GCN contributor David Ferguson gives a sneak peek of iconic TV series Vicious, which recently landed on Netflix.

Having premiered in 2013, the TV series Vicious has recently popped up on Netflix, giving me the chance to binge the whole thing again, an excuse to talk about it here, and maybe a chance to attract some new fans.

Written and co-created by queer writer Gary Janetti, who has written for the likes of Will and Grace, the series is a modern take on the traditional sitcom with adult language and themes and is set around the lives of an elderly queer couple.

Freddie Thornhill, played by the wonderful Ian McKellen, is a struggling actor who has had intermittent success, including a once-off villain role on Doctor Who – something McKellen himself did in the 2012 episode ‘The Snowman’ – and an appearance on Downton Abbey, two if you count the one where you can see only his arm.

His partner, Stuart Bixby, played by the equally wonderful Derek Jacobi, is retired and looks after the running of the household. The pair have a love / hate relationship, with some reviewers focusing on the hate portion of their dynamic.

Rewatching the comedy Vicious with Sir Derek Jacobi & Sir Ian McKellen! Such an underrated gem!

But… Once again, I seem to know when to pause at the right time! XD pic.twitter.com/wnnw86n7gn

— Whalley (@WhalleyReviews) May 17, 2024

However, the TV series does show their deep love for each other, portraying how they don’t necessarily mean the “vicious” barbs that they direct at each other. They even suggest at one point that they are joking with each other.

I personally love that the show centres on an older gay couple, as I feel that older queer relationships are underrepresented in media. There was also the interesting aspect of a couple who have been together for nearly 50 years worrying that their getting married may upset the relationship they have.

Another great element in the show is intergenerational friendships. In the first episode, a young man named Ash (Iwan Rheon) moves in upstairs. The couple are initially attracted to him and try to figure out his sexuality – spoiler alert: he’s straight.

However, the relationship soon develops into something of a parental one. Ash’s parents are both in jail so he often turns to Freddie and Stuart for advice on his relationships. Ash is also welcomed by the couple’s friends: the promiscuous Violet Crosby (Frances de la Tour), the seemingly absent-minded Penelope (Marcia Wallace) and Mason (played by queer actor Philip Voss), who has an acid tongue like Freddie.

Ok, that was called “Vicious”
And it stared Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. And it was AMAZING https://t.co/2XUXNjQ2e9 pic.twitter.com/xmCXbww7HT

— Satoru Cholo (@SatoruCholo) December 3, 2023

The flirtatious and sassy Violet is the kind of character that gay men adore, and I like that an older woman is portrayed as a sexual being (similar to the Golden Girls), with Ash being a target of her affections. Freddie and Stuart can sometimes be verbally vicious towards her, but they genuinely seem to care about her well-being.

Penelope’s absent-mindedness is played for laughs, but it soon appears she may be suffering from senile dementia. The other characters show kindness towards her as this becomes more obvious, with Mason and Violet reassuring her at different points that she is going to be okay.

Although largely a comedy, the show has some touching moments that may cause a few tears. The reviews of the show were mixed at the time, with some considering the vicious barbs exchanged between Freddie and Stuart as being a stereotypical, even homophobic representation.

The title of the show was initially going to be Vicious Old Queens, but both Ian McKellen and Frances de la Tour voiced concern over the implications of that title. Frances de la Tour commented, “I was a bit concerned at first because I didn’t want it to be something that was a send-up of older gay men. I didn’t want that for any of us but you could tell by the first script that it wasn’t that.”

Ian McKellen said of the series, “In those old-fashioned sitcoms, to be gay was, in itself, funny, and you laughed at the characters rather than with them. This is not true of this show. I don’t think Derek and I would have wanted to be involved in this, if it had been old-fashioned, in that sense. We don’t get laughs as Freddie and Stuart because we are gay, but because we are the people who we are. That’s the crucial difference.”

Derek Jacobi said of the series, “Ian and I found it difficult at first filming as we’re so used to the theatre, but eventually we found our way and loved every minute.”

When asked if he would do another sitcom, he responded, “You betcha! I loved it, so yes, I would.”

The show has been nominated for numerous awards, including multiple GLAAD awards, so I invite people to try it and make up their own minds.