Billy on the Street, Difficult People in the Sheets

In between discussing the scholarship behind pop culture phenomenons, I want to take some time to also chat with all-- 7+ of-- you other artifacts and texts that sort of work to help blur our perceptions of queer thinking in the media. I know. This sounds daunting, because as we have sort of established, what is and is not considered queer? Good news! This is totally up to you! What's most important is that we are transparent (not to be confused with the series) about our choices and our interpretations. Sometimes it may get messy, but who ever said that what we do should be easy? Got it? Shall we press on?

You know how it is- every once and a while you choose to watch a new series on a whim. You may not know much about it, but you think, "What the hell? I've got 20 minutes to spare," so you press start and watch as the magic unfolds.

I had such an occurrence happen to me during this summer. I had been familiar with Billy Eichner's work on Parks and Recreation, and I had always been tickled by Billy on the Street. It felt like a natural progression to begin with Difficult People, the story of two cynical and narcissistic wannabe comedians trying so desperately to make it "big time" in New York City. It stars Eichner and creator Julie Klausner as... you guessed it! Two characters named Billy and Julie. They are selfish. They are obsessed with pop culture. They are damn near hilarious. And the central conceit is that they are talented and clever, but perhaps too into themselves for their own good. And as they maneuver through the tricky terrain of hitting it big in comedy, we realize these two are never destined for success, and that makes the series all the more enjoyable.

We are nearing the home stretch to season two, and I am already dreading the season finale next week. Having introduced my friends to this nutty world last night with episode 2x09 entitled "Cedar Cove" (yes, a direct reference to the Hallmark series), I feel certain that this episode alone could jettison a spot on my top 5 series of 2016. It's a classic sitcom setup: Julie somehow gets selected to be a model in a Christian Siriano (guest starring as himself) fashion show, but succumbs to a Shining level case of the flu-- complete with fellating dogs and Capotes. Meanwhile, Billy gets into the hip, cool NYC clique of gay men called the Ten Tens, a group of 10 gay men who are all a 10, all the while dressing up as a giant potty-training beaver to help pay for his health insurance. Typical plot line, am I right?... Yes, I am being facetious.

But what works so well from this series is... well, basically everything. Extend each episode to an hour and it would run the risk of overstaying its welcome. However, at a breezy 20 minutes, the episodes run like water. And let's be real here, I could watch Billy and co. demoralize and belittle a CPR expert all day. But, at the end of the day, the show is all about Billy and Julie, just as the good lord intended. Sure, they each have their own separate storylines, but once the focus is on their friendship, it is clear that this show transcends what we would expect from a humdrum Hulu series. I won't give away the ending to this particular episode, but suffice it to say, I will never look at beavers and/or diapers the same way again. Coming together, sacrificing yourself for your best friend who is choking on a cough drop on the middle of a fashion runway? Now that's something special.

Someday I am going to go back and recap every single of its (current) 17 episodes for you, telling you all the best lines and discuss how wacky and dynamic their capers are. But to do that would spoil the magic for you. My only recommendation for those reading now? WATCH THE DAMN SHOW. Even if you take your sweet time with it, you can knock it out in a week, and you will only wish for more. Let it be known that Difficult People is not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for a sunny, cheerful expose on how to become a successful blogger, recapper, tweeter, comedian, list maker, then clearly... Billy and Julie are not your people. That said, if you are looking for vain, selfish, failures... well then, you've come to the right place. And what a whirlwind it is.