This could be a platform for up and coming gay comics to hone their skills.
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"The Big Gay Sketch Show" is a bold experiment. Produced for the ad supported Logo cable network, the program is targeted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Even though the cast is comprised of both queer and straight performers, each skit it geared toward the community. Much in the same way "Saturday Night Live" or "Mad TV" casts its topics to the widest possible audience, each and every sketch celebrates the gay community. Whether it be versions of classic sitcoms replacing the traditional heterosexual characters with gay equivalents or producing wholly original personalities, "The Big Gay Sketch Show" pioneers new television ground.
In the six episode first season, the growing pains of a new series are on full display. Despite the veterans in front of and behind the scenes-Rosie O´Donnell is a producer, "Married…with Children" alum Amanda Bearse is the series director, Johnny "The Gay Pimp" McGovern gets copious amounts of screen time-there is a rough feeling to the first two or three episodes, as if no one is quite sure which sketch is going to work and which won´t. The series does start with a bang, however, with a riff on "The Facts of Life" showcasing a romance between Jo and Blair. With Michael Serrato portraying Mrs. Garrett (he himself is a bigger, gentlemen who nails Edna rather well) and a wonderfully spot on Erica Ash as Tootie, this simple sketch provides the promise for the series.
By the end of the first 22 minutes, though, we start to understand what the early days of "SNL" was like without recognizable trademarks or sketches. While all the performers are up to the task of a groundbreaking comedy program, they seem a bit lost as to the tone of the series until the third episode. It is here the show begins to find its true footing, developing recurring sketches such as Logo Life Tips (with Chad Michael and Michael Chad), where two men teach the audience everything from the complex art of origami to making homemade glitter. Needless to say, neither project is as easy as they sound in the instructions.
It is also in the third episode where the show begins to get political. Until this point, the humor tends to stay on the "safe" side, preferring not to engage in politics, religion or current events. Indeed, even a deleted sketch in the extras is called "I Can´t Believe It´s Not the Body and Blood of Christ!" It is perhaps the most offensive thing we see in the first season. My guess is someone at Logo got cold feet over airing it on a network dependent on advertiser dollars (unlike it´s rival, Here! TV) and decided to cut it. By the second half of the season, a slew of recurring characters are introduced.
In addition to Logo Life Tips, we´re introduced to Fitzwilliam, a boy who wants a vagina; McGovern turning into a gay werewolf during a full moon; a loud mouth woman with big glasses; and a large woman immensely proud of her gay son. Here, we get the sense the show is beginning to play to its strengths, both creatively and of the performers. McGovern gets the lion share of screen time in the season finale, perhaps owing to his uninhibited performance style. Going from one half of Logo Life Tips to the gay werewolf and then to Captain Swaggert (Jimmy Swaggert, get it?), a pirate who takes over a lesbian cruise, he displays complete confidence in every character he takes on. And because of that, there is a chance of McGovern overload.
With an eight member cast-and no guest hosts or musical guests-each performer is required to be more multitalented than their "SNL" counterparts. And with a much sparser set consisting of only a wooden platform and a couple chalkboard-like backdrops, not to mention a few props, to work with, this is a truly low budget production relying on the writing and comedians to succeed. By and large, it does just that: succeeds. Several of the cast members mention the relative novelty of working on a comedy program where gays are the punch line by other gays and gay-friendly people. It´s a very fine line between what happens on this show and what happens on other comedy programs.
Why? Because the series is by gay people, for gay people, based on gay people. That dynamic enables the production to be flashier or, dare I say it, gayer than "SNL" ever could be without incurring the wrath of certain audiences. The cast is given considerable leeway and freedom in the portrayal of their characters throughout by Bearse. I´d be a liar is I said the humor never engaged in stereotypes. It does more often than not, most likely by design. To create a short hand the audience can understand with a minimum of exposition, stereotypes have to be used. When McGovern turns into the gay werewolf, he wears a white tank top with the colors of the rainbow along with a pair of short shorts. Stephen Guarino´s receptionist prances around in even shorter multicolored shorts. Julie Goldman is pigeonholed as the stereotypical lesbian, playing the masculine female parts in any sketch which demands it.
In the end, only one question really matters: Is "The Big Gay Sketch Show" funny? Yes, it is. Not every single moment or every single sketch. Some carry on for too long, others not long enough. A character or two comes off as a bit too abrasive and there is an over-reliance on the established characters toward the end of the season. McGovern takes over the screen late in the season to the detriment of the other actors, though it isn´t his fault. But yes, the program delivers on the humor aspect which is written into its mandate. There are a fair share of opening season jitters and missteps to be sure-the Sappho´s Lips sketches suffer from a lack of subtitles and poor singing from Goldman and Kate McKinnon. But there is enough potential in the first season to warrant further investment in the series by Logo, the viewers and crew.
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