The strongest feature EastSiders has going for it is the handsome cast. They're better-looking and more realistic characters than the cast of the more high-end Queer As Folk. The main character Cal is as handsome and effective as Brian Kinney in the better-known series. The main flaw with EastSiders is the short time frame, as little as nine minutes per episode. The episode is over almost before it began, not enough time to sink your teeth into it.
There's about five to 10 minutes in each episode of the guys kissing, brushing their teeth, brushing their hair. This wastes precious airtime that could have been more usefully utilized on plot and character development. A re-edit into hour-long episodes would eliminate redundant title credits and let us focus on the interpersonal story line with less interruption.
Although it's described as a dark comedy, I see EastSiders more as a telenovela, I don't see any noir aspect to it at all. EastSiders refers to the trendy Silver Lake area to the east of downtown Los Angeles. Not quite as gay as Liberty Avenue or the Castro, but definitely gay-friendly.
But a better name for the series would have been Kit Williams World. Kit Williams not only plays the leading character Cal, he writes, directs and produces the series. Take out Kit and you have nothing left.
The sex gets boring fast. Kissing somebody is of course very exciting, but watching a couple kiss gets old pronto. Kissing is the main sexual activity in every episode.
Despite its many flaws, EastSiders is entertaining, and worth checking out: 15 episodes over two seasons available now, a third season is pending funding. Available on Netflix, vudu.com, Amazon, YouTube and Logo.