NEW YORK, N,Y. – July 21, gay streaming service Dekkoo will release “Stray”, a bromantic comedy series in which Jay, a brash gay dude, and Rich, a nerdy straight guy, talk sex and relationships while reconnecting in New York City years after college.
The teaser clip, titled “How Gay Are You?”, unambiguously sets the tone for this refreshingly frank and funny series. And like Dekkoo’s original dramedy “I’m Fine“, episodes are only minutes long, in this case, averaging just over three minutes per clip.
From a quick perusal of gay pop culture websites and social media and its clear that gays have a fascination–if not fetish-like obsession–with straight, “bro” culture, yet there is scant evidence of the reverse, aside from homophobia. Enter “Stray”–created and written by, hello, a straight guy, New Yorker Pablo Andreu.
Andreu says he was inspired to create a show about mo-bro friendship because, “I didn’t see anything out there that quite represented the dynamic my close friend and I have–one in which a pair of male friends joke with each other, pick on each other, posture and share thoughts on sex and attraction, in where sexual orientation is at once topical and incidental to the friendship.”
Eschewing stereotypes, instead of a battle of clichés Andreu has given us a more realistic conversation between a swaggering bro-ish gay dude and a not-so-bro-ish, mild-mannered straight guy, which is key to the show’s refreshing, reality-check realness.
When asked who did you write the show for curious straight guys or curious gay guys? Andreu says, “I honestly didn’t know. The dynamic between the two main characters made me chuckle, so I figured I’d keep writing until I stopped chuckling.”
While some may categorize “Stray” as a gay-themed show, as there are only two characters–one gay, one straight–the show is a balance of the two.
An interesting take-away from “Stray” is that the show highlights an overlooked and occasionally commented on truth that there are loads of gay guys out there who have much more in common with straight men than they do with straight women–a welcome truth that may surprise as many gay as straight guys. “I think that’s spot on,” says Andreu. “Desire and attraction manifest quite similarly in gay guys and straight guys. The object of attraction just happens to be different.”
“Stray” will be released on Dekkoo July 21. Dekkoo.com. $9.99 a month after 7-day free trial.
Quotes above are from a Q&A with “Stray” creator and writer Pablo Andreu. Read the full interview on Dekkoo’s blog at www.dekkoo.com.
