Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… it’s… an air ambulance full of super-hot nurses???
Canadian drama SkyMed was cleared for landing in the States, and with its second season now available to stream on Paramount+, it’s the perfect time to catch up with the medical procedural—especially if you like your TV melodramatic, a little campy, and full of sexy gay people.
Following in the footsteps of long-running series like Grey’s Anatomy and 9-1-1: Lone Star, SkyMed thrives off a simple set up: A staff of medical professionals and first-responders put their lives on the line to tackle an emergency-of-the-week, all the while not letting their complicated interpersonal dynamics interfere. It’s a proven formula for television success!
How about we take this to the next level?
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But where this CBC drama really differentiates itself is in its setting: Our heroes work for an air ambulance service in northern Manitoba, meaning they’re frequently hopping on medical planes to save people from disaster all over the remote Canadian wilderness. Brr.
Like many other procedurals, SkyMed comes with a network-approved cast of diverse hotties, with TV-ready character names that straddle the line between drag and adult film star: Jay Chopper, Crystal Highway, Austen Bodie, Captain “Wheezer” Heaseman. Sure, why not!
And, for our purposes: YWe’re pleased to report that there are plenty of queer folks on the team. In season two, wannabe pilot Lexi Martine (American Gods‘ Mercedes Morris) struggles to balance her career ambitions and her fiery fling with Stef (Ginny & Georgia‘s Sydney Kuhne).
Then there’s the show’s hunky gay couple, bartender/pilot Captain Milosz Nowak (The Boys In The Boat‘s Thomas Elms) and flight nurse Tristan Green (Riverdale‘s Kheon Clarke), who sure help heat up the screen. They’ve even got a whole army of ‘shippers who love their love, creating all sorts of “fan cams” for YouTube and social media.
Though they finally got around to admitting they loved one another in Season 1, Nowak and Tristan’s relationship isn’t without some turbulence this time around.
Specifically, we’re talking about Reese (Foundation‘s Ryan Ali), a hot-shot member of the team who previously—and secretly—shared a kiss with Tristan. And, as it turns out, Reese is an old flight school partner of Nowak’s. Uh oh, sounds like we’ve got a messy gay love triangle on our hands. (No complaints here!)
Which brings us to the aforementioned erotic volleyball in Season 2, Episode 2, “Spun Out.” Taking a page directly from the Top Gun playbook, SkyMed uses the simmering romantic rivalries between Tristan, Milosz, and Reese as an excuse to get the gang playing a friendly game of “skins versus skivvies” volleyball in the snow.
Not unlike the notorious beach scene in the 1986 Tom Cruise drama, the sporty moment is soundtracked by a rollicking throwback song (Trooper’s “Raise A Little Hell”) and features plenty of friendly skin slapping, flexing, and slo-mo shots so the audience can really appreciate watching all the bods in action.
How gay is “Top Gun”, really? With its belated and long-delayed sequel hitting theaters next month, now is the perfect time to revisit this era-defining emblem of male bravado and homosocial relationships.
You’ll have to stream the episode to see the scene for yourself, but you can check out some shots of the game below:
We’re just glad Canada’s sub-zero temperatures didn’t deter anyone from stripping down to their briefs. This show knows exactly what it’s doing.
So, what other excuse could you possibly need to start watching? And P.S.: Thanks to Queerty reader Charles Harrington for pointing this one out to us—we’re thrilled to have a fun new series to ogle!
SkyMed seasons 1 & 2 are now available to stream via Paramount+.
