Early reviews for the show have been promising so far. According review aggregator Metacritic, the show has so far received almost unanimous applause from critics, excluding a handful of those who gave the debut episode a more mixed reception than just gushing over it entirely. Of 21 reviews, only 4 were mixed in their opinion, whilst the rest gave Looking their full backing.

HBO Golden Globes party
The show's star at the recent HBO Golden Globes Afterparty

"With its strong performances, subtle details and believable situations, Looking presents a convincing portrayal of everyday life - either gay or straight," said RedEye critic Curt Wagner. The New Yorker critic Emily Nussbaum was also thoroughly impressed with the first glimpse of the new show, calling Looking the "standout among several smart series" launching this month.

Time magazine critic James Poniewozik found his first experience of the show "refreshing," commenting that "Looking doesn’t contort itself to create a character to represent every different aspect of 'the gay experience,'" but instead acts itself and manages to stand apart from the crowd as a result. As for San Francisco Chronicle reviewer David Wiegand, he found the San Fran.-set show believable and relatable, commenting particularly on the "pitch-perfect performances of the cast" and the "convincing, multidimensional portrayal not only of contemporary gay life but also of contemporary life in general" the show presents.

Not everyone was as easy to please though, as Boston Globe critic Christopher Muther found the show "infuriating" thanks to what he perceived as "hopelessly out-of-date" perceptions of homosexual life. However, he is one of the few to critic the show, and to do so for this particular reason, with most other reviews commenting on the realness of the representation of gay living.

Looking airs on HBO every Sunday at 10.30 pm.

Jonathan Groff
Could Looking spell big things for Groff and his co-stars?