HBO Have Yet Another Winning Formula With 'Looking' - Review Round-Up

HBO premiered their latest series last night (19 Jan.), the San Francisco-set Looking, a show about finding the right right partner and who you are in the world. The difference between the new show and countless other series that fit this formula is that it's three central characters, played by Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett & Frankie J. Alvarez, are all gay.

Jonathan Groff [L], Murray Bartlett [M] & Frankie J. Alvare [R] star in the show

The newly premiered comedy drama managed to draw in promising audience numbers and even more promising critical praise, with a number of early reviews for the show already declaring to fans of the premium cable network that HBO have produced yet another show to become obsessed with. Gaining comparisons to much-praised series Girls, the show promises so much more than being 'Girls with guys' as this modern-day sitcom looks to lift the lid on the still-relatively taboo nature of same-sex relationships in a way that has hardy been done before.

The opening season looks to develop the three central characters; video game-developer Patrick (Groff), artist assistant and Patrick's best friend Agustín (Alvarez) and their roommate and friend Dom (Bartlett), exploring their lives and loves in present day San Francisco. Obviously standing apart from the crowd thanks to the sexual preferences of its three central characters, the show has already demonstrated that it will explore more than just the stereotypes associated with gay men.

The show has already gained comparisons to Lena Dunham's Girls

Next Page: What do the critics have to say?

Early reviews for the show have been promising so far. According review aggregator Metacritic, the show has so far received almost unanimous applause from critics, excluding a handful of those who gave the debut episode a more mixed reception than just gushing over it entirely. Of 21 reviews, only 4 were mixed in their opinion, whilst the rest gave Looking their full backing.

The show's star at the recent HBO Golden Globes Afterparty

"With its strong performances, subtle details and believable situations, Looking presents a convincing portrayal of everyday life - either gay or straight," said RedEye critic Curt Wagner. The New Yorker critic Emily Nussbaum was also thoroughly impressed with the first glimpse of the new show, calling Looking the "standout among several smart series" launching this month.

Time magazine critic James Poniewozik found his first experience of the show "refreshing," commenting that "Looking doesn’t contort itself to create a character to represent every different aspect of 'the gay experience,'" but instead acts itself and manages to stand apart from the crowd as a result. As for San Francisco Chronicle reviewer David Wiegand, he found the San Fran.-set show believable and relatable, commenting particularly on the "pitch-perfect performances of the cast" and the "convincing, multidimensional portrayal not only of contemporary gay life but also of contemporary life in general" the show presents.

Not everyone was as easy to please though, as Boston Globe critic Christopher Muther found the show "infuriating" thanks to what he perceived as "hopelessly out-of-date" perceptions of homosexual life. However, he is one of the few to critic the show, and to do so for this particular reason, with most other reviews commenting on the realness of the representation of gay living.

Looking airs on HBO every Sunday at 10.30 pm.

Could Looking spell big things for Groff and his co-stars?