This show (listed as a black comedy) doesn't premiere until July 23rd on the Logo channel but if the show is as funny as the video clip, then it's going to be hilarious.

Here is a preview.

On Perez Hilton's site, he says Rhue McClanahan has <gulp> a sex scene. Blurp, won't she break a hip doing that?

If the series turns out half as funny as the movie, I'll be happy. I haven't laughed as hard at a film in a long time. I'm disappointed Delta Burke didn't sign on to recreate her film character in the show, but I'm still in - it should be worth it for Leslie Jordan alone.

Oh my god I didn't know this was going to be a show! How exciting! You know what else bums me out about Delta not being in it? With the original, it was nice to see a mainstream familiar face in such an odd movie. I mean granted that Beth - Whatever is in everything but, does anyone really know her name?

Looks like the series will be starting on Logo on July 23rd. There's a good rundown of the cast over here - how can you go wrong with Rue McClanahan, Bonnie Bedelia, Caroline Rhea, Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant and Olivia Newton-John? Hopefully that question won't be answered, and Logo will get the breakout hit they've been needing. This is probably the first series they've had with a chance to draw in some crossover viewers - I know quite a few straight folks who absolutely loved the film.

Did anyone watch the first episode last night? I thought it was great!

Favorite line was when Brother Boy said to the guard:

"Why would I want something smaller than a toothpick in my mouth?" Or something to that effect. Tee hee.

I only wish that the episodes were longer than a half hour. Just when you start to really get into it, it's over.

Hopefully it's a big hit for Logo!

I caught the debut last night, and was very happy with it. I was concerned that the dialogue would be neutered, considering how heavily Logo edits Queer As Folk and the full-length movies it shows, but the "toothpick" line gave me hope that the series won't be completely de-balled. Now, if we can just get some scenes of Ty's "Naked Boys Singing" auditions included (on the DVD, if not in the actual episodes that air.) The cast is wonderful, including Caroline Rhea, who seems to be a doing a fine job taking over the role from Delta Burke.

I do agree that the half-hour format doesn't seem long enough - there are so many characters in the piece that you barely get a taste of what's going. Hopefully Logo will begin doing back-to-back episodes, so that the audience can get a better feel for the atmosphere and overall storylines.

Never having seen the movie, I was incredibly disappointed with this. The people seem to speak on two volume settings, either shrill or shrieky. I just couldn't relate to any of it and won't be tuning in again.

I have access to the movie. Should I wait to watch it until the series has finished? How long until they veer away from the plot of the film?

From what I've read, the series is a prequel to the movie. I'd recommend watching the movie now, to get a good feel for the setting and characters - it seems as though it's going to take a few episodes to get things moving in the half-hour format.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They're just missing Megan Mullally!

Carson Kressley as Ty's therapist was an inspired bit of casting - I loved the pillow-in-the-lap bit while he was pressing Ty for graphic details. Anybody know if they're going to be stunt-casting various therapists for Ty over the run of the show? Both Margaret Cho and Carson were great choices. And I'm glad to see that the plot is picking up speed now that all the characters have been introduced.

Ok, I just have to say that I absolutely LOVE this series. I have not laughed this hard at a sitcom in years. While I love every character in their own way, my favorite has to be Sissy. Beth Grant is a genius. When she made "smoked" fried chicken I had to pause the DVR until I quit crying from the laughing. I also adore how she walks around her home carrying her phone with her, rather than just using a cordless phone. Watching her jerk the phone cord behind her is high-larious.

Caroline Rhea has made Noleta her own, but I still miss Delta in the role.

I do like that the writing is improved over the movie. The movie sounded very "stagy", so the more natural dialogue is a blessing.

I am curious as to how many epsodes will lead up to the events in the original movie.

This show is a lot of fun. I assumed that because it was being filmed expressly for broadcast on Logo, they would not do any sort of editing at all, but once in a while there's a word bleeped out; wonder if the censors changed their minds after the eps were finished? Nice to see the only "sex" scenes so far are between Ty and his boyfriend; not sure I could get past seeing Peggy and GW actually gettin' it on. Noleta and her battery-powered pal were bad enough, and all we did was hear them.

The "look" of the show matches the movie in so many ways, and not just the shoestring budget. I read somewhere thatthey managed to film these twelve episodes in only 36 days, so that might have a lot to do with it. That might also be why the show, despite beng set in 1998, has a lot of post-1998 cars in scenes, and Ty has this tiny little cell-phone to call his mom rather than that heavy, clunky monstrosity I carried in the late 1990's.

I agree that it is actually better to have seen the film first.

I SO agree with you. Beth Grant's "Sissy" makes me happy. She is the embodiment of so many women in my family and others I've known. The "coming right up" finger snap before fetching the Valium bottle, the call and response "woo-ooo" of somebody coming to the door, the sweet voice and calling someone "Hon" followed by an under the breath curse at being interrupted.

And I never thought I'd warm to Caroline Rhea, but you're right, she's made Noleta her own. I don't even think of Delta anymore.

I love Lavonda. Having her be the only one who really knows what is going on was a wonderful idea, and the conceit of the episode really worked. While it took a bit for the series to get up to speed and the gay son's plot can just go away and I wouldn't miss it, I'm glad that the story's finally started.

I couldn't disagree more. I think the show has a pretty good balance the way it is. I like the fact that we get some 21st Century coming-out angst and naked theater scenes to cleanse the palate between visits to the trailer park. If they replaced Ty and his world with more shrieking white trash women, I doubt I'd be able to sit through a whole episode. They're wonderful in small doses, but more would definitely be too much. Although I'd be perfectly happy if they'd write in a few more Brother Boy scenes - Leslie Jordan is a gay national treasure!

Hallelujah! I just love the way he plays against Dr. Eve.

He's doing a one-man show and he was here a few days ago and I missed it.

Dammit!

My problem with Ty is his acting. He's not doing much for me yet.

LaVonda didn't really seem to have much of an accent in this episode. Is she really from the south?

What was up with AMERICAN AIRLINES in this episode? Ty made it a point to say "I'm booking your ticket right now on aa.com." I can't stand that kind of thing.

Brother Boy makes me want to go to the loony bin and hang out with him!

You're probably aware that American Airlines gets a credit at the end of every episode for "travel assistance". They probably decided to do a (clunky) product placement as an extra way of saying "thank you for helping us save some money". PP's are the price we pay for good low-budget TV.

I can't get over how well-written and -paced "Call Waiting" was. Up to that point LaVonda hadn't really had a lot to do and I began to wonder if she'd only been included because she was in the film. Now I see: she's the anchor of this family, not Peggy. Having an entire episode conducted as series of overlapping phone calls just struck me as brilliant. And that opening segment has to be one of the best examples of plot recap I've seen on a TV show. In an earlier post I wondered aloud why they had "bleeps" even when it was an original production, and now I see why they did it: to get us used to that whole thing between LaVonda and her hairdresser. The bleeps are actually funnier to me than hearing the word.

One bit of "southern authenticity" I enjoyed was her dialogue with the hairdresser (paraphrasing):
HD: Can I get you anything?
LV: I'd love a Coke.
HD: Sure thing. Which kind?
LV: A Dr. Pepper.

I do the same thing. No matter what soft drink you're talking about, it's a "Coke".

If I didn't love him before, his delivery of "Are those titties real, or store-bought?" to Dr. Eve made me a fan for life. LJ is pitch-perfect in the role. It's a crime that he'll most likely never be nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy" Emmy for this role, due to the fact that it's airing on Logo.

Nope! I wasn't aware before, but I am now! Thanks!

Too bad there isn't a credit for "store-bought titties," because we would all know where the product is placed in this case.

And FTR, cable shows are eligible for Emmys. If they were to submit this week's episode for Best Comedy Series consideration, the blue-ribbon panel's heads would explode. But hopefully after they voted for it. Both Jordan and Beth Grant would be great supporting Emmy contenders...maybe even Caroline Rhea.

And Olivia Newton-John's "Sure Looks Like A Dick To Me" is a shoo-in for Best Original Song.

I hope that Mama gets a little bit more wild. From the movie, you were given the impression that she really wents nuts, from a church-going prude to a free-wheeling sex machine hanging in the local watering hole. So far, Rue has been pretty reserved. Let her release Blanche!

And once again, Sissy steals every scene she is in. God, I LOVE her. Woo-Hoo!



For the DVD. I would bet that you won't hear the beeps on the DVDs.

They seriously need to submit this show for Best Comedy, and for the actors. For Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, Caroline Rhea and Leslie Jordan to be overlooked would be a crime.

Jason is Del Shores's partner so don't expect him to be leaving anytime soon. I kind of enjoy Ty's flakiness.

Sissy is pure joy. I have some dusting for her to do. Who wouldn't want her as a neighbor?

Brother Boy - does it get much better?

The scene in tonight's episode between Peggy and Bitsy Mae at the cemetery was really touching. Great comedy needs great humanity and this show has both.

Wilson Williamson? Heh.

Gluttony, indeed. I'd be having "glandular problems" too if I was eating 18 twinkies before lunchtime.

Would it not be doubly mortifying if the closet-case stage manager became the roommate of Ty's ex-girlfriend?

I also love this show but now I am going to miss it because I moved and we only have basic cable at this point. At least I can get a little news from this blog!!

I thought I was going to die laughing when LJ said "I may have to kill that bitch."

I have the series recording back in the bedroom, and I start laughing so hard, MrDucky actually comes down the hall and says "uh....you ok back here?"

But you don't get any funnier that "Pussy is spelt with two s's!"

What are the ratings for this show? This is hands down the best show on TV.

Now THIS is funny.

This show is the funniest thing on television. The network and other cable station 'comedies' have to look up to see funny when compared to this show!

The episode with LaVonda at the beauty parlor on the cell phone was side-spitting.

Grant and Jordan are outstanding.

Oh joy!

A Sordid Lives marathon on Saturday Oct. 18th!!!

The finale didn't live up to the rest of the series, but it's clear that they're not going to dovetail directly into the movie.

Now we wait to hear that Logo renewed it.

I'm so hoping they do at least one more season! Heck, the minute last night's episode was over, I started weighing the variouis plot points against one another to see if this was supposed to be "it", or if there's still room between the end of season one and the events of the film. I'm not sure discussion of the episode is still spoiler material, since some people I know see it "first" in the Thursday/8pm showing (not the wed/10pm). I'll probably come back to talk more later on...

Quick, broad version: Other than Peggy/GW's situation in the last 30 seconds, nothing lined up with the start of the movie's plotlines. Noleta's, Brother Boy's, and Sissy's situations will take time to iron out before lining up with the opening of the movie, and Ty, Latrelle, Bitsy-Mae and Bubba's Bar are not in the place they should be. So the GW/Peggy thing might just be Del Shore's way of faking us out--and the others are certainly his way of laying the groundwork (and HOPE) for a second season commission from Logo.

Thanks to a crappy DVR that I just cannot get to run over, and LOGO's insistence on starting everything late, I missed the last 30 seconds AGAIN!

I take it Peggy fell over GW's legs at the very end. Which makes sense. If Logo doesn't pick up Season 2 (which would be idiotic), you have a transition to the movie in that major plot point. And if there is a Season 2, you can take it as a foreshadowing moment when Peggy gets up and yells at GW about where he puts his legs.

But there are a TON of loose strings left out. Ty has returned home (unbelievably, because he would have performances of the show to do), and in the movie he was in LA. Latrelle and Wilson have not been out to LA to see his show, which was mentioned in the movie. Brother Boy needs to be back at the asylum. Not to mention the other characters who had new storylines set in motion. So there should definitely be a Season 2. I don't know that they could drag the stories out for a third season, but 12 more episodes are definitely needed. A Season 3 would have to pick up after the events in the movie.

I really hope we get another Season. I just love these characters and I'm not ready to say goodbye.

One gripe. That whole storyline with Ty and whats-his-name. The writing was kind of weak, the insane jealousy came out of nowhere and was over-the-top, and regardless of how whats-his-name feels about Ty, they still have a show to do, so running off doesn't let him avoid dealing with the situation. Maybe they will fill in some of the blanks in Season 2.

Yeah, Ty and Jacob's final scene didn't exactly ring true, since Jacob had seemed so totally devoted and understanding up to that point. So he walks up on that thing with Ty/Max and just storms out, implying their entire relationship ended without Ty trying to explain (or Jacob simply asking for an explanation). I admit I had not seen the payoff from Sara coming (though I'd guessed she was alive out there somewhere), but you'd think Ty would not have let that one get away so easily. And if he wants consolation over losing his gay lover, you'd think he would go to Aunt LaVonda, not Latrelle!

Yes, in the very last scene Peggy fell over GW's legs. They had a very well-done shot from underneath the sink's pipes, and Rue was closing in fast as they cut to black. And they were indeed in the sleazy motel where the death was said to have occurred in the film. But other than that, Shores wisely put virtually everyone else in places other than where they were when the film's plot started. This leaves a lot of room for season 2. I'm scared to death for Noleta, though, since she's now in the loony bin at the mercy of recent target-practice Bumper.



Egggggs-actly! And keep in mind that you don't have to have a lot of "time" for another season; the events of season one looked as if they only took a month or two in their time frame.

The arsonist at Bubba's? My money's on Vera. Y'never know what "glandular problems" can push a person to do. She was the foreman in the jury that (wrongly) convicted Bitsy Mae, so she probably felt embarrassed for letting an innocent woman get convicted...but then hated Bitsy Mae for calling her a "glutton" in church. And of course Bitsy Mae was thin and gorgeous...anyway, when targeting the bar didn't work, she took matters into her hands.

I think that they're going to ignore the movie. You don't hire someone like Rue to eventually write her out. There's nothing that says they have to return to the film.

I totally second that.

I just have to say that this show is one of my all-time favs. I know it helps a lot that my mom and her entire half of the family is from Tennessee, so I know real people like most of those on the show, but how can you not laugh at someone shooting a goat and then running it over to hide the fact that they shot it? Genius.

I watched this for the first time yesterday. I don't have LoGo, but my mom does. After everyone was stuffed with turkey she told me about this hilarious show that was having a Thanksgiving marathon.

Is Sissy the one with that crazy hair? LOVE HER.
I was surprised that I didn't recognize Olivia N-J at first.
Even G.W. - I cracked up when I heard him walking in the trailer. Those prosthetics were clanking a bit on the floor. Nice attention to detail, production crew.

After watching the latest marathon on LOGO, I went searching for word of a second season. According to a poster over at AfterElton, it looks as though Sordid Lives: Season 2 is a go! No definitive details yet, and I can't find a news story, but this is a very good indicator.

Yea!!! I need my Sissy fix. I simply adore her.

I'm loving the series, in spite of the horrible mess of the Ty storyline - the writing, the acting, it's all crap in that part.

The rest is pure gold.

Sissy is definetly the favorite one...her woo-hoo's always crack me up.

Can't forget Juanita... with her pile of identical clothes, wondering which one she would use the other day.

Hope the renewal is not just a rumor.

Peggy falling over G.W.'s prosthetics could be a running gag -- which time is going to be the one that kills her?

Finally saw the movie for the first time last week. Made me better appreciate the criticisms here of Jason Dottley's Ty because Kirk Geiger played him with so much more emotional intensity in the movie - BTW does anyone know what happend to him? Sordid Lives is listed as his last credit on imdb. OTOH, Caroline Rhea's Noleta is very solid against Delta Burke's version - I think she does poor white trash better. The TV show seems much better written but then there is much more time for character development.

Saw Leslie Jordan's live show My Trip Down The Pink Carpet over the holidays. Don't miss him if he comes to your area. The entire show is tremendous but when he starts talking about his family in Tennessee (his grandmother turns her back while bathing him as a child and tells him to wash his "potentials") you want the whole show to be about them. He is a great storyteller in the Southern tradition.

Can't wait until the second season.

AfterElton.com is owned by Logo, so if they posted something about there being a second season, it's probably kosher.

Delta Burke hurt in freak hotel bathroom fall.
Sure some legs didn't get in the way?
Hmmm?



Source

Sorry to hear about Delta but that is kinda funny.

Any word yet on when the second season is going to air?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently Season 2 isn't happening anytime soon - if ever.

Aw, that sucks. But it sounds like it's not really Logo's doing -- if the international distributor was paying part of the production costs and didn't sign on for the second season, it's hard to blame Logo for not coming up with more money. And if the production company isn't even paying people, it would seem pretty futile for Logo to go ahead anyway -- it's not like any talent is going to agree to work for producers who don't pay.

He worked on those 12 eps for 4 years? I thought the show was filmed in a shoe string budget during around 30 days, LOL.

I'm guessing that the "worked on" part included all the time he was trying to find producing partners and sell the series to someone who would pay for it to be made.

Finally a bit of good news - there will be a DVD release!

So far it looks like it's just a Canadian release, but that means the discs will play on U.S.-region DVD players. I hope there's a ton of fun extras!

My DVD set arrived today from Amazon Canada - it's a 3 Disc set with all 12 episodes, uncut and uncensored, with extras including deleted scenes, bloopers, photo galleries, five song performances from ONJ, and other behind-the-scenes footage. Can't wait to dig in!