This Sunday is the season finale. Hopefully not the series finale.
Full disclosure: Until last weekend, we actually didn’t know that HBO hadn’t already renewed Looking for a third season. Girls and Togetherness both got picked up, and it seemed like such a no-brainer that Looking would too. It’s so good, why would it not be?
But this Sunday is the season finale and we’ve yet to hear of its fate beyond that. This morning, creator Michael Lannan captioned a BTS photo, “Shooting the S3 finale back in November.” He quickly caught his mistake and tweeted:
Wait I meant @LookingHBO S2 finale! Getting ahead of myself ;)
— Michael Lannan (@MichaelLannan) March 20, 2015Does that winky face emoticon mean he knows something we don’t? Or are we reading too much into this, because the thought of a world without Looking is a cruel place we don’t want to live?
NEWS: Looking cast teases upcoming relationship shake-ups and new love
Here are 11 reasons HBO absolutely needs to renew Looking for a season 3:
1. We need more Kevin and Patrick adorableness: Especially because we have a horrible feeling the season finale will throw a wrench into their relationship. But they just got together! And Patrick (Jonathan Groff) and Kevin (Russell Tovey) are such a sweet couple! Can’t they be happy for a little bit longer? Or a whole nother season longer?
2. And we need Richie to get a happy ending too: If our allegiance isn’t clear, we’ll make it crystal: We’re #TeamKevin. Richie (Raúl Castillo) is so judgy, and he and Patrick clearly don’t work together. But we love Richie, and whether his version of a happy ending is with Brady (Chris Perfetti) or his own shop, we want to know he’ll be OK in the end.
3. We need Patrick to finally get a clue: Poor, naïve Patty. He means well. And part of the reason we love him so much is because -- even at his cringiest -- we can relate to him. He’s slowly but surely figuring things out, it’d be a shame to see that self-realization cut short.
4. We need Dom to find true love or juicy chicken: Dom (Murray Bartlett) is proof that you never stop learning. Even as the oldest member of the group, he probably taken the most knocks -- his never-not-struggling chicken window, his ultimately doomed relationship with Lynn (Scott Bakula) -- but he always gets back up and keeps on keeping on. Let us see how Dom handles things going well, either professionally or personally.
5. We need more Dom and Doris on good terms: We still can’t talk about Doris (Lauren Weedman) and Dom’s fight last episode. Those wounds are still too fresh. And though we’re sure they’ll begin to mend the fence during the finale, these two are our BFF goal. We need to see them get back on the same team. Or at least go to another Zumba class together.
6. We need Doris and Malik to get more serious: Who would have thought the most heartwarming relationship on a show about three gay men would be between a commitment-phobic, straight woman and her new boyfriend (Bashir Salahuddin)? But we loved watching Doris and Malik get together this year -- that scene at the hospital in episode seven? Give Weedman her Emmy now -- and another season would let us see how Doris handles taking those next steps. Moving in? Marriage?
Q&A: Jonathan Groff gets candid about gay sex on TV and returning to ‘Glee’
7. We need more Eddie: Our favorite bear! Eddie (Daniel Franzese) might be the single most important character on TV right now: A series regular who is living, laughing, and loving while being HIV positive. There is literally no one else like him, and it would be a huge loss if we couldn’t see more of his story. Plus, it’s nice to just see someone from Mean Girls on our TV every week.
8. And more Frank too: Because we didn’t know how much we missed Frank (O.T. Fagbenle) this season until he randomly popped up in that coffee shop. And we know he brings some good drama with him.
9. We need to see Agustín succeed in...something: No character has changed as much on this show as Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), and that’s just in the second season. He finally is in a mature, fulfilling relationship and has a steady job that inspires him. Where does he go from here? What is Agustín capable of when he’s in a good place? And are his self-destructive habits behind him?
10. Because Looking isn’t like anything else on TV: It’s more than just seeing Eddie and other characters you wouldn’t ever see on any other show. Looking explores topics that no other show is touching with a 10-foot pole: Living with HIV, Truvada and PReP, open relationships, homeless trans teenagers. They are realities that need to be shown on TV, and here, they’re explored in such personal stories.
11. And because Looking is important: In a TV landscape just beginning to show signs of diversity, Looking is a crucial foothold for the LGBT community. Obviously it doesn’t represent everyone’s truth, and can’t show everyone’s experience of being gay, but it’s a start. And there’s so much potential for where it could go. The biggest reason we need a season three is to meet those lesbians Doris was jet skiing with.
Do the right thing, HBO. Give us more Looking, please.
Plus, the cast of Looking told ET if they have more sex than their character:
