In the late nineties, the television series "Sex and the City" provided women with an honest and comedic take on single life. Since then, gay men have yearned for their version of a show about fabulous, sexy, single city life. Showtime's "Queer As Folk," seemed more soap opera than comedy. "Looking," was picked up by HBO and even though it produced a film, the unlikable main character left a sour taste in people's mouths. It ended after two seasons. Several web series have been very successful at retelling the "Sex and the City" formula through a gay man's perspective. "Hunting Season," "Old Dogs & New Tricks," and "Where The Bears Are" have proven to be independently successful due to the audience's enjoyment.
"West 40s" is a new gay-themed web series looking to follow in that direction. The pilot was funded by fans on Kickstarter and the full episode is now available on YouTube. Co-created by Mark Sam Rosenthal and Brian Sloan, it centers around five friends living in New York City, all over the age of forty. While it's hard to get a taste of an entire series based on a fifteen-minute pilot, it certainly looks promising. The subject matter of the pilot deals with aging and whether gay men can still have fun past a certain age. A series like this would be equally enjoyable for the older guys who want to have fun and the young guys who want to have fun with them. The opening bit where TJ (a character played by Rosenthal) is caught off guard by an attractive young man offering his seat on the Subway is an example of perfect relatable comedy. It's moments like these that will give the show its comedic edge and a loyal fan base.
The main focus of the episode, however, was the character of Luis (played by Dan Domingues). He has a grown son and just turned forty. His birthday party was supposed to be a dinner with friends, but a freak accident lands the crew in the emergency room. His friends decide the night needs a reboot, so they take an unsure Luis to a gay strip club. Against the idea of dating someone his son's age, Luis is coaxed by his friends into getting a lap dance from one of the go-go boys. The lap dance goes further than expected and TJ is left feeling unsure about the experience. The episode ends with Luis getting the number of the young waiter he met at the restaurant earlier. It leaves the audience to wonder if he'll follow through and give him a chance.
The storyline of Luis is already filled with major opportunities to develop further. Given his hesitation to date someone so young, it would be interesting to see if this becomes an issue in any potential relationship. If he does end up dating someone around his son's age, it would be interesting to see how his son responds to that. Age-gap relationships are an important aspect of the gay community that should be portrayed. Hopefully, as the show develops, the message will become clear that age is just a number. This would be an interesting journey to see the character of Luis go on.
However, it's also important for the series to show many different sides of being an over forty gay man. The series can't become all about older guys lusting after twentysomethings. While titillating, it would be repetitive and set a very one-dimensional message. Not every older gay man is the same. Having some of the guys find love with men their own age is crucial too. The character of Ryan (played by Jeff Hiller) claimed to be in a long-term relationship. The age of his partner is unknown, but it is revealed they met before he turned forty. This might be a nice contrast to characters like Luis, TJ, and Dante (played by Matthew Montelongo).
Of course, this is all speculation as of late. The pilot obviously raised more questions than answers. However, any good show is supposed to do that. It obviously has an intriguing quality that will keep viewers tuned in waiting for more. If the cards are played right, "West 40s" could become a very successful, long-running series. The second episode along with the rest of the series remains in pre-production. If HBO was smart, they would pick this show up right away. This is the kind of series that gay men, younger ones and older ones, need in their lives.
