Gayest Episode Ever

"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:...

"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...

"Norm, Is That You?" (December 8, 1988) 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 not remarked upo...

"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 heteros...

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, a 1995 classic that we think this movie...

"Brandi, 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, largely because edgy humor does not age well, but more than anything else, this epi...

"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: i...

"Eric's Buddy" (December 6, 1998) Trigger warning: The episode we're talking about doesn't bring up sexual assault in any way, but because it's That 70s Show, the subject comes up. Skip from the 25-minute mark to the 29-minute mark if you want to listen to the episode without that discussion. Debate among yourselves whether That 70's Show qualifies as a classic sitcom, but you can't say it wasn't...

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 on Patreon ! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn • SoundCloud And...

"Gender Reveal" (April 12, 2018) This week, Glen and Drew are joined by 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 . We asked Karen what show she'd most like to discuss, and she chose Superstore, the current NBC ensemble comedy. Not only does it have a queer Asian lead character, but as Karen points...

"The Competition" (February 13, 1987) Yes, we did do an episode last year in which we summed up Mr. Belvedere are a whole and said it never did an outright gay episode. We were wrong, and 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'...

"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...

"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...

Content warning: In this episode we talk about sexual assault. "For Every Man, There's Two Women" (July 20, 1985) 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. No, really. Jim J. Bullock, the actor playing that character, is gay in real...

"Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" (November 5, 1951) 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 mar...

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. Watch the video  here . And it's on Vimeo here . Episodes, in...

"Les on a Ledge" (October 2, 1978) 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. Don't ge...

"Surro-Gate" (December 7, 2007) 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 th...

"Sperm 'n' Herman" (September 20, 1992) 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 paren...

"The Gay Bar" (December 3, 1977) And then there's Maude — for a second time! 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! Listen to Happy History , the new podcast Drew...

"Unidentified Funk" (December 10, 2008) and "Happy Endings (December 17, 2008) The New Adventures of Old Christine may not rank among the sitcom heavyweights, but hey — if it's good enough for TV Land, it's good enough for us. 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...

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! If you like this episode, you may also like  Singing Mountain , Drew's other...

If you listen to this podcast, you've probably noticed that Scooby-Doo's resident brainiac, Velma Dinkley, can read as a little queer. It's all subtext and implication, really, but what if we told you there is a canonical connection between Velma and lesbian pop culture? Listen as we unmask her, in true Scooby-Doo style, to reveal that Velma is actually Zelda Gilroy, a character on the 1960s teen...

"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. BTW, the four season 13 episodes that only a...

"The Blizzard" (December 6, 1984) Night Court aired on the same Thursday night block that included The Cosby Show, Family Ties and Cheers. And while Night Court never received as much prestige as the other three did, it 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, debatabl...