Thursday, October 30, 2014

Must Lesbian TV

So I’m terribly behind in this new season of TV and get the sense I should be watching things I am not. In particular, I feel I should be watching new shows with new lesbian recurring/regular characters. I am watching “Gotham” with its clearly pinning for her ex Renee Montoya already. So at least I have that going for me.

I also saw the pilot of “Jane the Virgin” and liked it (as unlikely as the premise was). But then I forgot to set a series recording and now I’m behind. But I want to catch up because a) its good reviews and b) the lesbian gynecologist/accidental inseminator.

I have not watched “Marry Me,” mostly because I couldn’t tell it apart from the other rom-comy sitcoms debuting this season like “A to Z,” “Manhattan Love Story” and “Selfie.” But Marry Me at least has the advantage of having both a) Casey Wilson and b) a lesbian friend played by Timberlee Hill. So, maybe I should watch?

I also know there’s a lesbian sister character on “Survivor’s Remorse,” but I don’t really care about the world of professional basketball and/or shows produced by LeBron James so that’s probably a skip in my book.

I’m not sure if these new characters add up to a “Fall TV lesbian revolution,” as The Washington Post claims. But at least it’s a few more gay ladies to add to the cannon. (I tend to think the loss of lesbian and bisexual characters recently is more noteworthy, ahem.) Also, as I noted earlier this week, we’re still waiting for more of those elusive shows centered exclusively around a gay lady/ladies – instead of just including us on the periphery.

So now it’s your turn. Help a lady who likes ladies out. Are you watching any of these shows? Which ones seem worth it?

p.s. Ended up watching Marry Me and, yes, it gets a full season record. Also, bonus gay dads.

8 comments:

Franziska said...

Jane the Virgin is a good show. It's funny and quite different since the original show was a Telenovela. They try to incorporate that style into a typical american dramedy. And somehow that works. Especially because the characters are well developed. And I think that the show already got an order for a second season, so it might be worth it to catch up.

I haven't seen Marry Me either, simply because I don't have the time to watch all the new (and old) shows that I like. I can't give you any advice here.

I watched Manhattan Love Story but I'm happy that ABC cancelled the show already. I wouldn't have watched it much longer. It was too boring and the minor characters just annoyed me to no end.

This is the first time that I hear of "Survivor's Remorse" but I don't think I'm interested in that concept.

I'm not sure about Gotham. I watched the first 2 or 3 episodes but I just can't get into it. So far my only highlight is Fish Mooney and I doubt that one character can make a mediocre show bearable in the long run. I think right now there is still some hype because, Hey! It's the Batman-Universe!, but if these characters and the episode-storylines stay as predictable and boring as they are now, I believe Gotham will become a show that you just leave on because nothing better is on TV...but wait! There is Netflix!

Anonymous said...

Survivor's Remorse is definitely worth watching. Basketball plays a plot point but isn't the main focus and LeBron isn't hands on in producing. The show is more about family and it is really funny and very different than all the rom-coms this season. Also, the cast is diverse and talented. Don't miss out on the show simply because you aren't into basketball.

*If you need more of a gay connection, the writer of the show is Kurt's dad on Glee.

Anonymous said...

M-Chuck on Survivor's Remorse is one of the best lesbian characters I have ever seen. She is a tough femme of color who is unapologetic about loving women and who is loved and accepted by her family. In episode four, her brother tries to get a minister of a church they are considering joining to be more accepting of LGBT people.

kasadilla11 said...

I don't watch much TV-TV anymore, but if you want a show with actual gay ladies as the leads, as well as actual gay/queer folk as the peripheral characters, as well as actual gay/queer ladies playing gay/queer characters, watch Carmilla on YouTube!!

It's like a cross between Buffy, Veronica Mars, Welcome to Night Vale, and awesomeness. Also, bonus, the episodes are like 4 minutes long on average, so you can get caught up in about an hour or so.

You're welcome.

Anonymous said...

Besides the good reviews on Afterellen, Bridget Regan playing a lady-loving ex-lawyer is what convinced me to watch Jane the Virgin. And I have to say - even though telenovelas really aren't my cup of tea - it's a good show with many heartfelt moments. In addition to having interesting storylines, it uses every opportunity it gets to hilariously point out the absurdities of the telenovela genre. So I'll definitely continue watching. :)

Anonymous said...

Jane the virgin is like a mixture of Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. The best thing about the show is that Jane is attractive but not wildly gorgeous. There are many super gorgeous women on the show but they are in supporting roles. The lesbian character is there for kicks I think.

Carmen SanDiego said...

I wanna watch Jane the Virgin because I loved Ugly Betty
May catch up on Survivors Remorse just because of MChuck. I am always complaining that there are not many lesbians of color and when we get one I don't even watch? It is my duty...

Anonymous said...

You should totally watch SURVIVOR's REMORSE. NO lesbian on TV today like M-Chuck (played by Erica Ash of Big Gay Sketch). Hilarious and also subtle and real. Plus it is produced and written by Mike O'Malley who plays Kurt's dad on GLEE. Serious awesome Lesbian/gay visibility on the show.