October 20.2000 * just out 4g
tionships aplenty, including the incendiary one
between Chris Keller (Chris Meloni) and Tobias
Beecher (Lee Tergesen).
o not adjust your set— you’re not imagining
things— television this fall is a lot more lav
ender. The new season has begun, and the
video hearth is brightly awash with gays, les
bians, bisexuals and even a transsexual or two.
Although Ellen DeGeneres rammed the
barricades with her sitcom Ellen, the Emmy-
winning, high-rated Will & Grace has a lot
more to do with the current crop of television
shows turning more gay-friendly. S o does the
fact that more gays and lesbians are climbing to
the top of the Hollywood heap, earning dis
tinction as writers, directors and producers.
N ot all is rosy, however, because the vast
majority of queer entertainers— be they actors,
talk show hostesses or comedians— still stub
bornly cling to the confines of the closet. Ironi
cally, most gay and lesbian roles are played by
heterosexuals, who often find themselves thrust
into the political spotlight, willingly or not.
This day-by-day guide will give you a rundown
on most of the queer-themed characters and
shows on television and shine a spotlight on those
folks who bat for their own team. With the ex
ception of Saturday, every day of the week offers a
veritable cathode-ray cornucopia of queemess.
T hursday
• Friends (8 p.m., N B C )
Look for Ross’ lesbian ex-wife, Carol Wylick
(Jane Sibbett), and her spouse, Susan Bunch
(Jessica H echt), to reappear during this season.
M onday
Airy fairy aipwaves
• The Hughleys (9 p.m., U P N )
T he next-door neighbor has an Asian
Am erican daughter who came out last season.
Joanie Park (Am y H ill) is a recurring character,
and publicists promise she will reappear.
We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re beaming
into your grandmother’s living room
by
A ndy M angels
Tuesday
W ednesday
• Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., W B)
A s seen already this season, the relationship
between young witches Willow (Alyson Han-
nigan) and Tara (Am ber Benson) is continuing
strong and is now well-known by everyone in
town. A recent episode featured the hilarious
voice-over reading of Buffy’s naive younger sis
ter’s diary: “ I told M om one time I wished
they’d teach me some of the things they do
together, and then she got really quiet and
made me go upstairs. Huh. I guess her genera
tion isn’t really cool with witchcraft.”
• Angel (9 p.m., W B)
Buffy’s com panion show just introduced a
friendly psychic green-faced karaoke-singing
demon— T he Host (Andy H allett)— who has
made more than a few comm ents about how
sexy A ngel (David Boreanaz) is.
• Dark Angel (9 p.m., Fox)
A kick-ass female superhero who’s really a
genetically engineered escapee and bike messen
ger? Besides an intriguing futuristic premise that
plays heavily on moral/political themes, the
show features as one of its main characters a fel
low messenger/best friend in Original Cindy
(Valarie Rae Miller). A Fox publicist says Cindy
continues to be an up-front dyke in future epi
sodes and notes that she is expected to be the
“breakout supporting character." Certainly in the
first few episodes, she’s made no bones about her
sexuality, constantly teasing the straight people.
•N Y P D Blue (10 p.m., A B C )
Although the show doesn’t return until Jan
uary, and openly gay co-producer/director Paris
Barclay is gone, gay receptionist John Irvin
(openly gay actor Bill Brochtrup) will continue
to be a part of the proceedings and might get
his own relationship this season.
• Beggars and Choosers (10 p.m., Showtime)
T his comedy set at a fictional television
network features M alcolm Laffley (Tuc
W atkins) as a gay casting director. New
episodes will begin in January.
• Dawson’s Creek (8 p.m., W B)
Although he got to kiss his first boy last sea
son— and experience heartbreak when he found
out his crush already had a boyfriend— Jack
McPhee (Kerr Smith) will continue to be Cape-
side High’s most famous gay football player.. .and
he might find more romance. The season dehut
also featured openly gay Real World star Jason
Daniel Roberts as a straight French tourist. Out
gay producer and director Greg Berlanti will
write several episodes.
• Bette (8 p.m., C B S )
A s if the prospect of Bette Midler in her first
sitcom wasn’t enough of a draw for gay fans, the
series also has a gay character: her accompanist,
Oscar (openly gay actor James Dreyfus). C om
parisons to NOT-openly gay Midler accompa
nist Barry Manilow are welcome, although
O scar more likely is a stand-in for her longtime
musical sidekick Marc Shaiman, who also co
writes the nasty South Park ditties. The first
episode featured a gay joke within the first few
minutes: Midler, strapped into an exercise
machine, noted, “It’s like a
i< n i l . ' ;
I! I ' l l !
unit
:! ’ !
two-drink minimum.”
• Normal, Ohio
(8:30 p.m., Fox)
John Goodman goes out
on a flimsy limb and plays
William “Butch” Gamble, a
gay man who returns from
Los Angeles to live with his
family in Ohio. His father
finds his lifestyle “unnatur
al,” his mother thinks he’s
going through a very long
phase, and his nephew wor
ries that the orientation is
hereditary. Lest you be con
cerned that all the charac
ters are anti-gay, Ellen
refugee Joely Fisher plays
Pamela, Butch’s rough and -
« fiM H aft a H H H
sexy sister, who’s quite accepting of his life— good
thing, because he moves in with her. Add in a
grown son, Butch’s ex-wife (played by the very
dykey Mo Gaffney) and her new husband, and
you’ve got an overcrowded show that will stand
or fall on Goodman’s capable shoulders. The
series debuts Nov. 1.
• Will & Grace (9 p.m., N B C )
After winning a handful of Emmy Awards
this year, expect more fearlessness from this
ultrapopular sitcom. G ay lawyer Will Truman
(Eric M cCorm ack) might find love, and
supergay best friend Jack M cFarland (Sean
Hayes) will end his marriage o f convenience
and move in across the hall. Executive pro-
ducer/co-creator David Kohan promises, “We
are really hoping to find some exciting people
for Will to date.” O ut bisexual actress M egan
Mullaley will continue to swill m artinis and
toss bitchy barbs as Karen, and queer icon
Jo an C ollins will reappear several times. G ay
com edian Jason Stuart will appear in a
N ovem ber episode. Co-creator/producer M ax
M utchnik is also openly gay, as he made clear
while accepting his Emmy for best comedy.
• ER (10 p.m., N B C )
Network publicity has a firm “no comm ent,”
but Dr. Weaver (Laura Innes) is rumored to
have her first relationship with a woman this
season— although through the Novem ber story
lines, she still is involved with the male Dr.
Kovac. Also, gay nurse Yosh Takata (Gedde
W atanabe) might be seen again. T he Oct. 19
episode featured a lesbian-themed plot as a
woman was unable to medically help her long
term partner for legal reasons. Out gay director
Paris Barclay will helm several episodes.
Friday
• Felicity (9 p.m., W B)
The happily committed (to another man)
Javier (lan Gomez) is more integral to the series
this year; not only is he still Felicity’s boss at the
coffeehouse, but now he’s also a college fresh
man! His husband, Samuel (Austin Tichenor),
will be recurring, especially as an upcoming sto
ryline will see them wanting to start a family.
Will Felicity act as their surrogate mother, will
they adopt, or do they have another option?
• Spin City (9:30 p.m., A B C )
One of television’s longest-running gay sup
porting characters, Carter Heywood (Michael
Boatman), continues as the New York City
mayor’s director of minority affairs. Look for
sparks to fly between him and new bad-boy cast
addition Charlie Sheen.
• South Park (10 p.m.,
Com edy Central)
Although new episodes
are scattered throughout the
year, we already have seen
Big Gay Al, Sparky the Gay
Dog, the lovable Satan (and
his love triangle with Sad
dam Hussein and the boring
Chris) and even the revela
tion that most of the adult
males of South Park have
masturbated together. In
this small mountain town,
anything gay goes.
• Grosse Pointe (8:30 p.m., W B)
O ut gay producer/creator Darren Star spoofs
nighttime soaps in this behind-the-scenes com
edy, with many episodes directed by openly gay
Andrew Fleming. O n the series, older star
Richard Towers (M ichael H itchcock) lusts for
hunky young television “son” Johnny Bishop
(A l San tos), buying him a wet suit in the
debut so he can watch him try it on!
• Popular (9 p.m., W B)
The first season saw high schooler Lily (Tama
ra Mello) questioning her sexual orientation as
well as the introduction of Harrison John’s lesbian
mom, Robin (Alley Mills); out gay teacher Mr.
Colin Bennett (openly gay actor Mitchell Ander
son); and transsexual shop teacher Mr. Don/Ms.
Debbie (Liuis Mustillo). So far this season, none
of those characters has reappeared— although a
publicist says some are likely to— but a new regu
lar character, ambiguously gendered teacher Bobbi
Glass (Diane Delano)— who characters often re
fer to as “sir"— has been introduced. Creator and
executive producer Ryan Murphy is openly gay.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
(1 0 p.m ., N B C )
Although no cast member on the series has
been revealed as gay, the show has dealt sur
prisingly well with gay-themed crimes and the
prejudice surrounding them. Look for more
queer storylines later in the season.
Saturday
• O z (10 p.m., H BO )
With a new season set to
start in January’, this prison
drama is Kith horrifying and
homoeroticr with gay rela-.. .
Com e on, you can find something else to do
one night o f the week! O f course, if you do find
. ...................................
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