rukkle’s Indepth Review Of HBO’s Looking

HBO’s Looking is a new show featuring gay characters living in San Francisco.

rukkle provides all you need to know about new HBO series Looking.

rukkle’s excited about HBO’s Looking and wants to provide you with all the info you need before this Sunday’s premiere. Get ready to meet the characters, cast, crew, and read the early reviews.

What is HBO’s Looking about:

To put it simply, Looking is about three gay friends that live in the Mission-Castro district. It follows them as they navigate relationships, careers, and friendships.

HBO’s Looking star, Jonathan Groff, describes the show as,

“Our show is less about people at the beginning in their twenties figuring out who they are, and more about people stepping into their lives in their thirties and forties and finding their place in the world.”

Watch the original teaser that debuted on YouTube for new HBO show Looking posted in November.

Who are these three gay friends in HBO’s Looking?

MEET PATRICK (Far Right Above):

Patrick spends his day working as a video game designer. Also, he has some sexual hang-ups.

MEET AUGUSTIN (Far Left Above):

Augustin is Patrick’s older roommate. He is an artist’s assistant, who hasn’t created his own work in a number of years.

MEET DOM (Centre Above):

Finally, there’s Dom, who is friends with both Patrick and Augustin. Dom is a muscular waiter in his 40′s, who hopes to own his own restaurant. Australian actor Murray Bartlett who plays plays Dom describes his character,

“Dom has coasted by on his looks. He’s at a point where he wants more depth in his life.”

Watch this Character Spot that debuted on YouTube for new HBO show Looking posted last week.

The cast and crew of new HBO show Looking

JONATHAN GROFF:

Broadway star, Jonathan Groff, plays Patrick. Audiences know Groff from the award winning musical, Spring Awakening, that he co-starred in with bestie, Lea Michele. He went on to co-star with Michele in Fox’s hit series, Glee. There he played, Jessie St. James, the leader of the rival glee club, Vocal Adrenaline. Recently, he appeared in Starz’s short lived series, Boss, with Kelsey Grammar. Presently, he can be seen in Disney’s animated blockbuster, Frozen.

MURRAY BARTLETT:

Australian and former soap opera star, Murray Bartlett, plays Dom. Bartlett’s early work in Australia featured him on Neighbours. He parlayed this success to a role in soap opera, Guiding Light. Previously, he worked with Hugh Jackman in the Australian tour of the musical, The Boy From Oz.

FRANKIE J. ALVAREZ:

Newcomer, Frankie J. Alvarez, plays Augustin. Alvarez graduated from esteemed theatre school, Julliard, in 2010. He has been doing various theatre since then and recounts the story of how he was hired for HBO’s Looking.

“I got the call to send in a tape, originally for Richie, Raul [Castillo’s] part. I sent in three tapes for that, and they liked me. They knew I wasn’t right for the part but they liked me and moved me over to the Agustin track. I sent in three more tapes for that…I closed my show on a Saturday and then Monday I flew to LA, and Tuesday and Wednesday was the big network test where we tested against a whole bunch of guys. That’s when I met Murray and Jonathan, and I found out Friday. Literally my life changed in a week.”

WRITER/DIRECTOR ANDREW HAIGH:

Andrew Haigh is writer/director/executive producer for HBO’s Looking.

Previous credit include working as an assistant editor on Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and Blackhawk Down. He is likely best known as the director/writer of acclaimed gay film, Weekend.

CREATOR MICHAEL LANNAN

Michael Lannan is the series creator/writer/executive producer. Previously, he was an assistant producer on FX’s Sons of Anarchy. His short film, Lorimer, was the inspiration for HBO’s Looking.

Lannan shared his inspiration for creating the series,

“I had lived here for 3 ½ years, and I felt like I had never seen the city I lived in on camera, except for maybe rare occasions. So we wanted to show that. Just the really cool way you can ramble around San Francisco, and walk from neighborhood to neighborhood. And also the realities of living here. How hard it is to make the rent, and how you have to work, and you have to share apartments and scrimp for spaces.”

Watch the first trailer for HBO series Looking posted on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wnGwmP8qg2c

The reviews are in for HBO series Looking

The premier of HBO’s Looking was held in San Francisco on January 15th,

Coming out party. @HBO is proud to premiere #Looking at SF’s historic Castro Theater tonight. pic.twitter.com/lg2jXSHqc5 — Looking (@LookingHBO) January 15, 2014

The reviews have been quite positive.

BuzzFeed’s describes the show as,

“It is not a show about every gay man, but it is a show about particular gay male experiences, which is ultimately more valuable. Whether or not you see yourself in these characters, their journeys are grounded in reality.”

HitFix tweeted their thoughts,

.@HBO‘s new comedy #Looking has an excellent sense of place and community http://t.co/U1cWGIyG6L A sharp look at three gay friends — HitFix (@HitFix) January 16, 2014

Out Magazine said that the series is,

“Looking is a show that will be watched religiously by millions of gay and straight people around the world. Many of them will like and look forward to it. Others will dread it but watch anyway.“

Variety tweeted their review,

TV Review: @HBO‘s #Looking finds universal themes in focus on gay pals in San Francisco | http://t.co/S8cyZyjZ9W — Variety (@Variety) January 16, 2014

Huffington Post writes that,

These characters are not often sure what they’re looking for — friendship, companionship, excitement, novelty or even business advice — and their stumbling attempts to establish connections are depicted with both warmth and dry humor.

Watch a clip from the first episode of HBO series Looking posted on YouTube

Tune in this Sunday January 19th to the series premiere of HBO’s Looking.

Sources: The Back Lot, SFGate, IMDB, OUT, BuzzFeed, Queerty, HuffPo

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