This week, we are popping the first episode of Backdoor Pilots onto the main feed. (And no worries, people supporting on Patreon below the $5 a month level, it will be available for you too!) To promote this one, I did a new video that goes even deeper into the probable/possible beef between Gold...
2023-07-25 20:44:25 +0000 UTC
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"The Girls School" (May 4, 1979)
Most of us grew up in a world where The Facts of Life was always a thing, but in retrospect, it’s really weird that NBC wanted to make a new show centered around the housekeeper from Diff’rent Strokes. But they did, and because The Facts of Life went on ...
2023-07-23 00:40:09 +0000 UTC
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Hey, all. Trying something new here, but since Patreon allows video uploads now, I'm wondering they'll allow me to upload a whole episode. Maybe? Maybe they'll copyright strike me? Unclear!
But this is "The Girls School," the season one finale to Diff'rent Strokes that spins Mrs. Garrett of...
2023-07-23 00:19:18 +0000 UTC
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Hi.
Thurman died yesterday. Even though I knew this was coming, it still surprised me, mostly because he never displayed any signs of being sick. He was as solid as he was last year, when he didn't have cancer, until midday yesterday, when he stopped eating midway through lunch. He had lite...
2023-07-16 18:23:56 +0000 UTC
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Relevant to this week's SilverHawks episode of Cartoons That Made Us Gay, here is Maggie Wheeler voicing a replacement Harley Quinn in an episode of Batman: TAS. I didn't know this episode existed befo...
2023-07-15 18:03:59 +0000 UTC
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“Gangwar, Part One” (November 14, 1986)
While ThunderCats was still airing, Rankin/Bass attempted to repeat its success with SilverHawks, a similar but more space-focused series about cyborgs battling a space mafia. While the series has its fans (and Glen is most certainly one of them),...
2023-07-14 21:52:50 +0000 UTC
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Whelp, by uploading the new Simpsons episode to the main feed, this is actually our 200th! I didn't realize! And while we do have something planned for the milestone, I thought for now I'd make sur...
2023-07-12 17:58:57 +0000 UTC
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You know the drill! Leave a comment below to suggest a topic for the next D>AA. Here is the theme for this go around: Have us rank a group of things. Examples: Female Simpsons characters. Albums released by TV stars. Must See TV sitcoms.
2023-07-11 22:31:47 +0000 UTC
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“Mona” (May 12, 1987)
At the end of its third season, Who’s the Boss? almost made the mistake of sending Katherine Helmond’s Mona off onto her own show. It didn’t happen, thankfully, and when you watch the backdoor pilot for this spinoff that could have happened, it’s easy to se...
2023-07-09 22:44:30 +0000 UTC
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Just because I thought it seemed like a notable and under-seen pop culture moment, here is the scene from episode two of Top of the Heap wherein Kelly Bundy meets Mona Mullins, the hot-to-trot jailbait character played by a pre-Chasing Amy Joey Lauren Adams. It's notable not only because it's a m...
2023-07-08 18:18:41 +0000 UTC
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Hi all. This weekend, we'll be posting the third installment of Backdoor Pilots, about the spinoff Who's the Boss almost gave to Mona before thinking better of it. Because it's not streaming anywhere, we decided to offer up the episode for you all to watch. Enjoy!
2023-07-06 23:26:14 +0000 UTC
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Podcasts are an inherently visual medium, but I think you all were missing out on not seeing the kind of Gymboree-esque tilting and shaking on display in the Honeymooners episode we covered. Please enjoy Mrs. Manicotti most of all.
2023-07-06 19:02:53 +0000 UTC
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“Flaming Moe” (January 16, 2011)
Today, LGBTQ characters on The Simpsons get to be more than walking gay jokes, and, really, this is one of the first episodes that shows Smithers as a (mostly) out member of the larger community in Springfield. It’s not perfect, however; there’s an h...
2023-07-05 23:13:13 +0000 UTC
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“Top of the Heap” (April 7, 1991)
Midway through Married… With Children’s fifth season, viewers got an episode that dispensed with the regular cast (save for Al) and spent most of its time focused on Vinnie and Charlie Verducci, a father-son pair who’d appeared on the show once be...
2023-07-02 21:58:38 +0000 UTC
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It's America Weekend (or something) and that seems like a good time to make sure you all saw what a good job Ian did with the art for the recent American Dad episode. I asked for sexy Stan Smith, and he delivered. Also this will be a patriotic as I will get.
Listen to 2023-07-02 17:53:15 +0000 UTC
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“Mama Loves Mambo” (May 3, 1956)
While Ralph Kramden never met an out gay character on screen, he did once tussle with a new neighbor, Carlos Sanchez (Charles Korvin), who embodies all the traits of the “latin lover” stock character type. This includes being perceived as a threat to...
2023-06-28 03:02:14 +0000 UTC
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“Empty Nests” (May 16. 1987)
Welcome to the premiere of Backdoor Pilots, our new Patreon-only bonus series!
The Golden Girls spinoff Empty Nest premiered October 8, 1988, to acclaim and success. However, fifteen months earlier we got a look at a rougher-edged version of the same p...
2023-06-26 00:09:57 +0000 UTC
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“Blood Crieth Unto Heaven” (January 27, 2013)
Yes, we’re giving you two American Dads this season, with this one representing how this show uses high-concept premises better than most other sitcoms. In this one, the show presents itself as a stage play, complete with all the restricti...
2023-06-21 05:59:26 +0000 UTC
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Hi, all!
This is just a post to explain where we are with the regular show and all the bonus shows. It's been a tricky few weeks, just because Glen was on vacation (and I am mad because I have not gotten a vacation), but Gayest Episode Ever has three more episodes before it wraps up for the...
2023-06-17 20:59:44 +0000 UTC
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“Bad Girl” (November 12, 1996)
If you were not the target audience (and target age) for this live-action Nickelodeon series, you may be shocked to find out that The Secret World of Alex Mack is a sci-fi show. It’s basically Spider-Man with a baby gay lead protagonist, played with rema...
2023-06-14 05:44:19 +0000 UTC
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We've already moved on to the next episode, but I wanted to post this for everyone to see, just because I think Ian did a really good job with it. Also I hope you all enjoyed this episode! It's fun making little departures from t...
2023-06-07 19:50:01 +0000 UTC
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This week, we’re joined by Matt Baume, author of the new book Hi Honey, I’m Homo, about the history of LGBTQ representation on American TV. ...
2023-06-07 06:39:40 +0000 UTC
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“I Love You! My Dear, Dear Ukyo” (May 18, 1990)
This week, we’re pivoting away from traditional sitcoms to discuss Ranma ½, a long-running anime that combines martial arts, romance, mysticism and… zany misunderstandings that are actually very sitcom-like, when you get down to it. T...
2023-05-31 05:30:36 +0000 UTC
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“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 o...
2023-05-24 05:51:58 +0000 UTC
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“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 R...
2023-05-17 01:24:32 +0000 UTC
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Hi all. We're moving ahead with Backdoor Pilots, the new Patreon-only bonus series and kinda-sorta the successor to Weirdest Episode Ever, even if Weirdest Episode Ever isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Yes, it does have its own theme song, and yes, it really rocks. Have a listen
2023-05-15 20:01:21 +0000 UTC
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“Janine, You’ve Changed” (September 8, 1990)
Kids watching this late-series episode of the Ghostbusters cartoon might not have realized it was an allegory for how executive decrees repeatedly changed the character of Janine Melnitz to be more kid-friendly. But there’s also more here...
2023-05-15 02:16:43 +0000 UTC
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As we alluded to at the end of this week's episode, next week's episode will be about the American remake of Kath & Kim. Since it's not streaming anywhere, I thought we'd post the video for you all to see here on our Vimeo. This is the first episode and then the seventh, "Gay," which is the f...
2023-05-11 17:28:47 +0000 UTC
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“Gay” (May 23, 2002)
A smash hit in its native Australia that became a cult phenomenon in the U.S., Kath & Kim focuses on two suburban women joined by their lack of both taste and any sort of a clue. The second episode is just titled “Gay,” and to discuss it, we were joined by <...
2023-05-10 02:31:55 +0000 UTC
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Genuinely curious to know how you all ended up listening. Drop a comment to tell us!
2023-05-09 21:52:07 +0000 UTC
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