Gayest Episode Ever

"The Driver's Seat" (November 30, 1993) We're giving another shot to Roseanne, because perhaps it's been long enough that you all want to listen to stories about this iconic series. Perhaps not! Regardless, this show offered us Martin Mull's Leon, who goes unsung in the annals of gay supporting characters. He's a villain, though much of his evildoing has nothing to do with his sexuality, and in this particular episode, his gayness doesn't even come up — which is unusual, because usually gay supporting characters on sitcoms only show up to be gay and do nothing else. 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.

"Gay" (November 20, 2008) The reviews would have you believe that NBC's attempt at an American redo of Kath & Kim was without merit and appealing to no one. We're not so sure, and the fact that its one season on air came around the same time franchises like Real Housewives and RuPaul's Drag Race were revving up means that there actually an audience for two women who dress trashy but who think they're hot stuff and whose banter vacillates between friendly and bitchy. It's not as successful as the Australian source material was, but given a chance to come into its own, could Kath & Kim U.S. grown like the American version of The Office did? Since it's not streaming anywhere and next to impossible to find online, watch this episode and the pilot here. Need to get pricked? Visit Los Angeles' own Poke Acupuncture! And read the list of episodes we're doing for Backdoor Pilots, our new Patreon series, 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.

"Gay" (May 23, 2002) A smash hit in its native Australia, Kath & Kim focuses on two suburban women joined by their lack of both good taste and any sort of a clue. The second episode is just titled "Gay," and to discuss it, we were joined by Glenn Charlie Dunks, a real-life Australian homosexual who's spent a great deal of time thinking about art, culture and the differences between Australian and American media. He also taught us several vocabulary lessons, because as we learned, we speak English but not necessarily Australian. And read the list of episodes we're doing for Backdoor Pilots, our new Patreon series, here. Videos referenced in this episode: This episode's gay panic montage Weddings, the 1994 Australian special that inspired Kath & Kim Fast Forward's parody of Wilson Phillips Fast Forward's straight Mardi Gras sketch The Big Girl's Blouse sketch Gay Olympics Lord of the Rings x Kath & Kim 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.

"An Old Flame With a New Wick" (March 1, 2004) Despite the preconceptions you might have about Two and a Half Men, the fact remains that its first season features an episode centered on a trans man... when few other sitcoms ever bothered to tell a story about someone who's trans and male. In fact, the previous sitcom of note to do a trans man storyline was the previous episode we had guest Henry Giardina on for: the Golden Girls episode with Gil Kessler. In this installment, we discuss why sitcoms are allergic to trans men and why Two and a Half Man, improbably, doesn't completely fuck this up, even if it's very early 2000s in its understanding of trans people. Listen to Henry & co. on the Totally Trans podcats. And listen to the the trans man-centric (kinda) episode of The Golden Girls with Henry here. Watch the "best fellatio known to mankind" scene that won Holland Taylor the Emmy for The Practice. 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.

"What's in a Name?" (February 16, 1966) On a show all about the zany inhabitants of Hooterville, Ralph Monroe (Mary Grace Canfield) stands out because the most unusual thing about her is her name. She works as a carpenter and dresses for her work, but that name alone is enough that most Hootervillians don't know what pronoun to use for her. As we discuss with special guest Josh Trujillo, Ralph is not a trans character, but this episode about her seeking a new name so she can get married, offers enough to qualify her as interesting enough to merit her own episode of this podcast… darling. Pre-order Josh's book, WASHINGTON'S GAY GENERAL. 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.

This is a preview for the Weirdest Episode Ever about the time Darkwing Duck did a parody of Twin Peaks. The full episode is an exclusive for patrons pledging $5 or more a month, but this preview is going on the free feed both as an enticement and also because I share some quotes from Tad Stones, creator of Darkwing Duck, about how this strange piece of TV came to be. If you want to hear the full episode, head over to our Patreon and pledge at the $5-a-month level; you'll not only get all WEEs so far but also every episode of the new miniseries, Backdoor Pilots, launching next month. Let's get dangerous! For a history of the Scrooge McDuck comics and how they ended up onscreen as Ducktales, listen to the What a Cartoon episode about it. Why yes, Drew did in fact compile a list of all the instances of doubling on the original Twin Peaks. Watch Sesame Street's own Twin Peaks parody, which is also called Twin Beaks.

"Sonny Boy" (February 12, 1981) Is it surprising that TV's most famous drag sitcom never dared to do anything actually gay? It shouldn't be! And for all that could end up going wrong with this premise, this episode, concerning Peter Scolari's character having to explain to his mother why he's wearing a dress, weirdly (and probably accidentally) gets a lot right about coming out. It's a story about someone saying it doesn't matter whether anyone understands your decision. As Billy Joel once said, "I don't care what you say anymore / This is my life / Go ahead with your own life / Leave me alone." Since Bosom Buddies isn't streaming anywhere, you can watch this episode on our Vimeo. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! Listen to Drew talk about R.L. Stine with Kelly Nugent on the Teen Creeps podcast and talk about Jack Hill with James Eldred on the Cinema Oblivia podcast. 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.

"Pawnee Zoo" (September 17, 2009) Okay, fine, we did the Parks & Rec episode you asked for, but here's the thing: The one were Leslie Knope marries gay penguins is not the pro-gay piece of TV history you think it is. Nowhere in this episode does Leslie ever say she gives a dirty squirt about gays or same-sex marriage. The episode never takes a position, and the fact that it won a GLAAD Media Award makes it all the more galling that "Pawnee Zoo" plays out as Leslie liking positive attention but never saying a single nice thing about gay people. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and we'll read reviews on next week's ad. YOU CAN MAKE US SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT!!! 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.

"Caught on Tape" (November 15, 2000) John Goodman's follow-up sitcom to Roseanne was Normal, Ohio, which only lasted seven episodes before Fox yanked it from its schedule in late 2000. Unfortunately, the take-away from its failure was that audiences wouldn't buy a guy like Goodman playing gay, which is perhaps not one of the problems this show needed to fix? This week, special guest / homosexual academic Hollis Griffin joins us to discuss why this show didn't work and why it's still worth discussing as a failed imitator to Will & Grace. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! Watch the episode we're discussing on YouTube. Also watch Don't Ask, the unaired pilot that eventually became this show. 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.

"It Only Hurts When I'm Gay" (October 25, 1985) On paper, the idea of a sitcom taking on the subject of gay bashing seems like the worst idea, but somehow Brothers — TV's first gay sitcom — manages to tell a real story about violence against gay people while avoiding the hokey "very special episode" tropes. We're as shocked as anyone how good this turned out, and what's more, it's genuinely funny without underselling the gravity of the attack. You can now watch Glen's movie, Being Frank, on Freevee via Amazon Prime. WATCH IT NOW! Please, watch this episode (and other Brothers episodes!) on YouTube. The posting we used to do this episode only had 36 views as of the time this GEE went live! 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.