The 80s Gay Fantasia That Is Jennifer Slept Here

This is the second-to-last of our summer reruns; new episodes back Sept. 18 on the Patreon feed and Sept. 25 on the main feed! For this one, we're taking a break from looking at the ways that sitcoms advanced American discourse about LGBTQ people and instead gawking at campy 80s fluff — because that is also a thing that is important to gay people.

“Jennifer: The Movie” (October 29, 1983)

We’re celebrating both Halloween and week two of our celebration of Ann Jillian with an episode about how the 1983 NBC series Jennifer Slept Here is both so very weird and also a little gay boy’s fantasy — because it pairs an awkward boy with glamorous ghost, and that’s secretly what every little gay boy wishes he had to guide him through his awkward years. This is peak 80s, but also it has one of the best sitcom themes ever, regardless of decade.

Watch Drew’s video of the 1982 Night of a Thousand Stars fashion show, which features Ann Jillian looking like her most Debbie Harry ever.

Gawk in awe at:

• The opening to Mr. Smith
• The opening to Double Trouble
• The opening to Mr. Merlin
• The opening to Down to Earth
• The opening to Ann Jillian
• Ann as the Red Queen in the live action Alice in Wonderland + the very scary Jabberwocky scenes