Floyd Smernitch is an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter and one of the central characters in HBO’s DTF St. Louis, portrayed by David Harbour.
A kindhearted but lonely man struggling with midlife dissatisfaction, Floyd is a devoted husband to Carol Love-Smernitch, a loving stepfather to her son Richard, and an unlikely best friend to television weatherman Clark Forrest. His mysterious death drives the series’ central murder investigation, but as the investigation unfolds, much of the story is told through flashbacks, allowing viewers to get to know Floyd better and uncover the complexity of his relationships.
Floyd works as an interpreter at the local television station WTGK, where he first becomes close friends with Clark. While the two initially bond over frustrations with marriage, aging, and everyday life, their friendship grows into one marked by remarkable emotional openness. As Clark starts seeing Carol, Floyd tries his luck with dating by joining the DTF St. Louis app himself.
Floyd is never explicitly identified as bi, but the series portrays moments of implied attraction toward men alongside his attraction to women. After matching with a user named Modern Love on the DTF app, Floyd initially believes he is meeting a woman. When he realizes his date is a man, he decides to stay, and the two share a kiss. Floyd later tells Clark that he only kissed Modern Love because he did not want him to feel rejected or shunned for being queer. However, Floyd’s emotional reaction to the encounter leaves room for interpretation, suggesting the experience may have stirred feelings he had not previously acknowledged.
The series further explores Floyd’s sexuality through his relationship with Clark. Their growing friendship is built on vulnerability, affection, and emotional intimacy that extends beyond what is typically portrayed between male friends on television. They encourage one another to be more open about their insecurities, spend increasing amounts of time together, and express genuine love and admiration for each other. Several scenes — including intimate conversations at the gym, dancing together in their underwear, and openly complimenting one another — blur the line between friendship and romantic attraction without ever clearly defining their relationship.
Because the series deliberately leaves Floyd’s sexuality unresolved, his character has inspired a wide range of interpretations. Queerty described Floyd as experiencing a bi awakening, arguing that his encounter with Modern Love and evolving relationship with Clark point toward a growing attraction to men. Other critics, including The New Yorker and The New York Times, focused more on how DTF St. Louis challenges traditional ideas of masculinity and explores the gray area between friendship, love, and desire, rather than assigning Floyd a specific label.
Floyd represents an unusual form of bi representation. Rather than presenting a character who openly identifies as bi, DTF St. Louis depicts someone whose attraction to men remains implied and whose emotional journey is left intentionally open to interpretation. Although his story ends before his sexuality can be fully explored, Floyd became one of the show’s most discussed characters, contributing to broader conversations about bisexuality, vulnerability, and the many ways attraction can be portrayed on screen.
Check out our Media Entry on the series here!