Read The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV Online
Authors: Stephen Tropiano
| “The Bug,” Judge Sims is outed by the press (3/19/01) | |
| “It’s About Love,” Ramon defends a young man accused.of gay bashing (3/5/02) | |
| ONCE AND AGAIN (ABC, Drama, 1999-2002) | Reg: Jesse Samler (Evan Rachel Wood) |
| Rec: Katie (Mischa Barton) | |
| “Gay Straight-Alliance,” Jessie and Katie develop crush on each other (3/11/02) | |
| ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ABC, Soap Opera, 1968- ) | Reg: Billy Douglas (Ryan Phillipe) (1992-1993); Jonathan Michaelson (Bruce McCarty) (1992-1993); Rick Mitchel (Joe Fiske) (1992-1993) |
| OPEN END [DAVID SUSSKIND SHOW] (Syn., Talk Show, 1958-1987) | “Homosexuality,” Discussion on normalcy of homosexuality (2/12/67) |
| OPEN MIND (c. 1956- 1957, Talk Show, WRCA- TV/New York) | “Introduction to the Problem of Homosexuality” (8/4/56) |
| “Homosexuality, A Psychological Approach” (9/29/56) | |
| “Male and Female in American Culture” (1/12/57) | |
| OWEN MARSHALL, COUNSELOR AT LAW (ABC, Legal Drama, 1971- 1974) | “Words of Summer,” Female athlete accused of molestation (9/14/72) |
| OZ (HBO, Prison Drama, 1997- ) | Reg: Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), prisoner; Chris Keller (Chris Meloni), prisoner |
| “The Routine,” Beecher arrives at Oz (7/12/97) | |
| “Strange Bedfellows,” Beecher tells Sister Pete he loves Keller (8/17/98) | |
| “Escape from Oz,” Schillinger and Keller beat up Beecher (8/31/98) | |
| OZ | “A Word to the Wise,” Beecher tells Father Ray he’s killed gay men (8/16/01) |
| PAPER DOLLS (ABC, Drama, 1984) | Conrad (Jeff Richman), Hairdresser |
| PARTY GIRL (Fox, Comedy, 1996) | Reg: Derrick (John Cameron Mitchell), fashion stylist |
| PARTY OF FIVE (Fox, Drama, 1994-2000) | Rec: Ross Werkman (Mitchell Anderson) (1994-1997, 1999-2000); Victor (Wilson Cruz) (1999-2000) |
| “Something Out of Nothing,” Ross comes out to Claudia (11/7/94) | |
| “Who Cares?” Julia learns friend Danny is HIV+ (2/15/95) | |
| “Ides of March,” Ross adopts a baby (3/15/95) | |
| “Poor Substitutes,” Allison makes a pass at Julia (1/17/96) | |
| “I Declare,” Ross dates Claudia’s gay teacher (1/22/97) | |
| “What a Drag,” Owen dresses up in girl’s clothes (9/17/97) | |
| “Here and Now,” Sarah’s new boyfriend is gay (1/28/98) | |
| “I’ll Show You Mine,” Julia kisses her female friend Perry (5/5/99) | |
| “Haunted,” Julia deals with feelings for Perry (5/12/99) | |
| “Isn’t it Romantic,” Ross and Victor go on a coffee date (4/11/00) | |
| PEARL (CBS, Comedy, 1996-1997) | “The Two Mrs. Rizzos,” Annie’s ex-boyfriend falls for Prof. Pynchon (6/4/97) |
| PHYLLIS (CBS, Comedy, 1975-1977) | “Out of the Closet,” Phyllis’s boyfriend reveals he’s gay (1/1/76) |
| PICKET FENCES (CBS, Drama, 1992-1996) | “Pageantry,” Transsexual teacher directs Christmas pageant (12/11/92) |
| “Sugar and Spice,” Kimberly and best friend Lisa kiss (4/29/93) | |
| “Witness for the Prosecution,” Pope witnesses a gay man’s suicide (12/8/95) | |
| “Bye, Bye Bey Bey,” Laurie’s baby goes to her gay brother and his lover (4/24/96) | |
| “Three Weddings & a Meltdown,” Laurie’s mom sues for custody of baby (4/24/96) | |
| P.O.V. (PBS, Documentary, 1988- ) | Documentary series |
| POLICE STORY (NBC, Police Drama, 1973-1980) | “The Ripper,” Serial killer on the loose (2/12/74) |
| POLICE STORY | “Headhunter,” Police Sgt. accused of indecent acts (1/14/75) |
| “The Malfores,” Chicano gang wreaks havoc in the barrio (1/25/77) | |
| POLICE WOMAN (NBC, Drama, 1974-1978) | “Flowers of Evil,” Lesbian nursing home owners kill their patients (11/8/74) |
| “Trial by Prejudice,” Pepper is accused of molesting female prisoner (10/12/76) | |
| “Night of the Full Moon,” Pepper on trail of a transvestite killer (12/28/76) | |
| POPULAR (WB, Comedy, 1999-2001) | Reg: Miss Bobbi Glass (Diane Delano), science teacher; Robin John (Alley Mills), Harrison’s mother; Mr. Bennett (Mitchell Anderson), teacher (2000) |
| “Wild, Wild Mess,” Harrison hides the fact that his mom is a lesbian (12/2/99) | |
| “Caged,” Lily reveals she’s questioned her sexuality (2/3/00) | |
| “Booty Camp,” Students attend consciousness-raising boot camp (2/10/00) | |
| “C-C-Changes,” Pre-op transsexual teacher is fired (4/20/00) | |
| “Fag,” Lily starts a gay-straight student group (3/9/01) | |
| PRACTICE, THE (NBC, Comedy, 1976-1977) | “Helen’s Beau,” Helen discovers her boyfriend is gay (10/22/76) |
| PRACTICE, THE (ABC, Legal Drama, 1997- ) | “Betrayal,” Joey Heric gets off for murder his ex-lover (9/23/97) |
| “The Civil Right,” Jimmy’s Mom wants to marry her lover (12/20/97) | |
| “Another Day,” Heric gets off again for murdering his lover (3/9/98) | |
| “Honorable Man,” Man fires employee with AIDS (5/14/00) | |
| “We Hold These Truths,” Married officer is outed during trial (11/5/00) | |
| “The Candidate Pt. 1 & 2,” Senator is accused of murder (9/23/01) | |
| “The Return of Joe Heric,” Now he’s a lawyer (4/14/02) | |
| PRISONER: CELL BLOCK H (Syn., Prison Drama, 1979-1986) | Reg: Freida “Franky” Doyle (Carol Burns) (1979), prisoner; Doreen Anderson/Burns (Colette Mann) (1979), prisoner and Franky’s lover; Sharon Gilmour (Margot Knight) (1979), prisoner; Judy Bryant (Betty Bobbit) (1979-1984) Sharon’s lover; Angela Jeffries (Jeanie Drynan), lawyer; Vera “Vinegar Tits” Bennett (Fiona Spence) (1979- 1981), guard; Joan “The Freak” Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick) (1982-1986), guard |
| PROFILER (NBC, 1996- 2000) | Rec: George Fraley (Peter Frechette), computer hacker |
| PUBLIC MORALS (CBS, Comedy, 1996) | Reg: John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup), administrative assistant |
| PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (NBC, Comedy, 1995) | Reg: Alex Chosek (Brad Garrett), lawyer |
| “Celebrations in Hell,” Alex comes out to his partner Steve (9/19/95) | |
| “Wedding Dates,” Steve agrees to be Alex’s date (10/10/95) | |
| QUANTUM LEAP (NBC, Science Fiction, 1989-1993) | “Good Night, Dear Heart — 11/9/57,” Sam investigates lesbian’s murder (3/7/90) |
| “Running for Honor — 6/11/64,” Homophobia in a military academy (1/15/92) | |
| QUEER AS FOLK (Showtime, Drama, 2000- ) | Reg: Brian Kinney (Gale Harold); Ted Schmitt (Scott Lowell); Michael Novotny (Hal Sparks); Melanie Marcus (Michelle Clunie); Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison); Lindsay Peterson (Thea Gill); Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige); Vic Grassi (Jack Weatherall); Dr. David Cameron (Chris Potter) (2000-2001) |
| QUEER DUCK (Showtime, Animation, 2000- ) | |
| REAL WORLD (MTV, Reality, 1992- ) | Reg: Norman Korpi (New York, 1992); Beth Anthony (Los Angeles, 1993); Pedro Zamora (San Francisco, 1994); Dan Renzi (Miami, 1996); Genesis Moss (Boston, 1997); Ruthie Alcaide (Hawaii, 1999); Justin Deabler (Hawaii, 1999); Jason Daniel “Danny” Roberts (New Orleans, 2000); Aneesa (Chicago, 2002); Chris Beckmann III (Chicago, 2002) |
| Rec: Sean Sasser, Pedro’s lover (San Francisco, 1994); Arnie, Dan’s boyfriend (Miami, 1996); Johnny, Dan’s boyfriend (Miami, 1996); Paul, Danny’s boyfriend (New Orleans, 2000); Veronica, Aneesa’s girlfriend (Chicago, 2002); Kurt, Chris’ boyfriend (Chicago, 2002) | |
| RELATIVITY (ABC, Drama, 1996-1997) | Reg: Rhonda Roth (Lisa Edelstein) |
| Rec: Suzanne (Kristin Dattilo) | |
| “Just One More Thing,” Rhonda and her girlfriend break up (9/28/96) | |
| “The Day the Earth Move,” Rhonda meets Suzanne (1/11/97) | |
| RESURRECTION BLVD (Showtime, Drama, 2000- ) | “Saliendo,” Tommy arrives home with lover and comes out to family (10/9/01) |
| ROAD RULES (MTV, Reality,1994- ) | Reg : Sophia Pasquis (“The Quest, Season 10) |
| ROC (Fox, Comdy, 1991- 1994) | “Can’t Help Lovin That Man,” Russell marries a white man (10/19/91) |
| “Brothers,” Russell moves to Paris (4/5/94) | |
| ROCKFORD FILES, THE (NBC, Detective Drama, 1974-1980) | “The Empty Frame,” Gay art collector is betrayed by lover (11/17/98) |
| ROOM 222 (ABC, Drama, 1969-1974) | “What is a Man?” Creative student’s masculinity is questioned (3/14/71) |
| ROSEANNE (ABC, Comedy, 1988-1997) | Rec : Beverly Harris (Estelle Harris) (1989-1997), Roseanne’s mother; Nancy Bartlett (Sandra Bernhard) (1991-1997), Roseanne’s bisexual friend; Leon Carp (Martin Mull) (1991-1997), Roseanne’s boss; Scott (Fred Willard) (1995-1997), Leon’s lover; Joyce Levine (1997), Bev’s lover |
| “Trick or Treat,” Roseanne is mistaken for a man on Halloween (10/30/90) | |
| “Ladies’ Choice,” Nancy comes out (11/10/92) | |
| “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Roseanne gets a kiss from Mariel Hemingway (3/1/94) | |
| “Skeleton in the Closet,” Roseanne is made to believe Fred is gay (10/26/94) | |
| “December Bride,” Leon and Scott wed (12/12/95) | |
| “Home is Where the Afghan Is,” Bev comes out (11/26/96) | |
| ROSIE O’DONNELL SHOW, THE (Syndicated, Talk, 1996-2002) | Reg: Rosie O‘Donnell, host |
| ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN (NBC, Comedy/Variety, 1968- 1973) | |
| RUDE AWAKENING (Showtime, Comedy- Drama, 1998-2000) | Rec : Jackie (Rain Pryor) (1998-1999), Billie’s AA friend; Clark (Jack Plotnick) (1999-2000), Billie’s AA sponsor |
| RuPAUL SHOW, THE (VH-1, Talk, 1996-1998) | Reg: RuPaul |
| SANFORD AND SON (NBC, Comedy, 1972- 1977) | “The Piano Movers,” Fred and Lamont move a piano from a gay man’s apartment (4/14/72) |
| “Lamont...is that You?” Fred and Lamont mistake each other for gay (10/19/73) | |
| SANFORD ARMS (NBC, Comedy, 1977) | “Phil’s Assertion School,” White man befriends gay black attorney (9/22/77) |
| SANTA BARBARA (NBC, Soap Opera, 1984-1993) | Rec: Channing Capwell, Jr. (Robert Wilson) (1984-1985) |
| SARA (NBC, Comedy, 1985) | Reg: Dennis Kemper (Bronson Pinchot), lawyer |
| SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC, Variety, 1975- ) | Reg: Terry Sweeny (1985-1986) |
| Rec: Ace and Gary, the Ambiguously Gay Duo | |
| SAY UNCLE (CBS, unaired sitcom pilot, 2001) | Ken Olin as gay man who adopts his late sister’s two children |
| SECOND CITY TELEVISION (HBO/CBS, 1977-1981) | |
| SECRET LIVES OF MEN, THE (ABC, Comedy, 1998) | “Dating is Hell,” Michael wonders if a gay client has a crush on him (10/21/98) |
| SEINFELD (NBC, Comedy, 1990-1998) | “The Subway,” “Best man” Elaine en route to lesbian wedding (1/8/92). |
| “The Cheever Letters,” George finds love letters to Susan’s dad (10/28/92) | |
| “The Outing,” Jerry and George are outed by college reporter (2/11/93) | |
| “The Smelly Car,” George discovers Susan is dating a woman (4/15/93) | |
| “The Beard,” Elaine falls for a gay man (2/9/95) | |
| “The Sponge,” Kramer refuses to wear red ribbon at AIDS Walk (12/7/95) | |
| “The Wig Master,” Wig master for touring musical stays with George (4/4/96) | |
| SEX AND THE CITY (HBO, Comedy,1998- ) | Rec: Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) |
| “Bay of Married Pigs,” Miranda is mistaken for a lesbian (6/21/98) | |
| “Three’s a Crowd,” Samantha and Charlotte gets ménage offers (6/26/98) | |
| “The Turtle and the Hare,” Carrie poses as Stanford’s beard (8/2/98) | |
| “Old Dogs, New Dicks,” Samantha’s ex models drag persona after her (8/1/99) | |
| “Evolution,” Charlotte wonders if new beau is gay (8/15/99) | |
| “Cock-a-doodle-do,” Tranny prostitutes keep Samantha awake (10/15/00) | |
| SEX AND THE CITY | “The Real Me,” Carrie models in a fashion show (6/3/01) |
| “Defining Moments,” Samantha’s fling with a lesbian artist (6/10/01) | |
| “All That Glitters,” Carrie befriends gay man; Miranda outs co-worker (1/13/02) | |
| SHOWCASE (1958-1959?) | (No title) Fannie Hurst hosts discussion on male homosexuality (3/10/58) |
| (No title) Hurst is forced to cancel lesbian discussion (3/11/58) | |
| (No title) Introductory discussion of homosexuality (4/21/59) | |
| “Problems of the Teenager Who Doesn’t Fit,” Homosexuality in the home (4/28/59) | |
| (No title) Psychological and sociological factors related to homosexuality (5/1/59) | |
| SIX FEET UNDER (HBO, Drama, 2001- ) | Reg : David (Michael C. Hall), funeral director; Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick), LAPD Officer |
| Rec : Robbie (Joel Brooks), flower arranger | |
| “Familia,” Dead Latino helps David confront his fears (6/24/01) |