On April 24, 2007 the Big Gay Sketch Show (BGSS) made it's debut on the LOGO Network making it the first American sketch show with a primarily gay cast basing their humor on primarily gay themes. The show was modeled on predecessos of the sketch genre like Saturday Night Live, MadTV, and In Living Color. The reviews were mixed which was to be expected but the BGSS showed more than enough to reappear for a second season in 2008 returning many of it's original actors and establishing itself as what may be a cornerstone of the network for years to come.
Behind the scenes the show is produced by Rosie O'Donnell who thus fat has managed to keep herself off the set aside from some comedic quips delivered with Chastity Bono from a balcony much like the old men from the Muppets Show. Amanda Bearse best remembered by many as Marcy Darcey from Married With Children has the directorial duties. With years of experience directing MadTV she brings that same basic style with a tougher edge to BGSS which has made it a favorite of many viewers gay and straight alike.
In front of the camera the cast has seen very litle turnover with only Dion Flynn and Michael Serrato leaving the cast. Paolo Andino and Coleman Domingo stepped into their slots and quickly established themselves as favorites with their signature charachters. Andino's "Naldo" is a laugh riot as the unsuspecting latin hunk that draws men from far and near to see him on the job moving boxes. His innocent statements are quickly oohed and aahed over by his admireres prompting Naldo to always ask "I was jus' moving boxes and they make it into something dirty?" Likewise Coleman Domingo's imitation of Maya Angelou reading selections from the men for men section of Craig's List has become one of the can't miss moments of every episode he treats us with this parody.
Julie Goldman finds herself often playing role of setting up others for the punchline and does it as well as anyone in sketch comedy. To a degree she serves as the glue that holds skits together and regularly displays her talent playing a wide range of charachters not just over the season but each show. Erica Ash established the charachters of LaTanya a hard edged Chicago fitness instructor that revels in putting down her clients, and Grandma Bell an aged lesbian that can't seem to retell her civil rights stories without straying off to her sexual exploits.
Kate McKonnon has made her portrayal of a little transgender boy, Fitzwilliam, who simply wants " a first rate vagina" one of the all-time favorite charachters on the show. We see Fitzwilliam's quest for his GRS lead him into situations like trying to defraud the Make-A-Wish foundation and attending Hogwart's Academy where he runs into Harry Potter to "transform his sorcerer's stones into a chamber of secrets." Fitzwilliam is always seen with his companion Trixie who is a large stuffed unicorn everyone mistakes for a dog. Alas Poor Fitzwilliam is always stopped short of achieving his dream and hauled away by his father just shy of becoming the "prettiest little English girl since Orlando Bloom."
Johnny McGovern who made a name for himself as "The Gay Pimp" with his songs and parodies before BGSS is who many consider the headliner. McGovern plays a wealth of roles with ease so effectively you forget just minutes before being a rough and tough truck driver he was a proper English gent. McGovern is generally the feature player finding himself in most skits, sometimes playing two roles in a single skit. While McGovern is not known for a signature charachter per se his roles are often some of the most memorable as he delivers the lines that make you laugh everytime you remember them.
Stepehen Guarino, Michael Serrato, and Nicol Paone round the cast out with their charachters like "Stritchie" (A goof on Elaine Stritch playing roles like a spritzer or Wal-Mart greeter), and Svetlana a hormonally challenged ex-KGB agent whose mother drives her to continue to eliminate the competition. Paone plays the support role in most skits and has yet to really establish that one signature role but in no way is a lesser player as she delivers some of the most hilarious moments of many episodes.
With two seasons under it's belt it seems that BGSS will be here for awhile. Amanda Bearse is the perfect captain for this ship steering it to the kind of success she's enjoyed her entire career and the ensemble cast is quickly becoming recognized as one of the best on television. Some critics even go so far as to say they deliver more laughs in a half hour than Saturday Night Live does in a month of episodes nowadays. Of course that is purely a point of opinion, but I tend to agree, and if you check it out one night you may find you feel the same way.