# Ally McBeal kissed a woman? Anyone care?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 3, 1999, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477 "1999-11-03T21:04:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/1 "1999-11-03T21:04:00Z")

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Gee, I thought someone would at least have mentioned the “20 second” kiss between Ally and Ling? Anyone watch Ally? Anyone offended seeing two women kiss? Anyone find this sort of thing erotic?

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/2 "1999-11-03T21:15:00Z")

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I’ve only seen part of one “Ally McBeal” episode. In the one I saw, she was defending her right to wear a mini-skirt in court.

I thought to myself, “life’s too short to watch this trash.”

* * *

J’ai assez vécu pour voir que différence engendre haine.  
Stendhal

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**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/3 "1999-11-03T21:18:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> I’ve only seen part of one “Ally McBeal” episode.

## That’s okay, it’s still more than I’ve ever seen of this show. Of course, I’ve never seen an entire episode of “Friends” either.

Shadowfox  
“Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with  
great ambitions.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

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**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/4 "1999-11-03T21:21:00Z")

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I thought the previous episode was sexier. . . for the ads to say that it was the sexiest episode ever was, well, let’s just say it was inaccurate.

is it just me or did Calista look like she wasn’t enjoying that kiss very much? 🙂

* * *

“I’m just too much for human existence – I should be animated.”  
–Wayne Knight

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**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/5 "1999-11-03T21:23:00Z")

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I L-O-V-E this show!!!

Yes, I saw the kiss (and the dirty dancing), and no I wasn’t offended in the least. I thought it was rather erotic (no, I’m not gay).

## However, the carwash scene the week before. . . I’m still trying to get over that one! GOOD GOD THAT GUY WAS GOODLOOKING!!

\>^,^\<  
KITTEN  
Seven days of sex makes a whole week.

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**Author:** ![Dirty\_Devil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Dirty\_Devil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Devil)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/6 "1999-11-03T22:21:00Z")

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No, it doesn’t bother me at all having them kiss. But it didn’t turn me on. Nothing about Calista Flockhart turns me on. Nothing.

Oh, did anybody see “Will And Grace” last night? There was a scene in the beginning where Grace, Will and Jack were feeling eachothers breasts. It seemed a little overboard for primetime, but I did think it was damn funny.

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/7 "1999-11-03T22:22:00Z")

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I’ve never seen even a nanosecond of this show, and don’t even know what channel it’s on. With 120 channels of cable, I only see the lower 50 (including the networks) once a month or so.

As for being offended… well… I french kissed a girl on top of a table in a very crowded bar once for probably at least 20 seconds… I hope no one was offended by that!

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–  
O p a l C a t  
[www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com)

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**Author:** ![MrSCOTT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MrSCOTT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSCOTT)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/8 "1999-11-03T22:25:00Z")

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You mean that Prime-Time peice of Soap Opera/Melrose Place/Friends trash under the thin guise of a law show? No. I watch real law shows, like **Law & Order** 🙂

-MrSCOTT

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**Author:** ![heatherlee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@heatherlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heatherlee)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 1999, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/9 "1999-11-03T22:29:00Z")

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I found it to be the best episode ever 🙂

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Love Always and Forever,  
Heather Lee  
[XheatherleeX@aol.com](mailto:XheatherleeX@aol.com)

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/10 "1999-11-04T00:26:00Z")

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Funny how so many people backlash against a show simply because it’s overhyped. Ally has some of the best writing on TV today and is the most consistently funny show there (please don’t compare it with lame “comedies” like FRIENDS). David Kelly is a superb writer and has always been especially good with quirky characters and sex.

The no one seems to notice that ALLY is \>always\< about sex. It always has been an exploration of the nature of sexual desire and hits upon a lot of odd but true insights. The fact that it is done on network prime time is surprising, and the fact that few people seem to mention that is astonishing. Kelly’s observations on sexuality are certainly the most sophisticated on television. At his best, he can raise some very interesting issues about what defines sexuality, both in he courtroom scenes and in the personal lives of the characters.

Monday’s episode was no big deal, really, and, as usual, dealt with serious issues about sexuality: am I gay or straight? How can I be sure? Fox overhyped it and the two women kissing was not that big a deal (Ally had already done it a couple of times).

I get the feeling the people who bash the show and boast about how they never watch it are like the sophomores in college who believe that if something’s popular, it can’t be good. That’s just not true – popularity and quality are independent variables and it’s merely phony elitism to think a popular show is automatically bad.

## As to the original question – no, it wasn’t a big deal that they kissed. The big deal is that the characters _wanted_ to kiss and how they tried to deal with that desire. There was also a nice subplot on how sexual fantasies may be a disaster if they ever happened.

[www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman)

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**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/11 "1999-11-04T00:35:00Z")

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I’ve seen Ally McBeal a couple of times, and to be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed. Mainly because it was, as you said, ALWAYS about sex. I prefer a bit more variety.

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**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/12 "1999-11-04T00:39:00Z")

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When the TV guide listing reads:

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(FOX)ALLY MCBEAL  
-The entire cast and writing staff is mowed down by machine-gun fire.

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then I may consider watching another episode.

* * *

“My hovercraft is full of eels.”

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/13 "1999-11-04T00:44:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> The no one seems to notice that ALLY is \>always\< about sex. It always has been an exploration of the nature of sexual desire and hits upon a lot of odd but true insights. The fact that it is done on network prime time is surprising, and the fact that few people seem to mention that is astonishing.

How is that original? Most popular sitcoms are about sex, or to be more accurate, are jokes about copulation that don’t use the word copulation.

The reason I don’t like Ally McBeal is not because it’s popular, it’s because in the one episode I watched she was acting like a bimbo. I think there are enough shows about good-looking women who are not too bright.

* * *

J’ai assez vécu pour voir que différence engendre haine.  
Stendhal

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**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/14 "1999-11-04T01:01:00Z")

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The “dance” scene was more erotic than the kiss itself, which seemed somewhat mechanical. Offended? It would take much, much more than that little overhyped incident as far as I’m concerned.

I’d say that the series is, on the whole, pretty well constructed as social portraits go, although there are several quirks I could definitely do without. Peter MacNichol’s character, in particular, is especially grating on the nerves. Another recurrence I could do without is the Kelly-trademark “Excuse me?!”

On the other hand, I particularly savoured the “breast-cupping” episode, which occurred not once but three times, on the excellent sitcom “Will and Grace”: a text-book lesson on how (far) to push the envelope. Would be interesting to find out what kind of reaction this much less publicized scene got from Mr. and Mrs. typical-TV-viewers. As an aside, I found this to be more sexually-arousing (all things being otherwise relative) than the celebrated kiss.

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/15 "1999-11-04T01:25:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> I get the feeling the people who bash the show and boast about how they never watch it are like the sophomores in college who believe that if something’s popular, it can’t be good.

Just for the record, I wasn’t boasting about never watching it… I have no opinion of the show at all. I was simply saying that I’ve never seen it OR almost any other network tv show out there, since I am always watching a cable station [either Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Sci Fi, History Channel, Animal Planet, etc] and never venture below “50” on my channel lineup.

The only thing I know about Ally McBeal is that the dancing baby is somehow related to it and that the star is thin.

* * *

–  
O p a l C a t  
[www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com)

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**Author:** ![bantmof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bantmof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bantmof)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/16 "1999-11-04T02:19:00Z")

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I don’t like or watch A.McB, but once in a while I’ll tape it and fast foward to the scenes with Nell, who is one major knockout of a babe.

–  
peas on earth

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/17 "1999-11-04T03:10:00Z")

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Both the full-length and the half-hour _Ally_ are excellent. Only shows I consistently remember to watch; I don’t watch much TV. They are indeed well-written and I dig the comical surreal effects.

Ally herself is my **least** favorite character of the show, though I’m not saying I hate her or anything. I do wish she’d eat.

The kiss? Erotic enough to cause “stirrings” in me. The dance? Just as good, for sure. Last week’s car wash scene? Good, but we’ve seen guys & gals do it in steamy situations many times before. The lesbian action was a nice change of pace.

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/18 "1999-11-04T03:47:00Z")

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I hate any TV show that has to rely 100% on sex for every single episode. Ally McBeal? Sex and the City? What I find annoying is how people try and talk about how they like these shows because they’re “intelligent”. They’re about as intelligent as a porno and you don’t get to see as much.

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/19 "1999-11-04T03:55:00Z")

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The quirkiness of the characters fascinate me. Especially John ‘The Biscuit.’

Frankly, TV shows about sex make me feel uncomfortable most of the time, not because I’m a prude, but because I’m so inexperienced, and have a different attitude towards sex than the people on TV because of that.

* * *

-PIGEONMAN-  
Hero For A New Millennium!

[The Legend Of PigeonMan](http://www.hotkey.net.au/~guanolad/pigeonman/) - updates every Wed & Sat

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**Author:** ![neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@neuro-trash\_grrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neuro-trash_grrrl)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ally-mcbeal-kissed-a-woman-anyone-care/10477/20 "1999-11-04T05:09:00Z")

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I don’t know about you, but a woman kissing another woman on TV does not impress me. When a woman kisses another woman on TV, and nobody makes a big deal about it, THEN I’ll be impressed!

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Modest? You bet I’m modest! I am the queen of modesty!

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