Two queer {couples} discover themselves at a crossroads between their grownup ambitions and the bed-hopping, booze-swilling frivolity of their youth in “Unconventional,” actor and creator Package Williamson’s new darkish comedy.
The nine-episode sequence, which premiered Tuesday on Revry, follows siblings Noah (performed by Williamson) and Margot (Aubrey Shea) in Palm Springs, California, each of whom are at a breaking level with their respective companions. Together with his quest for a profession in academia stalled, Noah has agreed to assist Margot’s spouse, Eliza (Briana Venskus), get pregnant by being her sperm donor.
Enter Noah’s husband Dan (James Bland), who is keen to start out a household of his personal — that’s, till he and Noah meet a chiseled go-go dancer (Constantine Rousouli), who threatens to drive a wedge of their marriage. Quickly, the present’s central foursome are drowning their sorrows in vices whereas leaning on unlikely confidantes, performed by Laith Ashley and Kathy Griffin, amongst different actors.
Watch the trailer for “Unconventional” under.
Greatest identified for his portrayal of Ed Gifford on “Mad Men,” Williamson envisioned “Unconventional” as a “spiritual successor” to his Daytime Emmy-winning sequence “EastSiders,” a YouTube cult favourite later scooped up by Netflix.
Whereas “EastSiders” conveyed the expertise of “being a gay mess in your 20s,” Williamson says “Unconventional” is a narrative about “being a gay mess in your 30s, and the problems that arise as you’re forced to nail down the trajectory of your life.” Whereas there’s no scarcity of steamy love scenes, the central characters additionally grapple with their psychological well being and habit, and never in a slight method: “There are life-or-death stakes.”
“I refer to it as a chosen family drama because these characters — some of whom are family by birth — are all family by choice. That doesn’t mean it’s not a dysfunctional family,” he mentioned. “I’m not interested in pretending that our experiences [as LGBTQ+ people] are exactly the same as straight people’s.”
He went on to notice: “It’s complicated to start a family as a queer person, be it dealing with paternity rights from a donor, or the challenges and expenses of adoption and surrogacy. In media, we’re often dropped into the story after those challenges have been resolved. We see the happy ending, but not what it took to get there.”
Although “Unconventional” isn’t deliberately biographical, followers of Williamson’s work will spot parallels to his off-screen life. Just like the present’s central {couples}, he and his husband John Halbach spend a lot of their time in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, California. The characters of Noah and Margot discover themselves at odds with their Texas-based mom, a lot as Williamson felt like an outsider rising up in a Christian household in Mississippi.
Initially, Williamson had set “Unconventional” within the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. As soon as COVID-19 hit, nevertheless, he and the inventive crew pivoted in order that the sequence could possibly be filmed completely in California — a choice he feels labored within the present’s favor, because the script was revamped to replicate a few of Bland and different solid mates’ firsthand experiences.
“We convened a writers’ room in quarantine,” he said, “and were able to shape the story around a group of people with different identities.”
What Williamson didn’t predict, however, was that “Unconventional” would hit screens as LGBTQ+ people are experiencing a significant rollback of their rights under President Donald Trump. And while “Heartstopper” and “The White Lotus” enjoy great success on streaming platforms, LGBTQ+ representation on television as a whole has been on the decline in recent years.
“We’re seeing a huge backlash to the progress we made in representation with what’s happening with the current administration,” Williamson said. “This is a universal story that’s accessible to everyone, but if it’s ‘too gay’ for somebody who doesn’t want to see LGBTQ+ people on screen, mission accomplished. I’m not here to make those people comfortable.”
“I’m able to identify with all kinds of people on screen, even if they don’t look like me, don’t sound like me, don’t love like me,” he continued. “I think there are a lot more people like me out there than executives want to acknowledge.”
Revry appears to be betting big on “Unconventional,” its first full-length scripted series. Founded in 2015, the free streaming platform is focused on LGBTQ+ content ― home to “Absolutely Fabulous” and the original British iteration of “Queer as Folk” ― but has not yet broken into the mainstream.
Whether “Unconventional” will find the success enjoyed by “EastSiders” remains to be seen. However, Williamson has no plans to alter course by shying away from LGBTQ+ stories moving forward.
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“One thing that gives me hope is … we have more friends, family and allies standing with us than ever before,” he said. “No matter what happens, I know we have people in our corner.”
