BINGE-WORTHY THIS WINTER By Pete Lovering If by some miracle you’ve managed to escape the never-ending, slow-motion car crash that is the news these days, you may not be aware of the fact that net neutrality rules were recently voted to the guillotine. This is horrific for a whole host of reasons; however, one of the most troubling, in my opinion, is the very legitimate possibility that society will lose the ability to stream whatever the heck we want, when we want it, without forking over more of our cash. What can we do about it? Well for starters, call Congress. Seriously. They work for you! And since that takes all of five minutes, spend the rest of your time this winter gobbling up some of these great queer-centric movies and TV shows available to stream before your internet provider hides them behind a paywall. LONDON SPY The title of this cracking miniseries might suffer from a bout of overly-literal-title syndrome, à la “Bad Teacher” or “Horrible Bosses.” Yes, it does involve a spy, and, shockingly, it’s set in London.
middle ground resembling real life. (Stream on Hulu)
Each episode is dripping with a charming sense of unease, but, remarkably, it’s the show’s understatedness that distinguishes it from some of its contemporaries.
To commemorate 50 years since homosexual conduct was decriminalized in the UK, this series of monologues performed by some of Britain’s most notable queer actors spans a century of LGBT history.
Ben Winshaw, who most notably played Q in the latest batch of James Bond movies, is Danny, an endearing, slightly capricious club kid who hits it off with strong, silent-type Alex, a London banker who is very much not what he seems. (Stream on Netflix) CUCUMBER AND BANANA This twosome (threesome if you count the semi-related docu-series, “Tofu”) gets its name from a highly credible and no doubt peer-reviewed measurement of—ahem— firmness, as it applies to male arousal. Both shows, created by “Queer as Folk” and “Doctor Who” mastermind Russel T. Davies, focus on a group of gay Mancunians at various stages in life. In traditional British TV fashion, they don’t squarely fall into either comedy or drama genres very comfortably. Instead they land, somewhat awkwardly, in that tenuous
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QUEERS Believe it or not, this list will include non-British shows and movies, but we’d be remiss to omit this miniseries from 2017.
The cast includes stars such as Russell Tovey and Alan Cumming, who perform from a first-person perspective. Expect goosebumps. (Stream on BBC America) PLEASE LIKE ME It’s odd to describe a show whose pilot features a suicide attempt as “zany,” yet this gem from Australia is just downright charming in its wackiness. Centered around main character Josh, a recently out, youthful pip in Melbourne, “Please Like Me” explores the uncomfortable process of growing up without losing some of that wonder of youth. It’s a bit like “Girls,” if all of the characters weren’t unlikable and insane. (Stream on Hulu) TRANSPARENT Sure, it’s an obvious choice, and yes, it’s a bit soiled by recent revelations about Jeffrey Tambor’s on-set conduct. With that
in mind, Amazon’s shining star of original programming is still one of the most transcendent shows out there. The Pfefferman bunch, centered around Tambor’s Maura, a transgender woman recently out after living the majority of her life as Morton, are fascinating, hilarious, awfully difficult to root for and intensely relatable. (Stream on Amazon) BILLY ON THE STREET “Masculinity is a prison” is a statement, perhaps, that you’d expect to discuss in a gender studies class, or in the comments section of a cogent, spicy New Yorker article. It is not something you’d expect to have yelled in your face on the sidewalk, unless you happen to walk past Billy Eichner. His show is fast and loose, loud and, at times, surprisingly thoughtful. In the segment above, Billy is seen traipsing through New York with guest Jason Sudeikis and a horde of dudes who are Broing out, asking passersby if they remember “Driving Miss Daisy” and arguing about Julie Louis Dreyfus’ best roles. Other highlights include unlikely “Quizzed in the Face” star Elena, Drew Barrymore incorrectly answering questions about her own preferences, and Rachel Dratch climbing through Julia Roberts’s mouth as part of an obstacle