Onstage and Backstage Podcast

Stephen Tropiano, author of The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV, spoke with Patrick Phillips host of Pop Culture Tonight. They talked about the book and the impact that shows like Will & Grace had on today's culture. Listen to the podcast below and let us know what you think!   About the BookTelevision history was made on April 30, 1997, when comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her sitcom alter-ego Ellen Morgan, “came out” to her close friends and 36 million viewers. This groundbreaking episode represented a significant milestone in American television. For the first time, a TV series centered around a lesbian character who was portrayed by an openly gay actor. The millions of viewers who tuned in that historic night were witnesses to a new era in television. THE PRIME TIME CLOSET offers an entertaining and in-depth glimpse into homosexuality on television from the 1950s through today. Divided into four sections, each devoted to a major television genre, this unique book