Gayest Episode Ever

Back in the day, a major sitcom doing a gay episode was a big deal. A proper gay episode would get headlines, but it would get the attention of two young guys who were still figuring things out — sexuality-wise and culture-wise. Gayest Episode Ever has screenwriter Glen Lakin and stay-at-home journalist Drew Mackie going through the great and not-so-great gay episodes of sitcoms past.

Diane Chambers Revisited (An Episode That Glen Can Actually Listen To) 09/21/2020

Diane Chambers Revisited (An Episode That Glen Can Actually Listen To) Cheers, ”The Boys in the Bar“ (January 27, 1983) — If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a bit, you may be aware of the fact that Glen refuses to listen to it. Drew thinks this is too bad, because this really seems like the kind of podcast Glen would really enjoy. In celebration of Glen’s birthday month, Drew asked Sam Pancake and Tony Rodriguez to do a reading of one of the best episodes we’ve done: Episode 10, “Diane Chambers Is an LGBT Ally.” /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/16091288

Mike Seaver Actually Said the Word ‘Gay’ 09/16/2020

Mike Seaver Actually Said the Word ‘Gay’ Growing Pains — “Mike’s Madonna Story” (November 5, 1985) Yep, we’re actually doing Growing Pains — specifically because of one scene in a first-season episode in which Kirk Cameron’s character tosses of the line “Maybe I’m gay.” It might seem small, but it’s crazy to consider the word “gay” even being spoken on this quintessential 80s family show, much less by a character played by a guy who’d shortly thereafter become a born-again Christianity and who’d eventually disclose so /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/16029437

Norm Peterson Is Gay for Pay 09/09/2020

Norm Peterson Is Gay for Pay “Norm, Is That You?” (December 8, 1988), Cheers — If we told you this episode features George Wendt’s character pretending to be gay, you’d probably imagine that Wendt would go really big with that performance. Most sitcoms would if a straight actor were playing a straight character playing a gay character, but Cheers doesn’t, and in fact this is an episode about gayness where it goes oddly remarked upon. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15940937

In the House Made RuPaul Play a Heterosexual 09/02/2020

In the House Made RuPaul Play a Heterosexual In the House, “Boys II Men II Women” (December 4, 1995) — Twenty-five ago, long before he’d become a media mogul and the face of an international franchise, Rupaul made 1995 his most mainstream year yet. Not only did he have his mainstream debut in The Brady Bunch movie, but he also did one-off guest roles in a number of network sitcoms. But only In the House had him playing a drag queen who was an avowed heterosexual. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15850751

Introducing the Shelley Longcast! 08/31/2020

Introducing the Shelley Longcast! Episode One: The Brady Bunch Movie — Welcome to the first installment of the Shelley Longcast, the only podcast (that we know of) dedicated to the cinematic work of Shelley Long. You’re seeing this on the Gayest Episode Ever feed because it’s the the Patreon-exclusive bonus series we’ve launched and we decided you listeners might enjoy this first, more TV-related episode: The Brady Bunch Movie. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15824660

Finch’s Buddy Is Trans 08/26/2020

Finch’s Buddy Is Trans Just Shoot Me, “Brandy, You’re a Fine Girl” (November 16, 2000) — Finally, it’s Gayest Episode Ever’s first trans episode. Glen and Drew decided to start with a 2000 episode of Just Shoot Me that features Jenny McCarthy as the childhood friend of David Spade’s character who rolls into town with some surprising news. It’s not great, but this episode’s shortcomings demonstrate how the general conversation about trans folks has evolved in the past twenty years. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15759926

Alice Dates a Homo 08/19/2020

Alice Dates a Homo Alice, “Alice Gets a Pass” (September 29, 1976) — Why on earth was this the second episode of this show? When a former football star-turned-movie actor comes into town, Linda Lavin’s Alice is happy to take him out on a date, but she and everyone else are surprised to learn that he’s gay. Of all the episodes we’ve discussed so far, this one more than others captures a very particular flavor of homophobia: it being masked as maternal concern about predatory men. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15671798

Eric Forman’s New Buddy Is a Homo 08/12/2020

Eric Forman’s New Buddy Is a Homo That 70s Show, “Eric’s Buddy” (December 6, 1998) — In its first season, the show featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a student who befriends Topher Grace’s character — and then kisses him. It may not fully stick the landing, but it at least deserves credit for featuring a boy-on-boy kiss in primetime well before Dawson’s Creek did it. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15582071

Trailer 2.0 08/08/2020

Trailer 2.0 Since you’re apparently subscribed to the feed already, you don’t have to listen to this new teaser for what GEE is all about. You *can* listen to it, but you don’t have to. This is for promotional purposes only. Support us ! Follow: • • Listen: • • • • • • • And yes, we do have ! And we even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This is a podcast. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15530567

Superstore Is Queerer Than You Think 08/05/2020

Superstore Is Queerer Than You Think Superstore, “Gender Reveal” (April 12, 2018) — Karen Tongson, chair of the Gender and Sexuality Studies department at USC and the co-host of the Gen X pop culture podcast Waiting to X-Hale, joins Drew and Glen to discuss Superstore, the NBC ensemble comedy. Not only does it have a queer Asian lead character, but as Karen points out, there’s a lot of ambient queerness on the show, in addition to one of the more diverse casts on a sitcom today. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15489935

Mr. Belvedere Discourages a Teen from Being Gay 07/29/2020

Mr. Belvedere Discourages a Teen from Being Gay “The Competition” (February 13, 1987) — Thanks to two different listers who politely exposed our ignorance, this week you are getting Drew and Glen talking about the one where Heather convinces her boyfriend he’s gay and Mr. Belvedere convinces him he’s not. It’s a weird bit of TV, but it’s also one of the very few family-focused sitcoms of this era to actually acknowledge that gay people exist. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15395894

M*A*S*H Saves a Gay 07/15/2020

M*A*S*H Saves a Gay “George” (February 16, 1974) — And finally we arrive at the show that back when we were kids was what informed us that the kids’ block of syndicated TV had been turned over to the grown-ups. Now grown-ups ourselves (sorta, kinda), we still can’t get into M*A*S*H, but regardless of our personal feelings we weigh in on why this show was important, even if this second-season gay-themed episode gets a B/B minus. Apologies to the M*A*S*H diehards out there. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15215639

Roc Has a Gay Uncle 07/08/2020

Roc Has a Gay Uncle Roc, “Can’t Help Loving That Man” (October 20, 1991) — Looking at the various 90s-era Fox shows that focused on black characters, Roc was the one with the reputation for tackling social issues with the most gravitas. Early in the show’s run, Richard Roundtree — Shaft himself! — guested as the title character’s uncle, who comes bearing the news that 1) he’s gay; 2) he’s getting married; and 3) his beloved is a white man. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15127550

Too Close for Comfort Does an Episode About Male Rape 07/01/2020

Too Close for Comfort Does an Episode About Male Rape This week, we’re not talking about an explicitly LGBT-focused episode of TV. No, we’re talking about the episode of Too Close for Comfort in which a male character, Monroe, is sexually assaulted by two women. This episode serves as a bizarre example of not just how a sitcom can handle a sensitive topic but also how some actors’ offscreen sexuality can color the way their performance is received and even how their characters get written. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/15039962

I Love Lucy Makes the First Gay Joke in Sitcom History 06/24/2020

I Love Lucy Makes the First Gay Joke in Sitcom History Can we do a whole 52-minute episode that is essentially about one single joke? Hell yes we can. The fourth episode of I Love Lucy sure seems like it might feature the first gay joke in the history of sitcoms. And although we are open to arguments otherwise, it’s nonetheless interesting to think that the show that wouldn’t allow its married leads to share a bed onscreen would slip even a small gay joke past the network censors. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14946530

GEE TV 06/18/2020

GEE TV GEE TV is a weird little art project that Drew felt compelled to do. It’s six 80s-era NBC sitcoms in a three-hour block, complete with of-the-era commercials. In order: Silver Spoons, The Facts of Life, Gimme a Break, 227, Empty Nest and Night Court. Hit the audio to hear Drew explain it all to Glen, who’s being a good sport about this. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14872919

WKRP LGBTQ+ 06/17/2020

WKRP LGBTQ+ For reasons we can’t imagine, WKRP in Cincinnati decided its third episode should feature a trans-themed B plot alongside an A plot about one of the characters contemplating suicide because people think he’s gay. It’s a lot. And while that plot synopsis might seem like a recipe for disaster, this one is funnier and more progressive than you might expect. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14866841

American Dad Steals a Gay Couple’s Baby 06/10/2020

American Dad Steals a Gay Couple’s Baby Okay, hear us out. Some of you may be surprised that we’re doing American Dad or that Glen and Drew are both fans of it. We put forward the case that it’s a different sort of show than Family Guy is. This episode follows a previous gay-themed installment, and it demonstrates how bringing a homophobe around to respecting queer people as equals isn’t a one-and-done thing; it’s a continual process, and lots of people who think they’re tolerant need to realize when their tolerance has limits. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14766914

Herman’s Head Meets a Lesbian 06/03/2020

Herman’s Head Meets a Lesbian At long last, we’re finally talking about the series that you’ve been dying to hear about… if your name is Drew or Glen. Yeah, we both have memories of liking Herman’s Head. And while its one gay episode does some things right and some things wrong, it’s the first sitcom we’ve discussed that tackles the complicated issue of being queer and also being a parent. It also allows us to talk about all the crazy stuff happening on Fox back in the early 90s. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14679044

Maude Goes to a Gay Bar 05/27/2020

Maude Goes to a Gay Bar Maude, “The Gay Bar” (December 3, 1977) — And then there’s Maude! In this final-season installment, Maude battles Arthur (Conrad Bain) over his opposition to a gay bar that’s just opened up in town. It’s basically Arthur having conversation after conversation in which other character break apart his justifications for homophobia. But funny! /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14584241

Old Christine Is Married to a Woman 05/13/2020

Old Christine Is Married to a Woman The New Adventures of Old Christine, “Unidentified Funk” (December 10, 2008) and “Happy Endings (December 17, 2008) — In 2008, this CBS series managed to skewer homophonic-leaning companies like Chick-fil-A with an episode won an award from GLAAD. Airing immediately post-Prop 8, the episode features not only a newly out Wanda Sykes but also Megan Mullally playing against type. And while this is all great, the next episode manages some transphobia that squeaked by in 2008 but doesn’t in 2020. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14399183

Drew and Glen Rank Instrumental Sitcom Themes 05/08/2020

Drew and Glen Rank Instrumental Sitcom Themes Do you ever feel like some songs have too many words? Well, good news: instrumental music eliminates that very problem! In this episode, Drew and Glen each list off five sitcom theme songs that they think are good despite their glaring lack of lyrics. Spoiler: many of them actually do have lyrics, it turns out. But still! /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14335052

What’s Gay About Scooby-Doo? 05/06/2020

What’s Gay About Scooby-Doo? Velma is the Scooby-Doo character that we all decided was queer, but there’s a surprising pop culture precedent for why we might think this. From 1959 to 1963, the CBS sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis offered the world Zelda Gilroy, a smart, determined force of nature who was the smartest girl in the room. Not only was Velma inspired by Zelda, but the actress who played Zelda, Sheila Keuhl, ended up being gay in real life and went on to a career in Los Angeles politics. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14304404

Hank Hill Goes to a Gay Rodeo 04/29/2020

Hank Hill Goes to a Gay Rodeo King of the Hill, “My Own Private Rodeo” (April 28, 2002) — Hank finds Dale’s long-estranged father at a gay rodeo, and we’ve gotta say: for a conservative guy, Hank takes this news rather well. In our second King of the Hill episode, we’re happy to find that the show once again hits that sweet spot between red and blue, progressive and conservative, goofy and bittersweet. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14197202

Night Court Has a Night With a Gay 04/22/2020

Night Court Has a Night With a Gay Night Court, “The Blizzard” (December 6, 1984) — Though it didn’t get the prestige of Family Ties or The Cosby Show, Night Court ran for nine seasons, it landed joke after joke and it demonstrated a better understanding of its characters than most sitcoms do. In its second season, it pit its prissy, debatably gay-seeming character, played by John Larroquette, against an actual homosexual in a way that’s funny but also shows that the show could go deeper than zany. We approve. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/14102201

Barney Miller Meets a Homo 04/15/2020

Barney Miller Meets a Homo Barney Miller, “Discovery” (October 30, 1975) — Somehow, Barney Miller managed to make comedy in gritty, 1970s-era New York City, and it managed to address the rampant crime of the day even though the action never left the precinct office. In this episode, a man has to overcome his fear of homophobic police officers in order to report that he was harassed, threatened and extorted because he was gay — yet it’s still funny. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/13995209

Mr. Humphries Is a Poof 04/08/2020

Mr. Humphries Is a Poof Are You Being Served?, “The Apartment” (November 9, 1979) — And now for something slightly different. Katherine Spiers, TableCakes CEO and our first-ever heterosexual guest, joins Drew and Glen to talk about the British sitcom Are You Being Served? and in particular its resident homo Mr. Humphries. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/13899212

Will Smith Is Uncomfortable Playing a Gay Character Onscreen 04/01/2020

Will Smith Is Uncomfortable Playing a Gay Character Onscreen The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, “As the Will Turns” (April 10, 1995) —This is as close to a gay episode as Fresh Prince ever got. And while it’s not necessarily the funniest piece of TV ever, it makes for a hell of a discussion of Will Smith’s personal life. This episode has some weird parallels with actual events in Will Smith, real-life actor. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/13796129

The Nanny Meets a Lesbian 03/25/2020

The Nanny Meets a Lesbian The Nanny, “Oy Vey, You’re Gay” (October 23, 1995) — With her over-the-top outfits and bigger-than-life persona, Fran Drescher has a lot of queer appeal. However, the show didn’t necessarily mine its Broadway theater milieu for a ton of gay storylines. But in its third season, it did give us Catherine Oxenberg as a potential rival for Mr. Sheffield’s affections... were it not for a plot point that’s given away in the episode title. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/13691891

What’s Gay About Perfect Strangers? 03/20/2020

What’s Gay About Perfect Strangers? America or burst! For most of us ’80s babies, Perfect Strangers is a quintessential sitcom of the era — it looked ’80s, it had a perfect ’80s opening theme, and like so many situation comedies aimed at families, it was maybe not the most ambitious show in terms of jokes and plots. However, there’s also a lot there that reads as a little gay. In fact, Drew and Glen even dream up various ways a reboot could double-down on this queer element. /episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/13626443

Gayest Episode Ever

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