Consider This

[Penelope]

Just wrote this up and submitted it to the Dallas Voice. It may seem minor compared to other gay rights issues, but I think it has a relevancy and it's important to me.

The Best—And Gayest—Show On TV

by Joseph C. Jones

Consider this: what if there was a television program that featured not just one, not just two, but three gay men as central characters? What if this show did not shy away from showing the romantic affection between the male couple? What if this show, an ensemble program with mostly straight characters, structured the stories in such a way that all the different strands interconnected between these gay men, that they were, essentially, the connective tissue that binds the various characters together? What if this show dared to directly tackle the hot-button issue of same-sex marriage without apology? What if this show also happened to be marvelously written—with tight plotting and dialogue that alternates, on a dime, between powerful pathos and brilliant, caustic wit? And what if this show featured some of the finest acting seen on television, with two of the actors openly gay men? I bet that you’d want to watch it, right?

Is there such a program on premium cable? No. Is there such a program on basic cable? No*. Is there such a program on network prime-time? No. But there is such a program, and it’s probably the best program on television right now and you’re probably not watching it. Why? Because, it’s the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live.

Soap operas have a bad reputation, and, admittedly, that is often justified: the worst offenders of the genre engage in inane plots, characters repeatedly returning from the dead, children ageing into adults overnight, stories that wander into a corner of ridiculousness. But science-fiction and fantasy programs also often deal with extraordinary and unlikely events, yet such plot developments are readily accepted. For some reason, however—perhaps because the soap opera was initially designed to appeal to a straight, female audience—the genre is looked down upon.

And, in a way, considering the slate of soaps that remain on the air, I can’t say I blame some of the naysayers: All My Children is considered by some critics to be “the worst show on TV”; As the World Turns is nearly as unwatchable; and The Young & the Restless is an erratic mess.

But thanks to the incredible skills of executive producer Frank Valentini and headwriter Ron Carlivati (both openly gay), One Life to Live is like a diamond in the rough: it is an often brilliant examination of life in a small city in the United States, with the rich and the poor sharing their experiences, striving to succeed in their careers and their relationships. Tapping both into the show’s long history and the theme embodied by the title, One Life to Live tells the story of people coming to realize that this is the only life we get to live, and that no matter how you try, you can’t escape or run away from the truth of your life.

The romantic triangle of police officer Oliver Fish (out actor Scott Evans), medical student Kyle Lewis (straight actor Brett Claywell) and teacher/activist Nick Chavez (out actor Nicholas Rodriguez) is an extraordinary, revolutionary tale, one that shames anything previously done on American network television. True, Oliver, Kyle and Nick aren’t the first gay characters on a soap opera: All My Children had Erica Kane’s daughter, Bianca, come out nearly a decade ago, General Hospital had the teenage Lucas come out before disappearing off the canvas a few years ago, and As the World Turns has teenage boyfriends Luke and Noah; even One Life to Live had the peripheral character of Billy Douglas (played by a young Ryan Phillippe) come out over a decade ago before he, too, disappeared. But, currently, One Life to Live is the first show to tell the story of the gay experience with an intelligence, depth and daring that hasn’t been seen before.

Furthermore, because Oliver, Kyle and Nick are professionally involved with or friends with the other characters on the show, their romantic situation has a direct bearing on the other storylines. Officer Fish has played a role in the many investigations of the Llanview Police Department, including a recent drug bust that involved most of the town’s citizenry; while working at the hospital laboratory, Kyle—whose morals are a bit selfish and a touch shady—used his knowledge to blackmail several characters; and Nick not only teaches the teens on the show, but as a representative of the Llanview Gay and Lesbian organization, he’s meeting with the competing mayoral candidates.

One Life to Live is dealing with the gay characters in a direct, moving and often humorous manner. Not only have we seen Kyle kissing Oliver and Nick doing his best to seduce Kyle, but other characters on the show—reacting to the revelation of Oliver’s past relationship with Kyle—have had surprisingly blunt discussions of bisexuality, threesomes, and humorously withering comments about gay stereotypes (and, yes, it’s nice to see the geeky but butch Oliver save the day as a gay cop).

Of course, these fascinating gay men aren’t the only reason One Life to Live is one of the best shows on TV right now. The mark of a classic soap opera is, for me, the ability to weave all the disparate stories into one. Think of the classic season 6 on Dallas, when a variety of characters and events—J.R.’s remarriage to Sue Ellen; J.R.’s affair with Holly and his takeover of her company; Jock’s will; Rebecca’s death; Lucy’s romance with Ray’s nephew, Mickey; and J.R.’s framing of Walt Driscoll—combined to result in a tragic car accident and the near-destruction of Southfork in a fire.

This is what we’re seeing every day on One Life to Live: the connective tissue of Oliver, Kyle and Nick ties together in a number of different, and all of them gripping, stories—Shaun’s coma after a failed surgery by his brother, Greg, who is in love with Shaun’s girlfriend, Rachel; Matthew’s attempt to walk again after a paralyzing car accident and suing his parents, Bo and Nora, to get the right to have Greg perform the surgery; Stacy’s obsession with Rex, who is in a relationship with her sister, Gigi; Blair bringing Téa’s husband, Ross, to Llanview to wreck Téa’s relationship with Blair’s ex-husband, Todd; the revelation that Jared may be behind the stalking of Jessica and Natalie; the budding relationship of Cristian and Layla; and the never-ending rivalry between Dorian and Viki, now facing off against each other in the race for Mayor of Llanview, with David caught in the middle. Oliver, Kyle and Nick have or will play a role in all of the stories, and, like all good soap operas, the payoff is that the stories will spiral in a different direction when everything comes to head. Such is life in the real world, too. (As a plus, some of the actors here—the aforementioned Mr. Evans and Mr. Claywell, in addition to Florencia Lozano [Téa], Trevor St. John [Todd], Kassie DePaiva [Blair], Tika Sumpter [Layla], Tuc Watkins [David] and Robin Strasser [Dorian]—are providing a master class in acting.)

So, you should be watching One Life to Live, and start now. Despite the fact that One Life to Live is often ABC’s highest rated soap (or often ties for that position with General Hospital), that it consistently comes in under budget and makes a profit for the network, and is the highest rated soap on ABC’s sister cable channel SoapNet (*yes, the show airs on basic cable, but it’s a primetime repeat of the afternoon airing), rumors are circling that ABC Daytime chief Brian Frons wants to axe the show next year while keeping the less artistically impressive (but, apparently, more marquee valued) All My Children and General Hospital. I would hate to see that happen to the best television program I’ve watched in years. You should be watching, too.