HBO's Looking

[SFK]

Ooop!

[EricMontreal22]

LOL That's one reason I'm glad I don't know too many (successful) film or tv actors... I have a hard enough time sitting through a play when I know the true personality of someone in it...

Yeah, Scott is back. I dunno, contracts seem less restrictive between cable and network shows--it's just time constraints (ie Alisoan Janey and Beau Bridges' on Masters of Sex and their, awful, sitcoms which have meant they've been largely absent this season.)

[Taoboi]

And so is Eric so YAY!!!!

[EricMontreal22]

Which one was Eric?

[Taoboi]

I mean you...writer of good commentary.

[EricMontreal22]

Ha! LOL *very flattered*

[Taoboi]

You are welcome.

Before I was added to the board, I used to read the OLTL pages and other places and you have been one of the many who have interesting thoughts on things, ideas, and shows. And you understand how actors are (Theater minor here) which is a plus.

[EricMontreal22]

Looking has added a transgender character for its upcoming second season.

The HBO series is expected to return in early 2015, and will feature three new recurring characters, TV Line reports.

Sammie, a female-to-male transgender character, lives at a shelter where Agustín gets a job, following his crisis at the end of last season.

Meanwhile, the new episodes will also introduce viewers to Malik, an African-American employee in the San Francisco mayor’s office, as well as Richie’s new redheaded boyfriend, Brady.

Russell Tovey has been upgraded to a series regular for the new season, alongside fellow recurring stars Lauren Weedma, who plays Doris, and Raul Castillo, who appears as Richie.

Looking received mixed reviews when it debuted in January, and attracted modest ratings, but eventually secured a renewal from HBO for 10-episode second season.

[Taoboi]

Could be interesting.

Brady as everything Patrick WASN'T.

And it would interesting to see how the writers handle a gay black character.

[SFK]

Maybe I'm making too much of this, but why mention that the dude is redheaded? Seems oddly fetishist to me. "We gotta Latin, we gotta black, we gotta trans, we gotta ginger..."

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Not interested in seeing a trans character so I hope that's a minor role. But other than that I'm interested in what a new season will bring.

[EricMontreal22]

Apparently at least for this season it is (even with more episodes, there are only so many characters they can feature.) Obviously, I cynically say, they felt the pressure from those who complained the show was not diverse enough (though I'm sure they will still get flack for not having a gay Asian in San Francisco...)

[Faulkner]

Yeah, my hope is that they don't do diversity for its own sake. Nothing is worse than forced diversity, especially coming from privileged white male creatives. The introduction of a trans character struck alarm bells for me, as in-PC as it sounds. It just doesn't sound organic to the story the show was telling, and I was generally fine with the show as is. Perhaps I'll be proven wrong, and they'll seamlessly integrate the character into the story.

[Taoboi]

What Faulker said. Hopefully they pull a Shonda Rhime early Grey's Anatomy approach to casting.

[EricMontreal22]

One of the main writers on the small writing team is Tanya Saracho who is latina (and I think a lesbian,) and she said in an interview that much of the Hispanic elements in season 1 came from her, but I tend to agree. Queer as Folk (the remake) suffered, as I've stated before, from wanting to represent "every gay--and lesbian," (something they failed quite miserably at, really, since it was such a white show.) And it didn't work. While I know this polarized people, part of the appeal of the series for me was the "indie film" style where agendas didn't seem to be particularly pressed. I'm gonna trust this will continue, but I understand the trepidation people may have to the news. (With the bumps in some of the cast going to regulars, it's not like, even with two more episodes, the show really has a ton of room to flesh out more characters anyway, but they are listed as supporting.)