"Forbidden Fruit" (January 16, 1996)

At long last, we are proud to announce the first episode of our podcast to feature both hosts of Talking Simpsons, Henry Gilbert and Bob Mackey. It's also the last episode to feature them both, because we are kicking this podcast into its grave. But in the process we manage to have a nice conversation about adult animation and how Duckman compares to the Simpsons episode "Homer Badman."

Listen to the Talking Simpsons episode that goes deeper on Duckman history.

Listen to Talking Simpson's special about the Family Guy/The Simpsons crossover — and support Minnesota immigrants in the process!

This is a rerun of an episode that originally aired in 2019.

"Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman" (September 28, 1985)

Once upon a time, there was a Saturday morning cartoon based on Dungeons & Dragons, and in its final few episodes it had one of its male characters hit it off with a one-off NPC who was witty and matched him, insult for insult. This one-off also happened to be male, and whether by accident or whatever, the resulting episode plays out kinda like a male-on-male romcom that just happens to be situated in medieval fantasy setting. Don't worry if you've never experienced a Dungeons & Dragons anything; Glen and Drew will walk you through it.

And you can listen to the entire catalogue of our Patreon series, Cartoons That Made Us Gay, for just $5 on Patreon.

Whelp, here it is: the final time this podcast is ever going to teach you about a short-lived show that you maybe never heard of.

In the grand scheme of 90s sitcoms about attractive people living in New York, ABC's Oh Grow Up might seem like an also-ran. However, John Ducey's Ford managed to be a more rounded gay character than most of its longer-lived contemporaries gave us in much longer runs. He comes out, he questions his place in the gay scene and he gets laid. What's more, he very much seems like a prototype for the gay lead in Alan Ball's follow-up TV project, Six Feet Under.

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.

"Life's a Beach" (May 21, 1989)

For our final season, we're not hitting up that many of the GEE favorites. There's no Seinfeld, no Friends, no Roseanne, no Golden Girls. Hell, there's not a Simpsons on the schedule at the moment. But we will make time for Married… With Children, whose third season finale provides some nice moments to remind you all why the Bundys matter. There's even a hot gay couple, however briefly.

The Fox Files theme was composed and performed by Nick Loiacano.

Listen to Talking Simpsons' episode about Married… With Children's aliens episode.

And yes, you can listen to all ten episodes of Fox Files right now for the low, low price of just $5. Purchase here.

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.

"Stand by Your Man" (February 16, 1989)

This might well be the last time we're discussing a one-off gay episode done by a mainstream sitcom. Dear John's popularity burned bright but quickly, and early in its first season it threw a new character into the mix who was not only gay but also gay. Cleavon Little actually won an Emmy for this performance, and it's deserved, even if some of his antics read a little dated in 2026.

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.

This is a rerun of an episode that originally aired in 2019.

"Jennifer: The Movie" (October 29, 1983)

We're celebrating both Halloween and week two of our celebration of Ann Jillian with an episode about how the 1983 NBC series Jennifer Slept Here is both so very weird and also a little gay boy's fantasy — because it pairs an awkward boy with glamorous ghost, and that's secretly what every little gay boy wishes he had to guide him through his awkward years. This is peak 80s, but also it has one of the best sitcom themes ever, regardless of decade.

"The Offspring" (March 12, 1990)

Yeah, we finally did an hourlong — and if you're surprised that we picked Star Trek: The Next Generation, then you are probably unaware how many fans of GEE are also huge Star Trek nerds. We're joined by friend Mike Gizienski, who knows more about the Star Trek franchise than we do, to discuss the episode with Data's daughter Lal, which isn't especially any of the letters in LBGTQ but manages to tread into each of their territories. Trust us, it's a great episode of TV even if you don't know the difference between an Andorian and a J'naii.

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.

Heads up! This is a rerun of an episode that originally aired in 2019. We're putting a few of our favorite episodes in the off-weeks of our final season.

"I Never Ate for My Father" (October 2, 1991)

When Robbie Sinclair fails to kill his first live prey, he begins to wonder if he might be more herbivorously oriented — and that fits in really well with this episode's extensive use of vegetarianism as a metaphor for homosexuality. (But also drug use and communism, because America.)

"The Gay Caballeros" (February 19, 1996)

Full disclosure: We didn't come here to say nice things about Debra Messing. What we will say is that she's forever trapped in sitcom mode, to the point that the laffer that preceded the gay one has her essentially playing an identical character. What's more? Ned, who is supposedly straight, really reads like a gay character. For these reasons and more, this explicitly gay episode gives this podcast a lot to discuss.

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.

"You Go to My Head" (October 1, 1974)

We're kicking off our final season by discussing what's arguably the most important sitcom that we haven't profiled yet: Happy Days. Technically, Happy Days never did an episode, but what's surprising is how close this one gets, with actual lines spoken including "I'm in the closet" and "Do you prefer dick?"

We have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode's art was designed by Ian O'Phelan. Sound cues for this podcast were composed by Meika Grimm.