Ted Schmidt

Various acting agencies did not send their clients to audition for roles in the show because of potential controversy. Ted was the only character that Lowell auditioned for. He has also claimed it was the only role on the show he wanted. The show's creator Lipman stated that Lowell would not disclose his sexuality during the first season. He explained that Lowell, who is heterosexual, would not disclose the information because he did not want to detract from the series. ==Development==

Characterisation Queer as Folk is based on the British show of the same name and Ted is loosely based on the character Phil Delaney (Jason Merrells), who dies. Daniel Lipman helped to develop the US version and decided that unlike the British version Ted would not be killed off. Lipman wanted to keep the character because he envisaged Ted as a "restoration comedy character". Ted is characterised as insecure. A writer from LogoTV described Ted as a wallflower accountant. His worst characteristic is his lusting for aged 20-something characters who do not return his romantic interest. Lowell told Misha Davenport from the Chicago Sun-Times that Ted loved opera music and applies the same sense of romance to his sex life. Lowell focused to make the sex as realistic as possible. But he sometimes found it difficult with crew surrounding him and on one occasion the bed broke. Lowell has stated that he is not too similar to Ted. He could equate to Ted's sensible nature but not his highly conservative manner. Lowell told Leela Ginelle from PQ Monthly that people found it easy to relate to Ted because he has something very universal and lovable about him. More specifically, Lowell added it was "his search to learn to love himself before he was ready to truly love and be loved by someone else." The actor told a reporter from The Advocate that Ted has a high level of self-loathing. Relationships One of the character's main relationships was shared with Blake Wyzecki (Dean Armstrong). Their relationship ends following the first season of the show. Armstrong was rehired by the show at various times when writers revisited Ted and Blake's relationship. Ted first meets Blake at the Babylon night club but their first encounter ends in turmoil as Ted is hospitalised after taking drugs. Blake is a drug addict and Ted decides to help him and attempts to get him clean. The on-screen partnership was successful and well received by viewers. Armstrong told David R. Guarino from the Windy City Times that he and Lowell had instant chemistry on set and became good friends. He believed that this translated well on the show which fans connected with. Armstrong left the show following the first season of Queer as Folk. He felt disappointed that there was no closure to Ted and Blake's relationship. Ted begins a relationship with Emmett and when questioned by Wenzel Jones from The Advocate, Paige said that gay male best friends becoming boyfriends was realistic. Lowell told The Advocate's Michael Rowe that Ted and Emmett are "the new Odd Couple". He believed that the pair "represent opposite yet inseparable ends of the gay spectrum." Drug addiction Producers planned a drug addiction storyline for the character. Lowell worked with a medical consultant to create an accurate portrayal of a descent into drug addiction. Writers continued to develop the character's addiction story and in one episode Ted participates in a pornographic film while high and later has no recollection of the event. In a development that Lowell thought was "brilliant"; Ted attends his rehab support group and discovers that Blake is his counsellor. Plastic surgery As Amy Amatangelo from the Boston Herald noted, Ted "is in the midst of a midlife crisis complete with a pudgy stomach, thinning hair and young guys who insist on calling him sir." Lowell was informed of the storyline in advance. He was told to change his diet to gain weight so that he could lose it again and make Ted's liposuction appear effective. Lowell increased his carbohydrate intake but only gained five pounds. ==Reception==

Mike Pearson from the Rocky Mountain News said that Ted is an "aforementioned mild-mannered accountant". Steve Johnson and Sid Smith writing for the Chicago Tribune named Ted "the repressed, self-loathing accountant" and "a sad-sack accountant with a lot invested in his career". The ''Multichannel News's'' Linda Haugsted opined that Ted "wants a stable relationship but can't face the fact he may be too old to attract the hattie of his dreams." All of the show's characters irritated The Washington Post critic Tom Shales, especially Ted because he is a "the mealy-mouthed little mole". He also branded him "honest, decent, intelligent and sexless". Shales felt that Ted deserved to suffer, adding "Lowell gives such a mousy, mealy-mouthed performance that it's hard to feel any sympathy for poor sad Ted. He conveys emotions with all the subtlety of a circus parade, his eyeballs sometimes darting about wildly like the dots in one of those early video pong games." Ted Cox of the Daily Herald said that he is "the mousy accountant who is afraid of contact and favors, instead, gay porn". A reporter from the Associated Press believed that Ted's "sweet gloominess nicely complements Michael's wry sparkle". ''The Age's critics Debi Enker, Nicole Brady, Paul Kalina and Brian Courtis have collectively branded Ted the smart, lonely, poor, sweet, porn-obsessed accountant. In 2004, The Sydney Morning Herald's'' Idato said that Ted had "evolved dramatically from the shy, uncertain geek". He concluded that Ted's story was courageous, going on an "extraordinary journey from pious pal to addict Blake Wyzecki to an addict himself". Kim Potts from AOL stated that Ted is "Cynical, self-doubting, smart [and] successful". Michael Rowe of The Advocate branded the character "Emmett's emotionally repressed sidekick". ==References==