‘A League Of Their Own’: Rosie O’Donnell Will Return In New Series
One of the most beloved films of the ’90s, A League of Their Own debuted in 1992 and became a classic. Telling the true story of the first All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, A League of Their Own is hugely inspirational and has nearly become required viewing for young girls. Now, Rosie O’Donnell will return for the new series.
Who was Rosie O’Donnell in the original ‘A League of Their Own’
In the original A League of Their Own, O’Donnell played third-base woman, Doris Murphy. As a best friend to Mae Mordabito (played by Madonna), Doris had a dry sense of humor and a commanding way about her — perfect for O’Donnell.
The role was O’Donnell’s first role on the big screen and made her a film darling of the 90s with follow-up roles in Sleepless in Seattle, The Flinstones, Now and Then, and Harriet the Spy. O’Donnell has since gone on to host The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The View, and The Rosie Show.
The new ‘A League of Their Own’ will feature Rosie O’Donnell in a small role
Now O’Donnell will return for a small role in the new A League of Their Own. According to Entertainment Weekly, “O’Donnell’s new character [is] a local bar owner named Vi. A ‘warm, gregarious’ fan of the Rockford Peaches, Vi crosses paths with Jacobson’s catcher Carson and soon welcomes her into her orbit.”
A League of Their Own fans will be relieved to hear that the new series will stay true to its roots as an ensemble comedy once again focusing on the original team, The Rockford Peaches. According to Entertainment Tonight, “The reboot introduces a new generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball, both in and outside of the All-American Girls Baseball League in the 1940s.”
O’Donnell’s return raises the question of whether any of the other stars from the original like Geena Davis, Lori Petty, or Tom Hanks might make an appearance in the series though none have been announced so far.
In addition to her role in the series, O’Donnell (who came out in 2002) will also host a Q&A about the show at Los Angeles’ Outfest following a screening on July 19, 2022.
The new ‘A League of Their Own’ series cast and details
The new A League of Their Own series will debut on August 12, 2022, on Amazon Prime. The new series will star Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and D’Arcy Carden (Carden is also known for her role as Natalie Greer on Barry). A Journal for Jordan’s Chanté Adams will also star as will Roberta Colindrez (Girls, The Deuce), Gbemisola Ikumelo, Kelly McCormack (Departure), Priscilla Delgado, Kate Berlant (Search Party), and Melanie Field (The Alienist, You).
Likely best known in the cast are Dale Dickey (known for her roles in Sons of Anarchy, Iron Man 3, and Hell or High Water) who will play Beverly, and Nick Offerman (Fargo, Pam & Tommy) as Dove Porter. Legendary Ghostbusters II actor Kevin Dunn will also star in two episodes.
The series will drop all eight episodes at once, though the time of the premiere has not yet been scheduled. The original film is available on AMC+ for anyone looking to brush up on their one-liners (like Hanks’ famous A League of Their Own line, “There’s no crying in baseball!”) before the new A League of Their Own series streams this August.
