed more Isabella. Prince Escalus was starting to grow on me towards the end. I miss it so much.
I know the book exists, but it seems that most of my favorite parts of the show were inventions of the TV writers. So I wade through the minimal fanfiction for as long as I can.
If you want more of this show just read the original, Still Star Crossed by Melinda Taub. Yes it was a book first and is just as good as the show but with more closure and a really interesting thing where the text of the book is modern and the dialogue is Shakespearean. It is my favorite book ever!!!!!
Is Isabella in the book? That would be a HUGE sway for me to read the book XD -- The Princess
The Princess and the Scrivener yes she is! I never got quite the emphasis on the gay in the book but she is most definitely in it as well as the best character ever. Also Paris is less of a terrible person, that's nice too.
I wouldn't be surprised if Isabella being gay was an invention of Shonda/the writers, rather than the book. But I may have to look into it XD
I'll have to check out the book. But I so loved these actors!
Can we start a petition to revive Still Star-Crossed?!?!
I know there was at least one going around a while ago but I will sign them ALL! -- The Princess
Rosalind gives me insane Belle vibes in her “casual” wear
SAME -- The Princess
Never before have I been more sad about a show being cancelled than this one. The last episode aired a year ago this Sunday and I'm still bitter about it.
Me too 😢😢😢-- The Princess
I am still sad about this show getting cancelled. I miss it so much. =(
I don't think it was the fandom fault for the show being cancelled. ABC did not pro mmm one the show and put ridiculously long breaks between the first 3 episodes, so with the lack of promotion, that made it difficult for the general audience member to know when it would be on.
You're right, for sure. I tried not to make it seem like it was necessarily /our fault/ in the script, but I can see how at least the title might misconstrue that. ABC also switched the slot for SSC from like Tuesday/Thursday (a normal night when people are home watching television) to Saturday (a night when most people are not home watching television), and when that happened, I pretty much knew ABC was done with the show. ABC let us down, for sure. I guess, when I say that "we let Willy Shakes down" I mean the "Royal We" more than us as fans of the show -- The Princess
They really didn't promote it well because I didn't really know about this show
Agreed
I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels thus way!! It had everything it needed to be a great show!!😫😫
All I could do during this video was shake my head and sigh in agreement. It was such a good show in so many ways and just my aesthetic honestly and it got canceled :^/
Thank you for reviewing this show and giving us so many glimpses about how amazing and beautiful and diverse this show was. I never had a chance to watch it and couldn’t catch the airtimes, and then the show’s plug was pulled. What a travesty!
**You have a dachshund!! A long haired one at that! ☺️😍😘**
A review of this show was inevitable, in any form :D
And yep! I have 3 dachshunds, actually! Two are long haired (they need haircuts, actually XD) and one is a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix (he's quick and doesn't much care for cameras though)! -- P
Oh gosh! I thought I was sad at Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency getting cancelled after only 2 seasons, I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to have a show that sounds that amazing getting cancelled so soon
Dirk's show being cancelled was a big tragedy 😭😭😭😭
Drinking game: take a shot every time Paige says "we were robbed" and be out by the end of the video 😂 This show looks amazing though! (Sorry, I mean looked.)
I WANT TO BE A DRINKING GAME SO BADLY OMG -- P
I just watched again, and you said that specific line five times. I didn't count the times you said "only seven episodes!" or "it was canceled!" but still, 5 times in a 8 minute video is, well, a lot :P
I'm hoping to be a meme one day. It's the ultimate level of higher being XD
I just recently binge-watched the 1st season of this show and I absolutely loved it. The show has a lot of great things that are not often seen in period dramas such as diversity and interracial romance. Aside from being a Shakespeare enthusiast, those were main factors of the show that intrigued me the most. I really liked that the casting was similar to Roger & Hammerstein's film Cinderella (1997) starring Brandy. The acting was superb and it was quite refreshing to see a dark-skinned black actress take the role of leading lady in a Shakspearean world. The character of Rosaline reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice and also Dido from Belle (2013). I also really enjoyed the decadent costuming and the growing love triangle; I'm a sucker for both those things. And so I was completely devastated when I found out that there wasn't a season 2. The show deserved so much more time than it was given and it was left at such a bleak/chaotic cliff-hanger.
If you feel the same and are a fan of the show, please support #savestillstarcrossed and sign the petition to get the show renewed for a 2nd season (if you haven't already). Here's the link:
www.change.org/p/abc-save-still-star-crossed?recruiter=209973931&.pacific_abi_share_button_ordering_1.abi_featured_fb
This is the first I've heard of this show, and holy shit it sounds like I would LOVE IT. Why wasn't there more hype about this show??
I feel like I didn't last because there were too many women of color and people just couldn't buy into it which really really sucks because as a black woman and an aspiring actress I dream of playing roles of Old English and not having to be a slave and they made a dream come true for me and it really sucked that they cancelled the show
So glad SOMEONE talked about this amazing show! I watched the entire thing with my mum and we were so disappointed when we heard about its cancellation. Now that I know it's on ITunes, I'm probably gonna buy it
Alright, definitely sad this didn't get continued. This is a great video but god, ROBBED.
I am sorry you were robbed!! I guess I was robbed, too?!? Haven't seen it, but based on your lovely description, I was quite intrigued. I love Shakespeare's plays. Need to get back to them in the most joyful way!!! Thank you!!
I still miss this show! I wish a network will pick it up and carry it forward. Sooo sad it canceled.
I like you really loved this series. I was do surprised to see a diversed cast. It was great and hated to see it cancelled. Your interpretation of this was very good.
I wish there was a way to get them to restart the show (by that I mean, pick up where they left off). Because, damn, were we robbed!
I love your dress! Very appropriate. Stars, I gotcha.
"Romeo just has a thing for the Capulet girls." Whoa, flashback to high school. (That's basically the gist of a song I had to write for a project.)
I was going to stop to watch it, but it costs money (which I do not have.)
It looked like a good show! Literally all I had heard about it was that it had something to do with Romeo and Juliet. I assumed it was just a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I didn't even know about the diverse cast! (Or I might have actually watched it.)
It's a shirt, actually, but that's exactly why I wore it! :D
Same XD
Yeah...It's not even on ABC's website which...is ridiculous.
I wish they'd done more to market it. It's a Shonda Rhimes show! How could they not?! -- P
Either way, it's super cute!
Also, "She initially came off as the cold-hearted bitch in couture that I desperately want to be." You're seriously one of the nicest people, but follow your dreams! If we've learned anything from Disney, it's that princesses are good, but most queens are evil. So, you know what? I support you, and would be happy to provide a reference if you ever need to frighten a peasant or something.
The great thing about Isabella was that she wasn't actually a /bitch/ in couture. She was just...a badass Princess in large gowns and like...that's still me XD
That is you! Mission accomplished!
Agreed
Thank you for the wonderful recommendation. Benvolio is such a great character and makes you wonder if he was the most sane person in verona at the time. so he deserves his own series, his story needs to be told. The diversity in casting has made this much more lovable. Although Benvolio was my favorite too in Romeo and Juliet, in this show my favorite character was Princess Isabella. She is a very efficient ruler and diplomat, got style and swag. At a time when women were sidelined , this show help to see how really powerful and important they really are. Agree with the princess completely when she says we've been robbed. ( i chuckled everytime she said that). so wrong that they cancelled the show .
And thank you both Princess and the scriviner for caring so much about these characters
When I had to read the play in high school, Benvolio was legitimately the only character I liked. I mean I guess I liked Mercutio, too, but Benvolio was definitely the most level-headed of the three (between him, M, and Romeo). So I agree - getting to see him in the wake of the tragedy was SO GOOD
The costumes are fabulous. Most of the characters had a colour assigned to them like Disney characters. Princess isabella and her spectaculour purple gowns and accessories, Rosaline in her blue dresses, homeboy BennyV( inspired by your Willy Shakes ofcourse) in black with his cool jackets , julianna in mourning and madness but in style and the prince in those amber suits that complemets his eyes ( Dreamy indeed!)
I'm crying because we WERE ROBBED!
I found this show a couple days ago fell in love like obsessed! It’s so good! ended season one thinking ah nice season ending clif hanger can’t wait for the next season only to find out it was cancelled WHYYYY😭 I know this video is 6 years old but thank you for making it glad to know I’m not crazy and this was a good show. They should’ve gave it a chance.
I know this isn't the point of the tv series or this video - I'm really annoyed that the show ended so soon, it could've gone so many places - but seeing every character swept up in corruption, deception, power-struggles, the need for self-sacrifice and a hell-of-a-lot-of-backstabbing, I still sort of think that even though they only had a day or two together and then their story ended badly, that Romeo and Juliet were probably the only two people in the entire 'fair city of Verona' who were actually happy.....I'm a bit of a romantic, I'm still trying to snap out of the phase
That's literally how the show starts! Rosaline and Benvolio /don't/ actually stop Romeo and Juliet from marrying because they know their best friends in the entire world are HAPPY!! And Rosaline knows what that's like, having been happy with Escalus before, but maybe Benvolio's really only ever been happy with Stella, who would never actually marry him but even that's reason enough to let him allow his best friend to marry the girl he loves /regardless of their names/. Just. Wow.
But what I loved about Rosaline and Benvolio is that they LEARN to be happy together. I really think they would've found genuine love and happiness with one another - that scene in the dungeon where they kiss through the bars...it messes with me. He tells her that he knows she loves Escalus and SHE CHOOSES BENVOLIO ANYWAY, because she trusts him and wants to see him live!
The more I think about this show, the more I just want to cry about how much we've been ROBBED. -- The Princess
I know. They were so many other things they could've done with the show, I really hope they bring it back for another season, just to let us know where they're going next.
I haven't seen this yet but I"M DEFINITELY GOING TO NOW!!!! I am already pissed that there are only 7 episodes- from what I can gather, Willy Shakes WOULD love this adaptation- especially the gay characters! I adore Shakespeare and in my AP English notes, I refer to him as Will.
LuLu Barringer agreed
I love it!!! Thanks for informing us about this wonderful story!
YES!!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOOOOOOOVED STILL STAR CROSSED And YES!!!!! WE WERE ROBBED OF A VERY ONCE IN A LIFE TIME TV SHOW. IT WAS GREAT I LOVED ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERY SINGLE MINUTE AND MOMENT OF THIS TV SHOW. I REALLY WISH SHONDA RHIMES HAD NOT GOTTEN RIDDEN OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SHOW.
Willy Shakes!
I haven't watched the show, so I'll say the best part of your video was your pups being all, "I'm outta here' halfway through. Such tiny little legs!!
They basically own me so I just let them invade the videos whenever they feel like it XD -- P
I LOVE the amount of salt in this video because honestly, same. We were robbed. Also can we talk about the ridiculously fancy transition shots, because I lived for those. xx
I loved the show (it’s my new addiction) but wtf was it cancelled it was so good
This is literally my first time hearing of this show, but I would have loved to watch it if I knew about it before it died.
This is a travesty. ABC has failed us all. -- The Princess
This show was based on a book by the same name. i've never watched Still Star Crossed but I just finished the book and IT IS WONDERFUL! If you want some conclusions to the series I 100% reccomend reading it, it has been the book i loved reading the most this year!
I loved everything about this show! Sad it’s not showing anymore. They even took it off Hulu
"I have no choice; you have the spacebar." I'm cackling!! XD
We were so robbed of this. I do feel like somewhat of a failure for not supporting this, but looking back at the air dates I was traveling so I missed the first couple episodes and ABC really did no favors with scheduling and decided to scrap it pretty quick, eh?
(Also let's talk about how I'm super worried that Star Trek Discovery will do poorly because it's only on the cbs streaming service and then they will use it as further excuse that diverse tv doesn't do well. I'm not fully caught up with the show but I also have some conflicted feelings about its writing).
Yeah ABC wronged us. The show as originally on a /normal/ primetime night, but as it went on, they changed to Saturday - when no one is home watching ABC historical/period dramas! -- The Princess
I've never heard of this show but I want to watch it now, it's been a while since I read R&J but I saw a film of it a few months ago, though it was never my favourite Shakespeare play this has me super intrigued!
Thank you for sharing about this show! Just binged all 7 episodes and I'm so hurt that this got cancelled. I'm wondering if ABC set this up for failure because I never heard about it until your video. This show is up so many people's alley. I think if it had gotten proper promotion it could've gained quite the following.
Had no idea this was a thing... and I want to watch it, but I dont know if I can and then be horribly sad about being robbed of the delights 😥
I loved this show, too. 😭😭😭😭😭
O.M.G I just stumbled on these videos!! I love it!! Is there a campaign to get this show on another network?? Thanks for the synopsis....great job!!
Why wasn't this on HBO? This makes no sense on ABC.
I'm pretty sure it was just ABC because that's where all - if not most - of Shonda Rhimes' shows are. For now. -- The Princess
Troy hopefully HBO picks this up
Luca Peyrefitte That's VERY unlikely
I LOVED THIS TV SHOW SO MUCH 😭😭
I love this show.
6:51 I agree, he would've. Calculating villains who are always 2 steps ahead of everyone else were his speciality.
The show sounds interesting but, how do you think it holds up for people who really don't like Mr. Willie Shakes? I'll have to check it out for sure, thanks to your recommendation!
It's not written in iambic pentameter, to start. I think for people who aren't fans of Shakespeare, it's still rather accessible. Romeo and Juliet is so well known that anyone watching could easily catch up - especially since the show starts and the titular characters of the play aren't even dead yet. I like to give Shonda Rhimes a lot of credit for adapting this because, honestly, it's just as accessible as any other historical drama :) -- The Princess
I'm not into Willy Shakes that much (tho I do love me some Hamlet), but I like the whole enemies to friends to lovers trope. The show gave it to me and I ate that shit up.
elephantbrandmcmahan I’m not much for Shakespeare - excepting AMSND - but I absolutely loved this show and was furious when it got cancelled so quickly. The costumes, characters, scenery - everything is so beautiful. Rosaline is my babe. I love her with Benvolio, but I also really enjoyed her story with Escalus. It’s an extremely diverse cast, strongly feminine-led despite its many men, centred around a darker skinned black woman, has accents and features the great Anthony Head. What’s not to love?
The only time I saw this show was on its premiere. I was at Disney world and I was tired AF. I didn’t catch the parts as I was busy trying to get ready for bed and I was very confused. I legit thought that Rosaline was Juliet who somehow didn’t die and thought it was stupid and turned off the TV. I kinda regret doing that now that I know what this show could have been. Oh well.
How am I only hearing about this show now?!?!??! Ah sad!
Dang, the title had me thinking that someone else remembered Star-crossed on the cw
I am pretty confident that this is based on a book. Like I remember seeing it in my local library a few years ago. if you want to know how it ends, you could try finding and reading the book.
It is! The book's been recommended a few times since this video came out, so I might check it out :) I'm not so much sad I didn't get to see how the show ends as I am that it ended so abruptly. Like there wasn't enough of it, let alone it being finished -- The Princess
Can you guys react to racist, sexist or homophobic commercials? I just think that it would be interesting and funny to see your guys reactions to them.
Holy crap you guys have 8k!! I blinked and y'all gained 5k haha congrats!!! 🎉🎉
SAME. EVERYONE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE! -- The Princess
I really miss still star crossed
When I saw the promo's for it, it didn't pique my interest. I passed but heard about the diverse cast and still chose not to watch. Wish I did though because it sounded pretty amazing.
Honestly the promotion for it didn't do the show justice - and it was very sparse. ABC hardly seemed to care about actually promoting the show, which is really rather disappointing -- The Princess
1. your hair!!!!! 💕 super cute!!
2. omg sterling I thought that was him!!! I love him!!!!
3. you're such a nerd 😜🤓
I'm slowly learning how to use a curling iron XD I had never seen Sterling in anything other than this so I had to look up how you'd know him otherwise (I'm guessing PLL?)! Yes. Yes I am ;) -- P
If you want to see another show that got robbed, watch Sweet/Vicious. It is ICNOIC and honestly I'm dying for you guys to make a video on it.
I honestly had never even heard of it until right now (I don't watch MTV, honestly, so I'm not surprised I hadn't heard of it). But I'm definitely interested... -- The Princess
I don't watch it either, but this show was recommended for me in iTunes and it is honestly the best. Probably the only quality show MTV has made, but it was the best and unfortunately done dirty by MTV :/ Please watch and do a video, I think both of you would like it.
Willy Shakes 😂😂😂
😢abc should bring the show back . Picking up where the last episode left off.
Could you review Galavant, please? It was a musical tv show by Alan Merkel.
I still haven't seen it, but last I saw, it was still on Netflix, so I might. I wasn't really interested in it when it was on TV, but now I am and I realize how backwards that is, but that's just how it ended up being, I guess -- P
The same happened to me with Still star-crossed and I am interested now in it thanks to your review.
Not gonna lie, I watched this review before watching the show. Now I'm going to watch the show! But something already tells me I'm going to be pissed off because it ends at 7 episodes. Smfh...I read somewhere in the comments that there wasn't enough promotion. I didn't know it existed until I saw all the twitter stans talking about it. Shame on the network for letting this rare jew slip thru the cracks. Its looks like a good watch.
But my fave part of the show was Rosalind & benvolio. Like, arranged marriage is my fave fic trope and this show did ALL my fave fic tropes it was glorious
I was pulling SO HARD for them! I loved the backstory of Escalus and Rosaline but he clearly has some bigger things to deal with...whereas Benvolio genuinely likes Rosaline as a person and treats her as such, not a subject under his domain (again...I tend to not blame Escalus entirely for it. He basically got plopped on the throne in the middle of an all-out war that he can't stop, no matter what he does). -- The Princess
I loved this show but the book was even better. Have you read the book?
I haven't yet, but it's been suggested and is on my TBR! :D -- The Princess
I will search for this show on torrent and someday wright fanfiction of it
I JUST FOUND THIS SHOW ONLY TO KNOW IT WAS CANCELLED DAMN
Watching what couldve have been
megahulu.com/watch/Ge0EQr7x-still-star-crossed-season-1/episode-1.html
Seriously, though I am so mad, they cancel this show! It would've been a jewel and juicy. I wish it gotten at least a full one season.
Oh man I really wanna watch this show now, but it looks like it's not available in the UK ;-; (and probably never will be, going by what happened with Kings.) Whyyy
A close source of mine (a.k.a. a friend we talk to on a regular basis) from the UK has said the same thing. It's a genuine travesty.
You can buy this show on Amazon Prime.
I'm one of like 4 people that doesn't have Amazon Prime XD -- P
I understand why I never heared of this but WHY THE FUCK HAVE I NEVER HEARED OF THIS?!?!?
ABC did so little promotion for this and like it's not even fair? It deserved such better treatment by the network! -- The Princess
I think this show would’ve done better on The CW or Freeform. Today if a revival could happen I could see this do well on a streaming service
Based off of the book
Soooo did Benvlio die, did Rosalind save him or we don't effing know because we were robbed of a decent ending?
Couldn't they at least give us a special to end things?
I WOULD LOVE THAT -- P
:)
Yay new videos!
I was so disappointed that the show ended. It was boring and un engaging to me at first. But by the time the whole ‘conspiracy to keep the feud going in order to make Verona vulnerable to attack’ plot was revealed (with the whole terrorism wagon/bomb thing) I was fully into the show. I wished it lasted at least two seasons.
It definitely warranted more than what I consider half a season (though, I guess for a first season, seven episodes isn't completely out of the norm). -- The Princess
😰😭😭😥why did they cancel
I think there's a petition for the show.
I'm pretty sure it's been around since the show was cancelled back in July. I don't think ABC's really shown any acknowledgement of it, unfortunately -- P
The Princess and the Scrivener I would sign. Where can I find it?
While reading Romeo and Juliet in highschool I always thought Romeo and Juliet were an interracial couple. While Romeo's family may not be filthy rich and not a Moore,( Black person) may have had more money than the other family.
YES YES YES YES YES
Did you read the book?
I haven't, but it's been suggested a few times now, so I might :) -- The Princess
I haven't even seen the show and I feel robbed jfc
I both liked the show but also didn't? Like some things were very nice and well done but there was a few subplots and character traits that inspired major eye-rolls from me. I don't really remember what those were now cause it's been forever since I watched it.
I'm still really sad it was canceled.
PARIS died at the end of romeo and juliet
The show was like "Yeah he got stabbed but don't worry Lady Capulet brings him back to life!"
Also, off topic but I'm so glad Baz Luhrman skipped this part too because...I would've cried or screamed or both if Paul Rudd as Dave Paris had died in the 1996 movie. -- The Princess
i want to watch now
If you can get it somehow, do it! :D -- The Princess
We were robbed of Shakespearean lesbians
So Romeo killed Paris at the end of Romeo and Juliet, so if Still Star Crossed is after the play, then Paris should be dead.
Paris is on the brink of death at the end of the first episode, and then Lady Capulet and her nurse revive him. Like I said, it's kind of fan fiction-y. -- The Princess
I call him Billy Cakebeard
FIRST VIEW BABES!!!!!!
Um.... Fair Roselind is not a Capulet. She is the neice of Lord Capulet but not a Capulet herself. Otherwise Romeo's reaction to finding out that the servant's master was Lord Capulet would make no sense. Also his prior summary of his situation wouldn't make much sense either.
I'm glad other people enjoyed the tv show, but it's not for me. I don't care for sequels that miss the point of the original or have to change so many established facts from the original. Perhaps if I liked the play less or SSC hadn't been advertised as a continuation of Shakespeare, I would have had more interest.
I mean, if the show was good, great. But all i’m getting is reinforcing that Romeo and Juliet is one of the worst stories of all time. Since the point of the play isn’t their love, but how their death ends the feud between the families. But screw all that, they were so bland and pointless as characters that their death had basically no impact and the war just continued. So much for “doth with their death, do but bury their parents strife”. It also ruins all the good elements of the play, Romeo and Juliet were awful and bland but everyone else was pretty good. But sure, just have the parents continue fighting rather than realising that is what caused their children’s death and stopping it before any more lives or lost. Or just have the mother be the only one with common sense while the men are too prideful to back down even after the war costs them what they held most precious.
As I said, i’m sure it’s a good show, but I just can’t get behind something whose concept makes an awful play seem completely pointless.
The show begins before they die, and then shows the families attempting peace before outside forces reinvigorate the feud. But like I said, even as someone who loved the show, it did feel much more like fan fiction than a continuation of the original story. I'm personally okay with that, but I'm sure not everyone would be -- The Princess
Probably because the costumes were awful, and not in A" Wee used Artistic License" kinda way, a "We used current trends in fashion, and stuck in a time period where this wasn't a thing yet." kinda way. Renaissance Italian Women didn't have cold shoulder dresses I can assure you! They had slightly off the shoulder dresses with ornate multitiered sleeves, and deep v or square neclines, Oh, and they didn't have over dresses that showed their underwear! Stop doing period drama's Shondaland! Stick with the modern set stuff it's what you're best at!
I didn't mind the costumes at all, but I also have never really seen the show as /historical/ drama. Like I said, it's kind of a fanfiction of Shakespeare (which, in itself if I remember correctly, is almost a fanfiction too). With this specifically, I didn't go in looking for historical accuracies. I just wanted to see what Shonda and the ABC team could do with the material (the ABC team let me down by not caring enough) -- The Princess
The eye-rolling wokeness was just too much.
My favorite part of Still Star-Crossed was the time it was on the air and we were getting new episodes.
Also two hotties fighting over a heroine of color.