TV series hinting at a gay relationship

[hawtsean]

Over time, there have been a number of different types of TV shows that featured two men (and sometimes two women) in a very close-knit partnership. Often, there may have been a vague hint of something more than professional pairing going on. The series that most impressed me this way was the beautifully done version of Sherlock Holmes (not the newest one) starring Jeremy Brett as the intrepid detective.

The stories, both in the original books by Conan-Doyle and in the TV series put both Sherlock and Dr. Watson together in very tight quarters, and despite having a wife, Dr. Watson seems to hook up with Holmes at all hours without a thought for a home life elsewhere. I have often wondered if the story (which the author claims to be totally fictional) of these characters was intended to very delicately present a homoerotic partnership which both satisfied each man's very unique needs and solved puzzling crimes as well. After all, the stories were written during the Victorian Era about Victorian London (and surrounding parts), and it would have been a strict taboo to even mention such a thing :no: as a same-sex partnership. Such relationships were against the law in Great Britain for many years.

So, anyone else feel the same way about Sherlock and Dr. Watson? Any other stories or TV series that strike you as depicting a gay partnership? :thinking:

 

[name_1]

LOL, does an obvious gay relationship contribute to this thread as well? have recently caught up with 90210 (all of season 3 is out) and i was really surprised when one of the main theme in the series is being gay.. wasnt really expecting that.. or is it just me? lol!

often producers throw it in casually but this one seems to be really trying to bring home a message of acceptance... (or maybe i am just reading too much into it)

 

[iryhousen]

I think one of the actors playing gay on 90210 is now on Days of our Lives opposite Chandler Massey. Fans wanted Massey in a relationship with the character played by Casey Deidrick, but that apparently isn't going to happen. The bad thing is that if ratings don't go up, the actors playing the gay characters will probably both be gone.

I want to see the new Sherlock series from Steve Moffat, and also Christopher and His Kind (Isherwood) with Matt Smith.

 

[nikon5241]

It seems like the HBO series True Blood has a fair amount of gayness in it. Couldn't really tell you what the storyline is because for me it's all about the sexy bodies!

 

[badboyrudeboy]

haha i love true blood i think they should just have a massive vampire orgy, it's practically a porno with blood anyway!

 

[gtsrulez]

I don't know about hinting, but recently there are/were many gay couples on TV... Six Feet Under, Modern Family, Skins, Desperate Housewives, The Tudors, Game of Thrones, all of them featured at least one.

 

[brmstn69]

Over time, there have been a number of different types of TV shows that featured two men (and sometimes two women) in a very close-knit partnership. Often, there may have been a vague hint of something more than professional pairing going on. The series that most impressed me this way was the beautifully done version of Sherlock Holmes (not the newest one) starring Jeremy Brett as the intrepid detective.

The stories, both in the original books by Conan-Doyle and in the TV series put both Sherlock and Dr. Watson together in very tight quarters, and despite having a wife, Dr. Watson seems to hook up with Holmes at all hours without a thought for a home life elsewhere. I have often wondered if the story (which the author claims to be totally fictional) of these characters was intended to very delicately present a homoerotic partnership which both satisfied each man's very unique needs and solved puzzling crimes as well. After all, the stories were written during the Victorian Era about Victorian London (and surrounding parts), and it would have been a strict taboo to even mention such a thing :no: as a same-sex partnership. Such relationships were against the law in Great Britain for many years.

So, anyone else feel the same way about Sherlock and Dr. Watson? Any other stories or TV series that strike you as depicting a gay partnership? :thinking:

Robert Downey Jr. let it slip on David Letterman that the sequel to Sherlock Holmes would reveal that Holmes and Watson are in fact lovers.

But the uptight bitch that owns the copyright on Doyle's work threatened to pull the plug on the project if they did.

Downey has also stated that he has been instructed by studio executives to portray Holmes as "not so gay" as in the first film...:angry:

 

[hawtsean]

Robert Downey Jr. let it slip on David Letterman that the sequel to Sherlock Holmes would reveal that Holmes and Watson are in fact lovers.

But the uptight bitch that owns the copyright on Doyle's work threatened to pull the plug on the project if they did.

Downey has also stated that he has been instructed by studio executives to portray Holmes as "not so gay" as in the first film...:angry:

Why am I not especially shocked at anything of this sort from the entertainment industry!

Ever since I understood my own sexual preferences (teen years), it made perfect sense to me that the close relationship between (the Doyle characters) Holmes and Watson was not merely friendship but something much deeper. Sir Arthur himself, having had medical training, would have seen all kinds of things back in the Victorian day. Such close, avuncular pairings of English gentlemen were no doubt discretely ignored for what they really were.

 

[iryhousen]

In the unaired pilot for the new Sherlock series, set in the modern era, they said something about being attracted to each other. I can't remember what. The guy from The Office UK plays Watson. I haven't watched the first episode yet. On Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy featured a long term relationship between two heterosexual men who were sometimes in love with each other. They had many very nice scenes together over the years. One of the gayest couples ever on television was Frasier and Niles Crane. I make my own slashy fantasies out of the shows I watch which are probably better than what the writers come up with.

 

[eatmgm]

Two words: Rizzoli & Isles. Although they're women, there's definitely some homoerotic tension going on there.

 

[fukami]

*cues Xena main theme*

 

[AceShyGuy]

*cues Xena main theme*

haha nice

I didn't realize how obvious The Ren & Stimpy Show was until i was older and those new episodes came out on Spike TV.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is a pretty awesome movie. Holmes claims to be Watson's lover to avoid going to stud for a Russian ballerina.

 

[Behrluvr]

I'm going to pass over Batman and Robin as that one's been analyzed to death. Same for Dr. Smith and Will Robinson from "Lost in Space" (Dr. Smith was clearly the inspiration for Zsa-Zsa from La Cage) :rofl:


As far as homoeroticism on TV, how about Clint Walker? The scriptwriters used any excuse to get this guy's shirt off on camera. Huge hairy chest, teensie waist, tight bubble butt. A million of these shirtless clips on YT. :rofl:

 

[iSlut]

But the uptight bitch that owns the copyright on Doyle's work threatened to pull the plug on the project if they did.

Actually, an entity known as Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. owns the rights, not a person. And, very little of Doyle's work remains under copyright and only in certain countries. The last of any copyrights on his works anywhere in the world will expire in 12 years. Other members of Doyle's family over the years have made numerous legal challenges to the copyright, which have resulted in extensive and exhaustive litigation.

Right now, most of the Doyle's works are in the public domain throughout the world. Doyle Estate attempts to claim it still owns the copyright to the characters; however, that is bluster and a legal fiction. Attempts to trademark the Doyle characters have failed.

Hence, if you made a film based on an early Doyle story, "A Study in Scarlet," which is entirely in the public domain throughout the world, and created new fictional elements therein -- for example that Holmes was gay and a nudist -- almost every copyright lawyer would tell you that you are free to do so. Doyle Estate might try to claim they still hold a copyright to Holmes as a character, but such a claim would not stand up in an American court.

Almost all movie studios, however, would attempt to get the Doyle Estate to consent to their production in exchange for payment. It's a form of legal extortion to bypass litigation. Whether or not Doyle Estate can insert itself into matters of content control is entirely subject to negotiations.

 

[brmstn69]

Actually, an entity known as Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. owns the rights, not a person. And, very little of Doyle's work remains under copyright and only in certain countries. The last of any copyrights on his works anywhere in the world will expire in 12 years. Other members of Doyle's family over the years have made numerous legal challenges to the copyright, which have resulted in extensive and exhaustive litigation.

Right now, most of the Doyle's works are in the public domain throughout the world. Doyle Estate attempts to claim it still owns the copyright to the characters; however, that is bluster and a legal fiction. Attempts to trademark the Doyle characters have failed.

Hence, if you made a film based on an early Doyle story, "A Study in Scarlet," which is entirely in the public domain throughout the world, and created new fictional elements therein -- for example that Holmes was gay and a nudist -- almost every copyright lawyer would tell you that you are free to do so. Doyle Estate might try to claim they still hold a copyright to Holmes as a character, but such a claim would not stand up in an American court.

Almost all movie studios, however, would attempt to get the Doyle Estate to consent to their production in exchange for payment. It's a form of legal extortion to bypass litigation. Whether or not Doyle Estate can insert itself into matters of content control is entirely subject to negotiations.

This is the article I read...

"Sherlock Holmes 2" in Jeopardy for Homosexual Comments


Two weeks ago, Robert Downey Jr appeared on "Late Show With David Letterman," to promote his new "Sherlock Holmes" movie and in the process talked about the possibility of Sherlock and his sidekick Dr. Watson being homosexual lovers.

The comments did not hurt the film's box office results, but if talks like this continue, Downey can forget about returning for the inevitable sequel.

Andrea Plunket, who holds the US copyright to Arthur Conan Doyle's literary creation, is unhappy with Downey's statements. She said that if director Guy Ritchie and the screenwriters decide to take the character in that direction, she will not allow a follow-up film.

"I hope this is just an example of Mr. Downey's black sense of humour," she said. "It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books."

 

[iSlut]

Andrea Plunket, who holds the US copyright to Arthur Conan Doyle's literary creation

I don't know where this article came from, but Andrea Plunkett absolutely does not own the copyright. She has repeatedly said she does and she has repeatedly lost in court when she challenged the legitimate copyright owners, which are Conan Doyle Estate. Jon Lellenberg is the American administrator for any US copyrights controlled by Doyle Estate.

Plunkett has lost every suit she ever filed claiming copyright in Doyle. She's the legal equivalent of a pretender to the throne and well known in copyright law as a litigious crackpot. She was formerly married to a TV producer who produced the 1950s TV show based on Doyle's works. Because of that, she thinks she owns the copyright to everything Doyle ever wrote, which she doesn't. Her late ex-husband once owned what are known legally as "subsidiary rights." That's it.

She also tried to trademark Doyle and all his characters and lost that farce, too.

If her late ex-husband had produced West Wing, she'd probably try to claim she owned all the furniture in the White House and the copyright to everything written by Abraham Lincoln.

 

[hawtsean]

I don't know where this article came from, but Andrea Plunkett absolutely does not own the copyright....................Plunkett has lost every suit she ever filed claiming copyright in Doyle. She's the legal equivalent of a pretender to the throne and well known in copyright law as a litigious crackpot. ....................................If her late ex-husband had produced West Wing, she'd probably try to claim she owned all the furniture in the White House and the copyright to everything written by Abraham Lincoln.

Although I accept the need for a copyright act to protect intellectual property, this gal Plunkett is no doubt one of the key reasons that some of the articles of the act need to be revised or discarded.

 

[iryhousen]

Sherlock S1 ep1 A Study In Pink. Sherlock and Watson go into a restaurant.

Angelo (who seems to know Sherlock pretty well): Sherlock, anything on the menu, free, on the house, for you and your date.
Watson: I'm not his date.
Angelo: I'll get a candle for the table. It's more romantic.
Watson: I'm not his date.

Sherlock: Girlfriend, no, not really my area.
Watson: All right, do you have a boyfriend? which is fine by the way.
Sherlock: I know it's fine.
Watson: So you've got a boyfriend?
Sherlock: No.
Watson: Right, okay, you're unattached, just like me. Right. Good.
Sherlock:John, I want you to know that I consider myself married to my work, and while I'm flattered by your interest. I'm not looking for anything.
Watson: No, no, I'm not asking, I'm just saying, it's all fine.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman play Sherlock and Dr. Watson. Rupert Graves is Deputy Inspector Lestrade.

Sherlock's brother Mycroft also assumes that Sherlock and Watson are a couple after finding out they moved in together.

 

[fukami]

Speaking of Sherlock Holmes movie, I LOVE that picture of Jude Law on the poster. He was definitely targeting the male audience

 

[brmstn69]

I don't know where this article came from, but Andrea Plunkett absolutely does not own the copyright. She has repeatedly said she does and she has repeatedly lost in court when she challenged the legitimate copyright owners, which are Conan Doyle Estate. Jon Lellenberg is the American administrator for any US copyrights controlled by Doyle Estate.

Plunkett has lost every suit she ever filed claiming copyright in Doyle. She's the legal equivalent of a pretender to the throne and well known in copyright law as a litigious crackpot. She was formerly married to a TV producer who produced the 1950s TV show based on Doyle's works. Because of that, she thinks she owns the copyright to everything Doyle ever wrote, which she doesn't. Her late ex-husband once owned what are known legally as "subsidiary rights." That's it.

She also tried to trademark Doyle and all his characters and lost that farce, too.

If her late ex-husband had produced West Wing, she'd probably try to claim she owned all the furniture in the White House and the copyright to everything written by Abraham Lincoln.

Well unfortunately, it would appear that the producers either believe her claim or they just don't want the publicity or trouble of a lawsuit, even if they are in the right...