Y’all remember Looking?
The critically acclaimed HBO series — which starred hotties like Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett, and Russell Tovey — followed the lives of three gay friends as they tackled the messiness that comes with relationships, careers, and the San Fran 20-teen queer scene.
Despite lasting just two seasons (and a one-off finale movie), the show’s indie vibe and honest depiction of everything from douching to homophobia helped it become a cult classic amongst LGBTQ+ viewers. And thanks to the power of HBO Max, a whole new generation has become acquainted with the exploits of Patrick, Dom, and Agustin.
From Patrick and Richie’s meet cute on public transit, to a well-timed “Piece of Me” sync at the club, the elders of Gay Twitter (read: anyone who remembers dial up internet) have stepped up to educate Gen-Z on the series gone too soon. In case you’re new here: before Bartlett was rimming Lukas Gage on The White Lotus, he was hanging with his BFF Doris and trying to open a restaurant. And pre-Hamilton, Groff was slacking off on his job as a video game designer and Googling “uncut Latin c*cks.”
Looking may have aged as well as Lady Gaga’s Artpop amongst the gays, but it wasn’t universally beloved upon release.
Shortly before its cancellation, Vox dubbed it “the best show no one’s watching.” And recently, Tovey — who played Kevin, Patrick’s on-again, off-again a**hole boss and BF — called out the community’s lack of support at the time in an interview with The Independent. “The critical narrative at the beginning was that nothing much happened in it,” he said. “That it was too boring. But it was just real life!”
Considering it was a period where LGBTQ+ people were still digesting what meaningful representation looks like, Tovey implied that we didn’t know how good we had it. “[The lack of interest in the show] broke me honestly,” he said. “If that show came out now, it’d have a completely different response.”
To be fair, Looking was ahead of its time. The show premiered in 2014: the year Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscars selfie broke the internet, Frozen’s “Let It Go” tightened its vice grip on the world, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge had us dousing ourselves in freezing cold water. The idea of a series opening with a gay man soliciting a handy in the woods… and then charting his romantic developments with nuance felt groundbreaking.
Without a doubt, the series paved the way for LGBTQ+ shows that followed it (You’re welcome, Euphoria). And a few weeks ago, Daniel Franzese, who starred in Season 2, reignited the fandom when he tweeted, “Miss the gang! Maybe we should make a Christmas movie?” Fingers crossed, but until then, we’ll have to keep *looking* for a series that feels as resonant. See what we did there?
In honor of the Looking’s viral renaissance, click through for a look back at 20 pics from the premiere and some of our favorite show moments…
theaterbloke
Looking was a bad series featuring unlikeable characters. Once they lost Scott Bakula & O.T. Fagbenle, and made Russell Tovey just as unlikeable as the main cast, there was never going to be a recovery. Even the movie finale couldn’t redeem them, despite giving them all a bit of growth into the realm of the non-self-centered.
Vince
I loved Looking and so did my friends. Total injustice ending it. The problem was that they started listening to the online bitchers and their ad nauseum complaining. So then they changed the characters and that only intensified the complainers.
I think the series could’ve done well if it had gotten the chance.
Pietro D
Well, I will very determindely say that even with some changes, I supported and loved the series and still do. It was shocking to pullit offthe air so uncerimoniously without letting the “Looking” find a tue core of followers. HBO wanted to yank it and they did. Nothing would ever have changed their mind.
correctio
not to be pedantic but Patrick and Richie met on BART not on the bus
TheX86
LOVED the show! Everyone calling the characters “unlikeable” are more than likely the one in their friends group that no one likes ? You just hate that show show featured actual gay characters & not some made-up sexuality & identities that has sadly become the forefront of the “community”
Darson
Just watched two episodes and it didn’t hold my attention. That’s just how the world spins. Someone actually thought that Friends of WeHo was a good idea right up until it wasn’t.
DBMC
A really sweet series. I loved how understated it was. I know a lot of people wanted it to be “Queer As Folk” but I thought it was so much better.
Kangol2
A dull series (though it did give Raúl Castro and the hilarious Bashir Salahuddin a boost) but Queerty is really in the tank for it, so each to his/her/their own.
SFMike
Jonathan Groff’s poorly written main character is what killed the show in my opinion. He was such a pathetic person it was hard to take. Once his character grew up a little the show was better but it was too late, and people had stopped watching. An example the whole uncut boyfriend thing was just carried way too far and it wasn’t funny, just sad and pathetic. It needed at least another season but shows about gay men, if they’re not about stereotypical queens, i.e. Queer Eye, always get the cut while 3rd rate hetero crap goes on and on.
smittoons
I thought Groff did a great job, but had a messy character. I could countenance a little of his naivety and superficial views because he was a hot guy from a smaller city with internal issues to process. But at the same time it was hard to imagine him being that insecure and unfamiliar with basic elements of gay culture because he was a hot guy approaching 30 who lived in the heart of SF.
But where he ends up in the finale is totally fine. I’d have watched more seasons but I am glad they got to wrap the show up the way they did.
dbmcvey
That was kind of the point of his character. He was naive and immature, he made a lot of mistakes which is what made the character real.
Pietro D
Very Bad Decision on the Part of HBO…… They didn’t give it a chance to grow. Even with all the bitching and complaints about the program, I truly enjoyed it. As an older teen, it was exciting to see gay men in the humdrum of ordibary life. THAT APPEALED TO ME. HBO wnated to get rid of the show and nothing but nothing was going to change the idiot minds at HBO. I’ve never forgiven them for slashing that program; I subscribe to many, too may streaming platforms, but I will not subscribe to HBO ever again! If someting truly remarkable has to be seen, I can see it at any number of friends’ homes.
Huron132
I loved the show. It had so many good moments, but the the bad ones kind of were really bad. I would have loved to see more of Daniel and Patrick needed to be less paranoid. Also yes they needed to keep Scott Bakula in it through out. I know I’ll be ganged on this, but Raul Castros character was a bit boring. They should have included him as part of the gang cast with stories on him. He an Jonathan were never believable as boyfriends. But the actors that were in this show I loved them all!
Joshooeerr
In the history of gay TV series Looking is indisputably in the category of Dead Horses. One has to wonder why Queerty continues to flog it so long after its demise.
lykeitiz
Good actors can’t save horrible writing. The only defense its supporters have is that it was like “real life”. Countless shows have been about real life and have managed to be entertaining.
Oddly, I never understood the primary complaint about Groff’s character. There are plenty of man-childs in the gay world. You can’t have a bad character in an all-bad show.
bachy
I remember the criticisms at the time, but I would like to assure anyone involved with the production of Looking that both the series and the movie were excellent. I invited friends to watch it with me. We all laughed, recognizing ourselves – and the one from SF actually cried, reminiscing about his experiences in the city. I think of Looking as a more realistic and relatable Tales of the City.
GayEGO
Hey, when I was a kid, back in the 1940s and ’50s, we called it fooling around. I remember “The Fall of ’55” in Boise, Idaho when I heard all of the words – queer, deviates, sissies, homosexuals, etc. but I didn’t care. I met my love when I was in Boston in the Navy 1st Naval District Band and was a flute player, back in 1962. We were together 57 years, married the last 15 years, now I am a widower!
ladron
Looking always seemed to be looking for narrative, good writing, interesting characters, purpose, tension, character development, and so on.
Wasn’t bad as a MUNI fetish video, but as a drama …. lordy, no.
BStewart27
I loved it, and my pharmacy and a bit of my forearm are in the HIV testing scene.