Oh boy. Where to begin.
This summer Netflix released not one but two (“interesting”) trailers for ‘Q-Force’, an adult animated comedy that centres around a group of queer spies. When I first heard about this show, I was so incredibly excited! Most queer shows, to me at least, seem to revolve around ‘Coming of Age’ stories whose themes include: love/heart-ache, suffering, sickness/death, and teenagers. While these stories are valid and important too (given they are well executed), for once it would be nice to watch a queer show that is more fun. However, not one second into the trailer I realised that ‘Q-Force’ was not the saviour I was looking for.
While I know the show has been advertised as a comedy, I feel like this style of comedy, namely satyr, has gone out of fashion and comes across as insensitive or tone deaf rather than funny. For example: is it funny to have every character be a super intense queer stereotype that yells phrases like “YASS QUEEN SLAY”? I don’t think so.
I understand it is hard, and possibly even a little unfair, to judge a show based solely on the trailer(s). But also, isn’t that the whole point of a trailer? Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t trailers supposed to be the ‘best bits’ of the show, giving you a flavour of what the show is about without spoiling the plot entirely? Well the only information this trailer told me about the show is that I’m not going to watch it.
That might sound harsh but honestly, I’m so tired of seeing the same stereotypes of queer people shown in the media. Queer people are not more sexual than straight people. Queer men aren’t always hyper-feminine and queer women aren’t always hyper-masculine. So, why do TV shows, movies, books, etc. that claim to be for the queer community are still portraying us as such? Well-rounded representation of minority communities is extremely important and right now there are far too few good shows/movies/etc. out there for us to be slipping up.
Maybe I am wrong (I hope I am anyway) and the show will be funny, clever, and with context, maybe these clips will sound less insulting. However, I fear this will just be yet another show that, albeit unintentionally, invites straight people to use slurs or stereotypes in the name of ‘comedy’. Or worse, it makes young LGBTQIA+ people feel embarrassed to be who they are because we are always the punchline of a joke. Either way, I know I’m not the only one out there that is upset about this show, where a quick look at the dislike ratio on the trailers will tell you we are all crying out for better representation or none at all.
So, dear aspiring filmmakers, writers, etc. please do better! We are begging you.