Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride


Gay men are all over television and movies these days. But Hollywood still seems most comfortable keeping us in the "best friend" or "helper" role. Writer/performer Mike Albo looks to figure out why.
During the last several years of explosive cultural democratization, when Americans of all colors and genders were getting their long-overdue moment to tell their stories, portrayals of gay men seemed to be stuck in a holding pattern that has been around since Stanford Blatch on "Sex and the City." 
We have our Andy and Anderson and Jesse and Neil Patrick. And now, we even have a Prince Charming. But something is strikingly still the same: gay men are rarely central. Instead they are there to help. 
It’s hard not to conclude that gay men aren’t carrying shows in leading roles because, frankly, they aren’t ratings-getters. The bottom line seems to be that ordinary Americans can’t “identify” with us unless we are helping someone sjujz their bedroom. As long as we aren’t being too over-sharing about our weird, messy, sexual gay lives, then it’s OK for us to be around. The fate of "Looking" seems like evidence is a case in point. Sure, the show had its flaws, but so does "Girls" and so does "Divorce."" Looking" was emotional and sexual, a bumpy ride that looked at the messiness, mistakes, and false starts in gay male culture. But despite the show’s promise, it wasn’t given a chance, neither by HBO nor its audiences.
Read on HERE.

3 comments:

jaragon said...

"Looking" was an excellent show and I really miss those guys.

Vixlad said...

That is true to an extent. But it's better than being completely shut out.

Cowboy Jim said...

"The fate of "Looking" seems like evidence is a case and point.

What is a "case and point" :) Spell check is not enough.