Arts & Entertainment
‘Looking’ no more
Poorly focused HBO gay dramedy deserved cancellation
From left are Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff and Murray Bartlett of ‘Looking.’ (Photo by Richard Foreman, courtesy HBO)
HBO’s “Looking” will not get a third season and rightly so. If ratings, which were consistently low, were the only factor, one could argue the show was canceled too soon, but the problem with the show begins and ends with the main character, Patrick.
Patrick serves as an entry point to a diverse world for white audiences, similar to Piper’s role in “Orange is the New Black.” Patrick is a white, believably attractive, upper-middle class 29-year-old living in San Francisco. The first time we see him, he’s cruising in a park and giggling like a child who found a Playboy. In fact, the first thing any character says to Patrick is “Stop talking,” which might as well have been my mantra while watching the series. Through Patrick, non-gay viewers experience all the awkward moments of growing up and coming out.
Despite having been out and living with a close circle of openly gay friends for a long time, everything is new for him. His boyfriend wants to top? He has bottom shame because of what his mother would think. A character is taking PrEP? Patrick calls him a Truvada whore. His friends invite him to Folsom? He’s embarrassed to be wearing a leather vest.
This could have worked as a character either significantly younger or newly out, but it’s simply not believable for someone so entrenched in the gay community to be so new to it all. Unlike Shoshanna from “Girls,” Patrick didn’t have the excuse of youth, but even she grew up. The creators of the show didn’t even have the decency to make Patrick a side character.
In season one, Patrick can’t see a future with Richie because Richie is Mexican. He instead sees himself with his boss Kevin (a Brit), though Kevin has a boyfriend. Patrick blames his mother for this, which makes absolutely no sense. Later, after leaving Richie, having an affair with and ultimately moving in with Kevin, he realizes Kevin may not always be faithful, as if Kevin wouldn’t cheat again down the road. Was this shocking to anyone but Patrick?
Sure, it’s true that hot messes often make for good TV — maturity and contentment rarely make for compelling drama — but “Looking” never managed to give its audience a reason to care about its lead character.
Another groan-inducing moment was the Halloween party episode because, as he would repeat several times, Patrick wanted to be a “fun gay.” Sorry, Patrick, but somebody has to be the Ross of the group, and it’s you. What’s the least fun thing a host can do? Try to force the fun. He insists on singing karaoke, though nobody is interested. His costume, as he explained several times, was “Gordon Freeman, the most popular video game character of all time!” He gives a drunken speech that embarrasses his friends and exes almost as much as it embarrasses himself. He even tried to make himself the center of attention in the next episode when he invited himself to Doris’s father’s funeral and, in a surprise to exactly nobody, made a fool of himself.
How are people still friends with this guy?
Ironically, said funeral episode was titled “Looking for a Plot,” which is what I’ve been doing with this show since episode one.
“Looking” fans describe the show as “realistic,” but equality means canceling a bad show because it’s bad, not keeping a bad show on the air because it’s gay. Patrick is a forced protagonist. Interesting things keep happening to him, but he is remarkably unremarkable. The show shoved aside any decent conflicts or topics and instead focused on a wholly uninteresting lead character while rich side characters struggled for screen time.
“Looking” will wrap up with a TV special that will hopefully be titled “Looking for a Doris Spinoff.”
Celebrity News
My evening with Madonna
Gay icon headlined the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10. They will be covering World Pride in Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM — Madonna and 6,000 of her closest friends celebrated World Pride at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall early Sunday morning. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.
Madonna last Wednesday nearly broke the internet when she said on social media in Dutch that “I got somethin’ I wanna talk about,” referring to an opening line in “Danceteria,” one of the tracks on her “Confessions II” album that has received rave reviews since its July 2 release. The track has been on near constant replay on my playlist since I first heard it.
— Madonna (@Madonna) July 28, 2026
MISTR — a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term care that has organized Madonna’s Club Confessions shows in the U.S. and the U.K. — later confirmed the rampant speculation. I woke up on July 30 to an email in my inbox from MISTR and the World Pride Music Festival PR team that said I was on the press list.
Madonna was indeed going to headline the World Pride Music Festival that Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced, and I was going to be there. OMFG!!!!
The gay icon had one more surprise in store.
The Dutch internet on Saturday once again broke over speculation that Kylie Minogue was going to appear alongside Madonna. I was getting ready to leave our hotel in Amsterdam on Saturday night when I saw a video of the two of them together.
“Madonna is now teasing Kylie Minogue on her social media … she may be one of her ‘special guests’ tonight,” I wrote in a text to Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff at 8:46 p.m.
“Have fun! This is turning into the gayest concert ever,” he responded.
I arrived at AFAS Live shortly before 11 p.m. My press contact walked me and two other Dutch journalists into the venue’s cavernous main room known as the Black Box. We made small talk for a few minutes before I started to walk around and listen to Josh Harrison who was on the decks.
Madonna was scheduled to take the stage at 1:30 a.m., but she is known for being late — she is Madonna and she does what she wants. Hayla, a British singer, and Bebe Rexha are among those who performed ahead of Madonna. Thousands of sweaty men — including a group of Australians next to me who were eagerly awaiting Kylie’s anticipated appearance — packed the Black Box and were dancing, anticipating what was to come.
MISTR CEO Tristan Schukraft at one point came on stage and declared Madonna was indeed in the building. The moment for which we were all eagerly waiting finally came shortly before 2:30 a.m.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage.
Stuart Price, who produced her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album in 2005, manned the decks during Madonna’s set.
She opened it with “I Feel So Free” from “Confessions II.” Madonna then sang “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria” to which this reporter — and everyone else — sang along.
Madonna then teased a surprise before she began to perform “Love Sensation.” Kylie soon appeared on stage. It was nearly too much for my fellow partygoers from Australia. It was indeed the gayest concert ever!
Madonna and Kylie performed “Love Sensation” together. They then sang “Hung Up” and “Sorry” from “Confessions on a Dance Floor” to round out the set that ended shortly after 3 a.m.
Madonna and I share the same birthday — Aug. 16 — and I would like to think she and Kylie gave me an early birthday present. In all seriousness though, it was an amazing night for me and for everyone else who was fortunate enough to be there.
“On the dance floor I feel so free,” says Madonna in the opening of “I Feel So Free.”
For those few precious hours at AFAS Live I did not think about the Trump-Vance administration and the myriad ways it is destroying the U.S. I did not think about the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. I did not think about the pointless wars that continue to ravage Ukraine and other countries around the world. I simply lost myself on the dance floor and celebrated an icon who has always stood with my community.
Thank you, Madonna.
The Petal Release Party and Drag Show was held at Spark Social on Friday, July 31. Performers included Tiara-Missou, Labianna and Darcy de la Cuadra.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Celebrity News
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Kylie Minogue made surprise appearance alongside gay icon
AMSTERDAM — Madonna on Sunday headlined the final night of the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam.
The gay icon took the stage shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday) during Club Confessions, a set that MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, organized.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage inside Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall that can hold up to 6,000 people.
Stuart Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album and “Confessions II,” which debuted on July 2, DJed the set.
Kylie Minogue made a surprise appearance. She and Madonna performed a new remix of “Love Sensation” from “Confessions II.”
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
“Throughout my career, I’ve always supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, and that fight begins with education and access,” said Madonna in a MISTR press release. “With MISTR, (CEO) Tristan (Schukraft) is expanding access to HIV prevention and sexual healthcare for everyone. Through this work, he’s helping preserve and strengthen LGBTQ+ spaces while investing in the communities and culture that have long sustained us.”
Minogue in an Instagram post thanked Madonna, Price, Schukraft, and MISTR.
Madonna appeared at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Madonna in June celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York’s Times Square.
Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced the World Pride Music Festival that also featured Bebe Rexha and Paris Hilton, among others.
“Pride has always been about bringing our community together,” said Resnicow. “At a moment when too many people are being told to hide or make themselves smaller, gathering openly, joyfully, and without apology matters more than ever. I couldn’t be prouder of what this festival brought to life in Amsterdam — one dance floor, completely free.”
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