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STUDIO: MTV
MSRP: $23.99 (Both)
RATED: Unrated
RUNNING TIME: 131 & 174 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Season 1:
Big Gay Bonus Sketches
Celesbian Interviews
Team Pimp’s Sexy New Music Video
Season 2:
Big Straight Sketch Show – 1/2 Hour Spinoff Special
Julie Goldman’s Celesbian Interviews
10 New Bonus Sketches
10 Interviews wuth Cast Members & Director
The Big Gay Bloopers
Behind the Big Gay Scenes Footage
The Pitch
Gay is funny (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
The Humans
Erica Ash, Dion Flynn, Julie Goldman, Stephen Guarino, Jonny McGovern, Kate McKinnon, Nicol Paone, Michael Serrato, Paolo Andino, Colman Domingo
“Hey, wait a minute, I don’t remember this being in the sketch.”
“Shut up…”
The Nutshell
Taking a queue from shows like Saturday Night Live, Mad TV, In Living Color and The Carol Burnett Show, The Big Gay Sketch Show is pretty much what the title implies: a sketch comedy show for gays, by gays and featuring gay-themed sketches. It’s produced by Rosie O’Donnell and directed by Amanda Bearse and is featured on the Logo Channel.
“Okay, so we’re playing a happy hetero couple in this sketch. So…what do we do?”
*beat*
“I got nothing.”
The Lowdown
BGSS may have a similar style to the aforementioned comedy sketch shows, but I didn’t find it to be anywhere in the same league as any of them. It alternates from sketches that are somewhat funny to ones that you have to struggle to get through. The cast, all gay and lesbian comedic performers, are capable in many of the sketches, but they seem to be batting below.500 in terms of being more funny than not.
One problem that the show suffers from right out of the gate is that every sketch has to have a gay theme to it. Cross-dressing, sexual identity crises, gay dating, gay sex, gay this, gay that, etc. The very premise of the show seems to limit to a certain degree the comedic avenues they can explore. As funny as it was, if In Living Color had every single sketch with Black themes, it would have probably died an even quicker death than it did. BGSS is produced by Rosie O’Donnell and directed by Charlie Brewster’s infamous ex, Amanda Bearse.
There are some memorable sketches that stand out, such as the man who turns into a gay werewolf, lesbian speed dating, where an entire lesbian relationship is cycled through in the process of three minutes, and the grossly obese character of Steven, better known as “Waffles,” as portrayed by Jonny McGovern. There’s also LaTasha, an abrasive fitness instructor who teaches “Chicago-style” yoga, but who’s more concerned with being ghetto than being helpful. And Kate McKinnon portrays Fitzwilliam, a foppish young boy who’s confused about his gender identity. Rosie O’Donnell also gets into the act along with Chastity Bono as theatre balcony hecklers ala a couple of infamous old Muppets.
Overall, the show is just sort of ehh for me. Not great, but not bad. Certainly not on the level of Mad TV and nowhere near SNL. It’s good that the Gay and lesbian community has something like this to call their own, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this show stays buried on Logo forever, as I don’t think it would have the crossover appeal necessary to go mainstream.
“Uhh, excuuuse me, are these Hs supposed to represent Homo or Hetero areas?”
“They’re high pressure areas, dimwit.”
“Well, Gawd…I was just asking
The Packages
For a show that only has six episodes in the first season and eight in the second season, these discs are surprisingly loaded with extras. Season 1 has Big Gay Bonus Sketches, which are three extra comedy bits. Big Gay Interviews has most of the cast in quick interviews, along with one featuring Bearse. Julie Goldman’s Celesbian Interviews features interview bits with notable lesbians such as Alexandra Hedison, the Curl Girls, Jenny Shimizu, Lisa Koch and Michelle Paradise. Behind the Big Gay Scenes is about 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes material including a dressing room tour, bloopers, and the making of “Fitzwilliam” among others. Finally, More Big Gay Stuff are quickie featurettes including Jonny McGovern & Team Pimp: The Gayest Super Group in the World, Jonny McGovern in Somethig for the Fellas is a gay music video with manflesh o’plenty, and How To get More Gay is a promo for Logo merchandise.
Somehow, I doubt even Fox would have this on…
Season 2 has more of the same in The Big Gay Stuff, featuring more Julie Goldman’s Celesbian Interviews, How To Get More Gay, Rick & Steve on DVD promo, Exes and Ohs on DVD promo, and a special The Big Straight Sketch Show, a spoof about Logo going straight. There’s also five more bonus sketches, more Big Gay Interviews with the cast and Bearse, and more Behind The Big Gay Scenes.
BGSS Season 2: 5.4 out of 10