Old Dogs & New Tricks

Old Dogs is a show with a lot of heart. It, refreshingly, presents gays as human and not as cloying metaphors. The characters have flaws but the flaws are not written to clumsily TEACH US VALUABLE LESSONS. I'd give the show ten stars just for dodging that movie of the week wheeze. The creator obviously likes his characters, so as one gets into the swing of the show one realizes, with relief, that no one is going to be "punished" to drive home A Message The Audience Needs To Hear. Ten stars, too for not equating the accouterments of heterosexuality with the road to happiness for gays. No character is going to impregnate a woman and live happily ever after in A New Kind Of Family. Ten Stars for not presenting gays as Fabulous Accessories For Straight Women. It is funny and well written and does not project contempt for its characters.

I'm over 50 myself, so I was excited to find a series for people like me. I hadn't seen it online, so the DVD was my first viewing.

What a disappointment! It may be relevant to aging gay men in West Hollywood, but to real aging gay men living real lives in the real world? No way.

It's the same old hard-driving, bitchy, super-competitive crap that comes spewing out of West Hollywood constantly. SOMEBODY finds that life appealing, but not me.

There's nothing new or entertaining here, just older characters living the same boring, driven, shallow lives that evidently are what's considered normal in that tiresome place.

I was prepared to love this for the comedy; what I didn't expect is the heart felt and touching presence throughout each and every episode. Leon Acord brings Nathan to life with a deft touch that makes me pause consistently so I can think about what I've just seen. I came for Nathan and fell in love with Nelson (!), Brad, Al - Muscles, Ross and all the other 'characters' that make this series so great. I have laughed many times, and teared up too, at the actions and motivations of this group of friends who just want what everyone wants, you know - the simple things in life: friends, love, acceptance, health and a good brunch. If anyone is giving this beloved serious a low review then in my opinion, they haven't really watched it at all. They have some kind of personal agenda that precludes understanding a lovely series like this one.

So it's a thing. Haters know how to game the system on social media and review pages, and they have shown up in large numbers to downgrade content that has gay themes, including this show.

I'm a cisgender straight female and I love this show. The writing is funny and the characters are likable and the issues are realistic.

The drama and tension in the episodes doesn't feel scripted, and the acting gets better as the seasons progress. I really love the generous use of famous guest stars and the great music, too.

I can't wait for the last season to unfold this fall, and I will miss it when it's finally gone.

All the episodes are out there (no pun intended) for viewing. But be warned-once you begin watching, you'll have to see it through to the end. It really is that good. Don't be fooled by the low number of stars...