The 20 Gayest TV Programs of My Childhood

 

These are the tv shows that helped me figure it out in the silence of my childhood and teen years (roughly 1965 to 1978), through gay-vague characters, buddy-bonding subtexts, queer codes, or beefcake.

1. Gilligan's Island.  None of the male castaways displayed the slightest interest in girls, Gilligan and the Skipper were obviously boyfriends, and there was a lot of beefcake.

2. The Beverly Hillbillies.  Jethro Bodine (sigh) plus a lot of Hollywood heartthrobs who weren't particularly into girls, and the nearly-out lesbian Miss Jane.

3. Dark Shadows.  I ran across the schoolyard every day to catch the last 10-15 minutes of the Gothic soap opera, with Willie Loomis in love with the vampire Barnabas.

4. Run, Buddy, Run.  Buddy is on the run from the mob after he overhears them discussing...um...in the steam room...um...sorry, I was distracted by Buddy's chest.

5. Bewitched.  Samantha gave up the witch world for suburban heteronormativity, but she couldn't suppress her queer desires forever.  Plus a gay-in-plain-sight Uncle Arthur.

 6. H.R. Pufnstuf.  The Dragon and the Witch fight for control of Jimmy's...um...flute.  But there's really no question: he likes dudes.

7. The Mighty Hercules.  "Softness in his eyes, iron in his thighs."  That's still the way I like my men.

8. Lost in Space.  Every other boy on the block wanted to be Will Robinson.  I wanted to date him.

9. Star Trek, the Original Series.  I swear, I remember Sulu (top photo) and Chekhov sharing a room.

10. Spin and Marty.  The summer camp boyfriends aired during the 1950s, but I saw them in after-school reruns during the 1970s.

More after the break

11. Time Tunnel:  Buddies zapping back and forth through time, rescuing each other and saying "I'm not leaving without you."

12. It's About Time.  Astronaut buddies end up in caveman times, where everybody speaks English.  Go figrue.

13. The Man from UNCLE: Napoleon and Illya, spy boyfriends who keep getting tied up.

14. Jonny Quest: Jonny and his boyfriend have adventures.  I didn't notice at the time that they have gay parents.

15. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.  Most of the jokes went over my head, but I noticed the queer codes.

16. The Odd Couple. Oscar and Felix, the barely closeted gay couple.  "Don't you find, when love is blind, it's kind of odd?"

17. Busting Loose.  In the spring of 1977, I was on the verge of "busting loose," and so was the immensely cute Lenny.

18, One Day at a Time.  Ann Romano adopts a boy named Alex, who struggles desperately to act like he's into girls.

19. Three's Company:  "Life is a ball again, laughter is calling for you."  And not running away screaming at the sight of pretend-gay Jack Tripper.

20. Soap. An actual, real gay character, immersed in his wacky soap opera family.  Well, he was gay, bi, trans, and straight, but regardless, his family loved him.