From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
July 2015
)
|
American TV series or program
The Big Gay Sketch Show
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ec/Biggaylogo.jpg/220px-Biggaylogo.jpg) |
Created by
| Rosie O'Donnell
|
---|
Directed by
| Amanda Bearse
[1]
|
---|
Starring
| |
---|
Country of origin
| United States
|
---|
Original language
| English
|
---|
No.
of seasons
| 3
|
---|
No.
of episodes
| 22
|
---|
|
Executive producer
| Rosie O'Donnell
[1]
|
---|
Production company
| Oh Really! Productions
[1]
|
---|
|
Network
| Logo TV
|
---|
The Big Gay Sketch Show
is an
LGBT
-themed
sketch comedy
program that debuted on
Logo
on April 24, 2007.
[2]
The series is produced by
Rosie O'Donnell
and directed by
Amanda Bearse
. The program was originally titled
The Big Gay Show
but was renamed during production. As the name indicates, the show features comedy sketches with gay themes or a gay twist. Sketch topics include parodies of old sitcoms like
The Honeymooners
and
The Facts of Life
under the
Nick at Nite
-parodying heading "Logo at Nite", a lesbian
speed dating
session, and an extended send-up of Broadway legend
Elaine Stritch
working as a
Wal-Mart greeter
, among other decidedly un-glamorous jobs.
Logo produced a second season of the series.
[3]
Paolo Andino and Colman Domingo joined the cast (replacing Michael Serrato and Dion Flynn). Season 2 premiered on February 5, 2008.
[4]
Production on season three began in March 2009, with Erica Ash no longer part of the cast.
[5]
In 2009, Logo conducted a search for new cast members. However, the result, entitled "The Big Gay Casting Competition", was limited to an online talent search, in which videos by contestants were uploaded to logoonline.com and voted on by site visitors. The winner, Wil Heuser, was a former
American Idol
contestant and
Big Brother
cast member (season 14), and only appeared in one episode of the series as an extra. The third, and so far final season was broadcast in 2010.
Cast
[
edit
]
Recurring characters and sketches
[
edit
]
Recurring original BGSS characters include:
- Gay Werewolf (McGovern), a straight man who turns gay - and hairy - under the light of a full moon.
- Svetlana (Guarino), an ex-KGB secret agent and chorus dancer who practices her Soviet brand of martial arts as a means to stardom.
- Fitzwilliam (McKinnon), a gender-non-conforming English teen desperate to obtain a vagina. Sketches also include their father (McGovern).
- Steven, a large man also known as "Waffles" (McGovern). This character originated on McGovern's
podcast
,
Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern
.
- Ron Odyssey, a frustrating flamboyant gay male receptionist (Guarino) who gives customers / patients a difficult time.
- Chocolate Puddin', a transgender sex worker. Puddin' originated in McGovern's stage show, "Dirty Stuff".
- Naldo (Andino), a Latino worker, who moves items (e.g. packages, luggage, furniture) in an explicit, sexual manner, unknown to him, exciting his gay male clientele.
Recurring celebrity impersonations include:
Critical reception
[
edit
]
- Variety
: "[G]ay or straight, the audience has too many options to rely on mediocrity, which is why this exercise would seem a whole lot bigger and gayer if it was just a bit funnier."
[6]
- AfterEllen.com
(owned by Logo): "
BGSS
faces inevitable comparisons to mainstream sketch shows like NBC's long-running
Saturday Night Live
and Fox's
Mad TV
and
In Living Color
. The success of
SNL
has hinged on the ability of its most talented cast members to develop memorable recurring characters. Similarly, the strength of both
Mad TV
and
In Living Color
is in the willingness of each to "go there" with the sort of sociopolitical humor that the modern incarnation of
SNL
(save for its brief and brilliant
Tina Fey
era) usually avoids... With its cast of mostly queer performers and its residence on a gay network
, BGSS
has a unique opportunity to do both of those things well. If the first two episodes are any indication, it looks promising."
[7]
- The Soup
: Host
Joel McHale
commented unfavorably during the April 24, 2007 episode about
BGSG'
s opening sketch, "Pocket Gay Friend", citing its similarity to The Soup's "Little Gay" recurring character that had debuted a year earlier and jokingly threatening a lawsuit.
- AfterElton.com
(owned by Logo): "I was pleasantly surprised to find that
The Big Gay Sketch Show
demonstrates definite promise....this is pretty standard sketch comedy, save a few more gay characters peppered in and some humor based around gay relationships. And to be honest, the skits that had little to do with gayness were often much funnier than the ones that lampooned gay life....if
Big Gay
focuses on developing great characters and skits that don't get bogged down in the concept, the show could become a solid hit."
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Lambert, David (October 18, 2007).
"
The Big Gay Sketch Show
? Rosie O'Donnell-Produced Show from Logo's on DVD, but Online Only"
.
TVShowsOnDVD.com
.
CBS Interactive
. Retrieved
2017-04-23
.
- ^
Goff, Leslie Jaye (February 16, 2007).
"Cable's Originals"
.
Multichannel News
.
NewBay Media
. Retrieved
2017-04-23
.
- ^
Juergens, Brian.
"Gay television news: Logo picks up Lance and Gant, renews Sketch"
.
- ^
McGovern, Jonny.
"Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern"
.
www.gaypimp.com
(Podcast)
. Retrieved
November 2,
2007
.
- ^
McGovern, Jonny.
"Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern"
.
www.gaypimp.com
(Podcast)
. Retrieved
March 17,
2009
.
- ^
Brian Lowry (April 16, 2007).
"Variety Reviews - The Big Gay Sketch Show"
.
variety.com
. Archived from
the original
on June 13, 2022
. Retrieved
March 3,
2012
.
.
- ^
Kregloe, Karman (2007-04-24).
"Review"
. AfterEllen.com.
- ^
Juergens, Brian (2007-04-24).
"Review"
. AfterElton.com.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]