Why HBO’s "Looking" Is The Honest Gay Series We’ve Been Waiting For

[xchrom]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/why-hbos-looking-is-the-honest-gay-series-weve-been-waiting


Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), Dom (Murray Bartlett), and Patrick (Jonathan Groff) take Muni. David Moir / HBO

For an LGBT audience, there are few things more bittersweet than a character who “just happens to be gay.”
On the one hand, this is progress: A character’s sexual identity has become incidental — not his or her one defining trait, not a problem to overcome, not the impetus for the narrative. On the other hand, it’s a cheap way to avoid any actual discussions of what it means to be an LGBT person. The character exists simply so the show can proclaim its own diversity, and that kind of tokenism no longer flies in 2014.

Enter Looking, Michael Lannan’s HBO series — which begins Jan. 19 at 10:30 p.m. — about gay men that has found that seemingly unattainable balance: This is a show about characters who just happen to be gay that is also about their gayness, insofar as it explores their romantic and sexual relationships. It’s a series where the queerness is intrinsic but not limiting, offering characters who are fleshed out enough to not be dismissed as LGBT types, while also putting their sexuality front and center. In terms of LGBT representation, Looking stands alone.

To call Looking the “gay Girls” is to seriously diminish the essential work that it’s doing. Jonathan Groff stars as Patrick, a successful video game developer who struggles in his romantic life. At his side are friends Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), an artist’s assistant, and Dom (Murray Bartlett), an aspiring restaurateur stuck in limbo as a waiter. These are rich, complex characters — not to mention the San Franciscans they interact with — and they speak to the question that has daunted LGBT entertainment for decades: How do you make a gay TV series without making it just about being gay?

[William769]

1. I am anxiously awaiting the premiere.

[xchrom]

2. me too! there's so much that is new to me and so much that reminds me of my

gloriously misspent youth.

[daleanime]

3. If your not afraid of sub titles.....

may I suggest Genshiken Second Season? Try 3 episodes if your interested.

Available on crunchyroll and hulu.

[xchrom]

4. thanks. nt

[DemocraticWing]

5. It's about time.

Most American shows rely on stereotypes or just make the entire show about simply being gay, failing to create coherent stories. There are some good foreign shows that do better though, my favorites are Grandma's House (UK) and Please Like Me (Australia). The latter is on Pivot in America, but I'm not sure if Grandma's House has found its way to American television yet.

[joeybee12]

6. Facial Hair! Does this mean...

The Clone Era is back???

[Behind the Aegis]

10. My partner thought it was set in the 70's.

I have to say, facial hair is one trend I don't want to see come back. Did you see the first episode? I wasn't all that impressed. Though some series need a few episodes to catch stride, so I will watch a few more.

[dlwickham]

7. I'm looking forward to it as well

love Jonathan Groff

[deacon_sephiroth]

8. The L word

I guess you didn't watch the L word. The title is obviously ABOUT them being gay but the series really wasn't. Actually come to think of it, Orange is the new Black.... actually this has been done a couple times hasn't it. Not that this isn't as groundbreaking as you claim... it must just be on the MALE side.

[BlueEye]

9. Awesome! I'm looking forward to it.

Over 10 years ago, the gay community celebrated the show "Queer as Folk". I thought it was entertaining, and refreshing at that time to have a program that features the lives of LGBT people. But the show also played heavily on stereotypes and wasn't very realistic. It did little to depict the realities of life, which can be the source of much drama for persons gay and straight alike. From the description, it sounds like "Looking" will be better in that sense.