“What’s With Robert?” (January 10, 2000) Drew had never seen an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond before Glen pulled a gun on him and forced him to watch this one. To Drew’s surprise, this ostensibly family-friendly CBS sitcom handles gay panic a lot more thoughtfully than other shows of the era, even if it hinged around the ridiculous proposition that a man as tall as Brad Garrett might be homosexual. Support us on Patreon ! Buy or rent Glen’s movie , Being Frank, on iTunes Listen to Underbell...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 7
No, this is not a deep dive into Paul Lynde’s most salacious innuendos. Instead, GEE is bidding farewell for a few weeks because Drew is heading to Japan, and we thought it would be cool to do an episode based around classic sitcom trivia, and Drew is hosting while Glen is pitted against special guest contestants Tony Rodriguez (who has guested before!) and Katherine Spiers (who hasn’t!). It’s fun, we swear, if not *actually* all that gay. Katherine’s podcast, Smart Mouth Tony’s podcast, Spanish...
Nov 13, 2019•52 min•Season 3Ep. 6
“The Chief’s Gay Evening” (November 13, 1982) Though beloved to a certain age range of 1980s babies, Gimme a Break doesn’t get its due praise for its “serious issue” episodes. This one, in which the Chief finds out that one of his officers is gay, handles the subject matter better than many more-acclaimed sitcoms would in the years that followed. In fact, our only complaint is that this series sole gay-themed episode doesn’t feature enough Nell Carter, whom we will remind you was a star. We miss...
Nov 06, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 5
“Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall” (November 7, 1968) When it came time to pick a Halloween special for Gayest Episode Ever, the only real choice was Bewitched, a seasonally appropriate sitcom that also happens to be one of the gayest things ever broadcast on network television. In this fifth-season outing, Endora curses Darren to become hopelessly vain, and Dick York makes the decision to play his newly narcissistic character as pretty damn gay. Comedian, actor and classic TV superfan Chase McCown j...
Oct 30, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 4
“Caroline and the Gay Art Show” (October 5, 1995) Okay, hear us out. I know you’re seeing that we did an episode about Caroline in the City and asking yourself why we would consider it a “classic” sitcom,” but there’s actually a lot going on here. Malcolm Gets played Caroline’s assistant, Richard, with a flair befitting a theater vet, but his chemistry with lead Lea Thompson didn’t read as romantic to many viewers. So why did they make Caroline and Richard pair off? And why did the third episode...
Oct 23, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 3
“Suzanne Goes Looking for a Friend” (April 9, 1990) The previous Designing Women made Drew cry, but this one is far tamer and far more in line with what we’d consider sitcom-ish. In this Delta Burke showcase episode, Suzanne Sugarbaker attempts to make a friend outside Sugarbaker & Associates — and ends up finding a former pageant friend who’s now an out lesbian. This episode does gay panic from the female perspective and largely holds up today… except for the episode’s final line. Buy the D...
Oct 16, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 2
“Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” (May 7, 1997) At long last, we’re bowing to audience requests and giving you the one where Ellen comes out… to her parents. No, it is not “The Puppy Episode,” the one where Ellen came out to Laura Dern and also the world; it’s the episode that aired one week after that one, when she came out to her parents. “The Puppy Episode” is a part of TV history, but this one is maybe a more realistic look at the ongoing, constant process of coming out. The Los Angeles LGBT Cent...
Oct 09, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 1
“I Never Ate for My Father” (October 2, 1991) When Robbie Sinclair fails to kill his first live prey, he begins to wonder if he might be more herbivorously oriented — and that fits in really well with this episode’s extensive use of vegetarianism as a metaphor for homosexuality. (But also drug use and communism, because America.) Buy the DVD of Glen’s movie, Being Frank Buy or rent Being Frank on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space. Support us on Patreon ! Follow: ...
Sep 11, 2019•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 23
”Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman” (September 28, 1985) Once upon a time, there was a Saturday morning cartoon based on Dungeons & Dragons, and in its final few episodes it had one of its male characters hit it off with a one-off NPC who was witty and matched him, insult for insult. This one-off also happened to be male, and whether by accident or whatever, the resulting episode plays out kinda like a male-on-male romcom that just happens to be situated in medieval fantasy setting. Don’t worr...
Aug 28, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 22
“The Engagement” (September 14, 1985) The pilot to Golden Girls features a fifth roommate who did not make it into the rest of the series: Coco the gay live-in cook, played by Charles Levin. The actor recently died, and in part because it’s timely and in part because Drew feels bad about his jokes that Coco was lost at sea, our first off-season episode is a Coco-centric look at this first-ever Golden Girls. Read Drew's interview with Golden Girls writers . Buy a copy of Jim Colucci’s awesome Gol...
Aug 07, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 21
“The Impossible Dream” (October 15, 1996) The finale to the second season of GEE begins how the first one began: with Frasier. Two years after the episode that said, “No, Frasier isn’t gay,” the show backed up a little and asked “But what would you say if he was maybe?” Also it’s revealed that Gil Chesterton has a more toned chest than any of us would have expected. Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space: Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Gle...
Jul 16, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 20
“The One Where Nana Dies Twice” (November 10, 1994) Hey, have you heard about this show called Friends that’s about people who are friends? Emelie Burnette returns to talk about how the first gayish outing of this landmark sitcom gets some things right, some things wrong. We don’t settle the “Is Friends homophobic or transphobic?” debates but we do at least find an answer to the “Is Rachel Green Jewish?” debate? “Homophobic Friends,” compiled by Tijana Mamula Why Friends is “Hugely Transphobic,”...
Jul 09, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 19
“Woman to Woman” (March 21, 1996) Don’t think of it as another Golden Girls or Designing Women, because Living Single is actually the show that originated the model for Friends. Yeah, Friends is just an all-white Living Single, and this episode proves how the original can handle a coming out story a lot better than its imitator. Dr. Justin Young joins Glen and Drew to talk Tootie, Latifah, Cousin Pam and Dr. Mary. Watch Justin’s movie, That’s Me on the Right Check out A Love Bizarre , downtown L...
Jul 02, 2019•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 18
“Acting Out” (February 22, 2000) In this episode, Drew tries really hard not to not trample your warm, fuzzy feelings about Will & Grace. But even if you don’t think this show lands its jokes often enough, you can’t argue that it did a lot to increase the visibility of gays — white, male, metropolitan, wordplay-loving gays. Megan Mullally for president. Check out A Love Bizarre , downtown Los Angeles’ new queer art space Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen...
Jun 25, 2019•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 17
“Elaine’s Strange Triangle” (December 10, 1980) Elaine is digging her new boyfriend, but it turns out her new boyfriend is also digging Tony. This, the first episode to address the subject of bisexuality, is often a more thoughtful and nuanced exploration of straight characters’ discomfort around anything queer… but then Tony and Alex go to a gay bar and the episode takes a hard turn. Oh, and were you aware of how hot 1980-era Christopher Lloyd was? Check it out. Check out A Love Bizarre , downt...
Jun 18, 2019•53 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Glen Lakin is more than a mere podcast host. He’s also a screenwriter whose first movie — Being Frank, starring Jim Gaffigan and Logan Miller — opens in theaters today, June 14, in Los Angeles and New York. (More cities to follow, don’t worry.) Yes, we’re using this podcast to let Glen talk about his movie, but take solace in the fact that Drew had to twist his arm to do it. This short promotional interview has Glen talking about how he came up with this story about a suburban dad’s second famil...
Jun 14, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This series about a British butler managing an American family ran on ABC for six season and for several years more on weekday afternoons in syndication. And while the show is fairly well-remembered today, some viewers might not realize how very gay this show is: from its premise to its lead character to its lead actor to the history of the Mr. Belvedere character going back forty years before this sitcom debuted. Child Celebrities Opposed to Kirk Cameron The opening credits to Jennifer Slept He...
Jun 11, 2019•42 min•Season 2Ep. 14
“Strange Bedfellows” (October 4, 1977) Some people think of Three’s Company as being a show that hinges on zany misunderstandings that could be solved if one character just said one thing. That’s not the case with this second-season episode, in which Mr. Roper wakes up in bed with Jack, who, we should remember, has told his landlords he is gay. What follows is actually a tighter-plotted TV episode than you might expect. Check out A Love Bizarre , downtown Los Angeles’ new queer art space Support...
Jun 04, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 13
“Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” (March 9, 1992) Just when you think Murphy Brown’s take on a gay episode is overstuffed with heteros sharing bad information about alternative lifestyles, the last scene gives the one-off gay character some earnest, heartfelt lines. In the end, Murphy Brown did the gay character good. Queer culture impresario Matt Baume joins Glen and Drew to talk Candice Bergen, Faith Ford and gunge. (Look it up.) Culture Cruise , Matt’s YouTube series about gay pop cultur...
May 28, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 12
“Sister of the Bride” (January 21, 1991) The Clayton Hollingsworth story comes to an end with an episode about same-sex marriage before even the term “commitment ceremony” came into the popular lexicon. Tony Rodriguez joins us to discuss the ways that this episode shows how The Golden Girls was ahead of its time in so many ways, “ah so” notwithstanding. Read Drew's interview with Golden Girls writers Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GEE ...
May 21, 2019•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Warning! Warning! You are encountering an atypical installment of this podcast. Instead of the discussion of sitcoms, this one concerns the discussion of 1980s cartoons — and with none other than leading ’80s cartoon authority and Netflix director of original series Ted Biaselli ! Animated conversation includes but is not limited to He-Man, She-Ra, Jem, ThunderCats, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Beverly Hills Teens, SilverHawks, TigerSharks, Paw Paw Bears, Kidd Video and Dunge...
May 14, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 10
“Scared Straight” (December 10, 1988) When Blanche’s brother comes over and comes out, Blanche shows that southern hospitality has its limits. It’s a classic story about homosexuality being accepted — but only to an extent. Burgeoning podcast star Tony Rodriguez joins Glen and Drew to talk about the best-ever gay-focused episode of a sitcom to also have a B plot about a death premonition dream. Read Drew's interview with Golden Girls writers Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art ...
May 07, 2019•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 9
“Maude’s New Friend” (December 2, 1974) And then there’s Maude! Bea Arthur teaches us all a valuable lesson about how liberals can also be prejudiced in this third-season episode that’s all about Maude trying and failing to celebrate a newfound homosexual acquaintance. This episode is pretty wild, as Glen puts it, and it holds up better than a lot of TV airing ten and twenty years later. #breadsandwich Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GE...
Apr 30, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 8
“There’s Always Room for Cello” (December 14, 1990) What smells like Wario + Newman + extra farts? It’s Roy Biggins, the chuckling villain of Wings, an NBC sitcom that is a solid B but which has a reputation for being a C minus. In the second season, Roy’s son came out and Roy was given — and totally biffed — a chance to act like a grown-up. Jonathan Bradley Welch , host of that *other* gay TV podcast, A Special Presentation, is on hand to discuss growing up in Massachusetts, the charms of Cryst...
Apr 23, 2019•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 7
“The Ballad of the Betty Lou” (November 27, 1963) In this shorter episode, Gayest Episode Ever is looking at The Dick Van Dyke Show, a beloved series that is never explicitly gay but it occasionally features some implicitly gay elements — and may also once made a semen joke. Watch a clip of the apparent semen joke Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Goo...
Apr 16, 2019•37 min•Season 2Ep. 6
“Lez Be Friends” (April 28, 1997) For a lot of ’80s kids, Amanda Bearse was one of the first gay people they ever heard about. And while Bearse came out in 1993, she got to put LGBT themes in the spotlight in a 1997 episode in which she plays both Marcy D’Arcy and her lesbian cousin, Mandy. It’s a product of its time, for sure, but at its heart is a fairly thoughtful depiction of a happy, function person who’s better off for having come out of the closet. Bonus points for Elaine Hendrix. Watch t...
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 5
“Lamont, Is That You?” (October 19, 1973) Norman Lear for the win! This podcast probably won’t go in depth on ’90s classics like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters or A Different World because many black sitcoms of that era didn’t do gay episodes. Back in 1973, Sanford and Son did, however, and the result is classier and more interesting than what you’d see on shows ten and twenty years later. Check out A Love Bizarre , Los Angeles’ new queer art space: Support us on Patreon ! Follow: GEE o...
Apr 02, 2019•49 min•Season 2Ep. 4
“Double Date”(January 31, 1994) Whoa. Blossom was famous for two things: hats and Very Special Episodes. And while its gay episode is suspiciously lacking in hats, it seems like its several Very Special Episodes rolled up into one. In addition to featuring Joey Lawrence’s character as the recipient of a love letter from his male teammate, it also features teaching moments about childhood racism and butt touching (respectively). Does it work? Kinda no, but it’s interesting how much it packs in an...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 3
“The Peggy Horror Picture Show” (January 28, 2007) When Peggy Hill mistakenly shops at a store for drag queens, she gets mistaken for one. And while that might seem like hokey sitcom setup, this eleventh-season King of the Hill episode manages some real emotions and some perspectives on gender you wouldn’t have seen on TV at the time. Sam Pancake’s podcast, Monday Afternoon Movie TalKing of the Hill’s first episode What a Cartoon’s King of the Hill episode The model sheets cautioning against Sha...
Mar 19, 2019•58 min•Season 2Ep. 2
“Rebecca’s Lover... Not” (April 23, 1992) Gayest Episode Ever kicks its hiatus into the gutter with the first installment of it second season. And yes, we’re back in Boston with Cheers, but it’s a very different show in its tenth season — and featuring not Shelley Long but Kirstie Alley as the barmaid having to address her feelings about homosexuality. Harvey Fierstein guest stars in an episode that has connections to both She-Ra and Fright Night, and that makes for a big gay win Listen to Drew ...
Mar 12, 2019•53 min•Season 2Ep. 1