Gay TV Icons: Some Are Loveable—Some Not So Much
It’s not easy to criticize the television industry anymore for failing to include gay and lesbian people in programming. On both scripted and reality-based TV, from series aired on traditional broadcast networks to those pumped our way through quirky cable channels, LGBT folks seem to be everywhere.
It used to be that we would cheer almost any gay character. Remember how groundbreaking Billy Crystal’s silly portrayal of Jody was considered to be on the primetime ABC hit Soap in the 1970s? Compare one-note Jody to the nuanced roles played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet on the same network’s current hit Modern Family, and it’s easy to see how far we’ve come.
Our growing and (in some cases) increasingly sophisticated presence means that LGBT viewers can be more selective about the characters and personalities we choose to boost as queer icons. So, attention scriptwriters and queer tube talent: You’ll not win our endorsement anymore simply because you are your character is gay; now the pressure is on to entertain and enlighten us more than you annoy us. Here are a few performances and programs I currently recommend—and a couple others I’d suggest avoiding.
Like: I’ve mentioned this show before, and the good news is that The Fabulous Beekman Boys are returning for their second season beginning March 22 on Discovery’s Planet Green channel. As urbanites turned hands-on farmers in rural Sharon Springs, NY, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell share their struggle to make a going concern of agriculture while keeping their relationship strong. Meshing the two is not always an easy chore, and the drama is as fetching as Polka Spot the llama is amusing.
For the second season, the Boys’ Facebook page promises “more llama, more guest stars [including Martha Stewart, Rosie O’Donnell] and less bickering.” Don’t lose too much of the bickering, guys, because you do it so credibly, and many of us relate to the real you.
Not so much: Bickering is just about all there is to Logo’s The A-List, which is currently shooting its second season. The series is the gay cable channel’s second most popular show, trailing only Ru Paul’s smile-enducing Drag Race. (Of course, Logo produces so few series that being No. 2 isn’t that great of an accomplishment.)
I have been surprised how many of my straight friends say they enjoy watching The A-List. Surprised and a little embarrassed because the series would be more aptly titled Gay Men Behaving Badly. In fact, it is a queer variant of The Real Housewives franchise and at best might be tolerated as a guilty pleasure. If these bitchy wanna-be stars and cry babies are indicative of the city of New York’s current elite gay scene then the age of homosexual “culture” is truly kaput.
When Reichen Lehmkuhl (and his then partner, Chip) won The Amazing Race in 2003, I was a big fan. But as the central figure in The A-List Reichen mopes around and pouts even more often than he breaks up with his teary-eyed Brazilian boyfriend, Rodiney, while flirting with egotistical model Austin. Much of what passes for reality seems staged by the producers. Still, this show may be for you if you thrive on hissy fits, which frequently are set in restaurants where there are no customers other than the cast of The A-List. Perhaps they’re the most ostracized bunch in the Big Apple.
Like: Skins has been the most controversial series MTV has aired in years, an occasionally graphic fictional presentation of bored high schoolers exploring drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll. (Well, there’s a new subject for the entertainment industry!) Some weeks Skins plays like a broad comedy, others it’s quite personal—even touching—in tone. However, it is never boring, and the cast is consistently convincing. Not the least of the actors is Sofia Black-D’Elia, who portrays Tea, a matter-of-factly out-of-the-closet lesbian. Sultry and pretty, she draws the eyes of many a boy student and even toys with the self-absorbed, promiscuous stud-muffin Tony. But Tea is more often shown arm and arm with a girlfriend, and most of her classmates are quite okay with that. The script and Sofia’s performances leave no doubt that Tea is confident in her gay skin. You go, girl!
Not so much: For a time I thought there was hope for gay character Eric on Gossip Girl. After a stint in a mental health facility, Eric came out to his family a year or so ago and began seeing other young gay men. But this season the writers have portrayed him as a loser (again), a failure in relationships curiously drawn to a conniving heterosexual drug dealer. It’s not that any of the Gossip Girl characters are particularly heroic; in fact, they make the real life New Yorkers on The A List seem sweet—but at least Eric’s show-mates are tough-skinned and purposeful in their misdeeds. Eric comes off as a wimp and a simpleton, and as the show’s only regular gay character, that’s a disappointment.
Like: On Bravo’s reality-based Million Dollar Listing, real estate agent Madison Hildebrand charmed us last season by coming out of the closet, posing for pictures for the NOH8 Campaign and finding his first boyfriend. Although Madison seems strangely naïve for a Southern California hobnobber, his exuberant innocence makes him more likeable than the hard-nosed sellers also featured on the series. This season Madison continues to explore his sexuality while struggling to peddle pricey properties. One episode features transgender celebrity Candis Cayne, who hires rival agent Josh Flagg to find her a hip venue for a gay bar in West Hollywood.
Not quite as much: It doesn’t seem right to express anything less than total enthusiasm for loveable Kurt of Glee, the bullied high school student with the beautiful alto voice who has endured countless red slushies in the face and who has taught tolerance to his dad. But rather than sending Kurt off to an all-male (and seemingly all-gay) private school to escape the bullies, wouldn’t it be nice if series creator Ryan Murphy gave Kurt a gonad or two? Come on, Chris Colfer, speak up for your character. The verdict is still out on Kurt’s new pal, Blaine (Darren Criss), who sometimes seems to be toughening up his charge and who may be inching closer to a romantic relationship with him. By season’s end, the gay characters on Glee may yet do us proud.
Like: He’s not currently on TV but I can’t forget Prince Poppycock (John Andrew Quale). A self-described “roguish operatic dandy” with spectacular costumes and over-the-top makeup, Poppycock repeatedly wowed voters and surprised many viewers by making it into the finals of last season’s America’s Got Talent. In addition to a wide repertoire that ranges from Gregorian Chant to Verdi to Freddy Mercury rock, Poppycock’s TV stint showed him to be a sweetheart and a strong supporter of the right to be different. Since completing the AGT national tour, he’s been working on an album. Last month “his Royal Nonsense” (as he sometimes describes his character) sang at the exclusive Il Ballo del Doge party in Venice, Italy. And in May, he will host Rise Up and Shout, an annual Los Angeles event dedicated to empowering gay and lesbian youth in the coming out process. I can’t wait to see and hear Prince Poppycock perform on TV again.
Bill Sievert’s comical gay mystery novel “Sawdust Confessions” is currently available. Email Bill Sievert.