Q-Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the action figure, see Action Force#Q Force. For the video game, see Ratchet & Clank: Q-Force.

Q-Force
Genre
Created by
Written byGabe Liedman
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Gabe Liedman
  • Todd Milliner
  • David Miner
  • Michael Schur
  • Sean Hayes
Production companies
DistributorNBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseSeptember 2, 2021

Q-Force is an upcoming American adult animated comedy series on Netflix.[1][2][3] In April 2019, Netflix ordered 10 episodes of the series, with Gabe Liedman as a showrunner, along with Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, and others as executive producers.[4] It is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2021.[5][6]

Premise[]

This series is about a group of undervalued LGBT superspies, and is centered on a gay secret agent who is like James Bond, Steve Marywhether (also known as Agent Mary), as they try to prove themselves on personal and professional adventures.[7][8][9][10] One day, Mary decides to prove himself to the American Intelligence Agency (AIA), solve a case, and get the approval of the agency, but they have to add a new member to their team, a straight man.[11][12]

Voice cast and characters[]

  • Steve Maryweather (voiced by Sean Hayes[5]) – Also known as Agent Mary, Steve was formerly part of the AIA before he came out as gay. He heads the Q-Force team consisting of himself, Stat, Twink, and Deb.
  • Director Dirk Chunley (voiced by Gary Cole[5]) – The director of the AIA who is straight and hard-nosed.
  • Agent Rick Buck (voiced by David Harbour[5]) – A straight agent brought into the Q-Force team after they become official spies.
  • Stat (voiced by Patti Harrison[5]) – A hacker who is part of the Q-Force and has a secret of her own.
  • V (voiced by Laurie Metcalf[5]) – The Deputy Director of the AIA, highest-ranking woman in the agency, and has a soft spot for Mary.
  • Twink (voiced by Matt Rogers[5]) – A master in drag disguises, part of the Q-Force.
  • Deb (voiced by Wanda Sykes[5]) – A skilled mechanic, and lesbian, who is part of the Q-Force and has a wife.
  • Benji (voiced by Gabe Liedman[5]) – A gay man who is the love interest of Mary and is often in danger due to his closeness to the Q-Force.

Production and release[]

Hayes and Milliner had been considering the idea for the series for some time. Milliner called a spy TV series tough to make and Hayes said that they were thinking how to get such a series, and have it animated, while having "the fun parts of a James Bond film." He added that animation allows for "freedom" to do more than a live-action series. Milliner also said that he wasn't sure if studios would greenlight "a feature with a leading character that's gay in that genre" and noted that it "one of the last bastions of masculinity" that can't be broken down. He further said that teaming up with co-creator Michael Schur happened quickly because he had been friends from a while back, and asked him if he wanted to work on the project, with Schur saying yes.[9][13] In April 2019, Netflix ordered 10 episodes of the series.[14] Gabe Liedman will be the showrunner, along with Sean Hayes, and Todd Milliner, and various others, as executive producers.[15] Hazy Mills Productions, a company run by Hayes, is one of the companies producing the series.[16] Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment were also producing the series with the help of Universal Television.[17][18]

Charlie Nagelhout, a 2D artist, worked as a prop designer at Titmouse on the series.[19] It has also been reported that non-binary comedian Zackery Alexzander Stephens will be working on the show in some capacity,[20] while Chloe Keenan will be a writer for the show and Guy Branum will be a co-executive producer.[21][22] The series will be animated by Titmouse, Inc.'s Canadian studio.[23][24] The show will be one of the many series that the Writers Guild of America West negotiated deals with in order to ensure that production for the animated series proceeded even with the COVID-19 pandemic.[25][26] It is said that each episode will be 30 minutes long.[27][28][29] Some report that Sean Hayes will voice the series protagonist.[30][31][32] In January 2021 it was reported that Matt Rogers, the host of HBO Max's Haute Dog, served as a staff writer for the show.[33] In June 2021, Gary Cole, David Harbour, Patti Harrison, Laurie Metcalf, Matt Rogers, Wanda Sykes, and Gabe Liedman joined the voice cast.[5]

In December 2020, Deadline described Q-Force as an "upcoming animated series."[34] On June 23, 2021, a 40-second teaser for the series was released. Reuben Baron of CBR noted that those on Twitter claimed that the series had various stereotypes and attacked those behind the show, leading some storyboarders to lock their Twitter accounts.[35] Baron argued that while there were some stereotypical jokes in the trailer, he said that the trailer's "stereotypical gay jokes" center around one of the protagonists, and that some of the responses to one of the characters, Twink, shows "internal prejudices within the gay community." One of the show's storyboarders, Alanna Train, criticized the trailer as "awful," saying it did not truly represent the show, and its characters, adding that many queer artists worked on the show itself.[36] On August 12, a trailer for the series was released and received more positively than the teaser which had been released in June.[37][38][39] Following the trailer's release, Leidman, when interviewed by CBS8, said that it was important to build the story "into an ensemble comedy" and to tell the "story of the wider [LGBTQ] community" with the show.[40]

The series is scheduled to be released on September 2, 2021.[5]

Reception[]

Pre-release[]

The release of the trailer on June 23 was met with heavily polarized reactions. Reuben Baron of CBR was apprehensive about the show, saying he wasn't sure if the show would be any good and that the show's humor is "not for everyone," but said that the fact the show is written, starring, and animated by queer people makes a difference. He also concluded that no matter how the show turns out, it is "not being made from a place of bigotry," telling people to wait until the show's release to criticize it.[35] Charles Pulliam-Moore of Gizmodo stated that the show's "premise and the jokes in the trailer come across like a much more tame and recognizable go at the kind of queer pandering the show itself calls out," but that it "might end up having something interesting to say when it premieres."[41] Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of The Daily Dot stated that the trailer "looks kind of cringeworthy, focusing on stereotypes and unfunny one-liners" and that the show "seems destined to join the ranks of mediocre adult animated sitcoms."[42] Baker-Whitelaw also said that despite the fact the show is "walking the walk in terms of queer representation," it doesn't guarantee the show will be good, and said the show feels corny, dated, and as sophisticated as The Ambiguously Gay Duo. Farid-ul-Haq of The Geekiary argued that while he was excited by the show back in 2019, his excitement disappeared after watching the trailer, saying the trailer "seems to be relying too much on problematic queer stereotypes," concluding that while there is an interesting story, it is not right to harass those associated with the series, like artists and animators.[43] Matt Moen of Paper said that while the show features "the queerest lineup of spies," he argued that the show, as based on the trailer, would not be subtle or nuanced in its "queer-centric humor" but that many were not enthusiastic about the seeming stereotypes, and concluded that it remains to be seen whether the show is entertaining and groundbreaking or "woefully two-dimensional."[44]

In contrast, Michael Cuby of them. was more positive, saying the show sounded "ridiculously entertaining," even before the trailer dropped, and saying that with the reveal of the cast, they would add it to their Netflix queue. Additionally, Cuby said they were "intrigued by the premise," were excited by the trailer, and praised the "queer-affirming dialogue."[45] May Rude of Out stated that the trailer was "filled with comedy, action, and plenty of pure and beautiful homosexuality" and argued that the show "could be the queer adult cartoon we’ve been waiting for!"[46]

References[]

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  2. ^ Chambers, Christina (April 5, 2019). "The GLAAD Wrap: 'Q-Force' ordered at Netflix, Laverne Cox cast in a new film, 'Boomerang' renewed, the trailer for 'She-Ra,' and more!". GLAAD. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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External links[]

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