The summer of gay programming?

startribune.com ^

[chance33_98]

The summer of gay programming?

Neal Justin

Published July 28, 2003 QUEVAR

The Supreme Court's decision to wipe out anti-sodomy laws and the very real possibility that same-sex marriages will soon be legal in Massachusetts are ample reasons for the gay community to celebrate. But there's another recent event that -- in its own way -- is just as significant:

Butch got a makeover.

Bravo's "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy," this summer's sleeper hit, consists of a band of gay lifestyle mavens shaking up the lives of heterosexual subjects, like Brian (Butch) Schepel, by rearranging their wardrobes, changing their diets and snipping off that icky facial hair. Hello, Ralph Lauren. Goodbye, Ralph Malph.

The hour-long show, which debuted earlier this month, is the biggest hit in the history of Bravo, an arts channel whose previous mascot was "Inside the Actor's Studio" host James Lipton, a man who could stand a visit from the Fab Five.

NBC, which owns Bravo, took advantage of the show's popularity by slipping it into last Thursday's must-see lineup. The 30-minute condensed version drew 6.7 million viewers and retained 86 percent of "Will & Grace" viewers -- an impressive result considering that bonus episodes of "Will & Grace" and "Frasier" reruns were averaging 83 percent this summer.

But don't expect "Queer" to leave Bravo anytime soon. NBC entertainment president Jeff Zucker said that if "Queer" continues to post high numbers -- somewhere around 1.5 million viewers a week -- it could single-handedly double the $60 million the channel made last year.

"It's a smash hit right out of the box," Zucker said. "It's taken Bravo to a whole new level in just two weeks."

Its success bodes well for more gay-friendly programming, starting with Bravo's "Boy Meets Boy," a dating show that debuts Tuesday. Showtime has "The L Word," a drama about lesbians that should be an appropriate companion piece to the channel's "Queer as Folk." Fox's upcoming sitcom, "A Minute with Stan Hooper," has Norm McDonald moving to small-town Wisconsin where he befriends a gay couple who could have emerged from the "Hee Haw" cornfield. ABC's got "It's All Relative," in which a gay couple find it difficult to let go of their adult daughter who's marrying into a blue-collar family.

[chance33_98]

Long article, more at link.

[thegreatbeast]

This first appeared almost a week ago, I swear. But take another crack at it. Just don't forget Sundance, IFC and HBO as primarily gay channels (or so it seems).

[gcruse]

'Queer' is an entertaining show. The housing makeovers are amazing, and I've learned a thing or two about hair and getting them sideburns even. Phobes beware, you might find yourself liking the program and you know what a slippery slope that is.

[jocon307]

Well, you know hubby and I watched this show and it is very funny. First off, not all the gay guys are so flaming, and secondly they are not at all unsympathetic to the straight guy's plight.

It's extremely well done, we were just channel surfing and this show captured our attention with the opening credits. That NEVER happens. And it lived up to the promise.

We actually were concocting our own "sob story" to get the Fab Five over to our house. We planned for me & the kid to leave and then hubby could get the gay guys over to do a make over on him and the house in order to get us back.

Very well done show, amazing, really.

[cajungirl]

I love Queer Eye,,it is usually sweet, the people seem so grateful and the fab five are kind hearted and at the same time funny. It is a wonderful show,,I especially like the cloddy guy with the house that looked like toys r us,,he really did clean up good. I also like the decorator and the cook guy but all of them seem nice. It is a good show.

[L.N. Smithee]

I wonder if Jeff Zucker has a nickname.

[Camber-G]

The local NBC channel in Boise did't run it, replaced it with a "$10,000 Pyramid" episode or something.

The official line is that they won't show anything that already aired on another channel, LOL.

[jocon307]

"It is a good show".

It is, can't wait to see it again, in fact!

[longtermmemmory]

any man who is so pw that he would consent to this neutering deserves to have his manhood revoked. Obviously he is not the man of the house.

more on the normalising of deviancy. Note how they use the flaming fruitcake approach to show them an cartoon characters. They do not show the ugly aspects of what these efforts do to children. No this is a not good show and was not even mildly watchable.

The advertisers of this show will never have my business.

[gcruse]

bttt