Is ‘Unupled’ the Gay ‘Sex and the Cy’? | Vogue

netflix gay series uncoupled

Unupled: Created by Jefey Richman, Darren Star. Wh Neil Patrick Harris, Tisha Campbell, Brooks Ashmanskas, Emerson Brooks. Michael's life seemed to be perfect, until his long time partner bldsid him after 17 years of beg long time relatnship. He has to nont the nightmar of losg his soulmate and sudnly fdg himself as a sgle gay man his mid-40s." data-id="ma

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‘UNUPLED’ REVIEW: DARREN STAR’S NEW NETFLIX SERI IS A FIZZY TAKE ON GAY DATG SCENE

After his 17-year relatnship ends, a gay NYC real tate agent (Neil Patrick Harris) leans on iends as he navigat hookup culture this breezy Netflix edy remiscent of Sex and the Cy. * netflix gay series uncoupled *

Dcribg the new Netflix edy seri Unupled as "Sex and the Cy, but gay" mak about as much sense as scribg somethg as "Entourage, but straight. " Sex and the Cy, created by Unupled -creator Darren Star, was famoly the Goln Girls of s era — a seri ostensibly centerg women whom the wrers were clearly dg as gay men. Conversely, Marcia Gay Harn tak a broadly wrten part — that of a hghty, newly divorced Lady who Lunch who bonds wh Michael — and fds wh a seri of small, specific emotnal beats to play.

Michael's gay iends, horny lol weatherman Billy (Emerson Brooks) and lonely art gallery owner Stanley (Brooks Ashmanskas) are supportive of Michael, jt as Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte were by spendg all those long lunch dutifully noddg along as Carrie lamented her love life. Michael lectur the kid about how he and other gay men ma sacrific for the sake of llow lennials, then adds "Well, not me. If s centerg of cis whe gay men mak seem like a cultural throwback, try the new Queer as Folk on Peack, which has figured out how to get more voic to the mix ways that broan the stori beg told and brg s characters' differenc to sharper relief.

But if you like your othy gay sex edy served wh a si of real tate porn, you uld do worse than Unupled. It's tellg, I thk, that at one pot my hband and I found ourselv growg trated wh the show for some reason we uldn't place, until we realized that every time we see Marcia Gay Harn's character's apartment, 's om the exact same angle.

NETFLIX’S UNUPLED: GAY SEX, THE CYDARREN STAR’S NEW SERI HARKENS BACK TO A CLASSIC, WH A NEW SP. BY RICHARD LAWSONJULY 27, 2022SARAH SHATZ/NETFLIXSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVELAST YEAR’S AND JT LIKE THAT SHIFTED THE GAZE OF THE WATERSHED SERI SEX AND THE CY EVER SO SLIGHTLY. THE ORIGAL GANG WAS OLR; ONE WAS MISSG; AND SOME NEW IENDS HAD ARRIVED TO PLITE THE PARTY. WHILE SEX AND THE CY CREATOR DARREN STAR WASN’T VOLVED WH AND JT LIKE THAT, HE PERHAPS WANTED TO DO SOME RIFFG OF HIS OWN, AS EVINCED BY THE NEW NETFLIX SERI UNUPLED (JULY 29). IT’S A SHOW THAT NCERNS THE SAME FASCATNS AS STAR’S LANDMARK SERI—NEW YORK CY, ROMANCE, REER—ONLY OM A GAY PERSPECTIVE.EXPLICLY, DIRECTLY GAY, THAT IS. SATC AND AND JT LIKE THAT, WHILE MOSTLY ABOUT STRAIGHT WOMEN, ARE VERY MUCH FILTERED THROUGH A GAY LENS, THOUGH THE GAY CHARACTERS—CHIEFLY, NEBBISHY STANFORD AND HARPG ANTHONY—ARE OFTEN MERE PLOT FUNCTNARI. NOT SO ON UNUPLED, WHICH PUTS A GAY MAN, FORTY-SOMETHG MICHAEL (NEIL PATRICK HARRIS), ONT AND CENTER. STAR, WH -CREATOR JEFEY RICHMAN, BORROWS SATC’S EPISODIC DATG FORMAT AND ROLLS UP WH THE AGG ANXIETY OF AND JT LIKE THAT, ALL THE GASSY MIDDLE-YEARS JOK ABOUT THE SWIFT ENCROACHMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND NEW SEXUAL, SOCIAL, AND POLIL NORMS. BUT UNUPLED DO SO LIGHTLY, WH A FLICK OF THE WRIST AND A SLOSH OF CHAMPAGNE. UNUPLED IS TOPIL S REFERENC, BUT A FLTERED, RNY WAY, MUCH LIKE STAR’S OTHER NETFLIX SERI, EY PARIS. THOSE SEEKG A MORN VERSN OF NEW YORK CY SELF WILL BE UNSATISFIED. THIS IS STILL A TELEVISN MANHATTAN THAT TURNS S NOSE UP AT BROOKLYN, THAT IS ALLERGIC TO THE SUBWAY, THAT HOLDS DOWNTOWN AS A PLACE FOR HIP RTRANTS AND GALLERI BUT NOT SUABLE FOR SOPHISTITED LIVG. MICHAEL IS A HIGH-END REAL TATE AGENT, SO THE SHOW SPENDS A LOT OF TIME TALKG ABOUT PROPERTY AND NEIGHBORHOODS A WAY THAT IS HERMETILLY REMOVED OM THE REALI OF TODAY. (FOR ALL BUT A PREC, TERRIBLE FEW NEW YORKERS, ANYWAY.) THERE IS, Y, A PERVERSE PLEASURE TO UNUPLED’S BLHE DULGENCE, THE GUILTY THRILL OF SPENDG TIME A WORLD WHICH MONEY IS BOTH NO OBJECT AND THE ONLY OBJECT. THIS DO PROVE GRATG AS THE SERI WEARS ON, THOUGH. WHERE UNUPLED SEEKS NOVATN IS S ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS, DLY SOCLOGIL AND, OFTENTIM, SEXUALLY ANK. JT BEFORE A SURPRISE 50TH BIRTHDAY FOR MICHAEL’S PARTNER OF 17 YEARS, COL (TUC WATKS), THE BIRTHDAY BOY TELLS MICHAEL THAT HE’S LEAVG THE RELATNSHIP. THIS SENDS MICHAEL TO A TAILSP—AND ONTO APPS LIKE GRDR, WHERE HE NONTS A GAY DATG WORLD VASTLY DIFFERENT OM THE ONE HE KNEW BEFORE HE SETTLED FOR HIS LONG DOMTIC SPELL WH COL. THEIRS WASN’T AN OPEN RELATNSHIP, WHICH PUTS MICHAEL AT A DISTANCE OM A LOT OF GAY MEN A OR SO HIS JUNR. THE ADVENT OF PREP HAS HELPED CREATE A SEXUAL LANDSPE UTTERLY FOREIGN TO MICHAEL, THOUGH HE IS AT LEAST FAIAR WH MANY ENDURG HANGUPS OF HIS PARTICULAR I: THE TENSNS OF TOP AND BOTTOM, BEAR AND TWK, DADDY AND, WELL, NOT DADDY. WHILE THE DISURSE UNUPLED IS WELL TROD ALREADY, IS AT LEAST SOMETHG DIFFERENT TO SEE THOSE NVERSATNS PLAY OUT A ROM TV SERI ABOUT MIDDLE-AGE.  AS MICHAEL MEETS A HOST OF MEN ON HIS JOURNEY TOWARD HEALG (PRETTY MUCH A NEW GUY PER EPISO, LIKE THE OLD SATC DAYS!), HIS SIKICK IENDS UNRGO THEIR OWN MISADVENTUR. HIMBO WEATHERMAN BILLY (EMERSON BROOKS) SPENDS HIS TIME BED-HOPPG AND DATG DOWN ON THE AGE SLE. THE SHOW TEAS HIM FOR THAT, BUT MOSTLY AVOIDS OUTRIGHT SHAMG; HIS CHOIC ARE AMED MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT SAMANTHA JON’S WERE. MAYBE BILLY IS PHG TE LOVE AWAY WH ALL HIS EMOTNLS NOODLG, BUT ALSO, WHO R? STANLEY (BROOKS ASHMANSKAS) IS, AS HIS NAME WOULD SUGGT, MORE OF A SQUARE, A LONELY ART ALER WHO’S EVER SELF-PRETG ABOUT HIS AGE, HIS LOOKS, HIS FAILED ATTEMPTS AT FDG A MATE. AGA, THOUGH, UNUPLED IS REFUL WH S RITURE. OR MAYBE ’S JT ASHMANSKAS, WHO LENDS THOUGHTFUL SHADG TO EVEN THE GROANIT, MOST PATHETIC OF L.HARRIS, FOR HIS PART, IS BT WHEN THGS GET A LTLE SER: WHEN MICHAEL AND COL BICKER THE FALLOUT OF THEIR BREAKUP, OR WHEN MICHAEL HAS SOME SAD EPIPHANY ABOUT THE SUDN SHAPE OF HIS LIFE. HIS BROAR EDY IS STIFF—HARRIS IS NOT THE LIGHTT OF PRENC, SO HE HAS TROUBLE WH THE SHOW’S ZANIER, GOOFIER MATERIAL. ESPECIALLY NTRAST TO TISHA CAMPBELL, WHO PLAYS MICHAEL’S BS PARTNER, SUZANNE. CAMPBELL IS A DYNAMIC PERFORMER OWED A B MORE THAN SHE GETS HERE, THOUGH THE SHOW DO EVENTUALLY GIVE HER A SHRED OF A STANDALONE PLOT. SHE ALSO HAS A FEW JNTY SCEN WH MARCIA GAY HARN, WHO PLAYS (ON OLD-PRO TOPILOT) A SNOBBY ZILLNAIRE DIVORCéE LOOKG TO REPAIR HER LIFE JT AS MICHAEL IS. FOR ALL OF S CLUNK AND CREAK, UNUPLED IS AN AGREEABLE WATCH. IT’S DARG ENOUGH A FEW PLAC TO FEEL WORTHY OF S ERA, WHILE PROVIDG THE EASY, BRA-ANG, TRAPPED--AMBER ENJOYMENT THAT HAS BEE A HALLMARK OF STAR’S WORK. (IT SHOULD BE SAID, THOUGH, THAT SEX AND THE CY WAS, AT S PEAK, ACTUALLY QUE STIMULATG.) IN THE STTERED MOMENTS WHEN UNUPLED’S SLAPDASH TOPILY AND HOARY STEREOTYP GIVE WAY TO A JAG OF GENUELY SHARP WRG, THE SERI SWELLS TO F S PEDIGREE. THE SHOW ISN’T SEX AND THE CY, BUT NOTHG WILL EVER BE.WE’D PROBABLY DO WELL TO TAKE HEED OF UNUPLED’S MSAGE, THEN. TO STOP ALL OUR ELS PG FOR AN OLD LOVE WE N NEVER GET BACK. AND TO ENGAGE SOME HALFHEARTED FLIRTATN WH SOMETHG NEW AND—MAYBE, JT MAYBE—GOOD ENOUGH FOR NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR“IT’S RAG TEENS” AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?THE BT TV SHOWS OF 2023, SO FARSEX TOYS, FANCIAL CRIM, AND THE ORIG OF BARBIETHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI THE ACTORS STRIKE PRS APOLYPSE: “THE CELEBRY FACTORY HAS SHUT DOWN”IS ALL THIS AMATR THERAPY-SPEAK JT MAKG US LONELIER?FROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYRICHARD LAWSON

Neil Patrick Harris leads Darren Star and Jefey Richman's 'Unupled' about a newly sgle gay man his 40s. * netflix gay series uncoupled *

Airdate: Friday, July 29 (Netflix)Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Tisha Campbell, Brooks Ashmanskas, Emerson Brooks, Marcia Gay HarnCreators: Darren Star, Jefey Richman. “I feel like I’m one of those 1930s movi where the Deprsn is happeng outsi, but up here, ’s jt Fred Astaire and cktails and soiré, ” Michael gh to Claire (Marcia Gay Harn), an pecially rich client, about her 5, 000-square-foot penthoe. Unupled monstrat ltle cursy over s eight episos about the world outsi Michael’s bubble of wealthy, mostly whe cis gay men their 40s, although the characters do ocsnally exprs bafflement or d ntempt about those who exist outsi of .

Of urse, Michael wants to fight for their relatnship to ntue, but he also se the stark realy of beg a gay man his 40s New York; he jt has no ia how he’s gog to start over as a sgle person. Col propos upl’ therapy, but first Michael has to go see Claire Lewis (Marcia Gay Harn), whom he met at a dner the night before; her stunng penthoe is gog on the market bee her longtime hband left her.

IS UNUPLED THE GAY SEX AND THE CY?

* netflix gay series uncoupled *

We’re not sure if that lack of rmatn is signed to get to foc on Michael and the trials and tribulatns of beg a sgle, middle-aged gay man New York, but Col’s prence as an empty vsel that Michael n dump his feelgs to was tratg. Sleeper Star: We say this a lot, but we almost want to see a show about Marsha Gay Harn’s character Claire Lewis. It’s a show that ncerns the same fascatns as Star’s landmark seri—New York Cy, romance, reer—only om a gay perspective.

Explicly, directly gay, that is. SatC and And Jt Like That, while mostly about straight women, are very much filtered through a gay lens, though the gay characters—chiefly, nebbishy Stanford and harpg Anthony—are often mere plot functnari.

Not so on Unupled, which puts a gay man, forty-somethg Michael (Neil Patrick Harris), ont and center. This sends Michael to a tailsp—and onto apps like Grdr, where he nonts a gay datg world vastly different om the one he knew before he settled for his long domtic spell wh Col. Theirs wasn’t an open relatnship, which puts Michael at a distance om a lot of gay men a or so his junr.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS ON HIS FIRST ON-CAMERA GAY SEX SCENE ‘UNUPLED,’ FAKE PENIS AND JOG ‘DOCTOR WHO’

She also has a few jnty scen wh Marcia Gay Harn, who plays (on old-pro topilot) a snobby zillnaire divorcée lookg to repair her life jt as Michael is.

Time to get back to the gay datg game!

Created by Sex and the Cy and Ey In Paris mastermd Darren Star alongsi Jefey Richman, Unupled is a much-need queer, romantic edy set the Big Apple that tells the story of a gay man of a certa age havg to al wh the harsh realy of beg sgle after many years of beg a long-term, monogamo relatnship. Overnight, he has to nont two nightmar: losg the man he thought was his soulmate, and sudnly fdg himself a sgle gay man his mid-forti New York Cy.

NETFLIX'S UNUPLED IS A GAY ROM-COM STUCK THE SEX AND THE CY ERA

"Bis NPH (Out's latt ver star and a Tony wner known bt for his rol projects like Hedwig and the Angry Inch and How I Met Your Mother) the seri also stars Tisha Campbell, Brooks Ashmanskas, Emerson Brooks, and Marcia Gay Harn, and will feature gut appearanc om the lik of Andre De Shields, Col Hanlon, Dan Amboyer, Gill Mari, Jai Rodriguez, Nic Roule, and Peter Porte. You uld ll a midlife crisis for the both of them; Col sudnly feels stuck his fortable life, while Michael mt now reckon wh beg newly sgle a cy where the petive gay datg scene favors the young, f, and trendy.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS NAVIGAT NEW YORK’S GAY DATG SCENE IN ROM-COM UNUPLED

Specifilly, mak them a lot gayer. It’s how they eventually meet Claire (Marcia Gay Harn), a wealthy—and licly uptight—hoewife who cis to sell her lavish apartment uptown after her hband leav her. There’s the feisty gay twk at work, Tyler, who is nstant petn wh Michael over listgs; Billy and Stanley also only seem to exist to serve Michael’s storyl, often lackg the pth and charm that the SATC gals had.

‘UNUPLED’: TISHA CAMPBELL, EMERSON BROOKS & MARCIA GAY HARN AMONG FIVE ADD TO NETFLIX COMEDY SERI

But what Unupled do succeed at is makg a mastream edy show totally gay, whout beg forcibly “woke” or chey.

In Darren Star and Jefey Richman’s new Netflix seri “Unupled, ” Harris stars as Michael, a gay New York real tate agent whose partner of 17 years Col (Tuc Watks) leav him. In fact, the actor has his first on-mera gay sex scene on “Unupled, ” wh “Sex and the Cy” movie alum Gill Mari. The st also clus Tisha Campbell, who plays Michael’s bt iend and bs partner, as well as Emerson Brooks, Brooks Ashmanskas and Marcia Gay Harn.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* NETFLIX GAY SERIES UNCOUPLED

Netflix’s Unupled: Gay Sex, the Cy | Vany Fair .

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