Many queer people know just how stressful it can be to take trips back to the places you grew up, and the new Prime Video series The Lake mines that all-too-familiar experience for maximum laughs and drama.
From showrunner Julian Doucet, The Lake is a new, eight-episode dramedy series that finds a recently divorced gay man named Justin (Orphan Black breakout Jordan Gavaris) returning to the lakeside town he used to spend his summers as a boy. He brings along Billie (Madison Shamoun), the daughter he gave up for adoption, as a means of reconnecting, but finds himself easily distracted by a quest to wrest control of his late father’s family cabin.
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Standing in the way is the place’s new owner, Justin’s “wicked step-sister” Maisy-May, in what should be a delightfully catty role for Julia Stiles—someone we’re always happy to see pop up on our screens. Between boxes of wine and competitive aquatic sports, the sibling rivalry heats up, and their feud is the through-line for a series filled with quirky characters, pop culture references, and plenty of gorgeous, Ontario scenery that should drive “cottagecore” folks wild.
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Partially inspired by Doucet’s own life, The Lake also gives us a glimpse into a dynamic rarely depicted in media: That of a queer parent and their child. They’ve been estranged for years, but Justin’s attempts to be Billie’s “cool birth dad” provide the series with many of its biggest laughs and most tender moments. It looks like the perfect, breezy summer watch if you need something to wind down with after another day of Pride Month celebrations.
The Lake streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning June 17. Watch the trailer below.
