You have excellent points and I definitely agree with you. There was a gay character on Downton Abbey but he was a selfish jerk and there were two lesbians on Boardwalk Empire but they got killed (not because they were lesbians but because a hit man mistook one of them for another character and then killed her girlfriend so she wouldn't be a witness).
There was also a lesbian couple in the remake of Upstairs Downstairs, you can see pics here and here.
And I mustn't forget the entirety of Christopher and His Kind which starred Doctor Who's Matt Smith as Christopher Isherwood in his Berlin years. Even if his relationships weren't being shown on screen the thread of his sexuality ran right through it.
Now I realise that this isn't the same kettle of fish as it is a dramatisation of actual events, but I think it's relevant because this was released while Matt was The Doctor and so was probably seen by a lot of people who might not otherwise have watched it.
I love your rants, because they're always more thoughtful and reasonable than rant-y :)
I agree on all counts. I will say, though, that with House, I did like that it ended with two male best friends as soul mates -- IMO, there was no ambiguity that they were (even if they are two dysfunctional souls ;) ). There are many TV shows I've never seen, so that may not be unique. But I think in most cases, male friends are portrayed as "buddies," and for one or both, a romantic relationship with a woman is the most important relationship in his life. So I like the acknowledgment that the most important person in your life does *not* have to be a lover.
And of course, we are free to imagine what happens with H/W after they take off on their motorcycles, decked out in leather and stubble, sharing hotel rooms and..... Yeah, that's all I'll say.
I will say, though, that with House, I did like that it ended with two male best friends as soul mates -- IMO, there was no ambiguity that they were (even if they are two dysfunctional souls ;) ). There are many TV shows I've never seen, so that may not be unique. But I think in most cases, male friends are portrayed as "buddies," and for one or both, a romantic relationship with a woman is the most important relationship in his life. So I like the acknowledgment that the most important person in your life does *not* have to be a lover.So I like the acknowledgment that the most important person in your life does *not* have to be a lover.
I agree with all of your points, especially on friendship. It's a huge personal peeve of mine that media and even well-meaning ordinary people don't like to acknowledge that someone can have a happy, fulfilling life with non-romantic close friendships to both sexes (and no children/desire for children, but that's a different topic!).
I don't watch Glee, so I can't comment in detail, but I know there is (was?) a lesbian relationship between two of the characters, and I believe there are two male characters in a relationship as well.
I also want to add that with regards to House and House/Wilson, I agree with sassyjumper's comments above. :) But I always hoped they'd do a House/Simpsons crossover, because animation seems to be able to go farther than live-action TV. I've read that The Simpsons did the first network television male/male kiss in a Season 2 episode, which would have aired sometime in 1990, I think. Maybe it is just an animation thing, but it seems like Fox/the show producers/actors/etc. (I don't know much about the other big
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South Park is a good example. Sometimes, I've watched it and wondered "How the hell is that even allowed on television?" Are you a fan of South Park, or not particularly?
Torchwood has got to be a pretty big exception to the rule.
The lead character in Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness, was basically introduced in Doctor Who as someone who was flirty with everyone. In his last appearance as a regular companion in the first series of New Who, he got to kiss both the female companion (Rose) and the male lead (the Doctor) before heading off towards battle.
In Torchwood, it was pretty much stated by the showrunner that all the lead characters were bisexual. There wasn't onscreen evidence of this from all of them, but one of the female leads had a brief relationship with a woman (who turned out to be an alien).
Here's a scene where the rest of the team are discussing Jack in the first episode of Torchwood.
The most enduring romance of the series was between Captain Jack Harkness and one of the other male characters, Ianto Jones (that's them in my icon). Ianto definitely wasn't portrayed as gay because he'd had a girlfriend in S1
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What irritates me is that if two male characters or two female characters are in close contact on a show, where that closeness is similar to what might normally be featured between a male and female character, it is assumed that there is absolutely *no* possibility of them getting together.
There is an absolutely perfect example of this in Star Trek: Voyager.
Tom Paris and Harry Kim had an absolutely amazing relationship... as friends. Thing is, they had more chemistry together than either of them did with their female romantic partners, and I'm including B'Elanna Torres in this as I felt she always had more onscreen chemistry with Harry than Tom (who she ended up marrying). I think if ever there should have been a Triad on the telly, Tom, B'Elanna and Harry were it.
Right from the first episode Tom and Harry were looking out for each other
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There was a gay character on Downton Abbey but he was a selfish jerk and there were two lesbians on Boardwalk Empire but they got killed (not because they were lesbians but because a hit man mistook one of them for another character and then killed her girlfriend so she wouldn't be a witness).
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And I mustn't forget the entirety of Christopher and His Kind which starred Doctor Who's Matt Smith as Christopher Isherwood in his Berlin years. Even if his relationships weren't being shown on screen the thread of his sexuality ran right through it.
Now I realise that this isn't the same kettle of fish as it is a dramatisation of actual events, but I think it's relevant because this was released while Matt was The Doctor and so was probably seen by a lot of people who might not otherwise have watched it.
Have some trailers.
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I agree on all counts. I will say, though, that with House, I did like that it ended with two male best friends as soul mates -- IMO, there was no ambiguity that they were (even if they are two dysfunctional souls ;) ). There are many TV shows I've never seen, so that may not be unique. But I think in most cases, male friends are portrayed as "buddies," and for one or both, a romantic relationship with a woman is the most important relationship in his life. So I like the acknowledgment that the most important person in your life does *not* have to be a lover.
And of course, we are free to imagine what happens with H/W after they take off on their motorcycles, decked out in leather and stubble, sharing hotel rooms and..... Yeah, that's all I'll say.
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This is very true as well. Good point. :)
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I don't watch Glee, so I can't comment in detail, but I know there is (was?) a lesbian relationship between two of the characters, and I believe there are two male characters in a relationship as well.
I also want to add that with regards to House and House/Wilson, I agree with sassyjumper's comments above. :) But I always hoped they'd do a House/Simpsons crossover, because animation seems to be able to go farther than live-action TV. I've read that The Simpsons did the first network television male/male kiss in a Season 2 episode, which would have aired sometime in 1990, I think. Maybe it is just an animation thing, but it seems like Fox/the show producers/actors/etc. (I don't know much about the other big ( ... )
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That's a good point on animation as well. Animation seems a bit more willing to go where live-action TV won't.
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The lead character in Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness, was basically introduced in Doctor Who as someone who was flirty with everyone. In his last appearance as a regular companion in the first series of New Who, he got to kiss both the female companion (Rose) and the male lead (the Doctor) before heading off towards battle.
In Torchwood, it was pretty much stated by the showrunner that all the lead characters were bisexual. There wasn't onscreen evidence of this from all of them, but one of the female leads had a brief relationship with a woman (who turned out to be an alien).
Here's a scene where the rest of the team are discussing Jack in the first episode of Torchwood.
The most enduring romance of the series was between Captain Jack Harkness and one of the other male characters, Ianto Jones (that's them in my icon). Ianto definitely wasn't portrayed as gay because he'd had a girlfriend in S1 ( ... )
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There is an absolutely perfect example of this in Star Trek: Voyager.
Tom Paris and Harry Kim had an absolutely amazing relationship... as friends. Thing is, they had more chemistry together than either of them did with their female romantic partners, and I'm including B'Elanna Torres in this as I felt she always had more onscreen chemistry with Harry than Tom (who she ended up marrying). I think if ever there should have been a Triad on the telly, Tom, B'Elanna and Harry were it.
Right from the first episode Tom and Harry were looking out for each other
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