Gayest Episode Ever

"Can't Help Loving That Man" (October 20, 1991) Looking at the various 90s-era Fox shows that focused on black characters, Roc was the one with the reputation for tackling social issues with the most gravitas. Early in the show's run, Richard Roundtree — Shaft himself! — guested as the title character's uncle, who comes bearing the news that 1) he's gay; 2) he's getting married; and 3) his beloved is a white man. To discuss the various layers of this Roc episode, Drew and Glen are joined by University of Iowa professor Dr. Alfred L. Martin Jr., whose field of study includes a focus on the depiction of gay black men on sitcoms. Alfred's forthcoming book is titled The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom. Yes, we would love to interview him when his book comes out. Read more about Alfred's work on his faculty page. We mention the episode of Golden Girls that was recently pulled from Hulu for its alleged use of blackface, and Alfred mentions the larger racist implications of that episode that were not discussed and may not be discussed as a result of being pulled. This week, Steven W. Thrasher wrote an excellent piece for Vulture on various moments on the show in which the central characters display racist attitudes and why the show's fans are better off acknowledging these failings. Lisa Simpson singing "God Bless the Child" on The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Also Glen's favorite song, "Macho Duck." The book Alfred brings up is Fade to Black and White: Interracial Images in Popular Culture, by Erica Chito Childs. It's about the depiction of interracial couples on TV and in other media. And the book Drew brings up is Queering the Color Line, by Siobhan B. Somerville. It's about the intersection of racial and queer identity. Buy 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 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 theme is "Color My Love" by Fun Fun (Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)

Content warning: In this episode we talk about sexual assault. "For Every Man, There's Two Women" (July 20, 1985) This week, we're not talking about an explicitly LGBT-focused episode of TV. No, we're talking about the episode of Too Close for Comfort in which a male character, Monroe, is sexually assaulted by two women. No, really. Jim J. Bullock, the actor playing that character, is gay in real life, and because Monroe is coded as queer as well, this episode serves as a bizarre example of not just how a sitcom can handle a sensitive topic but also how some actors' offscreen sexuality can color the way their performance is received and even how their characters get written. Jeffrey McCrann joins Drew and Glen to try and make sense of this strange, strange bit of TV history. RAINN is an online organization that offers both information about sexual assault and counseling. You can chat live with a counselor here. Have a listen to the episode of the Drew-Tony podcast You Have to Watch the Movie that Jeffrey guested on back in 2018. We talk about Fright Night. Much in the way Bullock's offscreen sexuality informs this episode of TV, the queerness of Fright Night's cast really changes the way that movie plays out. This 2012 A.V. Club article on this episode is pretty much the best text trying to make sense of this episode. It also brought us to this interview with Jim J. Bullock on the website Guy Spy. Check out Old Time TV, without whose help we would not have been able to do this episode. Behold the short-lived wonder of Jim J. and Tammy Faye. And have a look at the David Lynch series Rabbits that Jeffrey mentions. Here's an explainer for how the movie Streets of Fire may have "inspired" elements in the video game Final Fight, which BTW is one of the most homoerotic games ever. And here's the weird bit with Roseanne and Freddy Krueger that makes it four — count 'em FOUR — of the daughters from Just the Ten of Us who share screentime with Freddy. Weird, right? Buy Glen's movie, Being Frank. Watch Drew's weird video art project, GEE TV. 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 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. The outro for this episode is "Number of the Dancer" by Al Monroe, which isn't on any of the online music services, but it is on YouTube if you want to hear it.

"Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" (November 5, 1951) Can we do a whole 52-minute episode that is essentially about one single joke? Hell yes we can. The fourth episode of I Love Lucy sure seems like it might feature the first gay joke in the history of sitcoms. And although we are open to arguments otherwise, it's nonetheless interesting to think that the show that wouldn't allow its married leads to share a bed onscreen would slip even a small gay joke past the network censors. Visit our new Tee Public store and plaster your body and household with the Gayest Episode Ever logo. The Boy Culture blog's excellent timeline of LGBT milestones on TV. The 1980 People magazine interview where Lucy says she's down with the gays. The Washington Blade article on Lucy Ricardo's appeal to gay men. A compilation of Frank "That Guy Who Says Yes" Nelson saying yes. And if you want to listen to us debate whether the Dick Van Dyke Show ever made a semen joke, listen to that episode here. Buy Glen's movie, Being Frank. Watch Drew's weird video art project, GEE TV. Support us on Patreon! Follow: GEE on Twitter • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter 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 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 theme is "Slice Me Nice" by Fancy (Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)

GEE TV is a weird little art project that Drew felt compelled to do. It's six 80s-era NBC sitcoms in a three-hour block, complete with of-the-era commercials. In order: Silver Spoons, The Facts of Life, Gimme a Break, 227, Empty Nest and Night Court. Hit the audio to hear Drew explain it all to Glen, who's being a good sport about this. Watch the video here. And it's on Vimeo here. Episodes, in order: Silver Spoons, "Me & Mr. T" (October 16, 1982) The Facts of Life, "Cousin Geri Returns" (December 30, 1981) Gimme a Break, "Nell's Friend" (December 1, 1983) 227, "Toyland" (February 14, 1987) Empty Nest, "Rambo of Neiman Marcus" (November 11, 1989) Night Court, "Dad's First Date" (October 17, 1985) If you dig this, check out Drew's other weird video art. There's All the Colors of the Night, which is horror movies set to 80s music, and there's VHSmas, which is all 80s Christmas magic. It's all up at Phanto Films. 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 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 theme is "Watching Trees" by Eleven Pond. (Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)

"Les on a Ledge" (October 2, 1978) For reasons we can't imagine, WKRP in Cincinnati decided its third episode should feature a trans-themed B plot alongside an A plot about one of the characters contemplating suicide because people think he's gay. It's a lot. And while that plot synopsis might seem like a recipe for disaster, this one is funnier and more progressive than you might expect. Don't get us wrong: It does things that today's audiences will probably roll their eyes at and might even shake their head at. But among these are some things that might surprise you in a good way. Visit our new Tee Public store and plaster your body and household with the Gayest Episode Ever logo. Listen to Drew on this week's Talking Simpsons. Hell, listen to his previous Talking Simpsons while you're at it. This L.A. Times article on The New WKRP in Cincinnati explains how the original series became so successful in syndication. Is "Bruce" a homosexual name? Stan Lee says yes. Listen to "Once I Had a Love," Blondie's original version of "Heart of Glass. If you can separate the fact that he is being murdered by a horrible monster, Gary Sandy is hot as hell in the 1980 movie Troll. Listen to this female sports reporter incinerate a viewer complain that women should not report from locker rooms. 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 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 theme is "Take Me Higher" by Stefano Pulga, which doesn't seem to be for sale or streamable on any of the major music sites. Weird.

"Surro-Gate" (December 7, 2007) Okay, hear us out. Some of you may be surprised that we're doing American Dad or that Glen and Drew are both fans of it. We put forward the case that it's a different sort of show than Family Guy is. This episode follows a previous gay-themed installment, and it demonstrates how bringing a homophobe around to respecting queer people as equals isn't a one-and-done thing; it's a continual process, and lots of people who think they're tolerant need to realize when their tolerance has limits. 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 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 theme is "America" by Baby's Gang (Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)

"Sperm 'n' Herman" (September 20, 1992) At long last, we're finally talking about the series that you've been dying to hear about… if your name is Drew or Glen. Yeah, we both have memories of liking Herman's Head. And while its one gay episode does some things right and some things wrong, it's the first sitcom we've discussed that tackles the complicated issue of being queer and also being a parent. It also allows us to talk about all the crazy stuff happening on Fox back in the early 90s. The Junger-Witt font, BTW, is Clarendon Bold. Here is Lisa Simpson's Herman's Head moment. And here is a second possible Herman's Head moment. And listen to Small Town Dicks if you want to hear Yeardley Smith talk about heinous crime in rural America. Also Listen to Happy History, the new TableCakes podcast that Drew produced, if you want to hear not-Lisa Simpson talk about not-true crime. Check out the work of Norn Cutson, the talented artist who contributed some original art to a forthcoming GEE merch project. Thanks, Norn! Soak in the glorious 90s-ness of lesser-known Fox shows such as The Edge, Shaky Ground, True Colors, Stand by Your Man, and Woops. 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 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 theme is "Desire" by Roni Griffith. (iTunes / Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music)

"The Gay Bar" (December 3, 1977) And then there's Maude — for a second time! In this final-season installment, Maude battles Arthur (Conrad Bain) over his opposition to a gay bar that's just opened up in town. It's basically Arthur having conversation after conversation in which other character break apart his justifications for homophobia. But funny! Listen to Happy History, the new podcast Drew produced. Check out the work of Norn, the talented artist who contributed some original art to a forthcoming GEE merch project. Thanks, Norn! If you want the backstory about how Maude came to be, listen to our previous episode about it. And if you want to find out about the strange way Maude ended, listen to our Night Court episode, in which Drew apparently ended up talking about it. No, he doesn't remember why either. Back in the early days, SNL was brutal to Anita Bryant in a way it's not really capable of anymore. Also here is a song she never had any business singing. "Inuyasha!" "Kagome!" "Inuyasha!" "Kagome!" And, of course, the secret extended version of the theme to Maude. 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 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 theme is "She Has a Way" by Bobby O (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon Music)

"Unidentified Funk" (December 10, 2008) and "Happy Endings (December 17, 2008) The New Adventures of Old Christine may not rank among the sitcom heavyweights, but hey — if it's good enough for TV Land, it's good enough for us. In 2008, this CBS series managed to skewer homophonic-leaning companies like Chick-fil-A with an episode won an award from GLAAD. Airing immediately post-Prop 8, the episode features not only a newly out Wanda Sykes but also Megan Mullally playing against type. And while this is all great, the next episode — the latter of a "to be continued" two-parter — manages some transphobia that squeaked by in 2008 but doesn't in 2020. It's an interesting combo. Buy a bag of Nat's Quarantine Blend of coffee at Lucky Coffee Co. Glen was right: there really is a weird connection between Hobby Lobby and ancient Iraqi artifacts. 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 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 "Bahamas (Instrumental)" by Screban.

Do you ever feel like some songs have too many words? Well, good news: instrumental music eliminates that very problem! In this episode, Drew and Glen each list off five sitcom theme songs that they think are good despite their glaring lack of lyrics. Spoiler: many of them actually do have lyrics, it turns out. But still! If you like this episode, you may also like Singing Mountain, Drew's other podcast, which works a lot like this but with video game music. There's even an episode with Glen! Watch Fatal Farm's alternate intros for Doogie Howser, M.D. and Dynasty. Hamburger Penis as Alexis! Yes, Dick Van Dyke really was rescued by porpoises. Here's the Tiny Toons parody of The Dick Van Dyke Show opening. 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. Here is the "Suicide Is Painless" scene from the movie version of M*A*S*H. And here is the interview with Johnny Mandel about the creation of the song. Is it possible that M83's "Midnight City" is in any way a reference to ALF? No? Okay. Secret lyrics! Specifically to The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie and The Andy Griffith Show. The possible (probable) inspiration for the Futurama theme is the 1967 song "Psyché Rock" by Pierre Henry. There is also a Fatboy Slim remix of that "Psyché Rock" that sounds even closer to the Futurama theme, but it was released in 2000, after the debut of Futurama. And here is the interview with composer Christopher Tyng where he doesn't cite "Psyché Rock" as a direct inspiration. 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 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, but our Patreon Iogo was designed by Jeff Hinchee. This is a TableCakes podcast. This episode's outro track is "Won't You Help Me" by Yanguru, which Drew picked because it sounds like the closing credits of ever 80s movie ever.