Gayest Episode Ever

"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 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 • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Maria Magdalena" by Sandra: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify

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 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 • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Evolution" by Sheryl Lee Ralph: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify

"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 hosts his own queer horror podcast, Happy Horror Time. There's a promo in this week's episode and you can listen to episodes of his show here. 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 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 • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Pistol in My Pocket" by Lana Pellay, which despite being a total banger doesn't seem to be streaming anywhere, so I guess just listen to it on YouTube? Or maybe on Drew's 80s music podcast?

"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 Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "San Salvador" by Azoto: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify

"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 • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Get Dancin'" by Disco Tex and His Sexolettes (a.k.a. Hooray for Everything)

"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 Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Take It as a Game" by Evelyn Barry: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify

"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 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 Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn This episode's outro track is "Love Dawn" by Sylvi Foster: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify

"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, the SbtB podcast that inspired Talking Simpsons, which in turn inspired this show. 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 Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn The outro track for this episode is "Go for It" by the little-known Los Angeles girl group Hot Sundae. Listen to it on YouTube here.

"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. Subscribe to Katherine's food history podcast Smart Mouth and hear Drew's episode next week, where he talks all about egg nog, the noggiest holiday drink ever. Listen to Double Threat's Halloween special with Butch Patrick. But also listen to Julie Klausner's episode of Good One, where she goes in depth about a single pussy joke. 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 Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: iTunes • Spotify • Stitcher • Google Play • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn • SoundCloud This episode's outro track is "Around My Dream" by Silver Pozzoli: Apple Music • Amazon Music • Spotify