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
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.
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1:30:58
Not Just Bugs Bunny in Drag! (Seven Very Gay Looney Tunes Shorts)
It may not be news to listeners of this podcast, but the Looney Tunes cartoons can be very gay. In celebration of the nearly 800 shorts being hosted on Tubi, Drew, Glen and returning guest Tony Rodriguez look at some of our favorites that also lend themselves to a queer reading. And no, it’s not all Bugs Bunny in Drag. In fact, we probably didn’t pick the drag moments you’re expecting. But no worries: There is zero Tweety content in this episode. (The search function on the desktop version of Tubi sucks, so you will have to settle for mostly non-Tubi links. Oh well, we tried.) 1. To Hare Is Human: https://archive.org/details/to-hare-is-human 2. Ride Him, Bosko https://archive.org/details/reb11452 3. Hare Trimmed: https://archive.org/details/hare-trimmed-1953-restored 4. Two Gophers from Texas: https://vimeo.com/1074846138 5. What’s Up, Doc?: https://vimeo.com/75457120 6. I Love to Singa: https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200243359/s01-e08-mr-mrs-is-the-name-i-love-to-singa-porky-of-the-northwoods 7. Hillbilly Hare: https://archive.org/details/looney.-tunes.-s-1950-e-19.-hillbilly.-hare.-720p.-blu-ray.h-264.-aac-ma-g-chamele-0n
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2:30:36
The Critic Is Very Gay (Even If Jay Sherman Is Not)
"Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice" (March 12, 1995) Finally, we get around to discussing one of our more formative comedic experiences, and it’s one shared more or less exclusively by elder millennials: The Critic, which somehow managed to be both more grown up and more juvenile than The Simpsons. In this episode, we discuss how the two seasons of this cult favorite repeatedly insinuated that the title character was gay, and how and episode guest-starring Siskel and Ebert manages to be the gayest episode of all. The Mr. President episode of our bonus series The Fox Files is free to listen to on Patreon, even if you're not pledging money! Listen to Talking Simpsons discuss Capitol Critters so you don’t have to watch it yourself. And listen to us guest on Talking Simpsons to discuss the other Al Jean & Mike Reiss effort, Teen Angel.
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Laverne & Shirley Check Into the Honeymoon Suite
“Honeymoon Hotel” (February 22, 1977) You innocent TV Land watchers may not have suspected that there was anything queer about Laverne & Shirley, a show about two women who share an apartment and work at a brewery. Sure, they’re boy crazy, but also there’s this episode where they scam their way into a bridal suite and downtown Milwaukee’s finest hotel. Here to help us unpack the sapphic undertones is the final girl herself, Stacie Ponder! Also: Ghosts! Farrah Fawcett! And Rosie O’Donnell! Listen to Stacie’s new podcast, Final Girl After Dark, as well as her watchthrough of the entire Twin Peaks franchise, The Detective and the Log Lady. Listen to the What a Cartoon episode about Laverne & Shirley in the Army… if you dare! Listen to the Monday Afternoon Movie episode with Natalie Lander. And click here to watch the SNL sketch Drew mentions with Rosie O’Donnell, Penny Marshall and Whitney Houston.
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