Above: The cast and creators of Paper Boys.
Looking is done, the major gay film festivals have wound down, and the new seasons of Empire and Modern Family are still on the horizon.
But for viewers who are looking for a fresh take on the gay experience, we have good news. Paper Boys is a subtle, charming Web series that explores multi-ethnic 20-somethings in search of their place in the world in the City by the Bay.
In the series, written by Curtis Casella and Kyle Cabral (who also directs and stars as Cole, the young gay protagonist), episode 1 coyly begins with Cole stripping down to his briefs in an airport bathroom. But unlike that recently canceled cable series, Paper Boys is not obsessed with sex -- and it makes San Francisco look more, not less, beautiful than it really is.
As sketch artist Cole crashes at the home of his hunky straight friend (Nathan Brown), who's ambivalent about his upcoming marriage to his girlfriend (Kai Liu), we soon discover that Cole's sketches have a habit of predicting what's to come.
As writer Casella told The Huffington Post, "When we set out to create Paper Boys, we didn't want to write something that was the same as other shows and Web series with gay characters, and we ultimately decided on adding this element of fantasy. We thought the sketchbook was appropriate because it gives Cole a degree of control over his life, which many of us millennials don't always feel we have."
"We'll also have more diversity moving forward, so I hope our series does a good job of being inclusive and relatable," director-star Cabral said in the same article. "I think the mere fact that we have characters that are involved in such complicated relationships -- in terms of family, friends, and love -- is something that everyone can relate to regardless of gender, race, age, or sexual orientation."
Episodes 1 and 2 have already generated nearly 125,000 YouTube views, and the creative team has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund additional episodes and keep the saga going.
Paper Boys trailer:
Paper Boys Episode 1:
Paper Boys Episode 2:
Paper Boys Kickstarter Video:
