# TV Binge Watch (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 4, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711 "2022-10-04T16:51:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 430
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8581 "2025-06-23T14:02:23Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. [Matt Baum’s video about the ep](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEj7nz3EXM0&ab_channel=MattBaume). ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8582 "2025-06-23T16:46:22Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. The show started in 1998, so it (just barely) counts. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8583 "2025-06-23T17:23:52Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. 7. _Sex and the City_ - Stanford and Anthony. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8584 "2025-06-23T17:51:20Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. 7. _Sex and the City_ - Stanford and Anthony. 8. _An American Family_ - PBS series from 1973 that followed a real family. One of the children, Lance Loud, chose to come out during the show and that led to him becoming an icon in the gay community. ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8585 "2025-06-23T21:27:24Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. 7. _Sex and the City_ - Stanford and Anthony. 8. _An American Family_ - PBS series from 1973 that followed a real family. One of the children, Lance Loud, chose to come out during the show and that led to him becoming an icon in the gay community. 9. _Melrose Place_ - Matt Fielding. The original 1992 series featured a generally positive portrayal of a young gay man. Showed some discrimination he / his partners faced, but the more limited airtime he received was also criticized. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8586 "2025-06-23T21:33:47Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. 7. _Sex and the City_ - Stanford and Anthony. 8. _An American Family_ - PBS series from 1973 that followed a real family. One of the children, Lance Loud, chose to come out during the show and that led to him becoming an icon in the gay community. 9. _Melrose Place_ - Matt Fielding. The original 1992 series featured a generally positive portrayal of a young gay man. Showed some discrimination he / his partners faced, but the more limited airtime he received was also criticized. 10. _The Hollywood Squares_ - I realize this wasn’t a scripted show but I’m thinking about how Paul Lynde’s gay jokes about himself were not even really veiled references (things like if asked _What’s the most popular fruit in America? answering ‘me!’_) ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8587 "2025-06-23T23:45:48Z")
**Shows from before 2000, that acknowledged a character’s gayness openly, and without it needing to be changed.** Doesn’t need to be a series regular-- can be a one-off episode. 1. _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_: Phyllis’ brother Ben is gay, and when Phyllis is informed, she says something like “Oh, thank God!” because she thought he was interested in Rhoda. 2. _Soap_. Jodie Dallas was gay, and wasn’t shy about letting others know. 3. _Barney Miller_ - Darryl & Marty 4. [_All in the Family_ - Liz (Edith’s cousin) at Liz’s funeral. Liz and Veronica were a gay couple.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB0Kt-8Q03U) 5. The Bob Newhart Show - Mr. Plager, a reoccurring patient of Bob (played by Howard Hessman) comes out. 6. _Will & Grace_ - Will and Jack. 7. _Sex and the City_ - Stanford and Anthony. 8. _An American Family_ - PBS series from 1973 that followed a real family. One of the children, Lance Loud, chose to come out during the show and that led to him becoming an icon in the gay community. 9. _Melrose Place_ - Matt Fielding. The original 1992 series featured a generally positive portrayal of a young gay man. Showed some discrimination he / his partners faced, but the more limited airtime he received was also criticized. 10. _The Hollywood Squares_ - I realize this wasn’t a scripted show but I’m thinking about how Paul Lynde’s gay jokes about himself were not even really veiled references (things like if asked _What’s the most popular fruit in America? answering ‘me!’_) In case that answer isn’t satisfactory (I contemplated including both variety and game shows, too), here’s a more suitable (or bonus) answer: 1. _My So-Called Life_ - Ricky, Angela’s classmate. It was never talked about but his friends knew, and accepted Ricky’s life choices. @Cardigan you’re up! ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8588 "2025-06-24T13:11:45Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8589 "2025-06-24T13:22:27Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8590 "2025-06-24T13:29:32Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8591 "2025-06-24T13:53:18Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8592 "2025-06-24T14:29:09Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8593 "2025-06-24T15:50:56Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers 6. Pushing Daisies ---
**Author:** ![Bicycle\_Bill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bicycle_bill/32/6208_2.png) [@Bicycle\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bicycle_Bill)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8594 "2025-06-24T17:13:10Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers 6. Pushing Daisies 7. McHale’s Navy _ **-“BB”-** _ ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8595 "2025-06-24T18:05:55Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers 6. Pushing Daisies 7. McHale’s Navy 8. 20/20 ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8596 "2025-06-24T18:43:49Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers 6. Pushing Daisies 7. McHale’s Navy 8. 20/20 9. Ready or Not Canadian teen drama, ran 1993-1997 ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8597 "2025-06-24T18:44:57Z")
**Shows with Four Syllable Names** 1. Barney Miller 2. Home Improvement 3. Community 4. Sanford and Son 5. Fawlty Towers 6. Pushing Daisies 7. McHale’s Navy 8. 20/20 9. Ready or Not 10. Rick and Morty my category so pass ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8598 "2025-06-24T18:54:28Z")
**TV Series Featuring _MASH_ Alumni** (actor repeats allowed) 1. Hello, Larry - McLean Stevenson ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8599 "2025-06-24T19:19:49Z")
**TV Series Featuring _MASH_ Alumni** (actor repeats allowed) 1. Hello, Larry - McLean Stevenson 2. 30 Rock - Allan Alda ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711/8600 "2025-06-24T19:44:24Z")
**TV Series Featuring _MASH_ Alumni** (actor repeats allowed) 1. Hello, Larry - McLean Stevenson 2. 30 Rock - Allan Alda 3. Providence - Mike Farrell [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711.md?page=429) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-binge-watch-part-2/972711.md?page=431)