Comments on: When less is more: LGBT characters and integrated television

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:38:53 +0000

Hey, feel free to pick on CBS. Their scripted shows lean towards the more guy-ish, masculinist on TV (espec. with all those CSI and NCIS run, gun, and microscope shows, and with the Dudes Sitting Around humor of Chuck Lorre’s shows), so it’s very relevant that they don’t allow gay characters into that world. Can one imagine “The Puppy Episode” with Charlie in Two and a Half Men, or Horatio’s reaction when Eric comes out to him in CSI: Miami? They also get more viewers than any other network (even if less in the 18-49 demo).

By: Kyra Glass

Kyra Glass — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:58:23 +0000

Those who are interested the report is here: http://www.glaad.org/tvreport

By: Kyra Glass

Kyra Glass — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:56:05 +0000

Erin and Jonathan – Great points, I am very aware of the many LGBT people who are part of reality shows on all networks. And you are right that this increases their prime-time visibility even further. I was intentionally restricting my comments to scripted fictional programs. In part because they are not included in the GLAAD numbers and in part because reality shows included LGBT individuals in greater numbers somewhat earlier then most fictional programming has chosen to. There are many potential reasons for this, while reality show contestants do have some control in “writing their role”, editors have a great deal of control over what people see. What stories are focused on is often constrained by the format of the reality program. The intricacies of a romantic relationship are not necessarily, although certainly not never, as much of an issue when the main point of the show is the competition. One can also argue that from the perspective of selling a show to advertisers and industry execs there is a difference between including LGBT eligible contestants to reality show, given that not having any in supposedly a fair selection from a “real world” population would appear exclusionary, and intentionally writing LGBT characters as regulars into fictional program (particularly when the nature of many of these characters and programs invites the discussion of LGBT issues). I didn’t mean to pick on CBS or accuse it of being prejudiced, rather I was impressed that CBS was the only network without a regular LGBT character on a fictional prime-time show. What I was interested in was what was new here, with the inclusion of more characters on fictional integrated network programming, and because reality shows from MTV, to HGTV, to Bravo and across all the networks have long had LGBT individuals on I was bracketing it as something else but important, in a similar way that I bracketed out soap operas.

By: Erin Copple Smith

Erin Copple Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:12:35 +0000

Just chiming in to note that the current season of Amazing Race actually has a pair of gay brothers competing. (And they’re doing very well!) They just came out to the other racers a couple of eps ago, and noted that a lot of their acquaintances at home don’t know they’re gay.

By: Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:02:49 +0000

I dunno about this season, but when you say CBS has ignored the trend, I would point out that they’ve often been particularly forward-thinking in their reality shows. Amazing Race has had numerous gay or lesbian pairs, including a gay man and his mother, a gay man and his gay (activist) father, and two lesbian ministers, and Survivor has nearly always had a gay or lesbian cast member. Not reason to declare the end of prejudice on CBS for sure, but it’s always interesting when it’s a venue in which the individual can seemingly play a greater role in writing their role than in scripted dramas.