Looking (TV Series)

''Looking'' is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on HBO from January 19, 2014, to July 23, 2016. Created by Michael Lannan, Sarah Condon, and Andrew Haigh, it stars Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett, Lauren Weedman, Russell Tovey, and Raúl Castillo. The show follows the experiences of Patrick, Agustín, and Dom, three gay friends who live and work in modern-day San Francisco. It was the network's first series centered around the lives of gay men.

''Looking'' was critically acclaimed for its writing, direction, the performances of the ensemble and its fresh take on an LGBT-centric narrative. With ten of the show's eighteen episodes directed by Andrew Haigh, the show's naturalistic shooting style drew comparisons to Haigh's 2011 film '' Weekend'' and to the mumblecore genre of independent film.

Despite its critical praise, its ratings never met network expectations, with just 298,000 viewers tuning in for its second-season finale. The low ratings led to the show's cancellation after its second season. HBO ordered a one-time television film, '' Looking: The Movie'', to serve as the series' finale, which premiered at the Frameline Film Festival on June 26, 2016, and aired on July 23, 2016, in the U.S. on HBO and on August 2, 2016, in the UK on Sky Atlantic.

In 2019, ''The Guardian'' named ''Looking'' one of the "100 Greatest TV shows of the 21st century". In 2022, ''Esquire'' ranked ''Looking'' #21 on the list of "The Best HBO Series of All Time".

Premise

Patrick Murray, a 29-year-old video game designer, lives in San Francisco with his friends—aspiring restaurateur Dom and artist's assistant Agustín. Patrick has a tendency to be naïve and has been generally unlucky in love, but things in Patrick's life change upon meeting handsome yet humble Mission barber Richie and the arrival of his new boss, the attractive but partnered Kevin. Dom pursues his goal of opening his own restaurant with the support of his roommate, Doris, and the unexpected help of the successful and older San Francisco entrepreneur Lynn. Agustín struggles domesticating with his long-term boyfriend Frank and his stalling art career, as well as his penchant for recreational substance abuse.

The three men navigate life, relationships, family, and careers in modern-day San Francisco.

Cast and characters

Main

* Jonathan Groff as Patrick Murray, a 29-year-old video game designer who grew up in suburban Denver in a rather conservative family who initially had a hard time accepting his sexuality when he came out to them on Thanksgiving back in 2005 while in his second year of college.
* Frankie J. Alvarez as Agustín Lanuez, 31, an artist's assistant and Patrick's best friend since their college days at The University of California, Berkeley. Agustín is from Coral Gables, Florida, outside Miami, and grew up in an affluent Cuban American household from which he is estranged due to the emotional and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic father as a child.
* Murray Bartlett as Dom Basaluzzo, 39, a sommelier in a gastronomic restaurant. Dom was raised by a single father who died when Dom was in his early twenties.
* Lauren Weedman as Doris, Dom's best friend since their high school days in Modesto and former partner, who works as a nurse (season 2, recurring season 1). Doris grew up with a father who was very loving as well as a mother who was emotionally abusive due to mental illness.
* Russell Tovey as Kevin Matheson, Patrick's boss, a "video-game wunderkind." Kevin has feelings for Patrick—though he is in a long-term relationship with Jon. In season two, Kevin becomes Patrick's new love interest. (season 2, recurring season 1)
* Raúl Castillo as Ricardo "Richie" Donado Ventura, a barber and Patrick's part-time romantic interest. (season 2, recurring season 1) Richie grew up in a large working class Mexican-American family in San Leandro just outside of San Francisco and is currently estranged from his father due to his father's refusal to accept his sexuality.

Recurring

* Scott Bakula as Lynn, an entrepreneur who strikes a connection with Dom
* O. T. Fagbenle as Frank, Agustín's long-term boyfriend
* Andrew Law as Owen, Patrick's co-worker
* Ptolemy Slocum as Hugo, Dom's co-worker (season 1)
* Joseph Williamson as Jon, Kevin's boyfriend
* Daniel Franzese as Eddie, Agustín's love interest who volunteers at a homeless shelter for LGBT youth (season 2)
* Chris Perfetti as Brady Richie's new boyfriend in the 2nd season. (season 2)
* Bashir Salahuddin as Malik, Doris's love interest (season 2)

Production

HBO ordered an eight-episode first season of ''Looking'' on May 14, 2013. The pilot was written by Michael Lannan. Filming began in the San Francisco Bay Area on September 16, 2013, and ended on November 7, 2013. The first season premiered on January 19, 2014.

Creator Michael Lannan announced in an interview in February 2014 that the writers were already thinking of new material for a second season, should it come. His comment was quickly backed up by Nick Hall, director of comedy for HBO, who stated that the "initial one airing audience" isn't their main goal and that they BO"look at it for the week, we look at it On Demand, we look at HBO Go," and that each of the episodes were doing "nicely".

On February 26, 2014, HBO announced that ''Looking'' was renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on January 11, 2015.

HBO cancelled the series after the second season citing the sharp decline in ratings. Afterwards, an online petition was started to continue the series. HBO eventually planned to air a movie to wrap up the storyline. Alvarez revealed in an interview with ''Vulture'' that filming was to start in September 2015 and that the length of the finale would be 2 hours. The movie premiered on June 2, 2016, at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco and aired on July 23, 2016.

Episodes

Reception

Critical response

Throughout its run ''Looking'' received acclaim from critics who hailed it as a fresh take on gay-themed drama and acclaimed the performances of its actors in particular of Groff and Tovey. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of critics gave the first season a positive review based on 37 reviews, with an average score of 7.6/10. The site's consensus states: "Funny without being obnoxious, ''Looking'' provides authentic situations that feel universal with its subtle details and top-notch performances." On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season holds an average of 73% based on 27 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. The second season received an aggregate score of 77% on Metacritic and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Since ''Looking'' was announced it has been referred to by both the community and early critics as the "gay version" of ''Girls'' and ''Sex and the City''. After watching the pilot, Emily St. James of ''The A.V. Club'' said that "differences between the two series go beyond the surface" and one of the show's lead actors, Jonathan Groff, went on to say that "to be in the same breath as those shows is exciting ..but the tone and writing and the style of the show is very different. And people will notice that when they see it."

Keith Uhlich, writing for the BBC
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