Gayest Episode Ever

"Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing" (March 31, 2015) In its sixth and final season, Community decided to explore the series-long running joke about Dean Pelton's mysterious, complex sexuality. Henry Gilbert once again joins us to discuss how the dean is not actually gay — he may be a pansexual imp, after all — but in forcing him to pick a tidy label, this show does a good job showing how many queer people end up pigeonholing themselves in a way that doesn't fully express who they are. Listen to Henry's podcast, Talking Simpsons. Listen to his episode about Pride Nite at Disneyland on Podcast: The Ride. The Community "this better not awaken anything in me" clip. The trailer for Portuguese Gremlins, which is not only the best thing Community ever did but also a justification for the medium of TV in general. Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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.

"Drew's Brother" (November 19, 1997) We finally did it! We not only found the perfect guest for this episode — writer, performer and UCB alum Joan Ford — but we also got the chance to tell the world that The Drew Carey Show deserves to live it. It's not only the most successful Friends clone but also the only one that sustained a whole series about working class young people. And in its third season, it introduced Drew's brother Steve (John Caroll Lynch) who is a cross-dresser who might just be a transwoman. What's more, the show pairs Steve off with Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney), who is dragtastic and deserving of queer icon status in her own right. Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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 Censors," (April 10, 1980) James L. Brooks followed up the hit Taxi with another workplace ensemble that skewed decidedly fancier: The Associates featured a young and unknown Martin Short among a group of fresh hires at a Wall Street law firm. The show didn't work and is almost forgotten today. But its second-to-last episode did feature a trip to the Hollywood set of a sitcom where a producer battles an overzealous censor. There's a gay sublot, but the overall story is a cautionary tale that applies to people making TV today just as much as it did four decades ago Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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.

"Single Stamina" (November 27, 2006) Now that HIMYM has been off the air for a full decade, it's worth considering how this show holds up better than most from the early 2000s did. Not only did it give us Robin Sparkles, it just might be the only TV show to compare equally well to both Friends and Lost, as improbable as that sounds. This episode has Wayne Brady playing a gay character in a bit of stunt casting that worked a lot better before he came out, but it also just might be the thing that convinced Neil Patrick Harris to finally come out as well. Listen to the newest episode of Cartoons That Made Us Gay, all about Conan: The Adventurer and the inherent gayness of the "barbarian" genre in general. Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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.

What if we broke format to discuss America's favorite smartypants game show? Well, we did it. And special guest Emily Heller joins us to discuss Amy Schneider, who became Jeopardy's second-longest-running winner ever — and as a result became a household name and a trans icon. Listen to Emily's Jeopardy podcast, What Is…? A Jeopardy! Podcast on Apple or Spotify! Listen to Peaches Christ and also Drew on Matt Baume's new My So-Called Life podcast! Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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 Courtship of Bess Richards" (October 4, 1986) The second episode of Amen concerns Sherman Hemsley's Ernie trying to land his choir a new singer in Nell Carter's Bess, and the result is a comedy of errors in which both he and she perform romantic interest that neither is capable of actually feeling. The result is a WWF-style wrestling match between these two iconic sitcom stars, and we're joined once again by Dr. Alfred L. Martin to discuss how this is rendered all the stranger because Hemsley and Carter both were closeted and therefore all too accustomed to acting out hetero identities different from how they lived privately. This episode mentions a TV Guide article about Sherman Hemsley's private life that I now cannot find online. However, I bought the issue on eBay and will post as soon as it arrives. You can see Zach Wilson's posting of it on Twitter. Thanks, Zach! Buy Dr. Alfred's book, The Generic Closet: Black Gayness and the Black-Cast Sitcom. Listen to Hemsley in the performance of Purlie that Alfred mentions. Watch a clip of Hemsley's gay villain turn in 2000's Screwed. Listen to Dr. Alfred's previous episodes: Roc Has a Gay Uncle Moesha Meets a Gay Guy Sanford Arms Meets a Gay — And He's Black!

"Menage a Phyllis" (November 2, 1974) In the third-season episode "My Brother's Keeper," Rhoda famously said the word "gay," turning a plot about her association with Phyllis' brother on its head. Two seasons later, Phyllis shows up in another episode that discusses gay issues but weirdly doesn't say that word. Regardless, there's perhaps more to be made of the newsroom's opinions about what codes as gay, and Dan Steadman returns to discuss this and what we'll call the "Murray Slaughter problem." Read Dead Buckley's 2018 piece "Queer Coding on the Mary Tyler Moore Show" Episodes referenced: Dan's previous episode, "Mike Seaver Actually Said the Word 'Gay'" Our previous Mary Tyler Moore episode, "Mary and Rhoda Meet a Homo" Our episode "Phyllis Dates a Homo" Our episode "The Dream On Guy Has a Gay Dad"

"Cousin Geri" (December 24, 1980) Fun game for listeners: Take a shot every time Drew mentions the phrase "gigantic bitch" in connection with Lisa Welchel's Blair, who is in rare form this episode as she shuns her disabled cousin Geri for reasons that aren't the ones you're probably assuming. In this discussion, we bring up why Geri Jewell is a trailblazer as far as being queer and also one other thing and also why "actress recurring on Deadwood" is lowkey code for lesbian. Erin Fletcher, we want you back for that Saved by the Bell episode. Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE's Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • 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.

"Gay Bash" (November 10, 2004) For better or worse, Drawn Together represents a very real trend in mid-2000s humor. It specifically sought out to tell the most offensive jokes it could get on air, but that's what makes it surprising that the episode where Xandir admits he's gay isn't the parade of easy jokes you might expect. The B plot sucks rancid balls, to the point that we don't even use clips from it in this discussion, but you might be surprised how this animated reality show makes its token gay a sympathetic guy. Check out Bradley Smith's YouTube interview with series creators Dave Jesser and Matt Silvertsein, from which we grabbed a few anecdotes about the development of Drawn Together. Listen to our Cartoons That Made Us Gay episode about the Legend of Zelda cartoon. Listen to the Best Movies Never Made podcast, hosted by Golan the Insatiable creator Josh Miller. 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 • 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.

"Dye! Dye! My Darling!" (August 2, 2000) Spend a little time in a Daria fan community and you'll find folks who ship the title character with her best friend, Jane. The show actually never does a gay episode and only gets the slightest bit queer in the first movie, Is It Fall Yet?, which has Jane affirming her heterosexuality despite how very queer she might seem. In this episode, we're discussing the nonetheless existent lesbian vibes between Daria and Jane — and who better to offer input on this than Talking Simpsons cohost Bob Mackey? Sure, he's straight, but it turns out that straight men can relate to female characters too. (We were shocked!) As it turns out, Bob and Henry's What a Cartoon podcast covers not only the Daria episode that immediately precedes this one, "Fire!" and also "The Misery Chick," which as we discuss is a crucial turning point in the development of Daria Morgandorfer. This week, Glen and Drew are guests on Talking Simpsons, discussing "Three Gays of the Condo" and why it's not great! If you need more of our voices in your life, have a listen 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 • 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.