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When Ross' idea for a new season with a new twist was pointed out, Berwick acknowledged, “Yes … that is true.” Then she expanded her rationale: “What Bravo does best is to do things first and to really sort of shake up people's preconceptions and notions about things. And we would accept many different formats [for a Boy Meets Boy-type show]. I'm not saying that they wouldn't be as good, because you can always come up with something else. [But] until we find the perfect way to do it…”

When asked if that implied that Bravo was not totally comfortable with Ross's new concept, Berwick responded, “We just haven't felt comfortable enough to go ahead to another season.”

But generally speaking, any network would be eager to bring back a show that generated strong ratings and was affordable to produce — twist or no twist. Might political issues have kept Boy Meets Boy 2 from happening? While Berwick acknowledged that during the first airing, “We got some negative reaction too from some less liberal minded folk,” she also insisted, “That's never stopped Bravo doing what it wants to do. [We know] where our audience is. We're very focused on it. We're certainly a gay-friendly network.” She added dryly, “No shocker there.”

Although Berwick conceded that during the original Boy Meets Boy it was difficult to get advertisers for the show, she believes that would not be an issue now. “I have to tell you … and this isn't a Pollyanna vision: I think that the world is a different place than it was in 2003,” Berwick said. “I think that the number of advertisers who would absolutely be comfortable [with a new season of Boy Meets Boy ] would be a lot greater than it was in 2003.”

She gave an example: “Before we launched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy [in 2003], it was very, very difficult for us to sell the advertising. The day after we launched, we had more advertisers than we could actually take for the show.” Berwick said that NBC, Bravo's parent company, never expressed concern that Boy Meets Boy might create problems with advertisers. “Never at any point,” she insisted.

While the special interest group/advertiser fulcrum may play a larger role in the decision-making process than Berwick is willing to admit, it nonetheless seems to be a small, even negligible factor in the status of Boy Meets Boy.

The heart of the matter seems to lie in Berwick's plain, factual assessment: “We have a very broad audience, and it goes way beyond the gay community.” Couple that with what Berwick says would have to happen for Boy Meets Boy to return: “It has to feel like it's broad enough, and multidimensional enough to work for our incredibly smart audience.”

Which may mean: gay-friendly, good; gay-specific, maybe not so good.

Even Bravo's Queer Eye — which Bravo just announced will not be renewed — always stressed that “the straight guy is the star.” But when you're talking about gay dating shows, you're talking about gay sex, or at least the potential for gay sex, and that might be seen as too limiting for the “broader,” more “multidimensional” image Bravo is creating for itself.

Although Berwick concluded our interview by saying, “With this particular series, I feel like we have told that story,” she did add, on a hopeful note, that it's always possible they could find a way to bring Boy Meets Boy back. “I'd certainly be open to it,” she said.

Maybe Doug Ross and his writers need to come up with a new concept for the show. One so sensational Bravo can't say no.

Until then, do yourself a favor. Get a hold of a Boy Meets Boy DVD, and cue up Episode 4. About 40 minutes in, check-out Andra giving the single most over-the-top performance of the reality show era. In fact, I'm putting out a call to Doug Ross and Evolution to put that thing up on YouTube. Because I promise you, when it comes to out-of-control, gerbil-in-a-cage, reality show lunacy, it doesn't get any better. God bless you, Andra.

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