The Gay Representation Game on Amazon Prime

 

Time for another game of  Gay Representation on Amazon Prime.  Here's how it works: 

I go through the list of Amazon Prime's "TV Shows We Think You'll Like," skipping ones that I've seen or that are more than ten years old.  

If I can read the blurb without running across "after his wife dies/is kidnapped" (drama) or "the girl of his dreams" (comedy),  1 point

Episode list (if there is one), 1 point

 Plot synopsis on Wikipedia, 1 point.

Gay character in any of those places, 1 point.

Ready?

1. Plebs.  Three young men in a modern-storic Ancient Rome, working about jobs and "getting laid."   Episode 1: Two attractive women move in next door.  Score: 1

2. Life in Pieces.  The "hilarious" adventures of one eccentric family, starring James Brolin and Colin Hanks.  So, like Modern Family, without Cam and Mitchell?  In Episode 5, Tyler brings "his gorgeous new girlfriend" to meet the family. Gorgeous to whom?  Heterosexual male gaze.  Score: 2

3. The Green Room.  Sounds like stand-up, but it specifies "a scripted comedy" about a medical marijuana dispensary. 5 episodes, each 15 minutes long.  No wikipedia synopsis, and trying to google "The Green Room" and "gay" yields lots of real-life green rooms (the room where you wait to perform). Score: 2

4. The Weekend Warriors. Mitchell films his friends' "hilarious" shenanigans.  They play poker, go kickboxing, go to a bachelor party, a barbecue, the zoo.  Tell me this is a scripted series, not some amateur home movies!  No wikipedia page, no review online except for the Amazon reviews which say "offensive humor."  I'm going to guess no gay representation, and probably homophobic jokes. Score: 2.

5. The Family Man.  A "family man" is a man who has reproduced, and therefore is more moral, upright, stable, and just plain better than the rest of us.  He's had sex with a woman -- big deal.  Why does tha make him so darn holy?  In this case, the Family Man (Wasim Khan) works as a secret agent or something.  He may or may not be the same person as bodybuilder Wasim Khan. Who cares?  Score: 0..  

 

6. Small Town Security. The staff of JKK Security in Ringgold, Georgia prove that "truth is stranger than fiction."  Wait -- isn't this fiction? No, it's a reality show.  I hate reality shows, but that's not on the rubric.

 In Episode 2, someone suggests that The Captain (Dennis Starr Croft) have sex with a potential client to seal the deal, but he refuses, stating that "this life's husband for him is Irwin." Wait -- Irwin is Joan's husband.  This doesn't make sense.

However, Dennis -- called Denise in the first episode -- comes out as transgender, so a point for LGBT representation. Score: 4.

I'm still not watching any reality tv.

7. Forever.  Married couple June and Oscar try new things and "learn about love, commitment, and marriage." Score: 0

8. Intruders. A paranormal series about a secret society of people (or beings) who jump from body to body.  Ex-cop (Jack) has escaped his past "for a quiet life with his wife.  When she goes missing....."

With Tory Kittles as Jack's friend who becomes unstable after one of the intruders takes over his infant daughter.  After all the girls named Sam and Dave in these series, it's nice to see a boy with a girl's name for a change.  However, missing wife: . Score; 0.

9. Being Erica. Erica Strang meets the mysterious Dr. Tom, who offers to fix her life.  In each episode he sends her back in time to relive her high school graduation, an encounter with a nasty professor in college, her first sexual exeprience.  Sounds like an interesting premise.

In Episode 6, "Sam and Josh" are getting married.  Five to One Sam is a girl.

Yep. But according to Wikipedia, Erica has a gay uncle named Ruby, and two other people with masculine names get married: Dave and Ivan.

Dave is Erica's boss, introduced in Season 2.  He comes out as gay shortly thereafter, and marries Ivan in Season 4.  I'll take it.

Score: 4

10. Comic Book Men.  The "hilarious" antics of patrons and staff at Kevin Smith's comic book store.  Tell me this isn't reality tv.

It's reality tv.  And it lasted for seven years.  

According to a reviewer quoted on Wikipedia: "It’s diverting, a little sad, a little boring, full of geeky macho posturing and ultimately pointless, much like a Wednesday afternoon in a comic-book shop."  Another reviewer mentioned some homophobic jokes.  Score: 2

Two of the ten series got a 4.  Not bad