All You Need: Seasons 1 & 2 (German Series)

How did I not know about this beautiful gay German series and why is the snot being talked about all over? We, the audience gets to see lives of four beautiful, young group of gay friends trying to navigate life, searching for love and security in the age of Grindr. The show has 2 seasons so far with 6 episodes each. So watching this 12 episode gem is an easy breezy thing, especially when they are only like 25 minute each. The show combines great, diverse casting and light-hearted, yet serious, storylines and takes us on a journey that will leave you wanting to know more about these guys. I have to say at the onset that I loved this show (despite the fact that the version I saw had really bad subtitles) and again, why is this not being talked about?

Vince, a gay black medical student and Levo are best friends and roommates, living their best queer lives, making the most of Berlin’s legendary nightlife. Neither man has ever had a long-term relationship and they are both happy that way. The show starts with Levo having met love of his life, an older guy Tom who used to be married and even has a teenage son. This upsets the dynamic between Vince and Levo slightly. We also meet Sarina, a young single mother and the closest friend to the two of them.Soon, Vince meets lean, blonde fitness coach Robbie – sexy, brash, and with a mysterious dark side. And before you know they start a romance but Vince still cant warm up to Tom. The four men hang out with each other and their girlfriend Sarina, and navigate their somewhat complex, touching relationships with each other, each person dealing with their own hang-ups and identity issues. Season 1 ends at a cliffhanger, and I did see that coming. A series of events lead to Vince-Robbie having a fight and that night Vince finds Tom at a bar and they fuck. Both the boyfriends find out about this at a night of party that Levo hosts for all his friends. So it's Season 2 now and Vince is lonely and desperate. Robbie has completely ghosted him and he has also lost his best friend Levo, who now is staying with Sarina just one floor up, trying to find a place. To take his mind off things, Levo goes to a sex party, where he makes a surprise acquaintance with Andre. He turns out to be an older bear who coaches the local gay rugby team. A new character Simon is introduced who is Sarina's brother and who ends up being Vince's roommate. Levo goes to meet Robbie and then persuades him to join Andre's rugby team. This group surprisingly all end up meeting at a lake one weekend and Levo even finds Tom there. They talk out things where Tom is just coming out and he needs to live his life and part amicably. Vince still tries his best of both Robbie and Levo to forgive him. Thanks to rugby, Robbie is finding a passion and slowly starts talking with Vince, who in turn helps him confront his past and move on. We finally get to know what's the secret that Robbie is trying to deal with. Looks like they would be getting back together, but Simon doesn't leave any opportunity to flirt with Vince. Levo is now back to being friends with Vince. At Sarina's 30th birthday, they all get together and Simon again makes a fleeting disappearance.

To be honest, even though the show may not be breaking any grounds with its novel storyline or anything, but it was still fin to watch. These young adults in their late 20s and early 30s and still figuring out life. They want love but also sex, and all of us gays have dealt through with it at some point or other; which makes this show very very realistic. While Vince is the lead and season 1 mainly focuses on him and Levo and almost others, season 2 is a lot more about Robbie, which I loved because the actor playing it and the character itself is amazing. As characters everyone has been given this amazing personality which is easy to connect to. Vince is this medical student, who wants to have a good time, but also conscious of his race who eventually unexpectedly finds love but he messes things up. Robbie is straight acting gay, very mysterious, very protective os his love and someone who would want to be your boyfriend. You have then Levo, the funniest character, but with a heart of gold. He gets the best lines and he completely rocks the part of Levo. As a married man, coming to terms with his sexuality in season 1, Tom does well and we all know where this is headed. Simon in season 2 is a welcome yet 'I am not very sure why this character was added'. To balance this group, we have the best offbeat, Sarina. She says things as they are, no nonsense girl, who tries to keep friends together and love flowing.

Beautiful, realistic cinematography showcases another, less obvious, side to Berlin and also makes both the nightclub and bedroom scenes feel authentic – something that is often hard to achieve. The sex scenes are both warm and humorous. The show, also in its own ways, tries to covers themes of casual and overt homophobia and racism, monogamy, sex-positivity, infidelity, domestic violence, parental relationships, trust, past lives and identity. It will remind you of 'Queer As Folk' in a good way. It has been ages since that show ended and we need more of these shows. Regular gay guys in different countries navigating their lives, making mistakes, learning from it, finding love, partying and dealing with issues. I love this genre and how I wish our Asian producers could love something from these makers. Lovers of shows like the one I just mentioned, or Looking are gonna love this and I would highly recommend watching the show. Although I do hope that for non native German speakers they find a better version with good subtitles. Watch this one soon. I am already a couple of years late in catching up on this one. (9/10)