Regardless of any qualms you might have had with HBO's Looking, the show's abrupt cancellation in March after just two seasons definitely left a void in LGBT representation on screen. After all, how many other shows on television today can truly be considered “for us, by us”?
HBO's openly gay president of programming Michael Lombardo seems to have been keenly aware of this, telling reporters yesterday it was “very painful” for him on a “personal level” to have to pull the plug on the show.
Digital Spy UK reports:
“I thought the show, creatively, was really doing something that I hadn't seen on any other show, particularly dealing with gay lives,” he explained.
“As a gay man, in particular, I was very proud that there was a show that felt like it was dealing very honestly and openly with gay men and their lives, without putting them into a comedic mode.”
Ultimately a full third season for Looking simply didn't make sense because of low ratings, Lombardo added.
The story of Patrick, Agustin, and Dom will conclude with a two-hour film that is expected to begin filming this fall.
Editor's note: A previous draft of this post misidentified Lombardo as the CEO of HBO.