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.
info_outline
Community’s Gay Dean Is Not Actually Gay
07/03/2024
Community’s Gay Dean Is Not Actually Gay
“Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing” (March 31, 2015) In its sixth and final season, Community decided to explore the series-long running joke about Dean Pelton’s mysterious, complex sexuality. once again joins us to discuss how the dean is not actually gay — he may be a pansexual imp, after all — but in forcing him to pick a tidy label, this show does a good job showing how many queer people end up pigeonholing themselves in a way that doesn’t fully express who they are. Listen to Henry’s podcast, . Listen to his episode about on Podcast: The Ride. . The trailer for , which is not only the best thing Community ever did but also a justification for the medium of TV in general. Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31994147
info_outline
Drew Carey Has a Cross-Dressing Brother Who Just Might Be Trans
06/26/2024
Drew Carey Has a Cross-Dressing Brother Who Just Might Be Trans
“Drew’s Brother” (November 19, 1997) We finally did it! We not only found the perfect guest for this episode — writer, performer and UCB alum — but we also got the chance to tell the world that The Drew Carey Show deserves to live it. It’s not only the most successful Friends clone but also the only one that sustained a whole series about working class young people. And in its third season, it introduced Drew’s brother Steve (John Caroll Lynch) who is a cross-dresser who might just be a transwoman. What’s more, the show pairs Steve off with Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney), who is dragtastic and deserving of queer icon status in her own right. Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31894042
info_outline
The Associates Meets a Gay Joke It Doesn’t Like
06/19/2024
The Associates Meets a Gay Joke It Doesn’t Like
“The Censors,” (April 10, 1980) James L. Brooks followed up the hit Taxi with another workplace ensemble that skewed decidedly fancier: The Associates featured a young and unknown Martin Short among a group of fresh hires at a Wall Street law firm. The show didn’t work and is almost forgotten today. But its second-to-last episode did feature a trip to the Hollywood set of a sitcom where a producer battles an overzealous censor. There’s a gay sublot, but the overall story is a cautionary tale that applies to people making TV today just as much as it did four decades ago Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31805517
info_outline
How I Met Your Mother Meets a Gay Brother
06/12/2024
How I Met Your Mother Meets a Gay Brother
"Single Stamina" (November 27, 2006) Now that HIMYM has been off the air for a full decade, it’s worth considering how this show holds up better than most from the early 2000s did. Not only did it give us Robin Sparkles, it just might be the only TV show to compare equally well to both Friends and Lost, as improbable as that sounds. This episode has Wayne Brady playing a gay character in a bit of stunt casting that worked a lot better before he came out, but it also just might be the thing that convinced Neil Patrick Harris to finally come out as well. Listen to t, all about Conan: The Adventurer and the inherent gayness of the “barbarian” genre in general. Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31710057
info_outline
What’s Gay About Jeopardy(!)?
05/29/2024
What’s Gay About Jeopardy(!)?
What if we broke format to discuss America’s favorite smartypants game show? Well, we did it. And special guest joins us to discuss Amy Schneider, who became Jeopardy’s second-longest-running winner ever — and as a result became a household name and a trans icon. Listen to Emily’s Jeopardy podcast, What Is…? A Jeopardy! Podcast on or ! Listen to Peaches Christ and also Drew on ! Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31507852
info_outline
Amen’s Closeted Sitcom Star Smackdown
05/22/2024
Amen’s Closeted Sitcom Star Smackdown
“The Courtship of Bess Richards” (October 4, 1986) The second episode of Amen concerns Sherman Hemsley’s Ernie trying to land his choir a new singer in Nell Carter’s Bess, and the result is a comedy of errors in which both he and she perform romantic interest that neither is capable of actually feeling. The result is a WWF-style wrestling match between these two iconic sitcom stars, and we’re joined once again by to discuss how this is rendered all the stranger because Hemsley and Carter both were closeted and therefore all too accustomed to acting out hetero identities different from how they lived privately. This episode mentions a TV Guide article about Sherman Hemsley’s private life that I now cannot find online. However, I bought the issue on eBay and will post as soon as it arrives. You can see Zach Wilson’s posting of it . Thanks, Zach! Buy Dr. Alfred’s book, . Listen to that Alfred mentions. Watch a clip of in 2000’s Screwed. Listen to Dr. Alfred’s previous episodes:
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31413862
info_outline
Mary and Phyllis Date a Possible Homosexual
05/15/2024
Mary and Phyllis Date a Possible Homosexual
“Menage a Phyllis” (November 2, 1974) In the third-season episode “My Brother’s Keeper,” Rhoda famously said the word “gay,” turning a plot about her association with Phyllis’ brother on its head. Two seasons later, Phyllis shows up in another episode that discusses gay issues but weirdly doesn’t say that word. Regardless, there’s perhaps more to be made of the newsroom’s opinions about what codes as gay, and returns to discuss this and what we’ll call the “Murray Slaughter problem.” Read Dead Buckley’s 2018 piece Episodes referenced: Dan’s previous episode, Our previous Mary Tyler Moore episode, Our episode Our episode
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31301432
info_outline
Facts of Life Does a Covert Gay Episode With Cousin Geri
05/08/2024
Facts of Life Does a Covert Gay Episode With Cousin Geri
“Cousin Geri” (December 24, 1980) Fun game for listeners: Take a shot every time Drew mentions the phrase “gigantic bitch” in connection with Lisa Welchel’s Blair, who is in rare form this episode as she shuns her disabled cousin Geri for reasons that aren’t the ones you’re probably assuming. In this discussion, we bring up why Geri Jewell is a trailblazer as far as being queer and also one other thing and also why “actress recurring on Deadwood” is lowkey code for lesbian. Erin Fletcher, we want you back for that Saved by the Bell episode. Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by . This is a podcast.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/31189277
info_outline
Drawn Together Forces Xandir Out of the Closet
04/24/2024
Drawn Together Forces Xandir Out of the Closet
“Gay Bash” (November 10, 2004) For better or worse, Drawn Together represents a very real trend in mid-2000s humor. It specifically sought out to tell the most offensive jokes it could get on air, but that’s what makes it surprising that the episode where Xandir admits he’s gay isn’t the parade of easy jokes you might expect. The B plot sucks rancid balls, to the point that we don’t even use clips from it in this discussion, but you might be surprised how this animated reality show makes its token gay a sympathetic guy. Check out with series creators Dave Jesser and Matt Silvertsein, from which we grabbed a few anecdotes about the development of Drawn Together. Listen to our Cartoons That Made Us Gay episode about . Listen to t, hosted by Golan the Insatiable creator Josh Miller. Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30963078
info_outline
Daria Should Have Kissed Jane Instead of Tom
04/17/2024
Daria Should Have Kissed Jane Instead of Tom
“Dye! Dye! My Darling!” (August 2, 2000) Spend a little time in a Daria fan community and you’ll find folks who ship the title character with her best friend, Jane. The show actually never does a gay episode and only gets the slightest bit queer in the first movie, Is It Fall Yet?, which has Jane affirming her heterosexuality despite how very queer she might seem. In this episode, we’re discussing the nonetheless existent lesbian vibes between Daria and Jane — and who better to offer input on this than Talking Simpsons cohost ? Sure, he’s straight, but it turns out that straight men can relate to female characters too. (We were shocked!) As it turns out, Bob and Henry’s What a Cartoon podcast covers not only the Daria episode that immediately precedes this one, and also which as we discuss is a crucial turning point in the development of Daria Morgandorfer. This week, Glen and Drew are guests on Talking Simpsons, discussing "Three Gays of the Condo" and why it's not great! If you need more of our voices in your life, have a listen . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30859568
info_outline
Lucy Meets a Drag Queen
04/10/2024
Lucy Meets a Drag Queen
“Lucy and Jim Bailey” (November 6, 1972) Basically, Lucille Ball did a solid for one gay performer, but in doing this, she also helped make gays a little less scary for America. Jim Bailey was a female impersonator who who had already made appearances on late night TV for this uncanny ability to turn himself into female celebs. Lucy, however, gave him a showcase on her popular prime time sitcom, showing her viewers that not only were drag queens not scary, but in fact they can be a lot of fun. Watch the episode of The Lucy Show where Lucy almost drowned . And read the book that details both versions of the story . What the episode of the Desilu-produced game show . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30758348
info_outline
A Queer History of SNL, Part Four: The Lost Years
04/03/2024
A Queer History of SNL, Part Four: The Lost Years
People use the term “the lost years” differently when speaking of Saturday Night Live, but this podcast is using it specifically from the time Lorne Michaels left the show after season five up until season eleven. Aside from Eddie Murphy’s presence on the show, these are the sketches that are less remembered today because they weren’t rerun on Comedy Central in the 2000s as much and they’re largely absent from the cache of episodes preserved online today. And that’s too bad, because this is when the show boasted some legends in the cast — Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billy Crystal, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Martin Short and Damon Wayans among them, as well as queer cast members Terry Sweeney, Denny Dillon and Danitra Vance. The sketches (and click if you want to watch them): “SoHo Lesbians” (S6E10: Debbie Harry) “Little Richard Simmons” (S7E1: No host) “James Coburn Is a Homosexual” (S7E11: James Coburn) “Focus on Film: Making Love” (S7E12: Bruce Dern) “Penny Lane” (S10E11: Roy Scheider) “Pinklisting” (S11E1: Madonna) “Mr. Monopoly” (S11E12: Griffin Dunne) Monologue (S11E16: Catherine Oxenberg) “Lesbian Pick-Ups” (S11E18: Anjelica Huston) Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30657383
info_outline
Sex and the City Meets an Effeminate Heterosexual
03/13/2024
Sex and the City Meets an Effeminate Heterosexual
“Evolution” (August 19, 1999) If you came of age in the late 90s or early 2000s, you live in a world informed by Sex and the City — whether you realize it or not. It’s probably one of the most influential TV shows to air during our lifetimes, and so it’s more than time that we look at one of its many LGBTQ-themed episodes. Joining us to discuss Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte is returning guest , who has big feelings about why this show matters. Listen to about Soap. Most of Drew’s background on how SATC ended up at HBO comes from . And here is the 1991 New York Times article about waving at each other from across Central Park. Listen to Drew discussing Bowser, King of the Koopa, on . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30352883
info_outline
Newhart Meets a Gay
03/06/2024
Newhart Meets a Gay
"Homes and Jojo" (May 1, 1989) Newhart is a show about white people who live in the snow, and while 70s-era Bob Newhart sitcom is the one pop culture remembers better, this is the longer-lived, more-Emmy-nominated of the two. What the 80s-era Bob New1hart sitcom has working in its favor are future Simpsons showrunner David Mirkin, who gives a host of wacky townspeople not unlike what you’d find in Springfield, and the duo of Julia Duffy and Peter Scolari, who male a perfect yuppie couple worthy of mockery. It’s great. Here, learn about it. Listen to Smart Mouth, GEE”s sister show, and in particular check out the episode , because if you’re listening to this podcast you’re probably queer and probably also you eat food. Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30251508
info_outline
Jerri Blank Is a Pansexual Sex Predator
02/28/2024
Jerri Blank Is a Pansexual Sex Predator
“Blank Relay” (August 13, 2000) Honestly, we could have picked just about any episode of Strangers With Candy to focus on for this podcast about queer themes, but we ended up deciding on the one where we see Jerri Blank at her most girl hungry. It’s light on Mr. Noblet and Mr. Jellineck, but we can always circle back to this one in another two hundred episodes, right? Watch the Exit 57 ” sketch, which does not translate especially well to an audio-only format. Watch , the 1970 PSA featuring Florrie Fisher, the real-life inspiration for Jerri Blank. Listen to of the Unexplained podcast. And we dropped a whole hell of a lot of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie episodes. Here are all of them: (the one where Helen Hunt doesn’t jump through a window) (the one where she *does* jump through a window) And finally and , both with Rose Abdoo
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30147838
info_outline
Gimme a Break Transformed Into a Lesbian Perfect Strangers
02/21/2024
Gimme a Break Transformed Into a Lesbian Perfect Strangers
“Joey’s First Crush” (January 28, 1987) Few other shows changed as much as Gimme a Break, which began as a fish-out-of-water sitcom that had Nell Carter playing mom to three white girls in California but ended up with Nell and her best friend, Telma Hopkins’ Addy, co-parenting two white boys in New York. Minus the kids, it’s basically a female-female twist on Perfect Strangers, only they don’t get steady boyfriends. Perhaps in an effort to make the show seem less gay, they tossed in a happily married character… who was played by newcomer Rosie O’Donnell. This episode, which is the second of Gimme a Break’s outings to feature actual gay characters, showcases a lot of how this show ended up pretty damn gay. … Now that I think about it, maybe the only sitcom that changed as much over its run was Ellen — and that’s pretty notable, right? Listen to . Learn all about Betty and Barney Hill in the Monday Afternoon Movie episode about 1975’s . Watch:
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/30046998
info_outline
The Simpsons Does a Riff on Lesbian Cult Classic
02/14/2024
The Simpsons Does a Riff on Lesbian Cult Classic
“Lisa the Drama Queen” (January 25, 2009) So here’s an interesting one. In its twentieth season, The Simpson did an episode inspired by Heavenly Creatures, the 1994 Peter Jackson movie that has Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey playing schoolgirls who flee into a fantasy world and also each other. More than a decade later, this story would play out again, only with Lisa Simpson and a new character voiced by Emily Blunt, and that might seem like a strange combo, especially because the Simpson version nixes the sex and violence of the original, but it nonetheless works. Special thanks to the writer of this episode, Brian Kelley, for sharing his memories of how this episode came to be. For a limited time, you can still screen Heavenly Creatures via the GEE Patreon, but that window is closing. Info . Listen to Drew on the In Retrospect podcast’s episodes about the “lesbian/Lebanese” joke ( & ) Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29948748
info_outline
How Does a Conservative Sitcom Do a Gay Episode?
02/07/2024
How Does a Conservative Sitcom Do a Gay Episode?
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (November 29, 2011 Yes, Tim Allen’s follow-up to Home Improvement got branded as the most conservative sitcom on network TV, but is that fair? We’re honestly not sure, because the ninth episode of Last Man Standing’s first season features a gay couple. We’re mostly good with how this plays out, but we also think this show changed in its second season. We’re also skimming over the second-season episode “Bullying,” which ended up arguing that it’s okay to say “gay.” Key takeaway: Tim Allen may be less conservative than Kelsey Grammer. Listen to . Remember a short-lived sitcom from Fox's early days? Tell us about it (there’s that’s open to even non-members), and we may cover it for our upcoming bonus miniseries, The Fox Files! Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29835983
info_outline
The Gay Origins of Mister Ed
01/31/2024
The Gay Origins of Mister Ed
“Sorority House” (February 8, 1961) A few times on this podcast, we’ve bent over backwards to find a gay interpretation of a sitcom that never did anything gay, but this is not one of those. Mister Ed was developed by Arthur Lubin, a closeted gay director who was married to a woman but eventually ended up cohabitating with a male companion. It’s interesting, then, that he’d be into making a TV show out of a story about Wilbur Post, who’s married to a woman and who’s outwardly a traditional guy even if his most significant relationship is with a male — a horse, but a male nonetheless — that he has to keep secret. Primitive though it might be, Mister Ed is actually the blueprint for more traditional magic sitcoms like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. You can watch this episode of Mister Ed for free . Want to hear your words on an upcoming GEE? We’re covering the Simpsons episode “Lisa the Drama Queen” and therefore we’re offering patrons a chance to watch the movie that inspired it: 1994’s Heavenly Creatures, which is not easy to watch online nowadays. Details at . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29726698
info_outline
Frasier Has Two Daddies
01/24/2024
Frasier Has Two Daddies
“Fathers and Sons” (May 3, 2003) And we’re back! Our first regular episode of the new year returns to the first-ever show we discussed: Frasier. It’s the episode where David Ogden Stiers plays an old colleague of Frasier’s late mother who acts more like Frasier and Niles than Martin does. This is the final time the series put a spotlight on the series innate queerness, and in selecting Stiers, it also tacitly endorses the notion that his M*A*S*H character helped inspire Frasier Crane. Listen to , Josh Hallmark’s new true crime podcast about serial murders in Tampa’s gay community — and while you’re at it, also give a listen to his other podcast, , about serial killer Israel Keyes. Want to hear your words on an upcoming GEE? We’re covering the Simpsons episode “Lisa the Drama Queen” and therefore we’re offering patrons a chance to watch the movie that inspired it: 1994’s Heavenly Creatures, which is not easy to watch online nowadays. Details at . Listen to . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29624953
info_outline
Sailor Moon Meets a Lesbian Couple
01/11/2024
Sailor Moon Meets a Lesbian Couple
“Coldhearted Uranus: Makoto in Danger” (May 14, 1994) It’s a new year, and we’re giving you a new episode of Sailor Moon — now with 200 percent more lesbian content! This third-season episode not only showcases Haruka/Sailor Uranus and Michiru/Sailor Neptune, but also uses them as a way to explore how Makoto/Sailor Jupiter is the most queer-coded of the core five Sailor Guardians. What’s most notable about this episode, however, is the fact that the Viz dub of it actually re-writes the original Japanese dialogue to seem less homophobic than the original version was. Read Drew’s if you want to know how the connection to Rose of Versailles. And check out posted in response to the first Sailor Moon episode, about why it wasn’t surprising to have a same-sex couple in the first season of the show. Watch comparing Molly’s original DiC accent to Mia Farrow’s. And looking into how the Viz dub played down the homophobia of the original version of this episode. Listen to , about Zoisite, on the main feed *or* if you’re fancy listen to , about Fisheye, on the Patreon feed.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29448858
info_outline
Bob’s Burgers Celebrates Christmas at a Gay Rave
12/22/2023
Bob’s Burgers Celebrates Christmas at a Gay Rave
“The Bleakening” (December 10, 2017) We’re closing out 2023 with a two-part Bob’s Burgers Christmas mystery that also happens to be the last episode a cult favorite trans character, Marshmallow, appeared in before vanishing from the series for six years. This is basically our way of discussing the “Sheesh! Cab, Bob?” episode without having to drag you all through it, because for all its flaws, it did give the world the cherished treasure that is Marshmallow. Happy holidays! Watch that got a job making art for this show — starting with this very episode. Totally Trans so you don’t have to! Listen to , about Bob's alleged bisexuality. Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29195968
info_outline
Frank’s Place Makes Hanukkah Gay
12/19/2023
Frank’s Place Makes Hanukkah Gay
A new episode on a Tuesday?! Well, the way our schedule ended up working out was that we are finishing the year with two Christmas episodes, and we figured it would be better to get those both out before the actual holiday, so you’re getting this today and then our second Christmas ep (and the last ep of 2023) on Friday. Enjoy, we hope! “Season’s Greetings” (December 14, 1987) Perhaps you haven’t heard of Frank’s Place. All the incentive you need for this episode is that Frank’s Place is that it won Emmys, it won critical praise, and it’s still remembered today as a showcase for a type of black American who wasn’t often depicted on the small screen. Despite all that, it only lasted a single season. joins us to discuss perhaps the only sitcom episode to feature a Hanukkah dinner ruined by a coming out. And BTW, there is a twist ending we are still unsettled by. Read Brian’s work but also at his website, , which frequently dives deep into sitcom history. Watch this Frank’s Place (and all episodes, if you want) at . Read the LA Times piece we cite in this discussion . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29141488
info_outline
Suddenly Susan Meets a Gay
12/13/2023
Suddenly Susan Meets a Gay
“A Boy Like That” (April 24, 1997) Heads up: We briefly discuss suicide episode in discussing on of this show’s cast members. If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, the U.S. hotline to call is 988. Well, it took us 214 episodes, but we finally arrived at Suddenly Susan. You might dismiss Brook Shields’ entry into the post-Friends landscape as an also-ran, and you are maybe right, but this first-season gay episode manages to give more depth and consideration to its one-off gay character than its fellow Must See TV alums did. That’s something. Plus Kathy Griffin is here. Here’s cited in this piece, and here’s t Buy new book, . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/29052988
info_outline
A Queer History of SNL, Part Three: The “Not Ready for Prime Time” Era
12/06/2023
A Queer History of SNL, Part Three: The “Not Ready for Prime Time” Era
Welcome to the first of our in-depth looks at LGBTQ humor in specific eras of Saturday Night Live. Of course, we’re starting at the beginning, in the classic era, and yeah, some of them are better than you’d guess and some of them are so much worse. It’s a real grab bag, but there are lessons to be learned about how SNL came to be what it is today and how American humor has evolved since 1975. Buy new book, . Watch all the sketches featured in this episode . Here are the sketches, in order: Jamitol (S1E1: George Carlin, Oct. 11 1975) Long Distance (S1E4: Candice Bergen, Nov. 8 1975) Latent Elf (S1E8: Candice Bergen, Dec. 20 1975) Household Hints (S1E16: Anthony Perkins, March 13, 1976) The Snake-Handling O’Sheas (S2E2: Norman Lear, Sep. 25, 1976) Monologue (S4E11: Cicely Tyson, Feb. 10, 1979) The Ex-Police (S4E11: Cicely Tyson, Feb. 10, 1979) Miles Cowperthwaite (S4E18: Michael Palin, May 12, 1979) Not for Transexuals Only (S4E20: Buck Henry, May 26, 1979) The Continuing Correspondences of Eleanor Roosevelt (S5E3: Bill Russell, Oct. 20 1979) Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28950278
info_outline
Gimme a Break Meets Yet Another 80s Orphan
11/29/2023
Gimme a Break Meets Yet Another 80s Orphan
“Nell and the Kid” (April 28, 1983) As if network TV didn’t have enough sitcoms about non-biological parents stepping in to care for parentless children, Gimme a Break — itself a show about a woman acting as a substitute mother for three girls — has a second season episode in which Nell Carter’s character meets a spunky orphan (LaShana Dendy) and then entrusts her to the care of the neighborhood deli owner (Don Rickles). It didn’t end up becoming its own series, but Drew and Glen are pretty sure that this serves as a sort of soft launch for another show that has the same premise and which launched on NBC’s schedule the following fall. You can watch this episode of Gimme a Break . Listen to us discuss . Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28838048
info_outline
We Can Be Sad About Matthew Perry Dying and Still Think Friends Is Homophobic
11/21/2023
We Can Be Sad About Matthew Perry Dying and Still Think Friends Is Homophobic
“The One With the Memorial Service” (March 13, 2003) Since Matthew Perry died, the tone of conversations about Friends has shifted from looking at all the reasons it wasn’t so great to trying to focus on the reasons we like it. That’s fair. Grief does that. But in seeking comfort in Friends, let’s not rush to thinking that Chandler Bing was something more than one long-running gay panic joke. Matthew Perry was a great comedic actor and we enjoy him delivering a one-liner with perfect timing, but we can acknowledge that without giving Friends a pass for its homophobia. Here’s that inspired this episode, and here’s where it originally appeared, with its original headline. Friends, previously on GEE: Listen to , a great podcast about one woman’s journey to understand how her uncle’s autobiographical movie script became a B-action movie starring Rob Lowe.
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28744613
info_outline
The Complete History of George Costanza’s Homosexuality
11/15/2023
The Complete History of George Costanza’s Homosexuality
“The Note” (September 18, 1991) Seinfeld kicked off its third season with a rather risky premiere about George’s dick twitching during a massage from a man. What follows is a more earnest exploration of gay panic than you might expect from a Must See TV sitcom, and it happens to be the most in-depth look at George’s complex sexuality, though we will also be discussing every other time that Seinfeld implied that he’s something other than straight. An unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality? Yeah, sure, George. There is a video companion to this episode! You can see all of the clips from the entire run of Seinfeld ! And you can view it even if you’re not a patron, because I’m nice and I want you to enjoy this episode. Seinfeld on GEE previously: Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28648268
info_outline
The Sarah Silverman Program Has Gigantic, Orange Gays
11/08/2023
The Sarah Silverman Program Has Gigantic, Orange Gays
“Muffin’ Man” (March 1, 2007) You know what’s super complicated? The Sarah Silverman Program. It’s funny, but just talking about why it’s funny in 2023 necessitates a lot of discussion of controversial topics including but not limited to ironic racism, straight dudes playing gay characters, January 6 and several people who are now canceled. Nonetheless, Drew (and not Glen, because Glen is not in this episode) is joined by to discuss why this show’s queer representation was novel and still should be important all these years later. And yes, if you’re like “I could swear that Drew said this week would be Seinfeld,” you are correct; that episode will now be coming next week. Stay tuned! Did you know that Henry also has a podcast? It’s called , and it’s a lot like GEE just specifically about The Simpsons. Watch Glen's episode of Ninjago: Dragons Rising, now streaming on Netflix! And if you're not sure what a Ninjago is, watch , Glen's video series that explains the history of the Ninjago TV show. Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28552691
info_outline
Benson Literally Plays a Game With Death
10/31/2023
Benson Literally Plays a Game With Death
Happy Halloween! You're getting this week’s episode one day early because it is, in fact, a Halloween episode. “The Stranger” (October 25, 1985) Benson may have been a more conventional sitcom than Soap, the show it spun off, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its exceedingly weird moments — including this final season Halloween special in which Benson must play a trivia game with death personified in order to save the lives of 41 hapless schoolchildren. It’s basically the last moment in time an otherwise grounded sitcom could get away with this, and we’re lucky to have on hand to discuss it. Also he suggested it! Please don’t spoil Poker Face for him. Also give a listen to — and check out the episodes Drew guested on, about and . The supercut of Kraus yelling “I can hear you” (or some variation thereof) was excerpted from , posted by . The full version is much longer. Watch Glen's episode of Ninjago: Dragons Rising, now streaming on Netflix! And if you're not sure what a Ninjago is, watch , Glen's video series that explains the history of the Ninjago TV show. Go shop at Follow: • • • • • Listen: • • • • And yes, we do have ! We even have courtesy of . Our logo was designed by . This episode’s art was designed by .
/episode/index/show/gayestepisodeever/id/28471865