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There
has
been
much
hullabaloo
surrounding
Logo’s
new
series,
“Sordid
Lives,”
as
the
show
is
the
network’s
largest
original
series
to
date.
The
TV
series
is
a
prequel
to
“Sordid
Lives,”
the
play,
which
has
been
performed
countless
times
across
the
country
and
has
achieved
cult-hit
status
amongst
its
fans;
that
play
has
also
been
adapted
into
“Sordid
Lives,”
the
movie,
which
lacks
some
of
the
comedic
wallop
of
the
stage
version,
but
nevertheless
provides
fans
a
faithful
rendition
of
the
story.
As
a
result,
fan
scrutiny
of
this
TV
series
is
heavy.
Written
and
directed
by
Del
Shores,
who
also
had
a
hand
in
the
“Queer
as
Folk”
series,
“Sordid
Lives”
is
a
slice
of
life
in
a
small
Texas
town,
where
Jesus
is
Lord
and
the
unrepentant
residents
have
fun
disobeying
His
rules.
Shores’
work
is
particularly
popular
amongst
gay
Southerners,
who
revel
in
his
unapologetic
portrayal
of
(very
funny)
trailer-trash
life.
In
light
of
the
series
premiere,
Logo
released
the
first
two
episodes
of
the
show
for
review.
Almost
all
of
the
cast
is
back
from
the
movie—most
notably,
Leslie
Jordan
is
again
playing
Brother
Boy,
perpetually
existing
in
various
states
of
devotional
Tammy
Wynette
drag.
Also
back
are
Bonnie
Bedilia,
Olivia
Newton-John,
and
lesser-known
Ann
Walker
(as
the
wild
Aunt
LaVonda)
and
Sarah
Hunley
(the
drunken
post-menopausal
barfly
Juanita
Bartlett).
New
to
the
cast
are
Caroline
Rhea,
who
takes
Delta
Burke’s
former
role
of
neighbor
Noleta,
and
Rue
McClanahan,
in
the
new
role
of
mother
Peggy;
in
the
original
version,
the
story
picks
up
when
Peggy
has
died,
but
in
the
prequel
she
is
still
alive,
and
causing
problems
for
her
family.
McClanahan,
formerly
Blanche
Devereaux
of
“The
Golden
Girls,”
is
known
by
anyone
who
has
ever
watched
television,
and
she
adds
a
touch
of
star
power
to
the
cast.
Leslie
Jordan
also
shines,
fully
embracing
his
tragic
Tammy
Wynette
impersonator
with
scene-stealing
grace.
But
Caroline
Rhea
has
the
most
surprising
performance:
audiences
haven’t
seem
much
of
her
since
“Sabrina,
The
Teenage
Witch,”
other
than
her
low-brow
hosting
gig
on
“The
Biggest
Loser.”
In
“Sordid
Lives,”
however,
she
proves
to
be
an
adept
character
actress,
delivering
a
relaxed,
sassy
and
hilarious
portrayal
of
a
trailer
park
maven
who
really
needs
to
get
laid.
There
are
a
few
moments
when
the
show
becomes
bogged
down
by
an
over-the-top
sense
of
farce,
and
characters
sometimes
become
twangy,
silly
caricatures
of
themselves.
There
is
also
a
secondary
story
line,
following
the
youngest
Ingram,
Ty
(played
by
Jason
Dottley),
who
is
in
Los
Angeles
trying
to
work
as
an
actor;
Ty
is
obviously
a
study
of
Shores
himself
in
his
own
younger
years,
but
his
scenes
are
unfortunately
awkward,
with
bad
acting
all
around.
Even
a
quick
cameo
by
gay-fave
Margaret
Cho
can’t
provide
any
momentum
to
his
scenes,
and
in
a
way
she
actually
makes
the
scene
worse.
But
then
Ty
is
naked
by
the
second
episode,
showing
Shores’
roots
as
a
“Queer
as
Folk”
writer,
and
suddenly
Ty’s
purpose
in
the
show
makes
sense.
“Sordid
Lives”
is
obviously
made
on
a
budget
of
approximately
a
dime,
but
in
the
setting
of
a
poor
Texas
town,
it
works.
The
cast
is
a
blast
to
watch
as
they
do
their
thing,
and
Shores
writes
some
of
the
best
comedic
characters
an
actor
could
hope
for.
This
show
is
going
to
be
a
huge
hit
for
Logo,
and
rightfully
so:
with
big
hair
and
an
even
bigger
heart,
“Sordid
Lives”
is
good,
laugh-out-loud
fun.
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