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Gay TV network Logo moving away from making gay TV
By James Brady RyanFebruary 23rd, 2012, 8:00 pmComments (20)
Logo, the LGBT-themed TV network that launched in 2005, announced its new slate of programming this week, and a pretty big change along with it: starting now, the Viacom-owned station will shift its focus away from airing shows with queer leads. The place that brought you the highs of RuPaul's Drag Race, the lows of The A-List: Dallas, and the never-ending repeats of Queer As Folk will now bring you... this:
Greenlighted programs for the spring and fall include Design My Dog, a canine makeover series from the creators of America’s Next Top Model; Eden Wood’s World, an unscripted series about Toddlers & Tiara’s 6-year-old diva Eden Wood; and Wiseguys, a sort of Real Housewives meets Mob Wives show following a straight Mafia princess‘ adjustment to life in L.A.
The reasoning behind the change, according to general manager Lisa Sherman, goes something like this: as queer people have become more integrated into society at large (and TV at large as well), they've also lost interest in watching exclusively queer content with queer characters. Instead, they'd like to watch the saddest makeover show I've ever heard of in my life, the saddest version of Gypsy you could legally tape without police intervention, and a nature documentary about competing species of spoiled brats thrust into the same niche. (This is called "Bravofication.")
You probably think I'm bitter because of the move away from LGBT leads, and... you're not wrong. Sure, we have series like Modern Family and Brothers and Sisters and Glee (ugh), but if you take away one or two of the shows doing the heavy lifting, it's not so pretty a picture. So yeah, I do think it's important to have a channel with a mission of providing LGBT protagonists. (Also, it gives you a chance at having characters who aren't well-off white guys in committed monogamous relationships. Believe it or not, the LGBT community is actually more diverse than that. Fact.)
But honestly, Logo was never very good. Real talk: their original programming is rough, girl. Watching The A-List was like having an idiot take your side in argument; you kind of want them to just shut up because maybe they're doing more harm than good. In truth I'm more upset that when it finally showed a glimmer of promise — that would be RuPaul's Drag Race, truly one of the best and most interesting pieces of reality TV around — it took a head-long dive into the grimy pool of grotesquerie exemplified by the hydra of Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, and Toddlers & Tiaras. I'm not above watching... any of those shows, really. These things have their place; sometimes as cultural objects they are beyond fascinating. (And yeah, sometimes they're fun.) But to make that your focus, as so many other networks already have, just feels kind of sad.
The good news, of course, is that it turns out we gays really are just like anyone else. Especially when it comes to crappy TV.
Commentarium (20 Comments)
I almost lost faith in LOGO when they never brought Noah's Arc back from hiatus. It's a hub for guilty pleasures now.
Still might tune in.
1 girl 5 gays is pretty good.
It is, but that's actually an import from MTV Canada. If Logo has a strength, it's picking out great shows developed by other networks.
I only read the article to see if they canceled it.
A&E stood for Arts and Entertainment, they are now the the home of "Parking Wars" and "Dog the Bounty Hunter"
Bravo used to show classical music concerts and ballet, they now have the "Housewives of...." franchise and "Top Chef"
Just another niche television network that realized it can't make money on the niche. They have to go mainstream and focus on the lowest common denominator.
Never seen LOGO, but I doubt I ever will now. I want to see gay FICTIONAL stories. I don't care how stupid, trashy, or tacky they are, I have no interest in shows about real and grotesque/weird/unique/stupid/shallow people purportedly living their lives.
I trulY believe they shouldnt change I felt more of myself when I was on this channel it let me get through alot espesially when I came out it was my safe zone if u take tht away what will it do to other kids who r goin through the same thing showing even though things r bad u give up sure they have phone lines or websites to help them what about the one who r afraid to speak up for help I totally disagree with this
I think this is very sad. People in rural areas really like to have some connection with gay news and programs especially designed for them.
Well I hope they won't stop showing Absolutely Fabulous I love that show!! IT'S ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!!
Logo lost me long ago. They showed a lot of gay indie films...many of which were dated garbage, still under the 1993 impression that the whole gay world takes place on 9th ave and 18th street. For all the influential talent in the gay community, I don't know why we are incapable of making good programming about ourselves that does not pad out the running time with sullen fag hags, sassy black girls, space cadet muscle messes and the usual cliche b.s. (i'm sure you can complete this list on your own). We seem to excel at putting our unique stamp on the "mainstream" cable programming, but I've yet to witness some kind of notable gay renaissance in Logo's programming. Its been the same crap for 15 years. Makes sense the channel is struggling.
Is this for real, yes there are shows that they need to do away with, but I watch LOGO all the time, if they would just stop running reruns and start to put some good shows on it would take off. LOGO needs to get rid of that STUPID A$$ SHOP JOSH AND JEFF CASSEROLE OR WHAT EVER THE HELL IT IS
F YOU LOGO --- Never trusted Viacom with Logo.
Now my expectations have been confirmed.
You know Bravo and Andy Cohen kicked your ass.
African American's have BET and their own MTV, Hispanics have Telemundo and 3 or 4 MTV's. Why can't we have a station that allows us some guilty pleasures and funny shows to poke fun at and de-stress with?
So, general manager Lisa Sherman thinks that queer people are so integrated into society that we don't want queer programming. Hmmm... maybe she should also be made the general manager of BET (Black Entertainment Television). I can hear her saying that BET should show "Ozzie and Harriet." She'd say that black people are so integrated into society that we black people don't want black programming. By this logic, Oprah wasted her time with the Oprah show and the OWN Network because women are so integrated into society that women don't want programs for and about women. Her logic makes no sense.
Here's what's really going on. Instead of providing pioneering programming, she blames the audience for poor ratings. Instead of taking responsibility for what appears on Logo, it's our fault that we're not watching what they broadcast. Logo isn't making any new episodes of "Queer as Folk" or "Noah's Arc." There's no programming about the world outside of Castro and Market, West Hollywood or any other big American city ghetto. Gee, maybe that's the reason that we aren't watching. The truth is, too much of their programming is about the same people, shown over and over and over again. It's simply boring.
How about programming about rural queer folks? How about programming about queer folks in other countries who live far from the party circuit? How about queer romance stories where the protagonists aren't all white and die in the end? And here's a radical idea: How about a queer news show? No one can say that queer news is integrated into the nightly news. And what about documentaries? Oh, that's right. Ms. Sherman apparently thinks "Design My Dog" is a better idea.
Why can't Logo make even a feeble attempt at being creative? Are they too busy trying to become integrated into the world of the National Inquirer?
I agree. Be ground breaking. Provacative. Innovative. Ask the gay community to submit ideas or movies or documentaries or original ideas or steal more from BBC or elsewhere and show them. More variety would also help. It was always one of my go to channels first. Sad they succumbed to laziness and assimilation.....
This is horrible. The whole reason for Logo is to give the gay community TV that is real and that we can relate to. And you're going to take that away from us? Just because modern day tv throws in a gay person here and there doesn't mean it represents us at all. It sounds like you, Lisa Sherman, have succumbed to the public and turned your back on the gay community. Logo has helped me in so many ways to help cpome to terms with myself and also provided great advice. I am truly saddened and sickened that the ONLY GAY NETWORK is now being taken away from us. It disgusts me. I foresee this network going down the drain because the TV shows that have been announced seem like want-to-be bravo shows that I and I'm sure many others will not watch. This change will lead to the demise of the Logo network and hatred for all the people behind this change. Please email me at Tommccumber@gmail.com if anyone would like to explain this to me or reply to this.
I think that the saying freedom of speech needs to actually be freedom of choice. I think its a shame that they are trying to be like everyone else. The whole reason logo was amazing was that they were unique and interesting. If you change the programming, why watch logo when we can watch other shows that have gay theams but not gay leads. Everyone wants you to conform and be like the rest. Why not be different! Why not be unique! Why not give people a choice! So why conform to what people want or expect? Stuns up be proud and unique. It's sad that it comes to this.
I agree with he opinion in the article. It seems that television in general is awash in a garbage scow sized trash heap of shows with that rare gem that you can pick out of the trash. The owners of LOGO (Viacom) doesn't know how to produce television worth me watching. Most corporations don't make good producers. It's the group think , greed and laziness that makes television today suck. I find much more intriguing and interesting things to read and watch online. Why? Because the internet is awash in the creativity of millions of people, awash in new things and new people's stories and ideas. You don't get that in television nowadays.
Yeah, pretty sad that Logo is ditching real gay shows for "dog makeover" shows. Even Sirius outq is pretty crappy these days. I heard some shows on qtalk america the other day and they were pretty good.....real gay people for a change! Maybe logo will come back some day, but it probably got eaten by Viacom and eventually will die.