Gayest Episode Ever

“Janet(s)” (December 6, 2018)   Spoiler warning: We totally spoil The Good Place, so if you have not seen it and want to go in fresh, go do that!   It seems weird that The Good Place was a show on a broadcast network at all, much less one that ran for four seasons and gave viewers so much to think about. Perhaps one of the more surprising aspects was D’Arcy Carden’s Janet, who rose above “Busty Alexa” status to become one of the more interesting characters. Janet is not nonbinary, but as five-timer Emelie Bataglia points out, Janet can work as metaphor for the nonbinary experience. In fact, there's a lot thats nonbinary about The Good Place in general.   Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher •  Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed

It’s our 150th episode, and we’ve decided to celebrate this milestone with something different: a hot takes episode, where we share our pop culture hot takes and we also share hot takes submitted from our listeners. Disclaimer: we cannot guarantee that you will find all takes equally hot, nor can we guarantee that you will find this episode to be spectacular.   We did not, in the end, have time to get to every hot take submitted by listeners, but we thank you for submitting anyway and hope to address them in a hot takes follow-up episode, should that be deemed worthwhile.   And because we lifted this idea directly from a recent hot takes episode of the Guide to the Unknown podcast, here is that episode, which you may also like.   Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher •  Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes, we do have an official website! W

“A Real Guy’s Guy” (October 25,1991)   Hear us out here: Coach is a good sitcom even if you don’t like football. In fact, Drew likes Coach even though he actively despises football. This fourth-season episode has Craig T. Nelson’s character reacting to news that one of his players is gay, and it’s actually pretty flawless in terms of what a gay episode can be: a sympathetically written one-off queer character + a realistic model for how someone who isn’t comfortable around LGBTers can admit this without taking it out on anyone else. In short, a total grand slam.   Watch the opening sequence to Princesses.   And check out Coach’s Clare Carey playing a sexy robot alien woman on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show as a reminder of how weird this show actually was.   Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher •  Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes

“And Baby Makes Four” (November 3, 2003) Before she was the literal mom on Blackish, Tracee Ellis Ross was the glue holding the figurative family together for eight seasons on Girlfriends. Drew and Glen are joined by Jennifer Eden to discuss why Ross is maybe one of the better examples of showbiz royalty and why this episode of TV is unique in offering viewers two black queer women in a relationship (guest stars Dawnn Lewis and Samaria Graham). Also: William is THE WORST. When they reunited for Blackish, the Girlfriends cast explained how their show ended the way it did. BTW: Two more viewing suggestions beyond Girlfriends: the “Feminisn’t” episode of Blackish featuring that reunion and the “There’s Something About Dr. Mary” episode of Frasier. Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher •  Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn And yes, we do have an off

“#001” (September 20, 1982) Look, Madame’s Place wasn’t a good sitcom, but it was the gayest puppet-focused sitcom and also a contender for one of the first gay sitcoms, on account of its draggy sensibility and the fact that the man behind Madame was one of the first openly gay entertainers. Drew and Glen discuss how weird this show is, including the fact that its antagonist is a TV executive who’s literally missing a face and who can control the weather. All this plus dick jokes. Read a 1985 L.A. Times interview with Wayland Flowers. Decades before Joan Rivers, Faye Emerson might have been the first female late night talk show host — and also the first late night host of any gender identity. Watch: Bea Arthur vs. Madame and Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party. Listen to the Round Springfield episode where Jeff Martin discusses naming Waylon Smithers after Wayland Flowers. The anime Glen fails to name, BTW, is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Faceboo

“Betrayal” (September 13, 1989) You might classify Just the Ten of Us with rest of the TGIF also-rans, but trust us: this show was better — funnier, edgier and with two actual, explicit gay jokes that ran on the same night as Urkel, to say nothing of the fact that its four sexy teenage daughters gave little gay boys a favorite no matter what kind of diva they’d end up worshipping. Frankie Frascatore joins us to talk about the Nightmare on Elm Street connection, the WandaVision connection, how this one particular outing almost becomes a gay episode and why it’s maybe notable that a show about a Catholic family punishes the most religious child for being a judgmental scold. Listen to Frankie’s episode of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie. Here’s one of the sites claiming that JTTOU’s cancelation happened because it was the only non-Miller Boyet production in the TGIF block. Watch the intro to Going Places, which didn’t. “What Is Burn Notice?” Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Face

“World’s Greatest Dick” (November 10, 1996)   Sally Solomon is a straight, cis character, but for the first two seasons of the 3rd Rock from the Sun, there was this queer or trans aura around her. This episode dispels it, for the most part, and allows the writers to craft storylines and jokes that are no longer different versions of the “man trapped in a woman’s body” trope. Drew and Glen disagree on exactly what the gay man trying to date her thinks is going on with Sally, but for all that could go wrong with this kind of plot, it’s not that bad. The ending sucks, sure, but we point out how it could have played out better.   There is actually a relationship between salmagundi, a dish that is basically charcuterie posing as a salad, and Solomon Grundy, the Superman villain.   There are only two bits of She TV on YouTube today: this one and this one.   My Living Doll is a trip.   Go shop at our TeePublic store!   Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram •

“Luann Virgin 2.0” (March 11, 2001) We’re very happy to return to Arlen, Texas, to discuss a King of the Hill episode that has a small gay subplot: Peggy technically lost her virginity before she met Hank to a friend who needed to figure out if he was gay. However, in having that thread introduce a discussion of what’s reason enough for good, red-blooded heterosexual Christians to get married, this episode (accidentally?) also makes a good argument in favor of the reasons same-sex couples wanted to get married. Wayne Trotter, we wish we’d met you. This episode begins with a discussion of the Screenrant article that argued why Peggy Hill is a bad mom. You don’t need to read the piece to understand what we’re talking about, but if you really feel like you must there it is. Listen to our previous King of the Hill episodes: Hank Hill Goes to a Gay Rodeo Peggy Hill Meets a Drag Queen Go shop at our TeePublic store!   Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew o

Yes, we said there was no episode this week, but then we realized that we had all these bonus episodes just lying around on Patreon, so here is one of those. BTW, listen to more queer readings of old cartoons here for just $1 a month. “The Mirror” (September 11, 1995) It is technically possible that someone could have watched Gargoyles and not realized that it was one of the horniest animated series ever. We think this episode — which has a very fey Puck teaming up with Demona to turn our heroic gargoyles into humans, loincloths still in place — helps demonstrate just how much homoeroticism was going on, both in the minds of viewers and the minds of people Want to spend more time with Goliath? Then listen to the What a Cartoon podcast's take on this very same episode of Gargoyles. (We will assert that ours is at least marginally gayer.) Read the Polygon article about the extended Gargoyles universe that could have been. Also read about the plans for the live-action movie. When did English-speakers decided

“Gay Witch Hunt” (September 21, 2006)   Whelp, you asked enough so we finally did it: we covered The Office, despite the fact that its entire series run came and went during the age of online recaps and extensive online coverage. This is one of the most requested episodes we've gotten since we began this podcast. It’s up to you to decide what we can add to discourse about this mid-2000s phenomenon — which, BTW, was not as big of a hit as you might remember — but we can at least point out that the epidemic of arrested development glimpsed on The Office the show was not limited to Michael Scott.   No, Drew was right: there *was* a peculiar preponderance of redheads on this show.   Purchase the first issue of Drew and Glen’s new comic anthology, Beyond Sunset.   Go shop at our TeePublic store!   Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter   Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Stitcher •  Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn   And

“Love Letters to Sarge” (January 29, 1965) Not only is this the only installment of a podcast that will explain the gay history of Gomer Pyle and the man who played him, but also it’s the only discussion of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C to feature relevant clips from both The Simpsons and Sailor Moon, because that’s the kind of show this is. Special thanks to listener Robyn Pavlakovich for suggesting this episode.  Watch this great explainer video on Gomer Pyle and Jim Nabors by friend of the show Matt Baume Watch the video of Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson appearing on The Carol Burnett Show, just two years before the rumors ended their friendship Listen to Drew talk about Pete's Dragon on the Inside the Disney Vault podcast. Listen to the latest episode of Smart Mouth. Find out what TV shows are part of the Tommy Westphall extended universe Purchase the first issue of Drew and Glen’s new comic anthology, Beyond Sunset. Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter •

“He Said, She Said” (November 1, 1999) The legends speak of a forgotten volume of lore known as… Becker. Allegedly a hit CBS television series starring Ted Danson, it is apparently a victim of the same magic spell that befell Wings, making it all but forgotten from pop culture discourse today. However, as guest Jasmine Friend brought to our attention, Becker did a 1990s twist on the “old friend in town turns out to be trans” trope we discussed in our recent Jeffersons episode. This will likely be the only podcast you will listen to this week that will discuss not only Becker but also the pop culture legacy of Jadzia Dax, the extreme gendering of Ms. Pac-Man and Persian custom of taarof in a single episode. Read Jasmine’s Twitter thread, which is what brought this episode to our attention in the first place. Purchase the first issue of Drew and Glen’s new comic anthology, Beyond Sunset Go shop at our TeePublic store! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on

“Roswell That Ends Well” (December 9, 2001) Equal parts sitcom and sci-fi epic, Futurama has some deep lore, and at the core of one of its most important storylines — that Fry is genetically destined to save the universe — is the fact that he also accidentally kills his gay grandfather and impregnates his own grandmother. Which is a lot, we realize, but in this episode we try to explain why Futurama is great and why dead, gay Grandpa Enos is vital to the cosmology of the show. If you like deep dives into Futurama, go throw money at the Talking Simpsons Patreon, where they’ve done whole bonus seasons about it. What does it mean that Leela is “the other”? If you want to listen to us discuss a far less good episode by the same writer, listen to “Marge Simpsons Is a Homophobe and a Transphobe,” about the Simpsons episode “There’s Something About Marrying.” It really sucks! Less critical is “Drew and Glen Discuss Instrumental Sitcom Themes.” Bender’s connection to The Breakfast Club is sourced to this Mental F

“Once a Friend” (October 1, 1977) Often cited as TV’s first sympathetic portrayal of a trans character, this episode of The Jeffersons introduces Edie Stokes as someone who, unlike other trans characters in earlier portrayals, is not at a point of crisis. She’s transitioned, she’s living the life she wants and she’s merely reaching out to her old Navy buddy to say hi — not to get his approval. Drew and Glen are joined by Marsha’s Plate host Diamond Stylz to discuss why this episode is not only good for when it aired but also better than many portrayals of trans characters who’d come in the years to follow. Subscribe to Marsha’s Plate, Diamonds podcast that discusses topics relevant to the black trans community. Make a donation to Black Trans Women Inc. or subscribe to the newsletter. Listen to the episode of Alison Arngrim’s podcast where she interviews Veronica Redd, who played Edie. Listen to the episode of Gender Reveal that features Diamond as a guest. Also listen to the Trans Vagina Dialogues, a new Ta

“Neighbors” (November 2, 1995) So it’s been a hot second since we talked about friends, and to be honest, we can’t mentally deal with the combined phobia attack that is Friends so instead we are offering everyone a glimpse of a forgotten, perhaps even lost fragment of the Friends would tour of terrible, that being Ross Geller’s pitstop on The Single Guy, where he helped bring about gay panic. Honestly, this episode is not actually all that bad, and it makes a guy wonder why this show failed when other Friends clones succeeded. Listen to the latest episode of Smart Mouth. Purchase the first issue of Drew and Glen’s new comic anthology, Beyond Sunset Go shop at our TeePublic store! 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 And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed

“Indispensable Jeannie” (November 25, 1968) We’re as surprised as anyone that we’ve found an episode of I Dream of Jeannie that we can cover on this podcast. All credit goes to Brett White, who’s not only host of the Must Have Seen TV podcast but also the guy currently writing a book on the life of Hayden Rorke, who played Dr. Bellows on Jeannie but also was openly gay to the show’s cast and crew — and who pulled some important strings in TV history. This episode is even more interesting when considered in the context of Rorke’s life, but it does actually feature a real live gay joke. Listen to Must Have Seen 1TV’s I Dream of Jeannie episode with Jackie Cox Yes, the Jeannie cartoon spinoff is online in all its Mark Hamill-inclusive glory Beware The S From Hell Follow Brett on Twitter and also give him money to write his book about Hayden Rorke Also follow his husband Sebastian Dekken on Twitter and buy his book on the music of Final Fantasy VI Listen to the episode of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Aftern

“Ordinary Extraordinary Love” (January 8, 2013) Bears, twinks, otters, wolves, panthers, yetis and bunniculas. The breadth of subcultures that gay life offers is both wide and weird — and a subject rarely approached by mainstream sitcoms. However, Happy Endings brought this to broadcast in the mid-2010s, all centered around the uncategorizable Max. The content warning that wasn’t: In the original intro clip, Max references a trans slur that, if we’re being responsible, would have gotten a warning. It’s a garbage joke. I cut it from our episode, and it could be removed so cleanly that 1) you won’t notice it being gone and 2) you have to realize how unnecessary it was in the first place. Should you watch the Happy Endings episode, be forewarned that it does feature this pointless joke. See the framed otter photo that Drew thinks looks like Glen here. Read After Elton’s piece on Happy Endings opting out of a same-sex kiss in its first season Read the NY Magazine piece on Happy Endings Purchase the first issue

“72 Hours” (February 17, 1990)   We figured the only proper way to start this season would be to say goodbye to Betty White — and a great way to do that would be to discuss a Golden Girls episode where Rose takes an HIV test. Not only does it showcase a wider range of Betty’s acting chops, but it’s also a great kickoff to a new sort of episode we’ll be covering on GEE in the future: very special episodes about HIV and AIDS. Even if there are no LGBT characters in this episode, the subject matter hit home for the community — and the fact that so many AIDS/HIV episodes revolved around the heterosexual experience of the disease is itself very telling.   Goodbye, Betty. You will be missed.   Read NPR’s piece “What The Golden Girls Taught Us About AIDS”   “Why Was HIV/AIDS Never Discussed on Will & Grace?”   The episode of Date With the Angels we discuss is “Brown Derby” — worthwhile watching for diehard Betty White completionists   The pilot to the Alfred Molina series Ladies Man, with a stack

“The Bands Break Up” (September 28, 1987) We’re not *quite* ready yet to swing into regular production, so we’re tossing up an episode of our Patreon-only bonus podcast, The Cartoons That Made Us Gay, onto the main feed. It’s the Jem and the Holograms episode that is titled “The Bands Break Up” but would me more accurately titled “Kimber and Stormer Are Gay Lesbians Making Beautiful Queer Music Together.” Intentionally gay or not, it is hard to dismiss these girls’ relationship as just platonic, to the point that we don’t have to work hard at all to find the queer elements — especially in a show that already offers a lot for LGBT viewers. Showtime, Synergy! And if you like this episode, you might also like the newest episode of Cartoons That Made Us Gay, which is all about Sailor Moon. You can listen right now on Patreon by pledging just $1 a month. And we’re not charging you all for the next month to account for the lighter content output. Show notes: Watch a featurette on Jem’s speaking voice singing the m

“A Little Christmas Queer” (December 8, 2005) Lest you be tempted to believe that Christmas miracles aren’t real, we finally found an episode of Will & Grace that Drew doesn’t hate. This one, from the final season of the show’s original broadcast run, focuses on Will and company spending Christmas with his family and the problems posed by the fact that Will’s nephew seems so very gay. It’s actually a more nuanced look at the difficulties of being gay and leaving your life to spend the holiday with your (presumably straight) family. It doesn’t suck! Not even the Grace storyline! Mental Floss has an article detailing Kellogg’s Cornflakes and their origin as an effort to get people to masturbate less. And Daily Beast has a piece on William Faulkner’s long-term love affair with binge drinking. Listen to the Monday Afternoon Move episode about The UFO Incident with Scott Philbrook. Listen to the Smart Mouth episode titled “Why Are U.S. School Lunches Like This?” Listen to the Singing Mountain episode titl