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What We Know About…LOOKING

by Jef Dinsmore
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UPDATE: A FULL trailer has been released:

Surprisingly folks, what he have here is a bit of a mystery. Hitting a number of sources online, including the IMDb, I have not found a lot of information on LOOKING that is premiering on 01.19.14 at 10:30pm. I guess we must expect a huge publicity ramp up for the upcoming series in December, but for now, let’s piece together what we know.

 

Production Company: I am mystified that I cannot even find the production company behind this endeavor. I will update this section once someone owns up to being behind the work. It is possible, however, that the individual producers are not associated with any production house and are just working through HBO.people_lannan

 Written By: Michael Lannan (pictured) is the creator and head writer of LOOKING. The work’s development began as a short film by Mr. Lannan entitled Lorimer from 2011. He hoped to embellish the basic themes of it and turn it into a larger feature film, but that idea died. That feature film script eventually morphed into an idea for a series instead. It was not until late in the process of creating the pilot episode to submit to HBO executives that the show was titled LOOKING.

 Directed by: The pilot episode, and an undetermined number of consequent episodes, is under the helm of Andrew Haigh. He worked as an assistant editor on a number of big names movies like Gladiator and has directed a number of short films. One feature film he directed is called Weekend which is about similar themes as LOOKING.

 Executive Producers: Alongside Lannan and Haigh the producers of the work include David Marshall Grant and Sarah Condon. He is  an actor/producer who has produced Tv’s SMASH and Brother & Sisters and can be seen onscreen in The Devil Wears Prada and others works; she had worked exclusively as a producer including HBO’s BORED TO DEATH. They have set up shop on the streets and sites of San Francisco, California to tell their story.

Cast: IMDb has a list of 23 actors listed. The leads listed are Jonathan Groff, Frankie Alvarez and Murray Bartlett. Also onboard are Scott Bakula, Russell Tovey, Raul Castillo, Lauren Weedman, O.T. Fenbenle and Andrew Law.

HBO watchers saw Bakula recently in HBO Films: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA and was also in the early series DREAM ON; Weedman was just Horny Patty in HUNG and La Donna in TRUE BLOOD; Castillo was in Lannan’s Lorimer; Law doesn’t have many acting credits but did appear on 30 Rock and the other two actors have film credits in Britain. As explained further down in this post these actors portray a group of friends and acquaintances in San Looking_castFrancisco.  

Details: Portions of the following are from an HBO press release –

This show offers up the unfiltered experiences of three close friends living — and loving — in modern-day San Francisco. Friendship may bind them, but each is at a markedly different point in his journey: Patrick (Jonathan Groff) is the 29-year-old video game designer getting back into the dating world in the wake of his ex’s engagement; aspiring artist Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), 31, is questioning the idea of monogamy amid a move to domesticate with his boyfriend; and the group’s oldest member — longtime waiter Dom (Murray Bartlett), 39 — is facing middle age with romantic and professional dreams still unfulfilled.

The trio’s stories intertwine and unspool dramatically as they search for happiness and intimacy in an age of unparalleled choices — and rights — for gay men. Also important to the mix is the progressive, unpredictable, sexually open culture of the Bay Area, with real San Francisco locations serving as a backdrop for the group’s lives. Rounding out the world of LOOKING are a bevy of dynamic gay men including Kevin (Russell Tovey), Lynn (Scott Bakula), and Richie (Raul Castillo), as well as a wide-range of supporting characters like Dom’s roommate Doris (Lauren Weedman), Agustín’s boyfriend Frank (O.T. Fagbenle), and Patrick’s co-worker Owen (Andrew Law). The Tease gives us a 20 second glimpse of the main players in their environment. Here is HBOWatch’s first look at the LOOKING Tease!

 

Ordered: This half-hour series’ Season One will offer a total of eight (8) episodes. It is shot as a single camera comedy.

 Status: With the release of the LOOKING Tease this show announces a starting date and, hopefully, more aggressive promotion should follow. We may possibly see more about this show with the premiere of GETTING ON.  

 Premiere Date: January 19, 2014 is a Sunday night. The show will debut then and air for the next consecutive seven Sundays at 10:30pm ET.  

HBOWatch Links: Our site has reported on this show, but remember, it originally was called Lorimer. HBOWatch first reported about it in a Development Slate piece back on 12.16.12. We associated Jonathan Groff with the project in a Slate post on 03.04.13 and we announced the series got the greenlight a few months later on 05.17.13. A post about further casting surfaced on 09.13.13.

Our first peek of the show under its current title appeared in the looking_Groff-300x236Fall HBO Preview. We had that up on 09.08.13 and then quickly made the connection that Lannan’s projects were one and the same. HBOWatch’s latest post on 10.30.13 confirmed the premiere date.

In Conclusion: LOOKING is not that far away. Though announced as a comedy I just don’t see it as a series about the funny gay escapades of ‘looking’ for love. What else are they looking for? How about understanding and acceptance and not just from each other, but from the world around them? Some sites have touted this as the gay version of GIRLS. I, for one, hope not. I like the idea more that it is similar to HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA. Maybe, this series could have been called HOW TO MAKE IT AS A GAY IN AMERICA. Though I personally am not of the lifestyle depicted here it is still certainly a human story of making it in the world and we will have to see come 2014 how that plays out for the characters of LOOKING. What do you think? Please comment below.   

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7 comments

Yacht_Rider December 2, 2013 - 4:23 am

So i cant wait to see the first few episodes.. They were filming at CCYC Yacht Club and hired me to be in the background with my yacht… Looks like its going to be interesting!!!

Reply
Timmy T November 14, 2013 - 10:19 am

Looks awfully white and awfully safe (great looking guys in San Francisco.)

Reply
Jacob Klein November 14, 2013 - 11:42 am

Ya I’m wondering if it will get the same critique Girls did at first.

Reply
Marie November 16, 2013 - 8:25 pm

The main cast includes White, Latino, Black, and Asian actors.

Reply
Timmy T November 18, 2013 - 5:46 pm

Obviously we’ll see (and I’ll be happen if those aren’t just mere token appearances) but you could have fooled me.

Reply
Timmy T November 14, 2013 - 10:19 am

Looks awfully white and awfully safe (great looking guys in San Francisco.)

Reply

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