#as always i’ve written an entire essay for a collective 8 hours of television skdlskdk

[bigfeelingsdyke]

I’m always learning about cool new (well, old but new to me) TV shows and movies from you. What is Houston Knights, if you don’t mind talking a little about it?

hello! no i don’t mind at all!!

so, the basic premise of the show is that Chicago cop Joey LaFiamma (played by Michael Paré, the most jacked pretty boy you’ve ever seen) is transferred to Houston to escape the contract put out on him by the mob. He’s promptly partnered with Texas cop Levon Lundy (played by Michael Beck, of Xanadu fame apparently) and the two hit it off….literally. like they hate each other’s guts lmao- there’s a great fistfight scene in a bar towards the end of the pilot and yes, it’s extremely homoerotic. of course none of this supposed animosity stops them from being willing to die for each other almost immediately because hey, what are partners for lol?

the funniest part of this dynamic, imo, is that the constant tension very much lends itself to only one outlet- like, you can only get in a guys face and manhandle him around so many times before it becomes obvious you want to release that tension in a…different (sexier) way 😂 and these guys are just at it all the time!!! it’s very “you construct intricate rituals” etc etc.

that being said, this show is nowhere in the realm of like, starsky and hutch levels of subtext, it’s mostly just fun to watch them fight while otherwise behaving like they’re the center of each other’s universe LOL

….also just, it’s a guy with fancy pants and designer sweaters and an Italian mobster accent paired up with a quiet, tight jeans and boots wearing Southern Drawl cowboy….like frankly it doesn’t get any better than that aldkskdk

it’s not the slickest buddy cop show ever made (Lundy drives a fucking GMC truck lmao) but it’s got it’s charms (LaFiamma’s knit sweaters and Lundy’s cowboy hats for one 🤠)

the obvious warning here is that it’s a police drama from the 1980s set in Texas so like…there’s definitely some very outdated and offensive moments, but tbh nothing that’s made me want to turn it off. imo it’s still very watchable!

keeping this in mind, there are some fairly progressive aspects to the show- their lieutenant, Joanne Beaumont, is a woman and Lundy’s former partner, and she’s shown to be both strong and emotional (when she gets emotional at a crime scene etc, it never feels like she’s being looked down upon as a woman or as a “weak” leader. again, they’re all cops so there’s no #girlboss moment here, but it’s an interesting female character for the time.) also, there’s a recurring disabled character, Annie, who works at the department as a ballistics analyst. she doesn’t show up until the s1 finale, but she is very much established as a beloved friend to Lundy pretty much from the get go, and an integral part of the team.

now, all that being said, i’ve only just finished s1, so who knows! it could get way better….or worse lmao 😂 honestly my standards for most movies/tv are pretty low- if the two leads have decent chemistry and it’s even vaguely homoerotic? i’m in lol. so if you’re looking for a nuanced, polished show…this is not that lmao. but if you think a montage of two opposite guys driving around eating takeout is hilarious and amazing, definitely give houston knights a go!

now for the bad news lol…this show isn’t available to stream like. anywhere. like, not available to watch ANYWHERE online. i literally had to order a set of bootleg DVDs of someone’s VHS rip from the 1980s 😂😭 needless to say the quality is around 240p (when it doesn’t fuzz out on you lmao). hence the lack of screen caps and gifs….i guess we’ll have to wait until CBS gets their act together and releases an official DVD lol 😅

so! there you go anon! you’ll have to let me know if you get around to watching it, and what you think! oh, almost forgot- the pilot IS available to watch online thru a reddit post (lmao), so if you want to watch an episode before committing to a whole set of DVDs, it is out there. personally i think it’s worth the watch just for the “stand by me” in-universe Music Moment…but i won’t spoil anything 😁