Gayest Episode Ever

Hey, remember when Drew and Glen discussed that one episode of King of the Hill where Peggy meets a drag queen and halfway through we realized there was a trans reading to this character that probably should be explored in greater depth than two cisgender guys were capable of? Well, we had always regretted falling short in that respect and had even talked about revisiting the episode with a trans guest. However, this weekend Is It Transphobic? — the podcast hosted by previous GEE guest Ashley Lauren Rogers — covered “The Peggy Horror Picture Show” and did such a good job exploring all the ways to interpret Carolyn and her friendship with Peggy that we just asked Ashley if we could post an intro to the episode on our feed in hopes that you all would want to listen to the full version on the Is It Transphobic? Feed. This is that! This preview of IITP’s episode ends 24 minutes and 32 seconds into their original episode, and you can listen to the full version of the episode here. Subscribe to IITP: Apple Podca

“Pilot” (February 28, 2001) In the wake of Will & Grace’s success, the other broadcast networks each made efforts at their own homo-centric TV shows, and the CBS twist on this formula was Some of My Best Friends, which lasted only five episodes. The show was an adaptation of the indie comedy Kiss Me Guido, and it starred Jason Bateman and Alec Mapa as its resident gays. Guy Branum — stand-up comedian, funny book-writing person and all-around good opinion-haver — joins us to talk about this pop culture also-ran, twenty years after the fact. Buy Guy’s book, My Life as a Goddess. Listen to the latest episode of Katherine’s podcast Smart Mouth, where she tells Molly Lambert all about the history of enchiladas. Listen to Alec Mapa’s episode of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie. Also listen to the latest episode of Drew’s 80s music podcast, Deep Cuts & Superficial Wounds. Recommended viewing: The pilot for Some of My Best Friends The pilot for Lipshitz Saves the World The pilot for High Sch

“Liberace” (October 14, 1978) After a suggestion by Drew’s heterosexual acquaintance, we’ve decided to discuss the gayest episode of The Muppet Show we could find. Tony Rodriguez joins us for a discussion of Muppets but also a fairly obscure FCC ruling that shaped prime time television for every child who grew up in 80s and 90s America, plus a rundown of why Liberace is awful. There is a lot going on in this episode, but that seems appropriate given the bonkers chaos that is the Muppets. Yes, there is a “lost” TableCakes podcast you may never have heard: You Have to Watch This Movie, which is not technically defunct and which was hosted by Tony and which featured guests such as Nicole Byer, Lennon Parham and Beth Dover. Listen to the episode of Smart Mouth where Katherine talks with Jeremy Bowditch about the history of breadlines in the United States. The article Drew mentions is “The Performance of Non-Conformity on The Muppet Show – or, How Kermit Made Me Queer” by Jordan Schildcrout. It doesn’t seem like

Whelp, we’ve made it: one hundred episodes. By which I mean that we actually hit that mark several episodes ago, by various standards, but this is when we are actually observing that this is a thing we have done repeatedly over a set amount of time. For this episode, Drew and Glen talk about what this podcast has ended up doing in contrast to how they thought it would work when it launched. Also discussed: WandaVision (finally!) in some depth that you may regard as spoilerish if “Agatha All Along” has not already spoiled it, which is to say you are probably fine. And yes, Drew did once compile “Every Instance of Doubling on Twin Peaks.” It is a thematic forerunner to every LGBT joke ever on The Simpsons. Watch Drew’s video compilation of every LGBT joke ever on the history of The Simpsons. Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play

We are very pleased to congratulate Tony Rodriguez, our friend and the most-frequently occurring guest on Gayest Episode Ever on his new job: voicing Julio on The Simpsons. Tony is a gay Cuban-American and Julio is a gay Cuban-American, so it’s just too perfect that the former made his debut on The Simpsons on last Sunday’s episode, “Uncut Femmes.” Before he goes too Hollywood, we managed to get him to talk with us about how he became the new Julio, which we are calling “Newlio.” Follow Tony Rodriguez on Twitter. And while you’re at it, follow Christine Nangle and Matt Selman on Twitter too.  Watch the video Tony made of him showing off his best Julio. Watch the video that helped made this happen: Drew’s  compilation of every LGBT joke ever on The Simpsons. Also buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • H

Heads up: This episode revolves around a funeral for a character that we are reading as trans. The humor had at the expense of the deceased may be difficult for some audience members to hear.  ”Ebbtide’s Revenge” (December 15, 1990) If you’re reading this episode title and saying, “I’ve seen every Golden Girls, and I’m pretty sure Dorothy doesn’t have a trans sister,” we’ve got a guest to respond with “Are you sure about that?” Dr. Ada-Rhodes Short, mother of robots and co-host of the Totally Trans podcast, joins us to talk about trans lesbians and why a few TV characters, Phyl Petrillo included, speak to a trans experience, and why Phyl’s funeral speaks to a trans nightmare. Listen to our previous Golden Girls episodes: The Golden Girls Meet a Trans Man (with Ada’s co-host, Henry Giardina) Glen Writes a Golden Girls (a.k.a. “Vince Meat”) The Golden Girls Had a Gay Live-In Cook Blache’s Homo Brother Wants to Get Gay Married Blanche’s Brother Is a Homo Dorothy’s Friend Is a Lesbian You should subscrib

“Spell It M-A-N” (January 6, 1993) You might be surprised to learn that Doogie Howser M.D. only lasted four seasons and 97 episodes, but perhaps because Neil Patrick Harris has continued to be famous ever since, the show casts a lot longer of a shadow than it might otherwise. This fourth-season episode deals with Vinnie (Max Casella) being horrified to learn that his college roommate is gay, and because NPH is himself an out gay man, it plays out a lot different today. All this plus a special appearance by Teen Witch herself, Robyn Lively! Listen to the episode of Smart Mouth explains the history of Pocky to food writer Tien Nguyen. Listen to Monday Afternoon Movie’s special tribute to the late, great Cloris Leachman. Listen to Drew’s 80s music podcast and its new episode about South African synthop. Drew was on this week’s Talking Simpsons, discusses Sophie Krustofsky and Drew Barrymore. And finally, if you want to know what the hell Drew was talking about at the end of this one, listen to Astonishing L

“The Dance Show” (October 21, 1990) Given the reputation of Married… With Children, you might be surprised to know that its treatment of a same-sex married couple is actually rather progressive. But yeah, in spite of his many hang-ups, Al Bundy seems unbothered by the prospect of two guys being married, even if the part that impresses him most is dedicated food preparation. We’ll take what we can get, and at least comedy-wise, this fifth-season episode is firing on all cylinders. Listen to Smart Mouth’s new episode on the history of breakfast with comedian Kate Willett. Watch Matt Baume’s Culture Cruise video on this Married… With Children episode, which we cite several times in this episode. Listen to the What a Cartoon episode on TailSpin, which talks about Sally Struthers in addition to many other things. Read the Vulture piece on the “lost roles” of Married… With Children. Watch the Television Academy video in which Michael Moye talks about 227. Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on

“Three Women and a Dummy” (May 13, 1996) Alongside Murphy Brown, Designing Women and The Nanny, Cybill was one of CBS’s female-forward heavy-hitters in the 1990s. It didn’t last as long as the other three — and yes, there’s quite the story there — but in its four seasons it did manage to give us the Waiter. Played by Tim Maculan, he’s one of the more important queer characters to recur on a popular sitcom in the decade. We discuss this, plus Alan Ball’s involvement, the whole Cybill vs. Baranski controversy and whether this show was a remake of Absolutely Fabulous or not. Listen to Smart Mouth’s episode with Nicole Georges, all about the history of tabouleh. Also listen to the new episode of Singing Mountain, Drew’s video game music podcast. Read Linda Bloodworth Thomason’s article recounting her experiences with CBS boogeyman Les Moonves. Listen to You Must Remember This’s season dedicated to Polly Platt. Glen is right: There was a Moonlighting-inspired episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Watch Drew’s vi

What does it take to get a teen-centric show like Moesha to do a gay episode? Well, we talked to the writer of “Labels,” Demetrius Andre Bady, who explains how the idea arose, how the final product differed from the original script, and what he thinks the legacy of the episode is today. Even better? He tells us which of the Moesha cast members pulled him aside to praise the bravery it took to push for this gay-inclusive script. Dr. Alfred L. Martin returns to ask questions and jokingly accuse Demetrius of malice. . BTW, this interview will make a lot more sense if you listen to our episode all about Moesha’s gay episode.   Follow Demetrius on Twitter.   Follow Alfred on Twitter.   Support us on Patreon!   Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter   Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn

“Labels” (October 1, 1996) It’s the tale of two sitcom episodes. Depending on who you are, this is either an episode about Moesha meeting a gay teen who’s scared to come out, or it’s an episode about the dangers of gossip. Maybe it’s both. We are joined once again by Dr. Alfred L. Martin Jr. to discuss the importance of Moesha, why this episode of TV is utterly unique and who the cutest boy at Crenshaw High School is. (Spoiler: It’s Omar.) Listen to our previous outing with Alfred, about Roc’s gay wedding episode. Read more about Alfred’s work on his faculty page. Also read his essay about Omar for Flow. Watch the trailer for or rent Tongues Untied, the 1989 art film by Marlon T. Riggs about black queer life during the AIDS epidemic. Listen to Smart Mouth’s episode on coconut shrimp with Julia Loken — and check out the show’s new swag: a to-go cutlery set. Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePublic page. Watch Drew’s video compilation of every LGBT joke ever on the history of T

“Ladies’ Choice” (November 10, 1992) Ninety episodes later, we dared to venture back to Roseanne. How does its legacy of LGBT advocacy hold up all these years later — and in light of the show’s namesake’s hard right turn into all manner of Trumpy badness? Glen and Drew have their takes, but that ultimate decision is up to you. However, this episode represents a milestone in representation as it makes Sandra Bernhard’s Nancy a queer part of the show for seasons to come. Listen to our previous episode about Roseanne. Listen to Roseanne writer Stan Zimmerman share his stories about Sandra Bernhard in our interview with him. And if you need more Morgan Fairchild in your life, listen to the Monday Afternoon Movie episode about The Initiation of Sarah. Also listen to the two final installments of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie’s mini-season about the made-for-TV sequels to The Stepford Wives: The Stepford Husbands with Greta Titleman and The Stepford Children with Tim Murdock. In fact, Tim hos

“Out of the Closet” (November 1, 1976) Rest in Peace, Cloris Leachman. She leaves behind a legacy that includes such sitcom greats as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Facts of Life, The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle and Raising Hope, as well as a great body of other acting work. For two seasons, she also starred in a spinoff to Mary Tyler Moore that had Phyllis Lindstrom starting over in San Francisco. And in the second season of that show, she dated a man who turned out to be gay. Listen to our season one episode about The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Listen to episodes of Katherine’s podcast, Smart Mouth, including being vegan in Iceland and the history of department store lunch counters. Listen to part one of Monday Afternoon Movie’s look at the made-for-TV sequels to the Stepford Wives. Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePublic page. Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on T

“Livin’ la Pura Vida” (November 17, 2019) The Simpsons are going to Costa Rica! Gayest Episode Ever returns for its fourth season with an installment of The Simpsons that demonstrates how much the show has evolved in 31 seasons. But that’s not all! In addition to discussing Patty’s first functional relationship, we’re also introducing a new side project: “Smithers & Beyond: Every LGBT Joke on The Simpsons Ever.” Assembled over the course of the last year by Drew, it shows not just every “Smithers is gay” joke but how the shows approach to LGBT topics reflects the changing American conversation about queer people and queer issues. We discuss the “Smithers & Beyond” at the top of the episode, but you can watch the video here. Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePublic page. Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play

“The Doctor Is Out” (September 30, 2003) Three episodes into its final season, the gay subtext of Frasier comes to a climax, so to speak, when a dashing opera director played by Patrick Stewart becomes infatuated with Dr. Crane — and Frasier goes along with it about as far as a confirmed hetero can. This is our final episode of the year! We did so many episodes! Isn’t it amazing what you can do when sex and socializing are completely off the table? AUGH! Listen to our previous Frasier episodes: Frasier’s Boss Is Gay (our first episode ever!) and Frasier Has a Gay Dream.   And special thanks to Matt Baume whose Culture Cruise installment about this episode pointed out the relationship between it and the dawn of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and the perception that gay men can be a heterosexual’s guide to the finer side of life.   Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePublic page. Buy Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE on Twitter • Drew on

“Fagmalion, Part Two: Attack of the Clones” (January 30, 2003) We’re covering part two of a four-part Will & Grace arc, but it actually make sense in that this itself is part two of two-part crossover with Kyle Getz and Mike Johnson from the podcast Gayish, which is all about the stereotypes that surround gay identity. Is this Will & Grace a carnival of gay horrors? Yes, but that doesn’t mean this show isn’t worth examining. If you’re Gayish-curious, check out their late bloomers episode or their sex hotel episode with Davey Wavey. But more importantly listen to the episode where we’re guests! Also listen to Henry Giardina’s new podcast, Totally Trans. The article conjecturing a link between Young Frankenstein and the gay practice of woofing. The connection between Matt Gorening and the L.A. gay bar Akbar. Glen Weldon’s complete history of gay subtext in Batman, which predates this Will & Grace joke by a long time. Greek mythology and robots: a short, weird history. Shop for Gayest Episode E

“The Zack Tapes” (December 2, 1989) What’s gay about Saved By the Bell, aside from Slater’s singlets and Tori’s leather jacket? Well, there is one episode that very briefly demonstrated that same-sex attraction was a thing — on Saturday morning, no less. It’s all he more surprising because the new Saved By the Bell manages to make amends for all the things the original series did wrong except feature any kind of same-sex love. And yes, we’re doing this episode because we really dug the reboot anyway. Watch the little-seen original pilot for Good Morning, Miss Bliss here, and watch the very un-Saved By the Bell opening credits here. The Neverending Story theme as performed by Kids Incorporated is as weird as Glen remembers. Watch Leanna Creel appear alongside her triplet sisters in The Cell, the one movie they made together that didn’t star Hayley Mills. Also check out these promo photos of Tori, Jessie and Kelly all in the same place at the same time, thereby nullifying the Tori Paradox. Listen to Go Bayside

“Strange Bedfellows” (November 7, 1987) The Golden Girls is beloved by many in the queer community, and for good reason, but the series is not batting a thousand when it comes to LGBT representation. This third season episode features a character who may just be the first trans man character on American TV. It’s… not great, but not wholly a disaster, and writer Henry Giardina is here to offer the perspective of a GG newbie. Listen to our previous Golden Girls episodes: Glen Writes a Golden Girls (a.k.a. “Vince Meat”) The Golden Girls Had a Gay Live-In Cook Blache’s Homo Brother Wants to Get Gay Married Blanche’s Brother Is a Homo Dorothy’s Friend Is a Lesbian Subscribe to Henry’s newsletter, Less Art. Read Henry’s NewNowNext piece where he interviews Glen and Drew. And here is the Mary Ann Doane article Henry mentions. If you are a big Golden Girls fan, check out Jim Colucci’s book on every episode of the show, Golden Girls Forever. But also here is Drew’s interview with the Golden Girls writers. S

“We Are Family” (May 2, 1988) Finally, at long last, ALF! This is the first in a new series where Drew and Glen discuss shows that never did a gay episode. “But wait, Drew and Glen! You have done episodes that weren’t explicitly gay before,” you may be saying. This is true, but at the very least we could pretend that the writer maybe-kinda-sorta had some gay metaphor in mind. This new series is for all the shows that never even treaded that far, but we think there’s something to talk about anyway. In this episode, ALF contemplates coming out as an alien, even if going public might poses risks to his personal liberties. Sandy Duncan does and does not make a cameo. Purchase Glen’s iconic “ALF Says ‘Gay Rights’” design at our Teepublic store and improve your overall quality of life. Watch NBC’s 75th anniversary special, where ALF makes a cameo and, in doing so, pissed off Tina Fey. The false binary of hefty vs. wimpy Listen to Drew’s new 80s music podcast, Deep Cuts and Superficial Wounds: Mixcloud •  iTunes •

“Grand Illusion” (October 29, 1996) Because this is either the episode you’re getting immediately before the election (if you’re on the Patreon feed) or directly after (if you’re on the main feed), we decided we’d try for something political. No, we don’t know why we attempted this, but we ended up picking the first LGBT-themed episode from Spin City, which is arguably the most politically focused sitcom of late. And while this episode should focus more on the out gay character, Michael Boatman’s Carter Heywood, it instead shifts the spotlight to Connie Britton’s Nikki, which Drew thinks is lame. Poobala.com is the website that charts TV crossovers in considerable detail, and you could definitely get lost there if you love TV trivia. And here is the clip of Matlock in a gay bar along with Lea Delaria in pearls. Listen to Drew’s new 80s music podcast, Deep Cuts and Superficial Wounds: Mixcloud •  iTunes •  Stitcher • Libsyn • Google Podcasts Shop for Gayest Episode Ever shirts, totes and more on our TeePub