"Baby Doll" (October 1, 1994)

If you're new here, you might be thinking that this is an odd pick for the second-to-last episode. To this I say, "So what?" It's a great episode about the toxic allure of nostalgia, which will swallow you whole if you don't get out in time. And Alison La Placa's performance as the title character is one of the best ever in a cartoon. "Hey, Drew, why did you become a sitcom guy?" I guess I didn't mean to.

And here is the Blabbin' 'Bout Batman episode from which Drew stole the Baby Doll/Elmyra idea.

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 2024.

"Sorority House" (February 8, 1961)

A few times on this podcast, we've bent over backwards to find a gay interpretation of a sitcom that never did anything gay, but this is not one of those. Mister Ed was developed by Arthur Lubin, a closeted gay director who was married to a woman but eventually ended up cohabitating with a male companion. It's interesting, then, that he'd be into making a TV show out of a story about Wilbur Post, who's married to a woman and who's outwardly a traditional guy even if his most significant relationship is with a male — a horse, but a male nonetheless — that he has to keep secret. Primitive though it might be, Mister Ed is actually the blueprint for more traditional magic sitcoms like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.

You can watch this episode of Mister Ed for free on archive.org.

"One for the Road" (May 20, 1993)

Because this podcast is ending, we thought we should take on at least one notable sitcom series finale. And because Cheers happens to have a gay subplot in its last episode — and because Diane Chambers is always close to our heart — we're going with that one. It's a really important piece of TV history, and even if you haven't watched the whole series, we think you'll understand why this one still looms large. Of course, we're joined by Massachusetts correspondent Jonathan Bradley Welch for one last explanation of northeastern accents.

Yes, you can see Jonathan posing with his surprise gift 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.

Tony Rodriguez joins us one last time for a sequel episode of sorts to our one about gay Looney Tunes shorts. This time, we're focused on old-time Disney shorts that lend themselves to a queer reading. If you want to watch this cartoons before you listen, here's a list of where you can find them online.

In order of discussion:

Ferdinand the Bull (1938) The Cookie Carnival (1935) Father's Day Off (1953) The Big Bad Wolf (1934) Golden Eggs (1941) King Neptune (1932) Lambert the Sheepish Lion (1952)

This is a rerun of an episode that originally aired in 2021.

"The Play's the Thing" (November 17, 1992)

The big joke with Full House never did a gay episode despite being a show about three men cohabitating and coparenting in San Francisco. However, the fifth season introduced Derek (Blake McIver Ewing), a new friend for Michelle who's well-mannered, soft-spoken and really good at showtunes. We'd argue that Derek, while young, still comes off as a queer-coded character, and the fact the actor himself would later come out makes the performance all the more interesting.

"A Streetcar Named Marge" (October 1, 1992)

Although it was not on our final season schedule, circumstances conspired to make us discuss The Simpsons one last time — and we've picked a classic-era episode that may not scream "gay" but it definitely mutters it under its breath. In addition to Jon Lovitz playing the abusive theater director Llewelyn Sinclair, this one also features a young gay man's guide to culture.

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.

"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.