Gayest Episode Ever

“Joe Goes to Heaven” (Date Unknown, 1979) The United States’ first bilingual sitcom and PBS’s first attempt at a 30-minute comedy, ¿Que Pasa USA? proved to be a regional hit in Miami, where a local PBS affiliate created and produced the show, and then across the country as a whole. Overall, it plays out like a lost Norman Lear series centered around a Cuban-American family, and this episode revolves around the possibility that strapping young Joe may be gay. GEE regular Tony Rodriguez makes his first non-Golden Girls appearance to explain this show that is beloved by PBS-watching Latinos but may be wholly new to gringos whose PBS stations weren’t lucky enough to air it.  Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This

“Frank & Son” (October 18, 1991) Is Step By Step a classic sitcom? Glen says yes, but Drew says no. Listen to an episode that a different podcast that prompted us to examine paternal homophobia and a long-running but perhaps non-classic TGIF sitcom, which Drew prefers to shorthand as “shitbag Brady Bunch.” Listen to the episode of You’re Making It Worse that inspired this episode. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode’s outro track is “Happy Song” by Baby’s Gang, featuring Boney M.

Two announcements: No. 1, Drew is tired and he is wanting to take a week off with an episode that requires less editing; and and No. 2, this podcast is launching a series of Patreon-only episodes where Drew and Glen discuss subjects unlikely to arise in their typical episodes. In this one, they both list off their picks for the hottest dads in sitcom history. And if you’re seeing this for the first time on the main, non-Patreon feed, then there’s already another one of these ready for your rabid consumption. Hit the link to our Patreon below to listen. Want to see the dads we’re discussing in this episode? Check out the gallery on the episode page.  The logo for this Patreon-only series was designed by Jeff Hinchee, who is awesome. See more of his work on his website.  Listen to Fruitbowl, a podcast that is an oral history of queer sex, hosted by Dave Quantic. If you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A

“Emmet’s Secret” (December 6, 1995) and “Emmett, We Hardly Knew Ye” (December 20, 1995) Even those of us who came of age in the 1990s might be surprised to find out how big a deal Grace Under Fire was in its day. The show was a huge hit, and even if it burned too bright and too quickly, it deserved its popularity because it was funnier and more heartfelt than a lot of longer-lived TV series. In this installment, we talk about two consecutive episodes that outed Grace’s father-in-law and then killed him off. It’s not boring. Because it never hurts to point it out, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1 (800) 723-8255. There's also an online chat option. If you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya

“Cousin Liz” (October 9, 1977) After two years and more than a few negative comments, Drew and Glen once again focus their gaze on All in the Family, a sitcom about America’s favorite ignoramus. This episode is a sweet and it is elegant, and it shows how readily Jean Stapleton’s Edith can accept that love between two women isn’t at all different from her love for her husband. There’s no B plot and only three characters, yet this is one of the best episodes GEE has reviewed so far.  If you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s

“The Cheever Letters” (October 28, 1992) Poor Susan Ross. If she only knew what her association with George Constanza would ultimately cost her, she would have run screaming. Early in the show’s fourth season, Susan got a glimpse of what George was capable of when he indirectly caused her dad to be outed — if not as gay then at least certainly as a one-time lover of John Cheever. Mike Ciriaco joins Glen and Drew to discuss how this episode is a Seinfeld sleeper classic, both because of and in spite of how nonchalantly it deals with Mr. Ross’s sexuality.  If you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo

“Three Gays of the Condo” (April 13, 2003) Six seasons after its inaugural gay episode, The Simpsons revisited the subject matter in the age of Will & Grace, and the end result sent Homer to live with two guys in Springfield’s gay district. This one exemplifies what it meant to do a gay sitcom after the point in time when it was no longer enough to just showcase straight characters being surprised that gay people exist, but is this a worthy successor to “Homer’s Phobia”? Drew and Glen talk though the good and the bad and the Weird Al. Watch the video for “Do the Bartman” (and look for the gay part). The Dennis Miller interview with Matt Warburton. Listen to Drew’s episode of the Talking Simpsons podcast.  Also, if you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitc

We’re celebrating the holidays and closing out 2019 with one of our all-time favorite Christmas specials: A Very Brady Christmas, a 1988 TV movie that reunited all of the original cast that matters. If you’ve seen this special, you may be wondering what’s gay about this family holiday outing. Some stuff, we say, but perhaps most subtly the use of racecar-driving as a metaphor for Bobby Brady’s reckless homosexual lifestyle. Just go with us on this one. Listen to our interview with Stan Zimmerman, who wrote the two Brady Bunch movies.  Also, if you haven’t yet, please give us a rate & review on iTunes. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed

“The One With the Lesbian Wedding”(January 18, 1996) Carol and Susan forever! In our previous look at Friends, we concluded that the ten-season sitcom put homosexuality in a bad light. Around the same time, everyone else concluded that as well, but what if season two’s “The One With the Lesbian Wedding” actually doesn’t suck so hard? Emelie Burnette Battaglia Balenciaga returns to talk about the episode the second Friends episode that ties LGBT issues with a recently deceased old lady. “So Was Friends Homophobic?” by Kelsey Miller “Homophobic Friends,” a 50-minute supercut of Friends’ lamest LGBT moments Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed b

“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 Underbelly L.A., the new TableCakes true crime podcast that Drew helped produce Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Listen to Fruitbowl, Dave Quantic’s oral history podcast about gay sex Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast.

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 Aquí Presents  Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is “My Little Japanese B

“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 you, Nell. Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is “Happy Together / Runaway”

“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 joins Glen and Drew to talk through an episode that is very gay — if regrettably Uncle Arthur-free. (There’s always next Halloween!) Support us on Patreon! Buy or rent Glen’s movie, Being Frank, on iTunes Check out A Love Bizarre, Los Angeles’ No. 1 best queer art space: Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our

“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 of the show revolve around the notion of Richard repeatedly stating, “I’m straight”? It’s actually an interesting story. Buy the DVD of Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Buy or rent Being Frank on iTunes.  Check out A Love Bizarre, downtown Los Angeles’ new queer art space. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courte

“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 DVD of Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Buy or rent Being Frank on iTunes.  Check out A Love Bizarre, downtown Los Angeles’ new queer art space. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is “Don’t Cry Tonig

“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 Center Is a thing er talk about in this episode. And yes, PFLAG still exists. Buy the DVD of Glen’s movie, Being Frank. Buy or rent Being Frank on iTunes.  Check out A Love Bizarre, downtown Los Angeles’ new queer art space. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob

“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: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is ”Gigolo“ by Green Ice

”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 worry if you’ve never experienced a Dungeons & Dragons anything; Glen and Drew will walk you through it. Cartoons That Made Us Gay, the 1980s cartoon episode that inspired this episode: Matt Baume’s D&D podcast, Queens of Adventure Critical Role, the D&D podcast starring Ashley Johnson  Nasim Pedrad looks like Jill, Kermit’s co-worker from Muppets Take Manhattan 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: 

“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 Golden Girls book, Golden Girls Forever. 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 • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is ”Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship.

“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 • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn  And yes, we do have an official website! And we even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode’s outro track is ”A Dream of You and Me“ by Future Islands