Gayest Episode Ever

Welcome to a new season of Gayest Episode Ever. It will be a Saturday Night Live-centric season. Among the regular, sitcom-focused episodes, we will be doing periodic deep dives into the LGBTQ-focused sketches that ran on the show during its various eras. To kick it off (and to kick off the new season), we are starting with a two-part look at the various queer-adjacent recurring sketches from SNL. This first episode covers the launch of the show until the mid-90s, and next week's episode will get us through the current era. Enjoy? Maybe? It's a lot to take in, honestly, but we swear it's worth discussion. Here are this episode's sketches: Anita Bryant (s5e16 — Burt Reynolds, April 12, 1980) Dion (s9e8 — Flip Wilson, December 10, 1983) Nancy Reagan (s11e2 — John Lithgow, November 16, 1985) Coffee Talk (s16e13 — Roseanne Barr & Tom Arnold, February 2, 1989) It's Pat (s17e3 — Kirstie Alley, October 12, 1991) Lyle the Effeminate Heterosexual (s17e16 — Mary Stuart Masterson, March 21, 1992) Mickey the Dyke (s22e8 — Martin Short, December 7, 1996) Ambiguously Gay Duo (s23e20 — David Duchovny, May 9, 1998) Jeffrey's (s26e12 — Sean Hayes, February 2, 2001) Mango (s27e9 — Ellen DeGeneres, December 15, 2001) You can watch the sketches on Patreon. You can see Drew's master list of LGBTQ-focused SNL sketches 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.

"it takes a psycho" (April 30, 2023) Barry is not a sitcom, though it was frequently one of the funnier shows on TV. We're doing a bonus summer episode about it anyway because its gay character, NoHo Hank, is a rarity on TV because he's both a villain and a person who doesn't let his sexuality define him. That's not necessarily a good thing, but we're all about complex, messy queer characters, and this is one people should be talking about. Special thanks to Emily Heller for sharing her recollections of working on the show. SPOILER WARNING: We will talk about major plot points from Barry through season three, episode four. Read the New York Times piece on gay villains on TV. Listen to Drew and Glen discuss the Lookwell pilot 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.

"The Perils of Punky" (October 20, 1985) This might be the most famous weird episode of any TV show ever, and with good reason: it is utterly inexplicable how this parade of horrors came to be. It would be weird for any sitcom to deliberately scare its viewers, much less a show that catered specifically to kids. Wait, is the shared trauma of this Punky Brewster the reason why millennials can't stop talking about old TV? No, really — is this why??? This is an episode of our Patreon bonus podcast Weirdest Episode Ever. Listen to the rest of those episodes on Patreon or now also on Apple Podcasts! Check out Drew's video of all the times Brandon the dog was clearly not acting and was, in fact, actually scared of what was happening during this episode. Most of the quotes used in this piece come from this Yahoo TV retrospective on this episode. Watch Drew's supercut of the Soleil Moon Frye's pre-Punky made-for-TV horror movie, Invitation to Hell — and listen to the Monday Afternoon Movie about it! The logo for Weirdest Episode Ever was designed by Ian O'Phelan. The theme music was composed by Nick Loiacano. 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.

"Empty Nests" (May 16, 1987) Happy summer! This is an episode of Backdoor Pilots, our summer Patreon series looking into the times famous sitcoms attempted to use a backdoor pilot to launch a spinoff. This particular example is one of the most interesting, since what aired on Golden Girls ended up being very different from the spinoff that made it to air, Empty Nest. Here is the full list of Backdoor Pilots episodes, with links to the ones that are currently live on Patreon. More to come! Golden Girls, "Empty Nests" Married With Children, "Top of the Heap" Who's the Boss?, "Mona" Diff'rent Strokes, "The Girls School" Gimme a Break, "Nell and the Kid" Married With Children, "Radio Free Trumaine" 227, "The Audit" The Cosby Show, "Mr. Quiet" The Nanny, "Chatterbox" Who's the Boss?, "Living Dolls" Support us at the $5-a-month level or higher to get every new episode of Backdoor Pilots in your feed as they go live. Is there maybe some bad blood between Golden Girls creator Susan Harris and Rita Moreno, who almost starred in the spinoff? We talk about it in the episode, but I also made a video detailing this weird bit of TV history in case you'd like to explore it with visual aids. The theme song to this series was composed and performed by Meika Grimm. The art for the series was designed by Ian O'Phelan.

"Flaming Moe" (January 16, 2011) Today, LGBTQ characters on The Simpsons get to be more than walking gay jokes, and, really, this is one of the first episodes that shows Smithers as a (mostly) out member of the larger community in Springfield. It's not perfect, however; there's an homage to the 2008 film Milk that lands strangely, there's a hetero love subplot for Skinner that takes acts two and three, and there's a trans joke that underscores how advances in representation for LGBs didn't include the Ts. But this episode, penned by future showrunner Matt Selman, shows the series is learning and evolving. Watch Drew's supercut of every LGBTQ joke on The Simpsons (season 1 through 31) to get that view count over 4 million. Watch the new season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising June 1 on Netflix! And if you don't know what a Ninjago is, watch Ninjago Decoded, starting here. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime — and now also on Apple TV. WATCH IT NOW!

"Mama Loves Mambo" (May 3, 1956) While Ralph Kramden never met an out gay character on screen, he did once tussle with a new neighbor, Carlos Sanchez (Charles Korvin), who embodies all the traits of the "latin lover" stock character type. This includes being perceived as a threat to women while also being sensitive, empathetic and emotional — or in the midcentury binary, effeminate. We're joined by Nu Julio himself, Tony Rodriguez, to discuss why this classic sitcom strikes a different chord than I Love Lucy, what to make of Ralph Kramden's domestic violence threats and why you maybe didn't see The Honeymooners in syndication back in the day. Watch Tony's new movie Maximum Truth on Prime Video, Apple TV or YouTube. Watch the new season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising June 1 on Netflix! And if you don't know what a Ninjago is, watch Ninjago Decoded, starting here. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! 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

"Blood Crieth Unto Heaven" (January 27, 2013) Yes, we're giving you two American Dads this season, with this one representing how this show uses high-concept premises better than most other sitcoms. In this one, the show presents itself as a stage play, complete with all the restrictions and encumbrances that come with denying itself the ability to do quick cuts, and what results is as funny as it is bizarre. Here to discuss why this episode is a stand-out is Johnny LaZebnik, who sings the praises of Wendy Schaal's comedic delivery. Do you love old TV? Then check out Network 33, where you can get the series run of various classic sitcoms in a way that's more permanent than you can get on streaming services. We are fans! And we use this site to make this show! Should this technically be a Weirdest Episode Ever? Sure, but here's the thing: When we label episodes in the main feed as this, you all tend to click on them less. Will dropping this on the main feed with a non-Weird title get us more listens? Only time will tell. Subscribe to Johnny's Substack! Listen to Johnny's previous GEE episode, where he discusses writing a Simpsons with his papá. If you want to hear about another good, weird American Dad episode, listen to Talking Simpsons' episode about "Gold Top Nuts." Also listen to Drew and Glen on their episode about Conan O'Brien's pilot, Lookwell. Watch the new season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising June 1 on Netflix! And if you don't know what a Ninjago is, watch Ninjago Decoded, starting here. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! 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

"Bad Girl" (November 12, 1996) If you were not the target audience (and target age) for this live-action Nickelodeon series, you may be shocked to find out that The Secret World of Alex Mack is a sci-fi show. It's basically Spider-Man with a baby gay lead protagonist, played with remarkable aplomb by Larisa Oleynik. We're joined by Katie Mathewson, screenwriter on Hawkeye and the breakout hit Jury Duty, to discuss how very queer this show is — and in particular this episode, which plays out like a mid-90s lesbian teen romcom. Check out Lizzie Borden (no, not that one), who directed this episode and may have played a role in giving it its queer vibe. Listen to Drew and Glen talk about Conan O'Brien's failed pilot Lookwell on Talking Simpsons! Watch the new season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising June 1 on Netflix! And if you don't know what a Ninjago is, watch Ninjago Decoded, starting here. Listen to the newest episode of Deep Cuts & Superficial Wounds here. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! 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

This week, we're joined by Matt Baume, author of the new book Hi Honey, I'm Homo, about the history of LGBTQ representation on American TV. Instead of a single episode, we're talking about several, including some we've covered previously on GEE and some we have not! All in the Family, "Judging Books by Covers" (February 9, 1971) Soap, "Episode 1.8" (November 8, 1977) The Golden Girls, "Isn't It Romantic?" (November 8, 1986) and "Sister of the Bride" (January 12, 1991) Ellen, "The Puppy Episode" (April 30, 1997) Will & Grace, "Homo for the Holidays" (November 25, 1999) Schitt's Creek, "Honeymoon" (April 15, 2015) Go buy Matt's book, Hi Honey, I'm Homo! Watch the Carol Burnette clip with Jim Nabors and Rock Hudson that Drew mentions. Watch the Ellen DeGeners appearance on Rosie O'Donnell that Matt mentions. And here is that Australian marriage equality ad. Listen to that deep dive about Cool World that Drew mentions. There are a lot of references to episodes we've covered previously, and check them all out here: Archie Bunker Meets a Homo Alice Dates a Gay Guy Gomer Pyle Writes Gay Love Letters Taxi Does a Bisexual Episode We Finally Do Soap Dorothy's Friend Is a Lesbian Blanche's Gay Brother Wants to Get Gay Married The Other Two Finds a Daddy Ellen Comes Out* Give us a rate and review on Apple Podcasts — and on Spotify too, if you can.

"I Love You! My Dear, Dear Ukyo" (May 18, 1990) This week, we're pivoting away from traditional sitcoms to discuss Ranma ½, a long-running anime that combines martial arts, romance, mysticism and… zany misunderstandings that are actually very sitcom-like, when you get down to it. This series focuses on the title character, a teenage boy who due to a curse turns into a girl when splashed with cold water, so there are a bajillion ways to analyze the gender dynamics. Here to discuss this with us is Diamond Feit, an American-born writer for whom Ranma ½ was a gateway drug to not only Japanese culture but also getting xem to live in Japan. Drew refers to a Twitter thread by Michaela Joffe about the Urusei Yatsura character Ryūnosuke Fujinami. Read that here. Diamond refers to the list of differences between the first series of Ranma ½ and the later ones. Read that here. And see the clip of Kodachi laughing maniacally here. Watch the new season of Ninjago: Dragons Rising June 1 on Netflix! And if you don't know what a Ninjago is, watch Ninjago Decoded, starting here. Listen to the newest episode of Deep Cuts & Superficial Wounds here. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! 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.