Still There Through Thick And Thin? Tracee Ellis Ross Says “Ship Has Sailed” On ‘Girlfriends’ Reboot

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As we make it through yet another amazing Women’s History Month, there are so many ways we can think of to recognize the accomplishments made by ladies from many different aspects. Heck, just by taking the time to watch a pioneering TV series spearheaded by a cast of talented actresses is enough to get your fix of fierce femininity.
Might we suggest Girlfriends, perhaps?
Although 24 years removed since it first premiered on the now-defunct UPN, and 16 years since the series came to an abrupt end on The CW, Girlfriends has since developed a major cult following thanks to popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and even via The CW’s website where all seasons are currently streaming for free. It’s for those reasons and a handful of others that the idea of a series reboot is at an all-time high, especially at a time when everything in Hollywood seems to be getting the remake treatment.
However, it appears lead star Tracee Ellis Ross recently shot down the dreams of many TV aficionados by all but confirming that when it comes to any chance of a Girlfriends reboot, in her words, “the ship has sailed.”
 
 
RELATED: Tracee Ellis Ross Reunites With Girlfriends On black-ish
Speaking with VIBE recently, Ross told the outlet that her and fellow co-stars Persia White, Golden Brooks, Jill Marie Jones and Reggie Hayes were each in different places in their careers, stating, “The cast has always wanted to do it, but I’ll be honest with you, the ship has sailed.” She went on to add, “I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. I think it would be a miracle.”
More from her gut-wrenching shutdown on a Girlfriends reboot below, via VIBE:
 
“Noting that she does keep up with the crew, she added, ‘We have a thread of me and the girls and we text all the time; we talk about it, but I think we’re all at different places in our lives and our careers now. I think there was a point 10 years ago and then when they [‘Girlfriends’ cast] came on Blackish — we were all game, but we couldn’t get the powers that be to get on board.’
The 51-year-old also shared that the cast has wanted to get back together on screen but due to ownership and other factors, it hasn’t been that simple to make that call.
‘We’ve tried numerous times as a cast to make it happen, but unfortunately, we don’t own the rights to the show,’ she explained. ‘We are not the producers. We are not Mara Brock Akil, CBS Paramount, or whoever the people are that own the show. Golden, Persia, Jill, Reggie, and I have been game; we’ve all talked about it — but I genuinely don’t think it’s ever going to happen at this point.’”
 
While some things should for sure be left untouched, if anything to inspire room for another like-minded series to be made for a new generation of women, there’s something about the story of Girlfriends that still needs answers: does Jabari ever learn how to drive? Does Joan finally get her happily-ever-after wedding? Does the Tony Childs make her return?!
Back in 2022, Ross told Deadline that 13 more episodes were to be filmed before the show’s highly-controversial end after Episode 13 — Girlfriends regularly delivered 22 to 25 episodes in seasons prior — telling the outlet, “Our last episode that we shot was during the writers’ strike and I actually directed it,” also adding, “It was my first time directing–it was not fun because it was really bizarre, it was surreal. But then we just kinda faded away. We had 13 more episodes to do — we never did them. We didn’t have a wrap party. We didn’t know we were ending. The last moment wasn’t with all our writers and everybody. It was not sort of a ceremonial end.”
That disrespectful ending alone is why we need justice for Girlfriends. Let’s pray that fans can keep the hope alive.
 

 
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