Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World

Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World

l-r: Evan, Chuck, Dana, Kirsten, Rick, Steve
Created by Q. Allan Brocka
Starring Alan Cumming
Billy West
Lori Alan
Peter Paige
Mitch Morris
Wilson Cruz
Laraine Newman
Emily Brooke Hands
Jessica-Snow Wilson
Liza Del Mundo
Q. Allan Brocka
Will Matthews
Taylor Dooley
Country of origin United States
Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 14
Production
Executive producer(s) Q. Allan Brocka
Dave Mace
Eileen Opatut
Lance W. Reynolds
Running time 22 minutes
Release
Original network Logo TV
Teletoon
Picture format 480i (4:3 SDTV)
Original release July 10, 2007 – January 27, 2009
External links
Website

Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (also known as Rick & Steve) is an American-Canadian stop motion animated sitcom created by Q. Allan Brocka, who also acts as director. Adam Shaheen from Cuppa Coffee Studios produced.[1] It is a spin-off from Brocka's 1999 short film of the same name,[2] and debuted on the LGBT focused Logo network in July 2007[3] and on the Canadian Teletoon's late-night programming block "The Detour" that October. The show premiered in the UK on E4 on 17 September 2008 and in January 2010 on Virgin 17 in France.

After the first season aired, Logo renewed the program for a second season, which debuted on November 11, 2008.[4][5]

The animation of the original Rick & Steve shorts was done using Lego blocks and figures, prompting a lawsuit from the company.[6] Though the series no longer uses Lego blocks, it still draws comparison to both them and those by Playmobil.[7][8]

It is produced by Toronto-based production studio, Cuppa Coffee Studio. Currently, there are no plans for a third season of Rick & Steve.[9]

Overview

The show follows the lives of three gay couples—the titular Rick and Steve, Chuck and Evan, and Dana and Kirsten—as they live in the fictional gay ghetto of West Lahunga Beach and interact with their friends and family. The title is ironic, as all three of the main couples have typical "couple issues" — including Steve actively seeking a three-way with Rick and another man, Kirsten and Dana deciding to have a baby with Rick's sperm, and Chuck and Evan simply trying to be together despite a 31 year age difference between them.

The show is noted particularly for its use of an adult-oriented and "politically incorrect" style of humor, similar in some respects to that of South Park and Family Guy.[10]

Characters

Main

Family

Friends

Other minor characters

Guest voices have included Mitch Morris, Mark Hamill, Jim J. Bullock, Jill Bennett, Lance Bass, Andy Dick, Jai Rodriguez, George Takei, Laraine Newman, Bruce Vilanch and Robert Gant. Margaret Cho, Liza Del Mundo and Billy West voice minor characters in addition to their primary roles, and series creator Q. Allan Brocka also contributes minor character voices.

Episodes

Two seasons have been made and 14 episodes have aired, six in season 1 and eight in season 2.

Season 1

Title Original air date Synopsis
Guess Who's Coming for Quiche? July 10, 2007 Dana and Kirsten ask Rick to donate sperm to inseminate Kirsten. They agree but secretly mix Steve's sperm in. Rick and Steve consider a threesome to spice up their relationship.
Bush Baby July 17, 2007 Rick and Steve see a marriage counselor who advises them to involve each other in their hobbies. Dana and Kirsten baby-sit "Echinacea" for friends Ebony and Ivory and are horrified when Echinacea's first word is "Bush."
Damn Straights July 24, 2007 After accidentally splashing sperm on herself last episode, Dana is pregnant. Steve's parents come for a visit but refuse to believe that Rick is a man. Evan must leave West Lahunga Beach in search of medical marijuana.
It's Raining Pussy July 31, 2007 After her 17th boyfriend comes out, Rick and Steve's friend Condi makes her 17th suicide attempt, then tries to steal Evan away from Chuck. Meanwhile, Pussy organizes the neighborhood cats in a vendetta against Dana after the boys turn Pussy's room into a nursery.
Save Our Seamen August 14, 2007 The gang all go on a "Cruisey Cruise" family cruise to bond. On board, they must deal with Rick's ex-boyfriend Hunter, stowaway Condi, "Mommy Boot Camp" and being marooned on an iceberg.
Hormonally Yours August 28, 2007 Dana and Rick go into hormone-induced hazes, Dana from pregnancy and Rick from an herbal steroid. Dana becomes sweet but obsesses over baby-proofing. Rick obsesses over being "skinny-fat" and working out and becomes uncontrollably horny. Meanwhile, Steve tries to expand his business by meeting the local Log Cabin Republicans, but accidentally winds up at a "K K Gay" meeting instead. Dana snaps out of it just in time to go into labor.

Season 2

Title Original air date Synopsis
Labor Days November 11, 2008 Dana's labor continues and Kirsten asks Rick and Steve to help choose a baby name. Rick insists that the baby not share the name of any of Steve's tricks, but then discovers that Rick has a whole trunk full of sexual souvenirs. Evan tapes part of Dana's labor and it becomes a MyTube sensation, but when he attends a bloggers' convention and is dismissed as a "one-billion hit wonder" by Perez Hilton and Arianna Huffington, he starts to film even more outrageous videos to keep his celebrity status alive. Dana's parents convince Dana to name the baby in memory of her deceased brother Dick — but after 17 days of labor, Dana gives birth to a girl whom she names Dixie after her brother's drag persona.
Wickeder November 18, 2008 After being caught in a tornado while bringing Dixie home from the hospital, the group lands in the middle of a cornfield and promptly runs out of gas. Steve and Dana walk to Emerald Joe's for gas while Kirsten and Rick read Dixie a "queer revisionist" version of The Wizard of Oz. Condi appears as the Crow-hag, Chuck as the Tin Man and Evan as the Cowardly Twink, while Steve and Dana spar over which one's Dorothy and which one's Toto. Kirsten worries that Dixie is bonding with everyone but her. Guest stars Jm J. Bullock as Emerald Joe and Jacques-Jean, the leader of Felatia's squad of flying French Canadian mimes.
Mom Fight November 25, 2008 Rick and Steve's mothers both show up for Mother’s Day, and it's a case of hate at first sight. Dana and Kirsten feud over Mother’s Day after Rick and Steve buy them a gift certificate to a mommy spa, but eventually reconcile by inventing their own Mother's Day tradition. After Evan challenges Chuck to actually go out and pick up a guy on their "night off", Chuck has the most incredible sex of his life — with a woman. Evan tries to have revenge sex with Condi, but he's so gay that he has to try the ex-gay movement just to get it up.
Death of a Lesbian Bed December 2, 2008 After their friends Ebony and Ivory go through lesbian bed death, Dana fears that Kirsten isn't attracted to her anymore because she's still fat from the pregnancy. The boys and Condi go on a tour of Underground West Lahunga Beach, and discover that Lance Bass (playing himself) is guarding the secret history of the gay ghetto.
Swallowing Pride December 16, 2008 The gang go to San Francisco for Gay Pride. While there, Chuck decides to do everything he's ever wanted to do before he dies, but Evan fears there'll be no money left if Chuck spends it all and finds ways to help Chuck do it all for free. The others find out that their virtually normal lives are considered stereotypes by the radical San Francisco gays, and are exiled from the Castro. However, they discover that another onetime exile is planning to wreak vengeance on the city by blowing it up as soon as Mayor Gavin Screwsome (guest star George Takei) finishes his proclamation speech, and must come together to foil the plot.
House of Race Cards January 6, 2009 After comparing his in-laws to Gorillas in the Mist, Steve tries to reassure himself that he's not racist. His African American gym partner Tyler (guest star RuPaul) isn't inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to either Steve or their straight gym buddy J.P. (guest star Darryl Stephens) — who says he's not homophobic, but avoids taking a shower after working out so the gay guys don't see him naked — and takes them both to a black gay bar in South Lahunga Beach so they'll confront their unconscious prejudices. Pussy lures Dixie out of the nursery in an attempt to get rid of her, and Kirsten fears that she might be the world's worst mother as she scrambles to find the baby.
The Only Straight in the Village January 13, 2009 Tabloid celebrities Gina Michaels (Tori Spelling) and Manfred Dax (Jason Lewis) have moved to West Lahunga Beach after being released from rehab, threatening Condi's status as the only straight in the village. After Anderson Pooper airs a news report claiming that lesbian gangs are terrorizing West Lahunga, Dana and several of her friends confront him to demand a retraction. Kirsten and Rick take Dixie for her first doctor checkup after discovering that she appears to have unusual superpowers.
Married Christmess January 27, 2009 When the bill for Dixie's doctor's appointment arrives, Dana and Steve reluctantly agree to have a sham marriage so that Dixie can get onto Steve's health insurance — but Steve's mother is determined to turn it into the real thing. Homeland Security comes around to deport anybody with an accent, prompting Chuck to help Evan's mother look and sound more conventionally American. The series ends on a cliffhanger when Dr. Nerdlinger arrives with the results of Dixie's paternity test- is the father Rick, Steve or somebody else?

DVD releases

DVD title Release date
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Season 1 August 28, 2007 October 27, 2008 March 19, 2009
Season 2 March 3, 2009 TBA October 15, 2009

Awards

A minor controversy arose in 2008 when Carlo Nardello, an executive with the Italian RAI Television network, criticized Salerno's Cartoons on the Bay animation festival for including a Rick & Steve screening in its 2008 program. However, Rick & Steve went on to win the festival's Pulcinella Award for best series of the year.[21]

Casting director Gillian O'Neill won the Casting Society of America's Atrios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Animation TV Programming in 2008 for her work on Rick & Steve.[22]

References

  1. "Rick & Steve Do Outfest". Logo. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  2. Southern, Nathan. "Overview". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  3. Finley, Adam. "Rick and Steve hit Logo in July". TV Squad. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  4. "Logo Announces Full Slate of Gay Animation". The Advocate. November 2, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  5. "Logo's Fall 2008 Gay TV Calendar". Logo.
  6. "Boy Culture, Seattle, and the actors and models of LA". GayCities. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  7. Watercutter, Angela (June 21, 2007). "Lego My Gay-go". website.Wired.com. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  8. Dargis, Manhola (May 21, 2006). "CalArts: The School With Antz in Its SquarePants". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
  9. LogoTV Twitter account @LogoTV reply
  10. ""Rick & Steve": Animated gays and their lesbian friends", afterellen.com.
  11. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Rick". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  12. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Steve". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  13. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Kirsten". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  14. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Dana". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  15. Season 2, episode 1
  16. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Chuck". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  17. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Evan". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  18. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Condi". LOGO. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  19. "Welcome Wagon: Meet Pussy". Cast of Characters. LOGO. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
  20. Welcome Wagon: Meet Dr. Hunk
  21. "Cartoons on the Bay -- The Opera", Animation World, April 24, 2008.
  22. IMDb

External links

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