"More Like Skanksgiving" (November 20, 2012) Here you have it: the one other gay-themed Thanksgiving episode of a sitcom. Three seasons in, this one reveals heretofore-unheard canon that the Happy Endings characters exist as they do solely as a result of MTV's The Real World — and that Max things he might have been the first gay person on TV. Meanwhile, no one is remarking how Jane's 2002 raver outfit is one of the more explicitly bisexual things she's ever done on this show, and we at one point meet her ex-girlfriend. Listen to our previous Happy Endings episode, and if this one isn't Thanksgiving enough for you, check out our Bob's Burgers bi Thanksgiving extravaganza. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
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1:21:19
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1:21:19
The Gay Subtext of Dobie Gillis, TV's First Teen Sitcom
"The Ruptured Duck" (October 10, 1961) On the surface, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis tells the story of a teen boy who falls in love with every girl except Zelda Gilroy, who pines for him hopelessly. All of this is complicated by the fact that the Sheila Keuhl, the actor who played Zelda was in real life a gay woman who ultimately lost out on getting her own spinoff because she didn't fit the idea for what a leading lady was in the early 1960s. But Keuhl got the last laugh IRL, and Zelda Gilroy's queer adjacent legacy lives on in Velma from Scooby-Doo. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
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1:28:48
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1:28:48
Marge Simpson Meets a Drag Queen
"Werking Mom" (November 18, 2018) Yes, The Simpsons did a drag episode, and you might be interested to know that the idea did not originate with "Hey, let's do one about RuPaul's Drag Race." In fact, co-writer Carolyn Omine provided some background info, including how the surprising success of drag queens in the Tupperware sales market ultimately resulted in both Marg and Homer donning drag, and we say this is a great example of how latter-day Simpsons can bend with the times. Our blue duck has become a swan! Listen to the latest episode of The Fox Files — posted so everyone who follows us on Patreon can listen! — here. Listen to all our previous Simpsons episodes here. We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.
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1:31:35
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1:31:35
Small Wonder Celebrated an 80s Kid Who Was Different
"The Neighbors" (September 14, 1985) "Victor / Vicki-toria" (February 14, 1987) "The Bad Seed" (November 7, 1987) Ignore whatever you might have heard about Small Wonder and focus instead on how the show spotlighted Vicki (a.k.a. V.I.C.I), a kid who was labeled as different just for acting the only way she knew. As a result of being defiantly resistant to social norms, Vicki has become iconic to all sorts of 80s kids also failed to fit in, and in this episode, we'll make the argument for the ways she speaks to queer audiences. Tiffany Brissette, you should have been a star. Works cited (among others): This Yahoo! Entertainment retrospective The Mike & Juliet Show cast reunion
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1:52:41
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1:52:41
Fired Up Had the Best Gay Character on Must See TV
"Truth and Consequences" (September 29, 1997) Though it didn't even get a chance to finish out its second season, Fired Up was one of the rare Must See TV sitcoms to feature two female leads. What's more, the recurring gay character, Shannon (played by Mark Davis), is unusual in that he's out, confident and going about his life in a way you just didn't see on other NBC shows of this era. What's even odder is that his traditionally masculine dad (Jonathan Banks) loves his son and supports his career as a drag performer. Can we thank Arleen Sorkin for this? See the photo of Mark Davis looking hunky as hell here. See all the episodes of Fired Up – including the ones that didn't air on NBC — on archive.org.
Back in the day, a major sitcom doing a gay episode was a big deal. A proper gay episode would get headlines, but it would get the attention of two young guys who were still figuring things out — sexuality-wise and culture-wise. Gayest Episode Ever has screenwriter Glen Lakin and stay-at-home journalist Drew Mackie going through the great and not-so-great gay episodes of sitcoms past.
Ireland