What's Gay on Hulu?

Hulu.com officially launched last week, and for those who may not be aware, it is the online distribution channel developed as a joint partnership between NBC and FOX. The site contains clips and full episodes from television shows both old and new. Like YouTube, users can freely embed content from Hulu.com anywhere else on the web (the clips that follow are examples). Unlike YouTube, the site won't host any user-generated content, and each media clip has short advertisements at the beginning and/or the end.

In addition to material from FOX and NBC, Hulu also offers content from their many media partners such as Bravo, the Sci Fi Channel, FX, Sony, the USA Network, E!, and others. (Unfortunately, ABC, which among the major networks has the best LGBT track record, does not participate in Hulu.)

Despite having a lot of titles to choose from and uniformly excellent video quality, I was a little disappointed by how Hulu's content was presented and its scattershot coverage.

For instance, you missed a recent episode of Bravo's Make Me a Supermodel and want to catch it. Too bad they only have one full episode from this series online and, predictably, it's not the one you want. Aargh!

The only available Supermodel episode (108):

Or, you might see they have Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the list of available titles. You click through and start scanning the Buffy offerings to discover that Hulu only offers the season 1 episodes. Boo!

Since searching by show title wound up being so frustrating, I checked out the other methods of browsing their catalog. For instance, you can search by genre. Under the genre listings you'll find: Comedy, Horror, Family & Kids, Lifestyle & Fashion, etc., but "Gay & Lesbian" isn't listed anywhere.

Striking out in my hunt for gay content there, I decided to run a word search. I was a little curious what would pop up if I searched for “gay.”

Predictably, much of the “gay” material that floats to the surface is from Bravo. Near the top we find a clip of Kathy Griffin hosting the Gay Porn Awards; or Patty Stanger of Millionaire Matchmaker giving her dimwitted opinion on the mechanics of gay dating:

Another way to browse Hulu’s online content is to check out the day’s “most popular clips.” Currently near the top of this list? The SNL digital short that we mentioned Monday in which Jonah Hill makes out with Andy Samberg's "dad". On the launch date, the #1 clip was Amy Poehler’s spot-on Christian Siriano impression in another recent SNL skit.

So, will Hulu.com be popular with gay viewers? Maybe to some, but the site isn't exactly organized in a way to effectively present gay or gay-interest material. That, coupled with the advertisements and spotty content coverage makes Hulu.com a bit of a mixed bag.