The beloved boys of “ Looking” may have skipped off into the California sunset for good with a finale film in July, but fans of the HBO series will soon be able to console themselves with a new book.
Published by First Third Books and HBO Global Licensing, the Looking book documents the two seasons of the series and the wrap-up film, which focused on the lives and loves of three gay men in San Francisco, in exquisite detail. Included are interviews with the cast and creative team, as well as costume and set design sketches and dozens of full-color, behind-the-scenes photographs.
The Huffington Post got a first look at the book, which will be published in October and is currently available for pre-order in both standard and special editions.
Interestingly, the tome doesn’t shy away from the fact that “Looking” divided audiences during its HBO run, with some viewers arguing that its slice-of-life tone was “too boring.” Despite critical acclaim, the show was canceled after two seasons in 2015, and finally wrapped with this summer’s “Looking: The Movie.”
In fact, Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin addresses the show’s skeptics head-on in his forward to the book. “The miracle of ‘Looking’ is that it takes its time,” he writes, noting that the show didn’t resort to “cheap melodrama” and avoided “the parade of ‘types’ that so often corrupt gay-themed dramas.”
For series star Jonathan Groff, the role of Patrick had personal significance. “Working on a set where it’s not only okay to be gay, but it’s part of the job was amazing,” he writes in the book. “When I came out I never imagined I would be doing this—to pour my heart and soul into a piece of art that was about being gay.”
In addition to giving fans a glimpse into the artistic process, series creator Michael Lannan told The Huffington Post that the Looking book perfectly captures the camaraderie that developed between the show’s cast, writers and crew.
“You’ll get some nice portraits of actors giving you serious, emotional ‘Looking’ moments,” he said, “but it’s also lots of us just being stupid and laughing.”
Not to mention that it’ll be great to re-live memorable moments like this:
And this:
And, last but not least, this:
Head here for more information on the Looking book, due out in October.
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