In 1990, more than thirty years ago, Georg Uecker (as Carsten Flöter) and Martin Armknecht (as Robert Engel) exchanged the first gay kisses on German television in “Lindenstrasse”.

The reactions were violent, ranging from unconditional encouragement to protests, even death threats.

Since then, a lot has happened on German television.

Especially in the last few years.

While same-sex and transsexual love emerged as a drama in the television game, the private broadcasters focus on diversity in entertainment.

Not only since Nicolas Puschmann won the Grimme Prize for TVNow as the first gay “Bachelor” in 2019 and “Let's Dance” earned merits as a show with diverse casts, everyone in the industry suddenly started waving rainbow-colored flags. How you can effortlessly enchant the gay audience is shown by audience favorite Puschmann on “Let's Dance” with his professional partner Vadim Garbuzov. You can see “Equality Dancing”. The rules: sometimes one person leads, sometimes the other. Shouldn't “Equality Dancing” be the concept of the future at all? In between there is a little activism in small doses.

Against such formats - Puschmann also cooked with resounding success with his partner Lars Toensfeuerborn, chosen by “Prince Charming” in “The Perfect Dinner” (Vox) - the new ARD media library miniseries “All You Need” (at night now also with the special interest broadcaster One) exhausted and overloaded. Despite the efforts to look optically hot (camera Felix Poplawsky), and despite the Berlin location, a visit to the men's sauna, dancing in queer clubs, despite fetish explanations and diverse sex scenes, the five-part "first German series, in which only gay main characters appear “, Told quite honestly.

“All You Need”, a collaboration between Ufa Fiction and Degeto, aims to draw a bridge into the diverse here and now, with director and author Benjamin Gutsche unfortunately relying on the obsolete television film explanation principle, especially in episode four and five. One of the four main characters, Vince (Benito Bause), is the audience educator. While he is lying on the bed with his friend Robbie (Frédéric Brossier), he dissects his preferences. Football and fitness training? Why not play with barbies or wear pink? Doesn't Robbie like football just because you'd expect a real man to? Vince insists. Also in a scene in which his friend found him near a - presumably homophobic? - Group of men wants to kiss in public, there is no anxiety, but the impression that they have received a script insert.Vince doesn't kiss, releases his hand - and talks about homophobic violence. Elsewhere it is argued about racism and experiences of discrimination, Vince is black. Important concerns and topics, but perhaps used more effectively in the docudramatic format.

It should be understood that Gutsche wants to bring all relevant topics into "All You Need". But it doesn't do the plot, the dramaturgy, or the “flow” of the series any good. Coolness is something different, good television looks more casual - see, for example, the British series classic “Queer as folk” or the American lesbian comedy “Work in Progress”.

In addition to Vince and Robbie, the other two main characters Levo (Arash Marandi) and Tom (Mads Hjulmand) play another couple, in which acute misery in the suburb near Levo meets an awakening gay thirst for discovery with the recently outed family man Tom. The figure of Levo's father, who finds gays tolerable “if you can't tell by looking”, is particularly weak. The "best friend" Sarina (Christin Nichols) is a statement carrier and much too smooth as a character - she conveys the general concern of acceptance to the audience. Should the series find its way out of its inhibitory demonstration mode in the second, already announced season, it could become much more vivid. For the time being, however, the LGBTI online medium thinks “queer.de ”rather about a possible gay series from the pen of the multiple award-winning“ Kroymann ”comedy creatives. Not a bad idea.

With Arash Marandi, the series has a leading actor who can be seen credibly from the comedy and the dramatic moments.

Levo's story might like to take center stage.

The main thing is that it won't be another thirty years before public television becomes bolder with gay topics.

All You Need

runs this Sunday at 11:15 p.m. on One and is available in the ARD media library.