Gays on TV

[dsc]

A recent study shows that HBO is the best with 42% of its programing having gay characters. Showtime is second with 26%. ABC is tops of of the broadcast networks with 24%. NBC and CBS has a dismal 8% and 5%. But even HBO's 42% isn't all it is cracked up to be. I am pretty familiar with HBO's original programing. All of them, except for Hung, has at least one recurring gay character but none of them have what would be a major central gay character such as David on Six Feet Under or the boys on Queer as Folk. Showtime's 26% is probably better since much of it comes from Marshall on The United States of Tara, who is a central character. Much of the time is taken up by 'barely there' gays.

This is all the more striking after having watched Torchwood on BBC America. There the central hero is one part of a male-male couple. It would be like Captain Kirk and Spock being involved in a relationship while exploring space. Or if Jack Bauer and Tony Malena or Brisco and McCoy.

I remember watching TV growing up. Gays were few and far between a rare guest who usually was getting fired, was ill, or had some other gay related problem. We have improved some, especially on niche networks. But I want my gay Monk, or a gay CSI. Or a lesbian Murphy Brown.

http://www.365gay.com/news/study-hbo-leads-on-tv-in-showing-gay-characters/

[and-justice-for-all]

1. We just fininshed watching Torchwood: Children Of Earth

We like the series and we also are attracted to the fact that the central character, Jack, is gay; so is John Barrowman who plays the role.

[HillWilliam]

8. Children of Earth rawked

Not only was the writing, editing, and direction passing excellent, there wasn't a bit of bad acting in it. Barrowman portrayed Jack rather fearlessly, I thought. Good on BBC for having gay characters as central to the plot. Damn good on 'em. And I rather like Barrowman. He's more like "one of us", like the guy down the street, the regular gay. Not the foofy TV comic relief. Thank god.

I don't know if David-Lloyd is gay IRL, but he played Ianto fearlessly as well. I appreciated that. The characters weren't soppy, but you could really feel the tension although it wasn't really spoken. "It's called acting, dear boy." And well they did it.

We watched the installments and the marathon on Sunday. It was that good. It's rare that I'll sit through any series. Hell, it's rare that I watch TV. Meh, most of it's a barren wasteland and most gay characters are either fluff or so far to the edge of the plot-line they could have been cut and nobody would notice. Not so with Children of Earth.

Damn, it was intriguing. Almost plausible.

I didn't even get up to pee.

Again, good on BBC.

Do it again.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Do you remember a sitcom in the 80s, "Love, Sidney"

with Tony Randall and Swoosie Kurtz?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love,_Sidney

Although on paper, it was a groundbreaking show with a lead character who was gay but it was so timid, you'd never know if TR was gay or just a confirmed bachelor.

[mitchtv]

5. Swozie just played one of the doctor Cooper's moms

on "Nurse Jackie" las week,I don;t know if it will be a recurring role

[dsc]

12. vaguely

I think the degayed Sydney due to complaints by the religious right.

[Deja Q]

3. How do you know Kirk and Spock weren't lovers? And if they were, why would such a relationship be

integral to each week's storylines? (Do we need to see them kiss all the time? Or hop into bed? Why? Just knowing? Or how many examples do people actually need to see? We don't have the same expectations for those pesky straight people - they just get on with life. How come we need to have the soap opera for some ersatz affirmation?)

I also argue against Torchwood and its progenitor, as its creator/writer also chose to make Jack the most obvious stereotyped of character tropes (going around hitting on and chatting up absolutely everybody he sees. Not all bis and gays are like that, yet the writer is heralded as some sort of saint because he wrote Jack like that... I prefer TV shows of the past, most importantly Carter from "Spin City" who had to fight that very stereotype many times.)


Granted, after watching the first 5 episodes of "Torchwood", I realized I had better things to do (like remove dust mites from blades of grass while stoned... pity I don't do drugs...) Maybe the writing has improved since then. All I know is, the writer/creator is overrated. I've sat through enough of his televised scribbles to say that with some credibility.

:shrug:

Besides, why cable? Not everybody has the money for HBO, and I see no incentive to splurge.

Wasn't this same topic (GLBT people being represented on television) discussed a day or two ago anyway?

[mitchtv]

6. tough

that's why you can "ignore"

[dsc]

11. No but Kirk did find time to flirt with and sleep with many female aliens

just saying. I did like Carter who was well drawn. I agree that Captain Jack is hardly a great gay role model but neither were the guys on QAF.

[mitchtv]

4. I like Angela on "Bones", and Momo (Mohammed)

on "Nurse Jackie", and now there is a Lesbian intern in "Mental". 'True Blood" has Lafayette

[Iggo]

7. The first gay characters I remember seeing on television...

...were the guys who would periodically get locked up on Barney Miller. This was a loooong time ago and I don't remember many (if any) details. A lot of hardy-har double entendres, I'm thinkin'. But on the very outskirts of my memory, I seem to recall that there was at least one episode where they were treated as human beings. Barney Miller was cool like that sometimes.

[dorkulon]

9. What about Bravo?

Guess they weren't prominent enough. BTW, HBO's "The Wire" (best show EVAH) had at least two gay major characters.

[dsc]

10. I don't think they counted reality shows

which is where nearly all of Bravo's gays are. I think that is a failure to be honest of the study.

[nc4bo]

13. I know you're referring to characters on tv but

one of my favorite court show programs has a gay judge.

http://www.judgedavidyoung.com/

Sorry if you don't like those judge shows but David Young's cool beans to me.

[dsc]

14. I don't think they counted reality shows

I like him but am not fond of the lie detector which is a bunch of BS.

[nc4bo]

15. Me neither. It's something new he's been doing lately. nt