The Gayest Episodes of (Typically) Straight TV Shows
Nowadays, there are a lot of great start-to-finish LGBTQ TV shows, from reality shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to comedies like “The Other Two.” But just because a show isn’t always gay, doesn’t mean it’s never gay.
When gay characters started popping up on television sporadically in the ’70s and early ’80s, they were largely one-episode wonders, with their sexualities serving as plot fodder for the regular, straight cast members to grapple with. One of, if not the first, gay characters on television came in the fifth episode of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family,” which focused on main character Archie (Carroll O’Connor) learning that one of his former college friends is gay. Other sitcoms that followed “All in the Family” utilized similar one episode plots: a 1976 episode of “The Bob Newhart Show” saw the main character trying to curb prejudice in a therapy group when a member came out. And a 1983 episode of “Cheers” focused on the patrons of the titular drinking hole growing paranoid the establishment would turn into a gay bar.
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This approach became something of a cliché, to the point that it became a common variant of the stereotypical “very special episode.” That said, as easy as it is to mock these episodes as outdated, at the time they were the only way TV could address queer identity in any meaningful way. They undoubtedly paved the way for more prominent, multi-episode LGBTQ characters and stories that began to pop up in the ’90s and early ’00s, like Ricky’s arc in “My So-Called Life” and David’s plot in “Six Feet Under.”
Even now, when queer TV is thriving, seemingly straight shows sort of dabble in queer storylines. Sometimes, the introduction of supporting queer parts becomes cringe-worthy as hell. Other times, it’s iconic. A lot of the time, it’s both. So, for Pride Month, let’s celebrate some of the times mostly straight shows took a minute to come out of the closet.
To qualify for this list, the shows have to generally focus on straight characters or straight romances, with queer characters or plotlines only being introduced for a handful of episodes or in subplots. The series selected run the gamut from ’80s classics like “The Golden Girls” to more modern selections like “Black Mirror’s” iconic “San Junipero” episode, from child-friendly animated series like “SpongeBob SquarePants” to gritty HBO dramas like “The Sopranos.”
Entries are listed in rough chronological order. Read on for 12 of the gayest episodes from overall straight shows.
With editorial contributions by Alison Foreman and Jude Dry.
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