How is summer already over? The joy of childhood is summer's seeming endlessness of outdoor play and family trips and best of all, no school. Adult summers always seem to beckon with things we could, should, or must do, yet instead we find ourselves languishing with a cool drink or mocktail and just chilling with friends or too lazy to get off the sofa and do anything at all because, well, it's hot.
September is that bridge month that takes us gently from summer to autumn. At month's end the new fall season will glide us into October and November. But for now, there's little new on the tube and not much that screams lavender, queer, trans or even bicurious.
Autumn in New York
"Only Murders in the Building" is back, and season four portends to be epic. Will Mabel (Selena Gomez) find a new lesbian lover? We hope so. We never did get closure on her girlfriend Alice's (Cara Delevingne) exit. And while we know it's obligatory to break up lesbian couples on TV for reasons we have yet to understand in more than three decades of writing this column, we can keep complaining about it, and intend to.
Some new stars are studding the "OMITB" landscape (as if adding a braid-wearing Meryl Streep as a series regular could ever be topped?) in this new season: Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Scott Bakula, Richard Kind, Kumail Nanjiani, Melissa McCarthy and Molly Shannon. Da'Vine Joy Randolph's Det. Williams is still a real lesbian on the series, though we never see her wife, so she might as well be a solo lesbian like Mabel. And Jane Lynch is...well, you'll see. Watch on Hulu.
In a big country
Over Labor Day weekend we found ourselves watching all five seasons of "Yellowstone" on a Paramount+ marathon. The series puts the toxic T in masculinity and is also wildly homoerotic with all the hot sweaty men, no women (literally only two main female characters, more than a dozen men, and one of those women has more balls than some of the guys), and all those horses and open country. "Yellowstone" makes you want to buy land in Montana and breathe real air and imagine a world where everyone gets to do that for free.
"Yellowstone" is epic drama about one incredibly dysfunctional family of ranchers with extraordinary secrets, tremendous internal rage and a thirst for power that is unparalleled. Embedded in the series are stories about the abduction and trafficking of Native women, the takeover of pristine open spaces by corporations that want to turn everything into a ritzy glitzy Aspen-ish hot spot for wealthy celebs. One determined man, John Dutton (Kevin Costner in his best-ever role) does everything he can, including make deals with the local Native tribe leader Thomas Rainwater (a brilliant turn by Gil Birmingham) to keep the corporate raiders out and protect the largest ranch in the U.S.
Rainwater is determined to retake the land of his ancestors and Dutton is equally determined to keep the land six generations of his forebears fought and died for. It's truly compelling drama, but surprisingly violent with murder, intrigue, branding and tests of bravery that are stunning.
"Yellowstone" speaks most loudly to the stories of men who live without women in colonies of men on the land with animals and little emotional resources. It's a treatise about that, and it's a compelling thing to witness. The bonding of men is so discouraged in America. "Yellowstone" champions that bonding.
This series is mesmerizing, even as it is a paean to white male ascendancy, entitlement and land theft from Native Americans. The acting is stellar and it's gorgeous to look at, both the bodies and the land. Season six premieres in November, so you have time to watch all 47 previous episodes first. With Costner, the cast includes the incredible Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Birmingham and Kelsey Asbille' on Paramount+ and Hulu.
Doctor, doctor
ABC's longest-running prime-time drama, "Grey's Anatomy" is back for season 21 on Sept. 27 and it remains the best (and queerest) medical series on TV. "Grey's" is losing its gay male character, Dr. Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli), after seven seasons. Borelli is leaving the show with his final episodes airing this season. Schmitt was in a long relationship with Dr. Nico Kim (Alex Landi), the first openly gay male character on the show.
As one door closes, another opens and out queer Cuban-American actor Natalie Morales, who debuted last season as pediatric surgeon, Dr. Monica Beltran, steps in full-time. Will she or won't she be with long-time Grey Sloan neurosurgeon and Dr. Meredith Grey's sister-in-law, Dr.Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone)?
Ryan Murphy's "9-1-1: Lone Star" returns for season 5 Sept. 23 on Fox. The series has several LGBTQ+ characters and actors, including: lead character Tyler Kennedy, TK, (Ronen Rubinstein), who is in a relationship with Carlos Reyes (out gay actor Rafael L. Silva).
They were married in the season finale of season four. Trans actor Brian Michael Smith also has a leading role as Paul Strickland and Paul is trans in the series. In season 5, there will be a drama surrounding Paul and Marjan (Natacha Karam) and Paul.
Grab a tissue and watch TK and Carlos tie the knot:
Kids
"Child Star" is a Hulu original premiering Sept. 17. The documentary directed by bisexual entertainer Demi Lovato includes a spotlight on former child stars including queer entertainers Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa and Alyson Stoner.
Scary monsters
HBO Max has "Bodies Bodies Bodies" on Sept. 20. Described as "one of 2022's most overlooked horror movies" and directed by Halina Reijn, the film stars Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace and Pete Davidson in a fantastic queer-ish murder romp.
Finally, the countdown to the election is on. Don't miss the big debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and disgraced, twice-impeached adjudicated rapist and convicted felon and white nationalist Donald Trump on Sept. 10. It will be live on ABC and simulcast on CNN and streaming on YouTube and C-SPAN.
So for all the languorous days of summer and a horizon filled with pumpkin spice, you know you really must stay tuned.
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