Sunday, April 12, 2015

Creator of Cucumber and Banana talks to Think Progress

Cucumber and Banana are two new gay-themed shows from the creator of Queer as Folk, Russel T. Davies, which will air on US TV starting this Monday on Logo after Rupaul's Drag Race. Of the recently canceled Looking, Davies says:
I loved Looking… It was a subtle piece of work, and I think, frankly, now that it’s over I can just be blunt and say that went over people’s heads. And if you didn’t get it, you’re a bit dumb. Because it was really subtle, really beautiful, really cleverly written, and seriously, I would suggest that if you didn’t get it, take a deep breath, go back and watch it again. You know, if you’re looking for cliffhangers and great big chase scenes and explosions, you’re not going to get it. It’s a story in which if someone chooses to have mac & cheese instead of a salad, they’ve just made a very big decision in their lives. I thought it was brave and beautiful and wonderful and beautifully acted and written and I’m so glad they’re going to close it up with a movie. Anything that gives us an Andrew Haigh movie is brilliant. So I hope it’s well remembered, and it is relevant, because it’s well-remembered by me, and that’s all I care about.
Television audiences don't want any ambiguity in their heroes and villains. Maybe a character like Walter White, a textbook anti-hero, or a Don Draper whose "complicated," work but they don't really stretch the boundaries of what TV viewers are comfortable with. Shows like Looking (and more successfully, Girls) feature characters who are flawed in very human, quite boring ways.