Nowadays, there are a lot of great start-to-finish LGBTQ TV shows, from reality shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to comedies like “The Other Two.” But just because a show isn’t always gay, doesn’t mean it’s never gay.When gay characters started popping up on television sporadically in the ’70s and early ’80s, they were largely one-episode wonders, with their sexualities serving as plot fodder for the regular, straight cast members to grapple with.
One of, if not the first, gay characters on television came in the fifth episode of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family,” which focused on main character Archie (Carroll O’Connor) learning that one of his former college friends is gay.
Other sitcoms that followed “All in the Family” utilized similar one episode plots: a 1976 episode of “The Bob Newhart Show” saw the main character trying to curb prejudice in a therapy group when a member came out.
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