Survive the Hanging Out hiatus with our culture queue

April 19, 2017

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Art by Chris De Vera

Since TEAM TV’s premier offering, Hanging Out, ended its (very) brief six-episode sprint last February, Monday nights have gotten a little less exciting and a whole lot less gay. None of us at TEAM expected that our story of finding your people and, in the process, your person, would become as cherished a viewing necessity as a weekend porn binge.

Based on the constant messages we get asking when Season Two will be out, many of you hoholistas, as Eboy Fernandez coined, are struggling to survive the absence of Hanging Out. We won’t deny we’re responsible for this, so if seeing your favorite cast members at TEAM events isn’t enough (the next one, BEKI COOPER, is tomorrow—April 20—for instance), we’ve got a quick fix for those of you who need their TEAM TV fix.

As TEAM’s resident TV Gay Guide, I’ve assembled a list of recommendations you can stream or binge-watch based on your character of choice. Of course, it’s not as good as a fresh Petersen Vargas-directed episode, but the time you usually spend hanging with your favorite fictional baklarkada could also be time spent with people out in the real world anyway.

If you’re hung up on DAVID, you may like:

MASTER OF NONE (Netflix)

Dev, the charming, diminutive lead of Master of None, is a millennial creative struggling to identify what he wants in life exactly. Sound familiar? You can say that Dev is pretty much like David but Indian-American and straight. Each episode also focuses on a different aspect of Dev’s life in New York City which parallels David’s story arc as he lives out and proud in Manila’s bustling metropolis.

TERRACE HOUSE: BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE CITY (Netflix)

In Hanging Out, David navigates newfound relationships with a bunch of cute, relatable strangers. If you found his journey (and his baby-faced good looks) highly addicting and affecting, Japanese reality show Terrace House: Boys and Girls in the City is the show for you. This highly engrossing show features attractive twentysomethings as they discover themselves and fall in love in a domestic setting. Plus there’s commentary from a group of tita types much like our TEAM Talks podcasts.

If you need ADRIAN back in your life, give these a watch:

REALITY BITES (1994)

Adrian, played by Jox Gonzales, is brooding, emotional and absolute crush material. He is pretty much Ethan Hawke’s brooding, emotional, and absolutely crush-worthy Troy Dyer in this Gen-X classic (which also, by the way, has an important gay arc via a character who comes out to a disapproving mother). With Troy’s quick wit and perfect deluge of hair, this movie is first aid for Adrian withdrawals.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005)

It was a challenge for Davrian to follow in the history of historic homo romances considering the existence of this Ang Lee legend of a film. Once you press play on this gay classic, make sure you’ve got enough tissues at hand (we’ve got a guide for the best kinds, by the way) and prepare to overuse the hashtag #shookt as you live-tweet how winning lost gay love is.

Need your JESSE fix? Then watch these:

CLUELESS (1994)

Sassy kweens who love color will love this timeless teen must-watch. In lieu of rollin’ with your favorite homo, you’ll be rollin’ with these Amy Heckerling-approved homies.

PARIS IS BURNING (1990)

Do watch this doc about the roots of voguing in New York City—a bona fide history lesson on the fierceness of the flaming homosexual, which your fave Jesse is a descendant of. Stream this baby on Netflix and steal some of those face-framing moves for your next TEAM Gay Bar party

RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE SEASON 9 (It’s on right now, bitches)

Do I really need to explain this to you kweens?

Missing your main fag hag MISHA? Play these, you gays:

MEAN GIRLS (2004)

Your gay card may be revoked if you cannot quote at least five sacred lines from this Tina Fey-scripted high school clique classic. While Misha may not have been an actual “mean girl” in Hanging Out, she’s right up there with our fave queen Regina (okay, I guess that really makes Jesse the gay Gretchen Weiners?)

RIVERDALE (Netflix)

On the new teen soap-slash-murder mystery Riverdale (based on the Archie comics we all grew up reading), Veronica Lodge is a beautiful, loyal, spirited, kind, gay best friend-toting (Kevin Keller, hello) and shrewd young woman—just like our Misha. Do we really care who killed Jason Blossom anymore? We want more Veronica Lodge sound bites like we’re dying for more verbal Misha jabs at Jesse.

Floundering without FIDEL in your life? Grab a lifesaver from these shows:

LAST WEEK TONIGHT (HBO)

Fidel (and actor JP Mercado) has a mouth that can likely outrun the Energizer Bunny’s. Good thing is he utters words that actually make sense and prove a point. Watch British comic John Oliver do the same with his brilliant HBO show, Last Week Tonight. Oliver skewers what’s wrong with the United States (and beyond) each week. While biceps like Fidel’s are hard to grow, you can at least expand your knowledge of world affairs.

Need to satisfy your KIKO craving? Dig into this culture:

2 COOL 2 BE 4GOTTEN (2017)

We all know Kiko started from the province, now he’s here. This coming of age tale is director Petersen Vargas’s dark love letter to provincial existence. One can imagine Kiko hanging out with the Schneider brothers and asking either of them (or both!) to “make it hard.”

CHEF’S TABLE (Netflix)

Kiko can cook a mean plate of spaghetti (Check out Albert Saspa’s GAYPRON recipe here.) If you regularly imagine creating a gustatory feast and feasting on Kiko’s supple lips afterwards, kindly put that boner away and binge-watch Chef’s Table instead. You will be blown away with the passion, creativity, and obsession these world-renowned chefs are unleashing in their kitchens.

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