Dekkoo, theย streaming service dedicated to gay men, will launch its new original series,ย Marriage of Inconvenience, on Thursday, April 6.ย The romantic comedyย is being called aย 21st-century gay version ofย The Odd Couple. Itย follows two strangers who enter a witness protection program and must pretend to be happily married in order to hide their identities from the dangerous people who want them dead.ย
The show stars Jason T. Gaffney asย Owen, a messy, street-smart dropout with anger issues andย David Allen Singletaryย as Franklin, an even-tempered English professor who prides himself on his attention to detail in every area of his carefully structured life. About the only thing the two men have in common is that theyโre gay. Now, living together in a very small house as Mr. and Mr. Fulton, they find they share something else: they canโt stand each other.ย
In addition to playing the role of Owen and directing four of the episodes, Jason wrote the series with his longtime writing partner, Ed Gaffney, who also happens to be his father.ย ย He likensย Marriage of Inconvenienceย to Netflixโsย Grace and Frankie,ย โbecause while some of the guysโ arguments are hilarious, others are not so much; and watching them slowly fall for each other as they navigate theirย complicated pasts and the very bad people relentlessly hunting them down, makes forย a fun journey.โ
Jason made it a point to create a diverse cast, crew and post-production team. The cast represents all aspects of the LGBTQ+ community and made sure at least half of the production team were women. Filming forย Marriage of Inconvenienceย was done primarily at Jasonโs real-life home in Los Angeles. ย
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Jason grew up writing movie scripts for his theatre friends to perform.ย He moved to NYC to attend AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts for musical theatre, but ultimately found film to be a better fit. ย

โI hope people laugh out loud watchingย Marriage of Inconvenience, but I also want the show to make them think,โ Gaffney reflects.ย โOne of the main challenges Owen andย Franklin both encounter throughout the series is to try to figure out who they want to be and to learn how to be completely true to themselves.ย I think thatโs something many of us are striving for.ย
โAlso, the idea that these two total opposites can learn to have an open mind, listen to one another and unite for the common good.ย We should all endeavor for such enlightenment.โ
We had the chance to discuss the new series and get to know more about Jason in our exclusive interview.
How did you come up with the idea for the show?
I love making comedies! The real world is hard enough, so access to comedy and laughter is very important these days.ย
My writing partner (who also happens to be my dad) and I were brainstorming ideas and we came up with the idea: what if people going into witness protection were paired up as couples, to help them hide their real identities? What if those two people were polar oppositesโฆ? What if one was a college professor (Franklin), and the other was a low-level, kind of townie drug dealer (Owen)โฆ? And thenย Marriage of Inconvenienceย was born! A fun modern-dayย Odd Couple.
What was it like working with your father?ย
I love getting to work with my dad. We started co-writing back with 2012โs feature filmย The Perfect Wedding, and went on to co-writeย Analysis Paralysisย in 2018 too. Weโve also co-written a trilogy of m/m romance novels!ย
It is always so much fun when we get to write a script togetherโlots of โyes and-ingโ each other and finding the strongest comedic moments for the characters and story. The series is easily our strongest work to date.ย
We have a method of writing where we outline the story together, and Iโll write the first episode, then send those pages to him, and heโll start the first round of revisions. As heโs revising and polishing episode one, Iโm working on episode two. As Iโm finishing up the second ep, heโll give me back the first one to read, and then I give him the second. We repeat this, over and over, until the episode is polished. By the end of the season, we have the characters and their voices realized so that we donโt need as many revisions, and it goes a lot faster.ย

How important was it for you to have a diverse crew?
Very important! This world is filled with diversity and different ideas and, in addition to being the right thing to do, by surrounding myself with people who have had different experiences in life, Iโm surrounding myself with many possible solutions to the inevitable problems on set.ย
Way too many BIPOC, Women, LGBTQ+ people, etc. arenโt getting hired because they โdonโt have enough experience yetโ. But they canโt get experience because they arenโt getting hired. So, itโs a really bad catch 22. Iโve found that just because someone hasnโt had in-the-field experience yet, that doesnโt mean they arenโt more than ready for the job. And in a lot of ways the fresh set of eyes and ideas can lead to great choices or solutions. Also, by hiring diverse Iโm able to help bring more diversity into the industry veterans group.
What was the production process like?ย
It was a wild ride for sure! We were supposed to start filming back in April of 2020, but several weeks before filming was set to beginโฆ I think we all know what happened.
Well, we waited until vaccines and testing were available for the cast and crew, and then we were able to dive in. Filming during a pandemic is challenging for sure! Thanks to the strict testing rules on set (cast and crew had to test outside), we discovered that our DP had COVID on the first day of filming. She immediately went homeโand ended up DPing the entire show via Zoom! That was a huge challenge, but the cast and crew stepped up and delivered an amazing show!ย
What are you hoping audiences will take away from the show?
Frankly, I hope Marriage of Inconvenience makes people laugh. (And I hope they want to see what happens next with Owen and Franklin!)
Whatโs next for you?ย
Iโm currently working on a few projects, but the one on the front burner is season two ofย Marriage of Inconvenience. When we partnered with Dekkoo to make this series, I made sure I had several seasons mapped out, so I knew exactly where Owen and Franklinโs journey was heading. I can confidently say that season two already has some delightful twists and turns.

Jason Answers the Socialite Seven
Who has been the biggest influence on you in your career so far?ย
Every single out and proud person in the entertainment industry. This industry is hard enough without being LGBTQ, but then once youโre out and proud it seems you often get pigeon-holed into only LGBTQ roles. But thatโs problematic because productions donโt always give LGBTQ roles to LGBTQ actors. (My production company, My Pet Hippo, works hard to hire LGBTQ cast and crew!)
Yes, the industry has gotten better about casting queer people in non-queer roles, but there is still a stigma or a fear that the public wonโt buy that a gay actor can believably play straight. Thereโs irony here, considering how many lifetimes many LGBTQ people spent doing exactly thatโpretending to be straight! And thereโs a double irony when straight actors, playing LGBTQ characters, are given awards and called โbrave.โ SMH
What talent or superpower would you like to wake up with tomorrow?
Iโd love to be able to teleport (and teleport things Iโm holding) so that I could travel the world with ease. Think about it! Youโre on vacation and realize you forgot your underpants. No problem. Just pop back home and grab them!ย
What are three things you canโt live without?ย
Number one is pasta! (No, my husband wonโt be mad about that being number one. On my OK Cupid profile, I mentioned pasta as being my favorite food like ten times and he actually asked me out on a date to go have spaghetti.) Number two is Matt, my husband and the love of my life. And number three is laughter. This world is hard and laughter has helped me get through many a rough patch.
Whatโs the best piece of advice youโve been given?ย
Be yourself. You will attract the people who want to be around the real you. Life is too short to try and be something or someone you are not. (These are themes I use inย Marriage of Inconvenience!)
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Saying a person was from another time as an excuse for bigoted behavior or language. Just because a phrase or action was socially accepted in the past doesnโt mean it was acceptable then or now, and the idea that we are exempt from becoming better people because of our age is annoying and unacceptable to me.

If they made a movie of your life story, who would you want to portray you on the big screen?ย
Gosh! I feel like the person who would play me in my life story probably hasnโt been born yet, since I still have a ton of life left to live and achievements to achieve. But if someone were to make a movie of what Iโve done so farโฆ I think Iโd love Jonathan Groff or Billy Eichner to play meโฆ Oh! Or Murray Bartlett! Gosh, there are so many great LGBTQ actors to choose from!ย
What has been your greatest accomplishment so far? ย
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting an LGBTQ elder who had participated in the Black Cat Protests. He loved my film,ย Analysis Paralysis, as well as my production companyโs mission statement: โWe at My Pet Hippo Productions aspire to tell stories in aย post-coming out worldย where the plot or conflict is notย about being gay, but rather features characters who happen to be gay.โย
He loved that my films and TV series celebrated being gay in that way, and he told me that this was the reason behind his activism, that I was making the films and TV series that heโd hoped one day to see.
We owe everything to the older LGBTQ people in our community and the idea that I made something that honored them in that way brings me great joy.ย
Marriage of Inconvenienceย premieres on Dekkoo on April 6, 2023.ย For more information,ย visitย Dekkoo.com. Keep up with Jason on Twitter, YouTube and on his website.