Are 'Q-Force' the Gay Heroes We've Been Waiting For?
Film/TV

Are 'Q-Force' the Gay Heroes We've Been Waiting For?

A new animated adult comedy is headed to Netflix this fall and it features the queerest lineup of spies determined to save the world in the most flamboyant way possible.

The streaming service shared a first look at the new series, Q-Force, set to arrive this fall. According to a press release, the show centers around the story Steve Maryweather AKA Agent Mary who was one time "Golden Boy of the American Intelligence Agency (AIA), until he came out as gay" and was burned by the agency and reassigned to West Hollywood where he started to build his own rag-tag crew of queer spies, Q-Force.

Alongside Agent Mary who's voiced by Sean Hayes, the Q-Force consists of Stat, a brilliant hacker played by Patti Harrison, Deb, an expert mechanic and gadget guru voiced by Wanda Sykes, and the pretty self explanatory Twink, who's played by Matt Rogers and is described as described as "a drag queen master of disguises — the fun loving, full of energy genius with a side of drama and daddy issues."

"After finding their own case, and solving it on their own terms, they get the reluctant approval of The AIA, and are officially upgraded to Active Secret Agents in the field. But, that approval comes with one major caveat — they must put up with a new member of the squad: straight guy Agent Buck."

The show also features Gary Cole as the straight, non-nonsense director of the AIA, David Harbour as Agent Rick Buck who's Agent Mary's long-time rival and assigned to keep tabs on Q-Force and Laurie Metcalf as the the Deputy Director of the AIA, V.

Judging from the trailer, the show doesn't seem to be terribly nuanced or subtle in its approach to queer-centric humor — which isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world if you appreciate jokes about poppers and bottoming. However, considering the significant strides towards improving queer representation many creators have made in the field animation, a lot of folks weren't terribly enthused with how much Q-Force seems to lean into stereotypes to find their sense of humor quickly making the show into a meme right off the bat. (To Q-Force's credit there is a pretty self-aware joke about how gays can smell pandering like "Citibank at Pride.")

Only time will tell whether or not the show turns out to be a truly groundbreaking, entertaining piece of media or woefully two-dimensional. Q-Force premieres on Netflix September 2.

Photo via Netflix