When the COVID pandemic hit in the early months of 2020, there were certainly more pressing and essential worries for us to grapple with than how it would impact the next season of a TV show. Yet it’s a testament to the power of “Pose” that many among its legion of fans were at least as concerned about the show’s disruption as they were about the possibility of running out of toilet paper.

The powerhouse FX drama — which spotlights the legends, icons and ferocious house mothers of New York’s underground ball culture in the late 1980s — had already made history. Not only did it feature the largest cast of transgender actors in regular roles, it boasted the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever included in a scripted series. In its first two seasons, the show racked up accolades and honors (including a Primetime Emmy for Billy Porter as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series) while breaking new ground for the inclusion and representation of queer people — and especially transgender people of color — in television, both in front of the camera, and behind it. With the end of its second season in August 2019, fans were hungry for a third — but thanks to COVID, its future was suddenly in question.

So, when word came that the show’s third season would have its debut on May 2, it was the best news since finding out the vaccines were finally going to start rolling out. But it was bittersweet: Along with confirmation of the series’ imminent return came the sad revelation that the new season would also be the last. “Pose” would be coming to an end with a final, seven-episode arc.

As any viewer of show can attest, there were a lot of threads left hanging when last we saw its characters. That means there’s a lot of ground to cover in these last chapters in order to give everyone — characters and audience alike — the closure they deserve.

The show’s official synopsis goes like this: It’s now 1994 and ballroom feels like a distant memory for Blanca, who struggles to balance being a mother with being a present partner to her new love, as well as her latest role as a nurse’s aide. Meanwhile, as AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell contends with unexpected health burdens. Meanwhile, a vicious new upstart house is emerging in the ballroom world, and the members of the House of Evangelista are forced to contend their legacy.

Obviously, there are a lot of details left hidden in that broad overview, and fans are undoubtedly full of questions about what they can expect to see.

Fortunately, the bulk of the show’s main cast convened on Zoom last week (along with show co-creator and Executive Producer Steven Canals and Executive Producer Janet Mock) for a press conference to discuss their “Pose” experience, and while they didn’t exactly give away any spoilers, they definitely dropped some tantalizing hints about what’s in store for audiences in the farewell season.

In truth, most of the discussion was dominated by reminiscences and expressions of mutual appreciation, sure signs that the feeling of family we see onscreen is something that has taken hold off screen, as well. But in between the affectionate banter, the cast and creatives addressed several questions that might be most on viewers’ minds.

Perhaps the most pressing of these — why, after only three seasons, is the critic-and-audience-acclaimed show calling it quits? — was taken on by Canals, who explained:

“I always knew what the beginning and what the end of the narrative would be. And when Ryan Murphy and I first met in September of 2016, we felt really strongly that that particular narrative made sense. And so, while we certainly could have continued to create narrative around these characters and in this world, and we certainly had a conversation in the writers’ room about it … I think we all agreed that it just made sense for us to ‘land the plane,’ if you will, comfortably — as opposed to continuing to give an audience story that just simply didn’t have any real core intention or a real thrust towards specificity.”

Also of interest was the obvious subject of how the parallels between the current pandemic and the AIDS crisis that looms over the show’s narrative might be reflected in the new episodes. While he didn’t hint at any direct connections in “Pose,” Porter used the subject to underscore a theme that has always been one of the show’s most important elements:

“I think the parallels are quite profound. I know that as a Black gay man who lived through the AIDS crisis, I have been dealing with a lot of PTSD during this COVID time. It’s very reminiscent of what it was like then. The best news about that is that I survived. We got through it, and there is another side to it. We can get to the other side.

“I feel like that’s what ‘Pose’ really accomplishes this season, reminding the public that it’s when we come together and when we lead with love [that] we get to the other side.”

Mock elaborated on the theme of resilience by discussing the importance of showing the strength of House mothers like Blanca and Electra (Dominique Jackson), who hold together — and lift up — their entire community:

“It’s that matriarchal power and lineage that I think the ballroom is, and what trans women are to one another, that then feeds everyone else and enables them to shine and have all the things that they want in the world. For me, it is [about] that celebration […] of Black trans women — that they’ve created this space, that they brought everyone else in with them, and that, at the end of the day, they are often the ones most often forgotten.

“I think with this season, I want everyone across the industry, the audience, to realize that. I think it’s essential, and it’s important.”

Mock also talked about the way “Pose” focuses on the small, day-to-day lives of its characters as much as it does the larger-than-life splendor of the ballroom culture in which they participate:

“We wanted to ensure that we show the everyday, mundane moments, as well as the great, grand celebrations. The ballroom is are presentation of what it means to congregate and share testimony and to love on each other, and our show is a celebration of the everyday intimacies. So, for us, while we were plotting these big, grand moments […] we wanted to bring in traditions — weddings, matrimony, all this stuff — that our characters get to engage in. We wanted to be a part of the tradition of that, and all the moments that a family shares together. We wanted to make sure that all of those things were celebrated in this.”

When discussion turned to the unprecedented level of support and collaborative inclusion with which the show’s queer cast were bestowed by Ryan Murphy and the rest of the creative staff — from the presence of trans women like Mock and Co-producer Our Lady J in the writers’ room to the extensive reliance on the insights and talents of real-life members of the ballroom community — Jackson was quick to add that besides giving the show its ferocious authenticity, it gave her an increased recognition of her own worth:

“I will never, ever, ever walk into a space thinking that I need to impress them […] I will never walk into a space being fearful of my identity stopping me from anything. Because of this journey, when I walk into spaces now, my identity is not because I’m an abomination. My identity is a plus. My identity is my value. So, when I walk into spaces now,they need to impress me. You can be the biggest Hollywood director, producer, whatever, but you’re not going to take my story or relay stories that are reflective of my life or my existence and make them into anything you want, because of ‘Pose,’ because of Ryan, because of Steven, because of Janet and Brad [co-creator/executive producer Falchuk), because of Our Lady J, because of my cast members.

“I will never walk into spaces or live a life or an existence thinking that I need to impress anyone.”

Porter concurred, adding:

“There was never, ever a space in my brain to dream what‘Pose’ is, what Pray Tell is. I spent the first 25-plusyears of my career trying to fit into a masculinity construct that society placed on us so I could eat.‘Pose,’ and Pray Tell in particular, really taught me to dream the impossible […] the idea that the little, Black church sissy from Pittsburgh is now in a position of power in Hollywood in a way that never existed before. You can damn sure believe that I will be wielding that power and there will be a difference and a change in how things go from here on out.”

If the cast members themselves have found themselves feeling more empowered thanks to “Pose,” so too have the millions of LGBTQ people — and allies — who have tuned into it since its premiere in 2018. The show is one of those rare entries into the cultural lexicon that simply allows its queer and trans people to live authentic lives, giving long-withheld representation to countless viewers who were able to see themselves reflected back from the screen for perhaps the very first time. It’s that powerful sense of validation provided by “Pose” that keeps it standing tall in an entertainment market now providing so much LGBTQ inclusion that it’s becoming dangerously easy to take it for granted.

Whatever moments of heartbreak, joy, and celebration “Pose” brings us as it plays out its final act — and there are sure to be many — we can all be sure it will leave us with a message expressed through an oft-heard line of dialogue that Mock says she found herself writing “over and over again” during the series’ run:

“You are everything, and you deserve everything this world has to offer.” It’s that nurturing sentiment the “Pose” has been instilling in us from the beginning, like a mother to us all.

And that’s why so many of us can’t wait until the first two episodes of its final season air at 10 p.m. (both Eastern and Pacific), Sunday, May 2, on FX.

When writer and filmmaker John Waters turned 70 five years ago, he said he took six friends on a first-class trip to Paris for his birthday and “we had the best time.”

This year, for his 75th birthday on April 22, he was going to take his friends to Rome but the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way and they couldn’t all travel.

Instead, a friend is having a small dinner party for him in New York City, and he’s going with a friend. “Everybody has had their shots, and that’s what I’m going to do…It will be low-key this year.”

The older he gets, he said, the less he cares about making a big fuss out of every birthday anyway.

“What difference does it make? Old means old. It doesn’t matter which one.”

Though he’s taking some time to celebrate his 75th birthday, Waters has no plans to retire.

“No, God no,” he said last weekend while on a Zoom call with fans from London. “I jump out of bed every morning. It hurts to jump out of bed. I have aches and pains. But no, I’d go nuts if I didn’t work.”

That’s probably just as well because he has a lot going on. Between shooting episodes of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” getting ready for film festivals in several cities, planning a guided tour in Provincetown, and preparing for an exhibit of his private art collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art, he’s staying busy.

The ultimate multitasker, he didn’t even stop working when he went for a COVID vaccination recently.

“I signed an autograph when I was getting the shot,” he said. “Well, not at the moment, but right before.”

In a Zoom session organized by London’s Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities — an early birthday present of sorts because it drew fans from at least three continents — Waters announced that he just last week finished the book he’s been writing for the past three years, “LIARMOUTH,” a novel about a woman who steals luggage at the airport. It’s due out next year from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

He also expressed optimism that some events that had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic will be back in 2021, including his Camp John Waters “sleepaway” weekend for superfans in Kent, Conn., and a new, renamed iteration of the Burger Boogaloo punk rock music festival that he hosts in Oakland, Calif.

There’s even a chance he’ll make another movie. Waters told his fans there’s still interest in “Fruitcake,” the children’s Christmas film that he’s been trying for years to make. “There is new possibility,” he teased. “That’s all I’ll say. I’m not going to jinx it.”

He’s waiting to hear about the several dozen spoken-word shows he performs around the country every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. “I think a lot of those decisions are going to happen in September.”

Most of all, he said, he’s just eager to make in-person appearances after a year in lockdown. Some of his engagements that were cancelled due to COVID have been rescheduled for the coming year, including appearances in New York, California, and Pennsylvania, and he’s adding others.

“I’m dying to get back on the road,” he said last weekend. “I’m still amazed that 20-something-year-old kids know who I am. I want to see what they look like.”

He’s wondering whether Meet-N-Greets – the sessions where he signs autographs and poses for photos with fans after a performance – will be possible in a post-pandemic world.

“Even before this, when I did the Christmas tour, I had Meet-N-Greets for usually 50 people” after a show, he said. “I’d always get sick because you have to hug everybody and then get on an airplane the next day. So I think Meet-N-Greets might never come back. I don’t know how they’re ever going to do that safely.”

On a personal basis, too, he’s yearning to get out and travel more.

“I want to go to a movie theater. I want to go to a concert,” he said. “I want to be able to have even a dull day out with other people.”

For obvious reasons, Hollywood’s 2021 “Awards Season” has been a little different. Constrained by COVID and foregoing the usual swanky galas and glamorous stage extravaganzas, the entertainment industry has been limited to making the public presentations of its annual honors via virtual livestreams that look pretty much the same as the Zoom meetings and Facetime chats of which we’ve all become so weary.

These shows, though they try hard to generate excitement, can’t help but feel a bit perfunctory. We can easily forgive all this, of course. Everyone, including us, has to make the best of a not-so-great situation, and making sure that “the show goes on” is a big part of maintaining a positive, forward-looking attitude as we all push through the current crisis; and besides, there’s a satisfaction that comes with watching our favorite celebrities fumble through the same awkward gaffes and technical glitches we’ve all become so used to – it turns an event that is normally synonymous with the words “Hollywood elite” into an egalitarian reminder that even movie stars like to sit on the couch in their sweats. Still, that same equalizing effect also serves to highlight the relative absurdity of building up so much importance, so much pomp and hyperbole, over awards shows in the first place. It’s enough to make watching even a show like the Oscars an empty experience.

The GLAAD Media Awards, however, are not the Oscars. While most big entertainment awards are focused (in theory, anyway) on artistic excellence, the GMAs are interested in something with a little more real-world impact – the fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of LGBTQ people and issues in the media – and that difference helped to make the livestream of its 32nd annual presentation, which took place April 8, a surprisingly engaging 90 minutes of screen time.

Of course, it helped that the production was slick, polished, and tightly orchestrated, and that numerous winners had already been announced so that the show could be streamlined into an hour-and-a-half. It was a show that had the self-assuredness that comes from being pre-recorded (or at least, well-rehearsed); and while this may have eliminated the spontaneity that often makes for some of the best highlights in awards shows like this, it also allowed show producers to put together something that felt like a cohesive presentation instead of an awkward work-from-home staff meeting where everyone involved would rather be doing something else.

Unsurprisingly, GLAAD – the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, which has been holding the media accountable for its treatment of queer people and issues for nearly four decades – turned the situation into an opportunity to highlight the incredible progress that continues to be made in an uphill fight that is still far from over. Tastefully but assertively, the show threaded key talking points into the festivities; threads highlighting diversity, intersectionality, and the uptick in percentages of youth identifying somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum were picked up and echoed throughout in speeches from hosts, presenters and winners alike.

A few highlights:

Host Niecy Nash took immediate command of the proceedings, setting a jovial tone and leaning into her status as a “new member” of the community. Nash came out (“came into myself,” as she prefers to say) as LGBTQ and married her wife, musician Jessica Betts, in 2020, and joked about the ongoing process of figuring out her own place on the spectrum by admitting she didn’t know how things would have turned out if “that guy from ‘Bridgerton’” had come along first. Later in the livestream, Betts appeared to sing her song, “Catch Me,” giving Nash the opportunity to introduce her wife’s performance – an undeniably magical moment.

JoJo Siwa, who also came out in 2020, presented the award for Outstanding Children’s Programming to “The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo.” After her exuberant introduction, in which she acknowledged “the best, most amazing, wonderful girlfriend in the entire world” and proclaimed “Love is awesome…. you can be in love with whoever you want to be in love with and it should be celebrated,” the award was accepted by Elmo himself – another tear-inducing moment in which the progress made in queer acceptance was thrown into stark relief.

Presenting the award for Outstanding Film – Wide Release, USWNT and Orlando Pride Stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger spoke out in support of trans athletes, saying “Trans students want the opportunity to play sports for the same reason other kids do: to be a part of a team where they feel like they belong.” The award went to “Happiest Season,” the Hulu-produced Christmas romance centered on a lesbian couple played by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis – again, underscoring the leaps made in LGBTQ inclusion in mainstream entertainment.

Accepting the award for Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode for “A Little Late With Lilly Singh: Lilly Responds to Comments About Her Sexuality,” Lilly Singh highlighted the importance of representation by saying, “you know, in other cultures like South Asian culture…there is still a stigma attached to being your true authentic self. I always think that if I was younger and I saw someone on TV who looked like me, that was out and proud about it, maybe I would’ve gotten here faster…I just want to say to everyone at home that looks like me: I am out. I am loud. I am proud. I love myself. And the journey to get here was tough, but it was so worth it. So I want to say that I see you. I recognize you. You are valid. You are beautiful. Nothing about you needs to change.”

The “Gay Geek” contingent received some validation when the award for Outstanding Television Series – Drama went to “Star Trek: Discovery.” Accepted by series stars Wilson Cruz, Anthony Rapp, Ian Alexander, and Blu del Barrio, the win was a much-deserved acknowledgement that the Gene Roddenberry-created franchise has always pushed the boundaries of social acceptance in its content, as well as an uplifting reminder of the power of popular fiction to help us imagine – and aspire to – the better world we want to build.

There were some drawbacks and disappointments, of course – most notably, perhaps, the much-touted “Glee” reunion, in which the stars of the breakthrough Ryan Murphy series came together via virtual conference to pay tribute to departed castmate Naya Rivera and the legacy of her character, Santana Lopez. Die-hard fans may have found satisfaction in seeing this beloved ensemble “together” again, and the spirit in which it happened was unquestionably sincere; even so, the obvious “edited highlights” quality of the segment fell far short of the excitement that might have been made possible by having them unite for a musical number for old time’s sake. Let’s hope for a “do-over” in 2022.

Also unfortunate was the “by the way” status relegated to many of the winners that had been previously announced, especially the electrifying Michaela Cole-created “I May Destroy You,” the HBO show exploring the grey areas of consent in an era hyperaware of “rape culture,” which won for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. And while the focus may not have been on glamour, it might still have been fun to see (for example) the fabulous outfit singer Sam Smith might have worn in lieu of baggy sweats had he been able to accept his award for Outstanding Music Artist in person instead of from his living room.

As for who all the winners were, a complete list can easily be found on the GLAAD website, or you can even watch the full presentation on YouTube. Their names deserve to be known, and their accomplishments celebrated.