After two seasons and a growing fanbase both in Australia and overseas, Single, Out is back with a third season, premiering at this year’s Melbourne Queer Film Festival.
Single, Out is an unapologetically local, laugh-out-loud, and sometimes painfully relatable queer dramedy that follows Adam (played by the charismatic Will Hutchins) as he navigates the complexities of life, art and relationships.
Written and directed by Melbourne filmmaker Lee Galea, season 3 promises to be easy to jump into, even if you haven’t caught the first two.
“The show tells you everything you need to know; it’s very standalone,” Galea reassures. Single, Out serves up a story he’s always wanted. “It’s important to show a queer person with aspirations beyond just having sex with people,” he adds, and honestly—given that our community is routinely oversexualised in media—it’s very refreshing.
While Galea has a long history of premiering his films and series at MQFF, the opening night jitters never get old. “It’s definitely nerve-wracking to sit in a room full of strangers who are watching your work and judging you, but once you start getting some laughs, you kind of relax, and the nerves go away,” he reflects.
One thing Single, Out doesn’t have? A romance that’s dangled in front of you for six episodes. Galea doesn’t have time for that, and he knows you don’t either. “I didn’t want him to fantasise about a guy for six episodes only to get a kiss at the end,” he says. “Let’s rip the Band-Aid off, let him have the guy and let’s get to know him as a person while he explores his career and being recently out.” That means more time for us to see Adam as an actual person, going through stuff that feels real.
Even his coming-out moment from season 1—which would typically be dragged out into a series-long arch—was very quickly handled during a very unserious family dinner. “That was another compliment we got a lot, was that we let him come out straight away rather than waiting the whole season,” Galea adds. It helped normalise coming out without adding unnecessary tension.
You can also expect several ‘Melbourne’ jump scares that remind you just how local this series is. Not only is the show filled with Aussie accents, but you also see the iconic green trams, mentions of JB Hi-Fi, and learn that Adam studies at RMIT Univerity (hey twin). “Every time he said RMIT, we’d get a little kick out of the audience,” Galea laughs. It’s rare to see your everyday world on TV, especially in a queer story that feels this close to home.
Despite its big following in the U.S. and Europe, where Single, Out streams on Here TV, is sold on DVD, and is even available on Qantas Airlines, it’s been a harder road back home in Australia. “I got a sales agent, and he shopped it around. We got rejected by everyone in Australia, but then it sold to like 15 countries worldwide.” This left Galea to turn to a successful Kickstarter to bring his vision to life.
Speaking on the show’s international success, Galea tells Not Safe For Queers that he was thrilled when one of his favourite Hollywood filmmakers behind the film Easy A reached out to him to say they’ve seen his show. “I was like, what?! I’ve seen your movie 100 times,” Galea reminisces.
You can expect the warmth of Heartstopper with the boldness of Queer as Folk as season three invites both longtime fans and newcomers to experience its uniquely Melbourne and wonderfully queer storytelling.
So, whether you’re single, out, or somewhere in between, grab your tickets to the show’s MQFF premiere, where a Q&A with director Lee Galea will follow the screening.
The Melbourne Queer Film Festival is held annually in November and showcases the best in new and retrospective LGBTQIA+ cinema with an array of features, shorts & documentaries.
Season 3 of ‘Single, Out’ premieres at MQFF this Sunday 24 November. Tickets on sale now.