Say Goodbye: Queer dating shows ‘I kissed a girl’ and ‘I kissed a boy’ cancelled following their first seasons

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Queer dating shows I Kissed a Girl and I Kissed a Boy have been cancelled by the BBC,

who claimed to face funding issues.

I Kissed a Boy had an all male cast and was the first of its kind in the UK when it aired in

2023. It was swiftly followed by the female version of the show I Kissed a Girl in 2024. The

shows appear to take turns each year, alternating between all male and all female casts.

Despite the cancellation, one final season of I Kissed a Girl will be aired this May.

Following the news of the shows end, former I Kissed a Girl star Amy Spalding took to social

media, she said: “There were thousands and thousands of comments, DMs, videos, articles

made about how this show impacted people so positively and was a light at the end of a

tunnel for anyone struggling with coming out or just seeing positive queer representation on the TV.

“I mourn all of the good that could have been done had this series been allowed to continue.”

Similarly, former I Kissed a Boy contestant Jordan Burrow spoke out online, he said,

“It’s important to remember just because the TV show is gone, doesn't mean that we’re gone.“ But this narrative is not new to the queer community. Can you think of many queer shows that haven’t been cancelled?

In the past few years, countless shows that center important representation have been

slashed before they could make it to their second seasons, despite having dedicated

fanbases online. A few examples include First Kill, Teenage Bounty Hunters and Paper Girls.

Meanwhile, Warrior Nun was cancelled after two seasons and Atypical after four.

Statistics from the website Lezwatch.TV (which tracks the queer representation on our TV

screens) shows that representation is drastically on the decline, as the number of shows

including queer characters on air per year dropped from 544 in 2018 to 272 in 2024 -

currently sitting at 181 in 2026.

In response to yet another cancellation, fans are fighting to keep I Kissed a Girl and I Kissed

a Boy. One online petition to save the shows has seen over 12,000 signatures since early

March.

As the release of what is set to be the final I Kissed a Girl season approaches, Amy Spalding

said: “Show up and show out and show the BBC and producers and all the execs that this

show means so much to everyone.

“We’ve got to shout about it, we’ve got to drum up some noise on socials and everywhere.”

Edited by Gabriella Whiston