Gayest Episode Ever

"Morticia and the Psychiatrist" (September 25, 1964) This year, we're celebrating Halloween with one of the two most Halloween-tastic TV families of all time — and no worries, because we talk plenty about the other one too. Joining us to discuss the second episode of The Addams Family is Ted Biaselli, director of original series at Netflix, who shares some of his experience developing the new Addams Family reboot, Wednesday, and his lifelong relationship with the creepiest and kookiest family in sitcom history. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! And join our spaces for Gayest Episode Ever and Cartoons That Made Us Gay. Listen to Ted's previous episodes, The Cartoons That Made Us Gay and Glen Writes a Golden Girls. Also, here is the blog post Drew references as identifying the Addams Family as east coast while the Munsters are west coast. Also:The new Halloween episode of Singing Mountain The Square Roots podcast Buy the new issue of Beyond Sunset here. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"Fizbo" (November 25, 2009) People have been asking us to cover this show basically since we started the podcast, and so this week we finally decided to cover it… by looking into an episode no one wanted us to do. In our heads, the most interesting part of the show is Cam and Mitchell, and the most interesting part of Cam and Mitchell is Eric Stonestreet's portrayal of Cam. He's straight, but we say he delivers a nuanced character who both embraces and defies stereotypes. Also, he's a clown, it turns out. Which may be appropriate, depending on your point of view. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! And join our spaces for Gayest Episode Ever and Cartoons That Made Us Gay. Buy the new issue of Beyond Sunset here. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"The Boys' Night Out" (February 13, 1983) More than a hundred episodes later (of All in the Family but also of this podcast), we return to the Archie Bunker primary universe to find out if everyone's favorite bigot got over his homophobia. The answer: kind of? But that is probably just the result of season after season of broadcast TV sanding off his rougher edges. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! And join our spaces for Gayest Episode Ever and Cartoons That Made Us Gay. Listen to Drew talk Street Fighter II and Thrilling Tales of Old Video Games on the Video Game History Hour podcast. Media of note: The Hollywood Reporter interview with Norman Lear about Carol O'Connor Washington Post article on the cancelation of Archie Bunker's Place The "Night of a Thousand Stars" video Beverly LaSalle, RIP (part one) as explained by the Totally Trans podcast Buy the new issue of Beyond Sunset here. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"There Is Nothing Like the Dames" (February 17, 1990) Believe it or not, Mama's Family has a deeply queer history. While the final result of — the syndicated revival that returned to TV after NBC canceled the it — bears little of that, this episode goes over all the ways a recurring sketch on The Carol Burnett Show originally told the story of a queer-coded artist who can't relate to his family back home. It's all the stranger to consider that Mama's Family never did an explicitly queer episode, even with all those Bob Mackie costumes. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! And join our spaces for Gayest Episode Ever and Cartoons That Made Us Gay. Buy the new issue of Beyond Sunset here. Read the article in which Bubba actor Allan Kayser talks about his famously tight jeans. Vicki Lawrence sings the original, non-instrumental version of the Mama's Family theme song. But also listen to her disco banger "Don't Stop the Music" and the no. 1 murder mystery pop hit "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." Watch the brilliant 1982 TV movie adaptation of the Harper family saga, Eunice. Also watch The Carol Burnett Show's famous "Went With the Wind" sketch. But most importantly watch the original sketch version that led to Mama's Family, when it was just called "The Family." It made Drew way more sad than sketch comedy usually does. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"Cougars" (November 29, 2007) As comedically successful as it might be, 30 Rock is a very straight show. That's why our best pick for a queer episode is one where the sexually interesting narrative is the C plot and it ends with Judah Friedlander's Frank convincing himself he can't like guys because he doesn't fit prescribed definition of gay. This episode is ultimately harmless but indicative of some traps later Tina Fey efforts would fall into. But hey — it's got "Muffin Top." Check out our sponsor, Spaces! And join our spaces for Gayest Episode Ever and Cartoons That Made Us Gay. Buy the new issue of Beyond Sunset here. Listen to Drew and Glen talk Teen Angel on Talking Simpsons. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"Stealing Nikki" (November 26, 2000) Go figure: It's our longest episode yet, and it's about a show you might not even remember! We were fortunate enough to get Talking Simpsons co-host Henry Gilbert back for a second go-around, and we decided to make use of his encyclopedic knowledge of professional wrestling. Lucky for us, there is in fact a sitcom that discusses pro wrestling and queerness in the same context, and it's Nikki Cox two-season comedy series, which could not be more early 2000s. Even better? It aired on The WB, which allows us to discuss that netlet's role in TV history. Listen to Talking Simpsons, because we ripped it off in making this show. If you haven't yet, treat yourself to GLOW: not the Netflix version (which is also good!) but the original syndicated 80s Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling show. Read the 2006 Outsports interview with Kevin Nash, this episode's guest star, where he daringly shares his progressive views on gay people. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

"My Hair Lady" (February 15, 2004) Welcome to season six of Gayest Episode Ever! True, season don't really mean anything on this kind of podcast, but we are back from our summer hiatus and we're super eager to get back into talking sitcom queerness. We're kicking off this season with our fourth look at King of the Hill. It's an interesting one in that it has (presumably) straight writer Wyatt Cenac telling a story about Bill pretending to be gay, yet it's pretty well done, in that both Glen and Drew walked away not being offended or annoyed by anything Bill says or wears. This is actually high praise for us. Check out our sponsor, Spaces! Listen to the Teen Creeps episode about Cherry Falls here. 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 by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. This is a TableCakes podcast.

Hi. This is the fourth and final installment of our summer rerun series wherein we send out old episodes that we think are good but perhaps didn't get all the attention they should have. This Wings episode is actually our least-listened-to episode, and we're pretty sure that is a result of Drew naming it originally "Roy Biggins Has a Big Gay Son." We're betting that forefronting the fact that it's Wings will help more people listen to it, because you're more likely to know what Wings is than you are to remember who Roy Biggins was. Either way, this is an episode we will be revisiting in the not-too-distant future when we do the episode where Roy's gay son comes back to the show! See you in September with new episodes! "There's Always Room for Cello" (December 14, 1990) Roy Biggins is the chuckling villain of Wings, an NBC sitcom that is a solid B but which has a reputation for being a C minus. In the second season, Roy's son came out and Roy was given — and totally biffed — a chance to act like a grown-up. Jonathan Bradley Welch, host of that *other* gay TV podcast, A Special Presentation, is on hand to discuss growing up in Massachusetts, the charms of Crystal Bernard and which Hackett brother is hotter. Listen to Jonathan's gay TV podcast, A Special Presentation, and listen to the episode Drew did about Animaniacs. Read the transcript for this episode here. 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.

It's another summer rerun! This time, of our 17th episode, which never really pulled in the numbers we thought it should. We swear it doesn't suck! "Lez Be Friends" (April 28, 1997) For many kids watching sitcoms in the 90s, Amanda Bearse would have been one of the first actors they would have known to be openly gay. That's what makes this episode so special. She'd put in her time on Married… With Children season after season, playing Al Bundy's sparring partner, Marcy D'Arcy. So it's sweet that toward the end of the series, she got to play Marcy's cousin Mandy, who is so down to hang that Al actually likes her — and she's openly gay. Are there more than two gay episodes of Married… With Children? Because we did the one where Al and Peggy meet a gay couple. So if you've got any suggestions for additional Married… episodes, we're all ears. 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 is a summer rerun of an episode that originally aired July 30, 2018. We're posting not only because Harley and Ivy went from subtextual lovers to full on romantic partners on the HBO Max series but also because we've got a new Batman: TAS episode of Cartoons That Made Us Gay, which you can listen to here. Excuse the echo! It was 2018 and we didn't know better! "Harley and Ivy" (January 18, 1993) In GEE's first bonus episode, Glen and Drew focus on something that's not a sitcom but is nonetheless pretty damn gay — the Batman: The Animated Series installment that put a lesbianish aura around Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, which extended to the comics and ultimately made the duo a full-fledged couple years later. 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.