Q-Force

Created Sean Hayes & Michael Schur

★★★

Q-Force, WANDA SYKES as DEB, SEAN HAYES as MARY, MATT ROGERS as TWINK, PATTI HARRISON as STAT and DAVID HARBOUR as BUCK in Episode 6 of Q-Force. CREDIT: Courtesy of NETFLIX. NETFLIX ©2021

The market may be oversaturated with adult animation today, but there is still room for more, especially one as inclusive as Q Force. It is hard to ignore that adult animation is currently most like the sitcoms of the nineties and oughts, straight and white. Sure, shows like Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Bertie exist, but they are not the norm. Hell, that just shows you that studios trust an anthropomorphic stallion to lead a TV show before an animated gay man. While the lead, Steve, is most definitely white and nowhere near power bottom status (hell even the most overtly queer character, Twink, is a self-proclaimed top), the Netflix show is still a step in the right direction.

Q Force follows Steve, who graduated top of his training class, as an agent who is forced out to West Hollywood, after coming out at graduation, to lead a team of mis-matched queer-identifying agents who never get sent missions from headquarters. Of course the team, which includes almost every color of the rainbow, is hungry for work and Steve decides he will find missions for them to prove themselves.

Sure, the plot is tired and the jokes are hit and miss, but Q Force is doing what most other shows of its kind are doing, just gayer. And honestly, that works for me. While some jokes may be shocking to viewers and come off belittling to the LGBTQIA+ community, Q Force’s writers, stars and the majority of its team all identify, in some manner, under that rainbow be-speckled banner, which makes the jokes work (the funny ones at least), considering perspective.

For all of its flaws, Q Force still succeeds on a level of animated inclusion that still really isn’t out there on any main platform. Sure, it maybe niche, but it has enough heart and go-for-broke performances that makes this queer Archer-esque show bingeable and worth your lazy Sunday.