Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a story about the decline in GLBT characters on broadcast series TV. Although the number only dropped from 10 to nine this year over last, GLAAD, which issued a report on the subject (prompting the Post article), came out saying, "After a landmark year of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender representation in films such as 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Capote' and 'Transamerica,' the broadcast television networks continue to underrepresent their LGBT audience."
The Post article goes on to say that cable television is taking up the slack, with no fewer than 25 GLBT characters set to make cable way gayer with the start of the new fall schedule.
One such new show premieres tonight on the Sundance Channel: 'The Hill.'
'The Hill' is a documentary that reads somewhat like reality TV. The program follows the young, smart staff of Congressman Robert Wexler (D-Fla) as they keep the machine that is a congressional office running as smoothly as possible in the whirlwind (some might say insane) world of Capitol Hill.
Working for a member whose party controls neither the House, Senate or White House makes it hard to get anything really done, save for running interference and trying to keep the majority party on guard. Still, there's enough action and drama to make for good TV. Issues of the day play main characters too, and it's interesting to watch behind-the-scenes strategy sessions on ways in which the Congressman can have (or not have) an impact. If you fancy yourself even a little bit of a political junkie, this is some awfully good junk food.
More than anything else, the show does a good job of representing what it's like to work on the Hill. The staff know that first and foremost, they need to make their boss look good. They do a decent job of it, and the group operates very much like the little families that make up many Hill offices.
Congressman Wexler appears to be a stimulating and fun guy to work for. I should also note that the congressman isn't hard on the eyes at all -- in fact he's rather a hunk, which makes the show even more entertaining to watch, of course.
Gay and lesbian viewers will enjoy observing the forceful drive of Eric Johnson, the openly gay chief of staff who runs the office. At 33, he's an old-timer on the Hill. Eric's partner and their young son appear on the show as well, and it's here where this program will win some big points: Eric's gayness and his family life are handled very openly and matter-of-factly. It strikes the kind of chord the gay community is always striving for, which is to show the TV-watching American public that gay people are part of everyday life. For the general viewing audience, the fact that Eric is gay is an interesting element to this story, but it's not the story. For gay and lesbian viewers, it's a welcome place to see our lives reflected.
'The Hill': Official Site, Schedule (Sundance Channel)
Click Here to Watch a Clip
Pictured: Eric Johnson, the openly gay chief of staff on 'The Hill'
1 comment:
I loved the first episode, I like the way they portrayed Eric and I thought it was intersting to see that of all the members of the team, he was the only one with a stable partner and child. I read an article about him on AfterElton as well discussing his experience on the show and his general experience in Washington through the years. It was very intersting reading it before seeing the show, b/c he seems like a very interesting guy.
www.afterelton.com -- if anyone is interested.
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