Looking

Lighten up: Looking is not a documentary and its characters may not be instantly relatable (or even terribly likable). But those are not necessarily shortcomings.

Viewers who relax and just let the show unfold will find they'll enjoy it more than if they spend every moment trying to find themselves on screen or divine some higher purpose from watching it.

It's well known that in gay online culture, "looking" means "I'm available for sex - now." Here, however, it means so much more.

These characters are really looking for fulfillment: through relationships, careers, self-expression, entrepreneurship, family and friendship. (Oh, yeah -- if that hot guy over there is down to play, so are they). But hooking up is not the central theme of this show despite the sexy come-on of the title.

This show is not Queer as Folk, Part II. While QaF's characters spent a lot of time wringing their hands over equality, acceptance and pride, Looking's whole approach to being gay has matured along with society and the audience. These characters are fully realized, assimilated and don't dwell on whether society accepts them.

The men of Looking are just too busy fiddling with their smart phones (cruising Grindr or Scruff, perhaps?) to waste any time navel-gazing over their sexual orientation. There's a post-gay sensibility about these characters (Yup; I'm a homo - so, what?) that is very refreshing. QaF often just waved a rainbow flag when its stories ran out of steam. Don't expect that to happen here.

Looking also avoids a pitfall about which gays have long griped: the over-use of stereotypical, "fem-acting" gay characters. Looking's guys range from pretty masculine to downright butch. Finally, here's a show that celebrates the fact that intimacy between men can be a hyper-masculine experience and deserves to be showcased as such. These dudes just enjoy getting frisky with other dudes. There's nothing sissy 'bout that.

It's also refreshing to see characters of different ages relating socially even though some might say this happens infrequently in the real world. Older characters may sheepishly refer to the "old days" while the younger characters pretend not to notice that their friends are, well, older.

As the series unfolds, I hope the show will explore inter-generational dating, open relationships, monogamy, celibacy, and also how many of these things can also take place within a marriage.

I also hope it will delve into the still-surprising "ordinariness" of what it is to be gay today, especially in a major city. Despite the good word of mouth, leading a gay life can often be less than fabulous. There's a fair amount of slogging away at work, paying taxes, taking out the trash, tending to family and mowing the lawn. Just ask around.

It would be easy to pigeonhole this as a "gay" show, but I hope heterosexual viewers will fall in love with its quirky characters and insights.

They'll discover that whether gay or straight, we're all more alike than many of us realize: People are generally horny, driven to succeed and need to feel loved. In short, we're all Looking.

Looking follows a trio of friends in San Francisco as they deal with various dating conundrums and relationship drama. The first season consists of just eight, 30-minute episodes – which sucks, because this series is great and addictive.

Some people have called Looking the gay(er) version of Sex and the City, although that doesn't do the newcomer justice. There are funny bits, sure, but these flow naturally from everyday, believable situations. The tone is more documentary, far less exaggerated, and there isn't a new hook or theme each week. It's just a continuing story that is soap-like without getting soapy. The series doesn't rush, giving intimate scenes – with engaging, natural dialogue – room to breathe. Andrew Haigh's influence as a director is clear. He previously made the well-received movie Weekend, which has the same style. (Though not he but Michael Lannan is the main writer and creator of Looking.)

The cast is charming and convincing. And fairly hot, which doesn't hurt, as there is some not-too-crude nudeness. The three main players are Patrick Murray (Jonathan Groff) a twinky game designer who has awkward sexual tension with his boss, Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez) a scruffy artist who has trouble finding his inspiration and Dom (Murray Bartlett) a mustached, beefcake waiter with ambitions of opening his own restaurant. Supporting are the scruffy artist's boyfriend (O.T. Fagbenle), Dom's business partner and potential love interest Lynn (Quantum Leap and Enterprise's Scott Bakula), Patrick's aforementioned boss (Russell Tovey of Being Human), Dom's best girl-friend Doris (Lauren Weedman) and last but not least; Richie (Raúl Castillo), Patrick's hot and sincere love interest. An entire, sweet and sexy episode simply follows Richie and Patrick on their first date.

It's great to see a group of characters who are representative of gay life without trying too hard. They aren't caricatures and the series doesn't strain something trying to check all the boxes of all the sub-scenes within the gay scene. It doesn't run screaming from gay stereotypes but also doesn't overly sashay towards them. The Big Gay Issues have yet to take center stage – marriage, adoption, discrimination – the show being less militant than something like Queer as Folk. (Opinions may differ on that being good or bad for the gay cause.) Though there is barely a straight person in sight, and only one recurring woman in the cast, anybody watching the series could easily relate to the emotional turmoil these characters go through, regardless of their own orientation.

I generally prefer quality over quantity, but Looking is too high- quality for me to not want more quantity. So it's good that a second season is in the works, due late 2014 / early 2015. I guess that it will feature a love-triangle (or two) and I hope that it will show a bit more of the origin of the 'main three'. You don't see them together a lot and their dynamic with each other hasn't really been explored. As long as it stays this good, I will certainly keep Looking.

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The show spoke to me in a way that QUEER AS FOLK never did. As a early 30 something I saw something in it that I could relate to. I know many did not and were hoping to see another campy gay soap opera filmed in Canada with guys who looked like Andrew Christian models that spent 8 hours a day at the gym. This was the first gay series that I ever watched that didn't feel the need to dumb itself down so the airhead club queens would get it. Nor did it feel as if it had to be political to the point of coming across like an ABC After-School Special. It just wants to tell a story about 3 (now 6) people living and loving in the magical city by the bay.

For the very first time, I feel like there's something on TV oriented for the gay public worth of my time. I immediately became hooked up on this show because the characters are not shallow or mechanical (as it usually happens in gay movies and TV shows), but deep, alive and fun - in great part due to the amazing actors. Also, the stories in every episode are incredibly compelling and don't make me feel ashamed of the "gay world" as it usually happened when I watched Queer as Folk or many other shows where characters only preocupation is to have sex. The three main actors certainly are doing a great job and I couldn't have chosen better ones to impersonate each character. Thirty minutes episodes are way too short. I absolutely love the show.

Interesting to read some of the reviews of this show.Personally I find it a very entertaining,very watchable show, certainly not slow, and as one reviewer commented its nothing but sex,sex, sex! I think he completely misses the point of what the the writers and producers of this show have given us. I find the show has a wonderful sense of time and place, like Maupins Tales of the City which was so evocative of San Francisco in the seventies, the TV shows from those books were also great,this new show is expressive not just of present day gay life San Francisco,but of many cities in North America. Its a funny,heartwarming and very real series,reflective of many sides of peoples lives, and insightful as to how many of us think and behave. I find the dialogue extremely effective, the acting A1, and am happy to see that there will be a season two. Keep it going!!!