You may have guessed from the title that Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys revolves around straight women and their gay best friends. Last season took place in NYC, while this one centers on the unlikely location of Nashville, Tennessee. The show is forged from the “Karen and Jack” dynamic, shining a light on the relationships between straight women and their gay BFFs.
Setting a reality show about gay men’s relationships in the Bible Belt is a perfect way to introduce conversations about homophobia and religious ideologies, but those topics are only mentioned briefly in the first ep. The subjects laughed off the idea that some of their neighbors may think they’re going to Hell, and while it’s obviously fine to ignore bigotry, this doesn’t seem like a completely honest depiction of life as an out gay man in the South. But the trailer promises way more dirt on this topic later in the season.
Although it’s shot like a documentary, GWLBWLB is definitely reality TV, even though there are a few overly dramatic moments that felt performed. But viewers will still warm up to the stars of this show–by the end of the episode, they felt like old buddies. Also interesting is the fact that GWLBWLB focuses deeply on the female characters’ home lives, showing them being affectionate with their husbands and children. The boyfriends and husbands of the men on the show weren’t given any screen time in this ep, aside from one blurred argument scene.
With screaming brawls, boozing, gunplay, hysterics, and plenty of shirtless boys, this series looks like a zinger. If you’re a reality-TV junkie, you’ll need to add Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys to your repertoire, stat. The second season premieres tonight at 9pm, on the Sundance Channel.
Photo: Sundance Channel
