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* HollywoodAtheist: Hawk seems to be an atheist based on his comment that he doesn't vote because he believes it's pointless, and then adds, "And I feel pretty much the same way about God." When Tim discloses that he stopped attending mass at church, Hawk replies, "Well, that's progress." He later asserts that "Hell's a fantasy, [[AffectionateNickname Skippy]]. So is heaven, the Trinity, democracy, and the holy war against communism. Grand ideas that just get people killed."
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* AgeGapRomance: Although the exact ages of Hawk and Tim aren't stated on-screen, the audience can deduce there's approximately a decade between them. (In RealLife, Creator/MattBomer is 10.5 years older than Creator/JonathanBailey). In 1952, Hawk appears to be in his mid-30s, is a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII veteran, and has already established a career working for Senator Smith. Tim is a university graduate seeking a job, so he's in his early-to-mid 20s. When they spend a weekend together in a town about a 100 miles from Washington DC, Tim suggests that he can pretend to be Hawk's cousin, but Hawk disagrees and insists that Tim needs to act as his nephew in order to be more convincing (the implication being that people would notice the age difference).
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* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on, Hawk gets evidence that Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, had paid for sex with a man.
to:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on, Hawk gets evidence that Joseph [=McCarthy=] UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, had paid for sex with a man.
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Senator Joseph [=McCarthy=], Roy Cohn and David Schine are supporting characters who appear in the 1950s sequences. Robert Kennedy also appears briefly, as does Stormé [=DeLarverie=].
to:
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Senator Joseph [=McCarthy=], UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy, Roy Cohn and David Schine are supporting characters who appear in the 1950s sequences. Robert Kennedy UsefulNotes/RobertFKennedy also appears briefly, as does Stormé [=DeLarverie=].
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* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the {{Flashback}} sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
to:
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the {{Flashback}} sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy is a supporting character.
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* FemaleGaze: Hawk and Tim share numerous explicit sex scenes which are titillating for viewers who find GuyOnGuyIsHot. In addition to the camera's focus on the couple's [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]]/nude forms, there's armpit-licking, thrusting during anal sex (with a close-up of the "giving" partner's body), toe-sucking, and bare ass-grabbing, which are rare sights with a gay couple in a Hollywood production, as the industry typically veers towards ButNotTooGay depictions.
to:
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Although Hawk is willing to reveal his middle name to Tim, he refuses to talk about it any futher.
-->'''Tim''': "Hawkins Z. Fuller." I'd love to know what the "Z" stands for.\\
'''Hawk''': Zebadiah\\
'''Tim''': Zebadiah?\\
'''Hawk''': Don't start.
* FemaleGaze: Hawk and Tim share numerous explicit sex sceneswhich that are titillating for viewers who find GuyOnGuyIsHot. In addition to the camera's focus on the couple's [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]]/nude forms, there's armpit-licking, thrusting during anal sex (with a close-up of the "giving" partner's body), toe-sucking, and bare ass-grabbing, which are rare sights with a gay couple in a Hollywood production, as the industry typically veers towards ButNotTooGay depictions.
-->'''Tim''': "Hawkins Z. Fuller." I'd love to know what the "Z" stands for.\\
'''Hawk''': Zebadiah\\
'''Tim''': Zebadiah?\\
'''Hawk''': Don't start.
* FemaleGaze: Hawk and Tim share numerous explicit sex scenes
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** "Bulletproof":
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** In "Bulletproof":
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** "Hit Me":
to:
** In "Hit Me":
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* MrFanservice: Hawk and Tim are portrayed by handsome actors with muscular physiques, and their naked bodies leave very little to the imagination during the couple's sex scenes which are subjected to the FemaleGaze.
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* FemaleGaze: Hawk and Tim share numerous explicit sex scenes which are titillating for viewers who find GuyOnGuyIsHot. In addition to the camera's focus on the couple's [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]]/nude forms, there's armpit-licking, thrusting during anal sex (with a close-up of the "giving" partner's body), toe-sucking, and bare ass-grabbing, which are rare sights with a gay couple in a Hollywood production, as the industry typically veers towards ButNotTooGay depictions.
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Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* TheImmodestOrgasm: During their first sexual encounter, Hawk gives Tim a handjob, and the latter moans so loudly that the former has to cover his lover's mouth with his hand so that the other residents of the apartment building won't hear Tim's orgasms. Hawk then notes, "That was nice, [[AffectionateNickname Skippy]], but you need a radio." The next time Hawk comes over to Tim's place, he brings a radio; it's playing music while they're engaged in anal sex, which drowns out Tim's cries of pleasure.
to:
* TheImmodestOrgasm: TheImmodestOrgasm:
** During their first sexual encounter, Hawk gives Tim a handjob, and the latter moans so loudly that the former has to cover his lover's mouth with his hand so that the other residents of the apartment building won't hear Tim'sorgasms.orgasm. Hawk then notes, "That was nice, [[AffectionateNickname Skippy]], but you need a radio." The next time Hawk comes over to Tim's place, he brings a radio; it's playing music while they're engaged in anal sex, which drowns out Tim's cries of pleasure.pleasure.
** The first time Tim visits Hawk's apartment, the former performs oral sex on the latter, and Hawk exclaims, "Oh! Oh yeah! Oh! Oh Jesus!" before the scene cuts.
** During their first sexual encounter, Hawk gives Tim a handjob, and the latter moans so loudly that the former has to cover his lover's mouth with his hand so that the other residents of the apartment building won't hear Tim's
** The first time Tim visits Hawk's apartment, the former performs oral sex on the latter, and Hawk exclaims, "Oh! Oh yeah! Oh! Oh Jesus!" before the scene cuts.
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* TheImmodestOrgasm: During their first sexual encounter, Hawk gives Tim a handjob, and the latter moans so loudly that the former has to cover his lover's mouth with his hand so that the other residents of the apartment building won't hear Tim's orgasms. Hawk then notes, "That was nice, [[AffectionateNickname Skippy]], but you need a radio." The next time Hawk comes over to Tim's place, he brings a radio; it's playing music while they're engaged in anal sex, which drowns out Tim's cries of pleasure.
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* DoubleEntendre: In the pilot, because Hawk is attracted to Tim, his final line during their conversation at the park bench is laced with a sexual innuendo.
-->'''Tim''': I should leave soon anyway. It's noon Mass at St. Joseph's.\\
'''Hawk''': Perfect. ''(leans closer to Tim and whispers)'' I'll spend the afternoon picturing you kneeling in prayer.
-->'''Tim''': I should leave soon anyway. It's noon Mass at St. Joseph's.\\
'''Hawk''': Perfect. ''(leans closer to Tim and whispers)'' I'll spend the afternoon picturing you kneeling in prayer.
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* TitleDrop:
** The show's title is spoken near the beginning of the series premiere.
--->'''[=McCarthy=]''': We have a new president! One who doesn't want party-line thinkers or '''fellow travelers'''.
** "Bulletproof":
--->'''Hawk''': I have a Bronze Star. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm '''bulletproof'''.
** "Hit Me":
--->'''Tim''': You want me to be rough trade? '''Hit me'''.
** The show's title is spoken near the beginning of the series premiere.
--->'''[=McCarthy=]''': We have a new president! One who doesn't want party-line thinkers or '''fellow travelers'''.
** "Bulletproof":
--->'''Hawk''': I have a Bronze Star. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm '''bulletproof'''.
** "Hit Me":
--->'''Tim''': You want me to be rough trade? '''Hit me'''.
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* MommasBoy: Hawk keeps in touch with his mother, but is estranged from his homophobic father. Hawk's dad tells him that it was a mistake that he allowed his wife to "make you a mama's boy."
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* MommasBoy: Hawk keeps in touch with his mother, but is estranged from his homophobic father. On his deathbed, Hawk's dad tells him that it was a mistake that he allowed his wife to "make you a mama's boy."
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* MommasBoy: Hawk keeps in touch with his mother, but is estranged from his homophobic father. Hawk's dad tells him that it was a mistake that he allowed his wife to "make you a mama's boy."
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Hawk's tennis trophy lists Kenny's full name as Kenneth Willard.
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** Hawkins refers to his FirstLove Kenneth as "Kenny."
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* HasAType: Hawk falls in love with men who are sweet, which is how he describes both his FirstLove Kenny and his lover Tim.
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* FirstLove: Kenny was Hawk's 11th grade classmate and tennis partner, and he was the first person Hawk had developed romantic feelings for. Hawk keeps a TragicKeepsake of his beloved in the form of a paperweight that Kenny gave to him while they were on their senior trip. When Hawk stops by his family's home, he goes to his old bedroom to take out a tennis trophy that he and Kenny had won, and he reminisces about their time together.
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* TragicKeepsake: Hawk keeps a paperweight that was a gift from his FirstLove Kenny that the latter bought during their senior trip. Kenny died during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.
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In the early 1950s, Hawkins Fuller and Timothy Laughlin, two closeted gay men, become lovers the Red Scare rages. They face struggles not only with each other, themselves but also society overall over the years.
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In the early 1950s, Hawkins Fuller and Timothy Laughlin, two closeted gay men, become lovers as the Red Scare rages. They face struggles not only with each other, themselves other and themselves, but also society overall in general over the years.
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* {{Miniseries}}: It's a series limited to seven episodes.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the starting sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the starting sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
to:
* {{Miniseries}}: It's a series limited to seven eight episodes.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during thestarting {{Flashback}} sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the
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* StraightGay: The gays are mostly indistinguishable from straight men in how they act. It would be foolish to do anything else, given being outed could result in being fired at best. Some of them however will act more {{camp|gay}} or are even {{drag queen}}s in private.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As its the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As its the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.
to:
* StraightGay: The gays are mostly indistinguishable from straight men in how they act. It would be foolish to do anything else, given being outed could result in being fired at best. Some of them however them, however, will act more {{camp|gay}} or are even {{drag queen}}s in private.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. Asits it's the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As
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** Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club in Washingon DC at which drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.
** Hawk later takes Tim off to the Nomad tavern outside DC, a notorious gay hangout.
** Hawk later takes Tim off to the Nomad tavern outside DC, a notorious gay hangout.
to:
** Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club in Washingon Washington DC at which drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.
** Hawk later takes Timoff to the Nomad tavern outside of DC, a notorious gay hangout.
** Hawk later takes Tim
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This entry is Irony As She Is Cast, which belongs in the Trivia tab.
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* CastingGag: Keara Graves, who's openly queer, nonbinary and has vocally supported LGBT+ rights, is here playing Miss Addison, a homophobic secretary in the 1950s who supports the US government purging LGBT+ employees from its agencies.
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* TheFifties: The {{Flashback}}s are set in the 1950s.
* The80s: The present scenes take place in 1986.
* The80s: The present scenes take place in 1986.
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* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on Hawk gets evidence Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, had paid for sex with a man.
to:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on on, Hawk gets evidence that Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, had paid for sex with a man.
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Changed line(s) 10,11 (click to see context) from:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim "Skippy".
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we love]]". He wants nothing more than to have a normal romantic relationship with Hawk.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we love]]". He wants nothing more than to have a normal romantic relationship with Hawk.
to:
* AffectionateNickname: AffectionateNickname:
** Hawkins is nicknamedHawk "Hawk" by all the people close to him. He also nicknames him.
** Hawkins calls his lover Tim"Skippy".
"Skippy" and "my boy."
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who welove]]". love]]." He wants nothing more than to have a normal romantic relationship with Hawk.
** Hawkins is nicknamed
** Hawkins calls his lover Tim
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we
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* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim 'Skippy.'
to:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim 'Skippy.'"Skippy".
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Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim Skippy.
to:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim Skippy.'Skippy.'
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Changed line(s) 12 (click to see context) from:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on Hawk gets evidence Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, himself paid for sex with a man.
to:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on Hawk gets evidence Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, himself had paid for sex with a man.
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Adding and expanding tropes.
Changed line(s) 12 (click to see context) from:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment.
to:
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment. Later on Hawk gets evidence Joseph [=McCarthy=] himself, who'd started this push against LGBT+ employees, himself paid for sex with a man.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Senator Joseph [=McCarthy=], Roy Cohn and David Schine are supporting characters who appear in the 1950s sequences. Robert Kennedy also appears briefly, as does Stormé [=DeLarverie=].
* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: StraightGay man Marcus and DragQueen Frankie date in the early 1950s.
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* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club where drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.
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* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame:
** Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night clubwhere in Washingon DC at which drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.raids.
** Hawk later takes Tim off to the Nomad tavern outside DC, a notorious gay hangout.
** Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club
** Hawk later takes Tim off to the Nomad tavern outside DC, a notorious gay hangout.
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Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we love]]".
to:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we love]]". He wants nothing more than to have a normal romantic relationship with Hawk.
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Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has to hide something, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's who we ''love''".
to:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has something to hide something, hide, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's [[GayAesop who we ''love''".love]]".
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Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has to hide something, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's who we love".
to:
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has to hide something, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's who we love".''love''".
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* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Subverted and discussed. Tim disagrees with Hawk's statement that they hide who they sleep with and that everyone has to hide something, because "it's not who we sleep with, it's who we love".
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* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This is the threat hanging over every LGBT+ person in the early 1950s as the "Lavendar Scare" to get them all fired from the US government has begun. It means not only a loss of employment but social ruin in the homophobic era. One man, after being outed, attempts suicide. Some even out others they know to save themselves, either as scapegoats or making deals with the government investigators so they can resign quietly in return.
to:
* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This is the threat hanging over every LGBT+ person in the early 1950s as the "Lavendar "Lavender Scare" to get them all fired from the US government has begun. It means not only a loss of employment but social ruin in the homophobic era. One man, after being outed, attempts suicide. Some even out others they know to save themselves, either as scapegoats or making deals with the government investigators so they can resign quietly in return.
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5750daad_c929_43fc_9994_9c3f635fab3a.jpeg]]
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fellow_travelers_4.jpg]]
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fellow_travelers_4.jpg]] org/pmwiki/pub/images/5750daad_c929_43fc_9994_9c3f635fab3a.jpeg]]
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[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fellow_travelers_4.jpg]]
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A 2023 Creator/{{Showtime}} adaptation of the 2007 novel starring Creator/MattBomer and Creator/JonathanBailey.
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moving since there is no other FT series
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[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fellow_travelers_4.jpg]]
In the early 1950s, Hawkins Fuller and Timothy Laughlin, two closeted gay men, become lovers the Red Scare rages. They face struggles not only with each other, themselves but also society overall over the years.
----
!Tropes:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim Skippy.
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment.
* TheBeard: Many gays and lesbians maintain straight relationships to cover themselves, including marriages.
* CastingGag: Keara Graves, who's openly queer, nonbinary and has vocally supported LGBT+ rights, is here playing Miss Addison, a homophobic secretary in the 1950s who supports the US government purging LGBT+ employees from its agencies.
* ClosetGay: All gays and lesbians who appear on the show in the 1950s are closeted due to the homophobia which they face, with the threat of being outed ever-present as it could ruin their lives.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The series highlights not only homophobia in the 1950s, which was pervasive and forced LGBT+ people to stay hidden, but also institutionalized racism and how [=McCarthyism=] destroyed many lives in the anti-communist persecution.
* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This is the threat hanging over every LGBT+ person in the early 1950s as the "Lavendar Scare" to get them all fired from the US government has begun. It means not only a loss of employment but social ruin in the homophobic era. One man, after being outed, attempts suicide. Some even out others they know to save themselves, either as scapegoats or making deals with the government investigators so they can resign quietly in return.
* GayConservative: Tim is a gay Republican who supports [=McCarthy=] and works for him initially, while [=McCarthy=]'s support of purging LGBT+ employees from federal jobs threatens him as well. As a result, Tim gradually grows out of his former political beliefs.
* {{Gayngst}}: Tim, who's Catholic, is pretty torn about being gay and acting on his sexuality. He wavers between abandoning Catholicism as it feels right to be with his lover, then later confessing what he did while claiming he's truly become repentant.
* LipstickLesbian: The lesbians are mostly feminine as was expected for women in the 1950s, with long hair, wearing dresses and maintaining demure manners.
* {{Miniseries}}: It's a series limited to seven episodes.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the starting sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
* TheShowOfTheBooks: It's based on [[Literature/FellowTravelers the book of the same name]].
* StraightGay: The gays are mostly indistinguishable from straight men in how they act. It would be foolish to do anything else, given being outed could result in being fired at best. Some of them however will act more {{camp|gay}} or are even {{drag queen}}s in private.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As its the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.
* TransparentCloset: Hawk's father is well aware that he's gay and ashamed of it, wanting an apology from him over this when he's dying.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club where drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.
----
In the early 1950s, Hawkins Fuller and Timothy Laughlin, two closeted gay men, become lovers the Red Scare rages. They face struggles not only with each other, themselves but also society overall over the years.
----
!Tropes:
* AffectionateNickname: Hawkins is nicknamed Hawk by all the people close to him. He also nicknames his lover Tim Skippy.
* ArmouredClosetGay: It's made clear Roy Cohn is a closeted gay man, who's also pushing an effort to fire LGBT+ people with federal jobs as {{blackmail}} threats by communist agents, and "deviants" unsuited for employment.
* TheBeard: Many gays and lesbians maintain straight relationships to cover themselves, including marriages.
* CastingGag: Keara Graves, who's openly queer, nonbinary and has vocally supported LGBT+ rights, is here playing Miss Addison, a homophobic secretary in the 1950s who supports the US government purging LGBT+ employees from its agencies.
* ClosetGay: All gays and lesbians who appear on the show in the 1950s are closeted due to the homophobia which they face, with the threat of being outed ever-present as it could ruin their lives.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The series highlights not only homophobia in the 1950s, which was pervasive and forced LGBT+ people to stay hidden, but also institutionalized racism and how [=McCarthyism=] destroyed many lives in the anti-communist persecution.
* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: This is the threat hanging over every LGBT+ person in the early 1950s as the "Lavendar Scare" to get them all fired from the US government has begun. It means not only a loss of employment but social ruin in the homophobic era. One man, after being outed, attempts suicide. Some even out others they know to save themselves, either as scapegoats or making deals with the government investigators so they can resign quietly in return.
* GayConservative: Tim is a gay Republican who supports [=McCarthy=] and works for him initially, while [=McCarthy=]'s support of purging LGBT+ employees from federal jobs threatens him as well. As a result, Tim gradually grows out of his former political beliefs.
* {{Gayngst}}: Tim, who's Catholic, is pretty torn about being gay and acting on his sexuality. He wavers between abandoning Catholicism as it feels right to be with his lover, then later confessing what he did while claiming he's truly become repentant.
* LipstickLesbian: The lesbians are mostly feminine as was expected for women in the 1950s, with long hair, wearing dresses and maintaining demure manners.
* {{Miniseries}}: It's a series limited to seven episodes.
* RedScare: The series is set in the early 1950s during the starting sequences, with the second Red Scare ongoing, while Joseph [=McCarthy=] is a supporting character.
* TheShowOfTheBooks: It's based on [[Literature/FellowTravelers the book of the same name]].
* StraightGay: The gays are mostly indistinguishable from straight men in how they act. It would be foolish to do anything else, given being outed could result in being fired at best. Some of them however will act more {{camp|gay}} or are even {{drag queen}}s in private.
* TragicAIDSStory: In 1986, Tim is dying from AIDS when Hawk wants to reconnect before it's too late. As its the time of the AIDS crisis, this is a threat all gay men are facing, and it hangs over the 1980s sequences and is explicitly discussed multiple times.
* TransparentCloset: Hawk's father is well aware that he's gay and ashamed of it, wanting an apology from him over this when he's dying.
* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Hawk takes Tim to an underground LGBT+ night club where drag acts are performed, with an alarm light that is set to go off in the event of police raids.
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