“The Happiest Gay Couple in the World” premiered this week on the Logo network, and it’s full of edgy, animated fun. Viewers of gay-themed television — who are used to the unrelenting earnestness of “The L Word” or the sugary humor of “Will & Grace” — should prepare themselves for something completely different. Rick and Steve, the couple in question, make the kids of “South Park” look like, well, kids.

For two contrasting but complementary takes on the show, check out the reviews at AfterEllen.com and its spin-off, AfterElton.com. Although both sites were bought out by Logo last year — and the generally positive reviews are, as a result, self-promotional — both sites have retained their original editors, and they haven’t shown any sign of abandoning their mission of providing sharp, nuanced analysis of lesbian, gay, bi and trans representations in the media.

And Karman Kregloe’s take on AfterEllen.com is evidence of their willingness to tell it like it is.

She focuses on the supporting characters of Dana and Kristen, a lesbian couple who are friends with Rick and Steve:

The Dana-Kirsten dynamic is rich with potential for butch-femme humor, sexual or otherwise, but it largely goes untapped. Instead, the jokes revolve around lesbian/gay male relations and the difficulties of obtaining sperm. I’d much rather see Dana and Kirsten tangle with the mythic “lesbian bed death” and eroticize their differences than constantly obsess about reproduction and politics.

This is the one frustrating thing about Rick & Steve: Its spirit of irreverence is more successful in the gay men’s story lines than in the lesbians’ story lines.

AIDS jokes, porn references and borderline graphic sexual innuendo revolving around Rick, Steve, Evan and Chuck all test the boundaries of the relatively new realm of gay programming. The creators obviously aren’t afraid to take risks with their humor, so perhaps the same adventurous spirit will prevail in future Dana and Kirsten subplots.

Despite this reservation, though, both Klegoe and Lyle Masaki at AfterElton.com feel the show’s risk-taking is “refreshing.” Masaki writes:

The creators of Rick & Steve operate under the principle of unapologetic frankness most of the time, not worrying what straight viewers might think of the show or that any of their characters will be taken as a representative of the entire gay community. It’s a refreshing change that allows the creators to poke fun at elements of gay life without fear of being politically incorrect.

If you don’t get Logo — well, you should probably write your cable or satellite provider. But you can purchase episodes online. In the meantime, you can view the first five minutes here.