Does ‘A League of Their Own’ on Prime Video Connect to the Movie?

If you pressed play on Prime Video‘s A League of Their Own and expected a sequel of the original movie, you’re going to be disappointed. Though the comedy-drama follows the same basic beats of Penny Marshall’s 1992 critical and box office home run of the same name, this series is more than confident enough to stand on its own legs.

That being said, there are still some striking connections to the original movie. Consider this your quick guide about how these two projects are related, who’s returned from the movie, and why there isn’t a clear Dottie in this expanded universe.

Is A League of Their Own the Show Connected to the Movie?

Think of this new series as more of a retelling rather than a sequel. Like Penny Marshall’s original movie, the Prime Video series follows the formation of the Rockford Peaches, a real baseball team that played in the All-American Girls Professional League from 1943 to 1954. Just like with the original, the series starts in World War II. As more and more men go off to war, women finally get a chance to enter the world of professional sports. But that’s about where the similarities end.

Though some of the characters in this new series may share traits with their movie predecessors, series creator and star Abbi Jacobson said that there’s not supped to be a one-to-one comparison. “I don’t think any characters are really mapped on to anyone. D’Arcy [Carden’s] character has a Madonna vibe but is nothing like that character, at all. Melanie Fields’ character, Joe, is a little bit of a Rosie [O’Donnell] visual,” Jacobson told The Hollywood Reporter. “In the pilot, we nod to the movie the most, and there are nods as you keep going.”

Is Anyone from the Original A League of Their Own Movie in the Series?

There is one major star who’s returning for this new series: Rosie O’Donnell. In the 1992 movie, O’Donnell played third base player Doris Murphy. Now she’s back as Vi, the owner of a gay bar. O’Donnell’s casting isn’t just a fun nod to fans. It’s an homage to the legacy of the original movie. Though Marshall’s movie was never explicitly about gay characters and navigating homophobia, the movie became a cult classic among LGBTQ+ fans. Prime Video’s new series turns the subtext of that first movie into big, bold text. Casting the openly gay O’Donnell as a lesbian bar owner is a smart nod to that history.