Q-Force Season 1
netflixPlugged directly into the mainstream zeitgeist, Netflix has a unique way of creating true modern cultural moments. One of these moments happened on 12 August 2021, when Netflix released a trailer for their newest piece of adult animation: Q-Force. Steve Maryweather (Sean Hayes) might have been top of his class at the American Intelligence Agency (AIA) when he graduated, but his life took a turn when he came out as gay. Still intolerant despite the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy ending, the AIA sends Maryweather to West Hollywood where he and his other team of the LGBTQ+ members of the AIA wait for a decade without assignment. Sick of his position, Maryweather decides to take control and find a mission for him and his team but ends up in the middle of a much larger conspiracy and threat.
The trailer for Q-Force didn't gain attention for its strong representation or colorful characters but instead for its absolutely seemingly abysmal attempts at comedy and pandering to the LGBTQ+ community. Openly filled every LGBTQ+ stereotype one could think of and almost exclusively unfunny jokes, it seemed Q-Force was destined to be yet another painful outing for the streaming service and everyone was ready to make fun of it. When the show dropped less than a month later, however, it both surprised audiences while reinforcing plenty of their concerns.
The representation within Q-Force feels complicated, specifically as it is clear the show doesn't know what audience it is trying to reach. To use only LGBTQ+ stereotypes on a streaming service available worldwide is concerning to say the least. While those close to the LGBTQ+ community might be able to laugh alongside the show with plenty of its references and moments of comedy, it also easily could send the wrong impression and turn into laughing at the community for individuals not familiar and who may think that this is a proper form of representation of them. While countless projects have walked this tightrope with success, Q-Force doesn't have this level of craft with its seeming only strategy being to create a show not just only accessible to the queer community but specifically the West Hollywood queer community. The show is riddled with niche jokes, getting as specific as certain bars and streets in West Hollywood that the average viewer will simply have no concept of. In this sense, the show feels made only for a Southern California queer audience but at the same time has so many jokes that wouldn't appeal to them. There isn't a single audience that feels as if they would fully be able to embrace the humor and soul of Q-Force, really putting the goal of the show into question.
This is far from the only issue in the writer's room. It is clear that the writers of the show had plans for a multi-season arc but simply didn't have the faith that their show would make it to that point. Considering how many shows debut on Netflix only to be canceled after their first season – including Super Drags, another LGBTQ+ focused adult animated show – this mindset might not be the worst thing in the world but undeniably hurts the series. Instead of adjusting the story, the writers decide to cram everything into a single 10-episode season, causing the show to move at an insanely fast pace. There isn't a single moment for any piece of emotion to sit or develop, with the audience never really caring about the characters or story being told. For example: a character will disappear only to casually show up the very next episode, castrating any emotional effect that plot point was supposed to have. This happens with countless plot points, and with so many twists and turns alongside a conspiracy meant to slowly reveal itself, this feels like the worst way this story could have been told.
There are multiple character moments that should feel major, like Deb's (Wanda Sykes) personal boundaries being torn down between her personal life and her career which she has kept separate or V (Laurie Metcalf) learning about a partner she once had, yet has no memory of, but these moments get passed by so quickly that they never hit or land with a memorable blow. While this makes the story feel rushed, it also makes the series hard to feel engaged by – therefore making the show feel beyond boring. While the charm of the first couple of episodes was strong enough, the show quickly become painful to sit through and really felt like a chore by the end. For an animated comedy series that only lasts around 26-minutes per episode, this is tragically bad.
The voice acting is a mixed bag. While the cast overall does have chemistry, with Wanda Sykes and Patti Harrison especially standing out, many individuals struggle to fully find their footing. David Harbour feels out of place while Matt Rogers can become grating after not too long. Sean Hayes also never quite found the right way to play his character. While overall grounded, Maryweather is played with a high-pitched almost yell that, while not terrible in a vacuum, feels off coming from his animated body. This is clearly one of the areas where the show feels as if it is trying to play into an LGBTQ+ stereotype to the detriment of the show overall.
Q-Force Season 1 might not be as painful as the trailer suggested, but is still far from a good show. Not just is the humor largely unfunny but the actual quality of the plot is simply poor. While it isn't impossible to turn on the show and have fun for a very specific group of individuals, the negatives simply outweigh the positive and there are far better things to watch on Netflix alone that would scratch the same itch. It is sad to say, but Q-Force can sashay away.
