Here’s the problem with an identity-based show like HBO’s upcoming series Looking. As fellow gay, bisexual or otherwise-identified men, we’re all going to expect to see ourselves represented onscreen in some way, shape or form. This is bound to happen, no matter how hard (or not hard) the producers strive to prevent it.
Remember when Girls premiered? Even before the first episode aired, there were dozens of think pieces written that ranged from “This lacks diversity and doesn't represent who I am as a woman” to “Finally! Someone made a show about what it’s like to be a woman in your early twenties”.
The fact of the matter is that neither show can be everything to everyone. When the first episode of Looking airs, you’re going to hear people praising its “honesty” and others complaining that it’s an intolerable glimpse into gay culture. Skeptics will refer to the use of sex and nudity as stereotypical, all whilst failing to realize that almost every HBO show uses sex and nudity to draw in viewers. We’ll all hold up a mirror and ask why there’s nobody who looks like us on the show, all whilst failing to realize that the show never claimed to tell the story of every single gay man in existence.
These characters are inspired by living, breathing individuals who exist in the real world. There’s a story behind them, and frankly, you might not be interested in hearing about it. While you have every right to be frustrated that their stories are being told instead of yours—and they've been told over and over again—you’you've got to acknowledge that they have every right to have their story heard.
But, uh, with that said? This show seems like it has as much depth and substance as MTV’s old late-night sex series Undressed. Our pal Mike Enders at Accidental Bear had kind words to say, but we won’t believe ‘em until we see it for ourselves. Come January 19, we’ll all know for sure how we feel.
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