The "gay twist" in television crime dramas isn’t the scandal it was as recently as 15 years ago. (Check out some of the gay-themed Law & Order episodes from the early seasons.)
I don’t watch Without a Trace, but I have caught about three episodes of the show in the past few years. In one episode, I could see the gay twist coming from a mile away. A Korean store clerk went missing, and the cops look at the ex-fiance, who turns out to be gay.
This past weekend, I saw another episode in which teenagers in a suburb have orgies without their parents’ knowledge. I thought I could see a gay twist coming, but it didn’t arrive. The subtext could have been played that way, though.
Still, it got me thinking about a teen drama. Here’s my pitch.
There’s the jock, popular with everyone (especially the girls) and an excellent student. He’s the golden boy.
There’s the indie faggot, popular with potheads and druggies (since he’s a pusher) and a brilliant student, if he could only apply himself. He’s the black sheep.
They’re both at a party, and just about everyone is sufficiently trashed. The jock, while partying, doesn’t get out of hand like his buddies. The indie faggot shows up and draws some murmurs from the other jocks. Someone points out the indie faggot has all the best drugs.
There’s a game of spin the bottle. The bottle points to the indie faggot. Then the bottle points to the jock.
The jock, feeling bold, goes through with the kiss, and — of course — his feelings are stirred. The indie faggot, in turn, is surprised by the kiss as well.
The following week, the jock and the indie faggot are assigned to work on a research project together. You can see where this is going … the jock and the indie faggot bond, and one thing leads to another and …
Of course, can the relationship they want to forge survive the caste system of high school?
I wonder, myself.
UPDATE, 05/02/06: I’ve mulling about this plot a bit more, and here are a few things I want to add:
- I want to cast Matt Long formerly of the TV show Jack & Bobby as the jock.
- The jock and the indie faggot will eventually break up, more out of social stratification than a loss of affection. In short, the indie faggot gets into trouble that threatens to take the jock down with him, and the indie faggot has enough of a conscious to spare him that. They still feel deeply about each other, though, but circumstances ultimately prevail.
- After the relationship between the jock and the indie faggot implodes, the jock will then find himself in a triangle — him and another jock, and a girl who likes that other jock.
Yeah, I’m picture a WB (or should I say CW) kind of drama. Two seasons at the most.