sneak peek

Josh Thomas on his new series about gay sex and autism: “That’s the story I’m here to tell.”

Australian creator Josh Thomas is probably best known for his show Please Like Me, which was nominated for five Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards during its four-season run. Now, three years after that show wrapped, he’s back with Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, a new comedy series that tackles a number of difficult issues, including autism, sex, consent, terminal illness, death, and grief.

“This show is just three characters,” 32-year-old Thomas tells E! News. “I wanted a character with autism, I wanted a teenage girl—I always think teenage girls are really interesting, and then I’m in it…because it’s my job…If they let you be in your own TV show, of course you’re there, yeah.”

Thomas plays Nicholas, a gay entomologist who moves to the U.S. from Australia after the death of his father and becomes the guardian of his two American half-sisters, Matilda and Genevieve. Along for the ride is Nicholas’ boyfriend, Alex.

The relationship between Nicholas and Alex develops over the course of the season, beginning as a casual affair and eventually turning into something more serious. Thomas says that in writing the series he tried to show gay characters at their very best but also at their very messiest.

“Freeform, you know, they’re open to stuff,” he says. “I mean, they hired me because I was gay. That was a big plus to them. They love diversity and they love all that stuff.”

The series is being praised for its realistic handling of gay sex.

“There’s a moment where Alex pushes my legs up and it’s clear that he’s doing it to put his d*ck in my butt,” Thomas explains. “They queried it very gently. They said, ‘Do you think in that scene when the legs go up…’ and I said, ‘We absolutely need that. That’s what identifies it as anal sex. Gay sex is anal sex and if you don’t let me have that you’re telling me I can’t put gay sex on television.’ And then they never brought it up again. I think they agreed.”

The network’s reaction was nothing new for Thomas, however.

“That’s the pushback I get with the gay sex scenes always,” he explains. “It’s never the boys are kissing or whatever, it’s always like the moments where it’s clear they’re doing anal.”

“I’m like: ‘If you don’t let me do that, then you’re not going to get a gay sex scene. You’re going to get a straight sex scene acted out by two gays.’ You’re going to get some heavy petting, but that’s not actually what we do. We do anal sex and that’s the story I’m here to tell.”

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on Freeform with new episodes becoming available on Hulu and demand the following day.

Watch the trailer below.

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10 Comments

  • Doctor Benway

    “They hired me because i was gay”

    And not because you’re a good writer… or actor? And you’re proud if that? Oh wait….

    “Gay sex is anal sex”

    Okay, i think they hired him because he’s really dumb.

    • jsmu

      @DoctorBenway What part of homophobia is beyond the capabilities of your miniscule two-celled brain’s comprehension? OF COURSE gay sex is anal sex, you imbecile! It is not the ONLY sex gay men have but it is by light years the most COMMON sex gay men have, and the attempted censorship of anal scenes is blatant and painfully obvious bigotry and homophobia. By the way, the fact that the writer/actor was HONEST about why he was hired is also completely lost on your tiny mind. I think you comment because you’re incredibly moronic and online fora are the only places that put up with you!

    • Kangol2

      @jsmu, actually, as it turns out fellati0 and masturbati0n more popular among gay men than anal sex, if surveys are to be believed. Google it.

    • Chevelter

      Calm down, jsmu. Sheesh.

  • Lazycrockett

    Please Like Me was one of the best comedies I have ever seen, so Im excited about this.

  • Jim

    I thought, (and still think) that Jim Parsons was a coward for not making Sheldon gay. Yeah it’s wasn’t his show, but without him Big Bang failed to exist.
    I remember decades ago. Yes decades an gay autistic man being interviewed on the BBC

  • RandomGuy

    Since I don’t do anal am I not gay, My mom will be ecstatic!

  • Chevelter

    I don’t do anal so I must not be gay either. But Josh Thomas, I love you, Please Like Me was brilliant.

  • tallskin2

    has anyone watched this new series yet?

  • Hillers

    Huge fan of “Please Like Me,” and was so excited when this show premiered. Glad Josh has a platform to continue to showcase his quirky brilliance. The show is already living up to my expectations. I find I’m a bit crestfallen when the episode is about to end.

Comments are closed.