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| On CBS’s ‘Century City’ it’s the year 2030, and a lawyer
(Viola Davis, left) must defend a doctor (Richard Thomas) against allegations
that he lied to help the gay population grow larger.(Photo courtesy of CBS)
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‘Century City’
CBS
Saturday, March 20, 10 p.m. |
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > TELEVISION
By: Brian Moylan
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THERE ARE A few things you need to know about the future. In 2030, all the buildings
are tastefully designed, everyone dresses very fashionably and there aren’t
many gay people. “We are hardly anywhere,” might become the new slogan.
Of course, high fashions and tasteful designs might be a stretch if gay people
aren’t around. But this is what writers for “Century City,” CBS’s
new “L.A. Law”-type legal drama envision in their Utopian version
of the future.
In the new program’s second episode, which is scheduled to air on CBS
Saturday, March 20, at 10 p.m., we learn that the gay population is dwindling.
They know this because the 2020 census documents the number of gay Americans.
At least demographers and government officials in the future appear to be a
bit more forward-looking.
Maybe the inclusion in the census was an order from the vice president of
the United States, who we learn is gay. That’s also very sweet. Not only
is he gay and the second in command of the United States, he also served in
the military.
On the show, however, the number of gay Americans is decreasing because many
couples fertilize embryos and do genetic scans on them before being impregnated.
The scans tell the parents what the child will look like as well as whether
he or she will be shy, a religious fanatic, prone to mood swings — or
gay.
When one couple learns their child will be gay they opt not to go through
with the pregnancy. It seems that being gay is definitely genetic, we learn,
and the nature-vs.-nurture debate has been decided once and for all. This is
all very “Twilight of the Golds,” the 1993 play made into a 1997
movie with the same premise.
WHICH LEADS US TO the new program’s second episode.
To preserve the gay population, one geneticist, Dr. Bressack (Richard Thomas)
stops telling prospective parents whether their children will be gay. When
one of his patients finds out that the fetus she is carrying will be gay and
the doctor never told her, she sues for emotional distress.
The parents don’t want to have a gay baby because they fear it will
be “easier” for the child if he is part of the straight majority.
Future lawyer Hannah Crane (Viola Davis) defends the good doctor by telling
a jury that no emotional harm will come to parents if they love and accept
their gay child. She does this by calling one of Bressack’s former patients
to the stand. He is the proud father of an out and proud high school student.
Even though the doctor didn’t tell him his son would be gay, the father
says he doesn’t regret keeping the child.
What ensues is some testimony that will make even the most jaded gay television
critic well up with tears. The ending really tugs at the heartstrings, especially
for gay viewers who have had conflicts with their families over this topic.
Those who have had positive coming-out experiences might even shed a tear or
two.
It’s compelling to watch predictions about what the future holds for
gay people. But with the fight for equal marriage rights as bitter as it is
in 2004, it’s hard to believe that in 26 years gay men and lesbians,
those who have the luxury of being born, will have such positive experiences.
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