Gays in Prime Time Soaps

A look back at several moments from prime time soaps reflecting changes in portrayal of gay male characters on US network TV over the past 25 years.

The clips include:

* CELEBRITY (February 1984 NBC miniseries based upon Tommy Thompson's novel - Joseph Bottoms plays a married and closeted Hollywood star whose son (played by a young River Phoenix) accidentally witnesses his love-making session with a male lover)

* DYNASTY (ABC's #1 program in America in the 1984/85 season - Jack Coleman reluctantly took over the role of the luxe soap's resident gay character Steven Carrington who got to profess his love for a young PR assistant played by William Campbell in January 1985)

* I'LL TAKE MANHATTAN (CBS' March 1987 miniseries based upon Judith Krantz's novel - Adam Storke is powerful Amberville family's youngest child who ends up being manipulated by a male model hired by his evil uncle to set up drugs in his studio - the awkward hug the scene ends with reflects how gay intimacy was shown at the time)

* MELROSE PLACE (Aaron Spelling's outrageously shameless soap opera - unlike his fellow bedhopping heterosexual Melrose complex tenants, the show's resident gay character played by Doug Savant finally got to kiss a man only in May 1994, more than 60 episodes into the show's run. Unfortunately, fearful of advertiser and affiliate backlash FOX censored the scene)

* DAWSON'S CREEK (The WB's teen drama finally broke new ground in 2000 when Kerr Smith who played the show's gay character Jack McPhee shared a kiss with a boy which ended up being the very first prime-time gay male kiss in the history of American television) NOTE: This clip is taken from the episode "Promicide" which aired in 2001 and features a later kiss, not the first gay male kiss which aired in 2000 (and can not be seen in this video).

* DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (In a post-Will & Grace TV world ABC's immensely popular dramedy continued to show gay characters in lighter tone, sending its troublemaking teen Andrew Van De Kamp proudly out of the closet)

* BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC's critically-acclaimed star-studded family drama broke new ground in its 2nd season finale aired in May 2008 when its popular gay couple Kevin and Scotty tied the knot in a touching commitment ceremony).

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• TV
• Gay
• Kiss
• Celebrity
• Dynasty
• Manhattan
• Melrose
• Place
• Dawson's
• Creek
• Desperate
• Housewives
• Brothers
• Sisters

[Scrabbler27]

We better be quiet and not to tell Lynette that her husband Tom is gay in Desperate Housewives!

[atomus]

I always hated the way gays are portrayed on american television

always seemed so unnatural to me (the way they are portrayed - NOT the fact that they are gay)

[stephenisakeeper]

The guy at 4:36 played in a gay movie called "The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green" He played Ethan ex. The movie was based off a comic strip.

[briarrose3737]

So what they didn't allow gay kisses on tv before 2000? That's stupid -.-

[briarrose3737]

Lol XD love the desperate housewives one XD

[itkapatanka]

Joseph Bottoms was/is? so hot, wish he'd changed his last name though!

[insalacolucas]

yay go jack

[cranberry411]

4:29 what a jip fuck no action what so ever o well 6 years last the was Queer as Folk. Im a lesbian but hey i do like to see kissing when its good..

[cranberry411]

1:32 EWWW the man gave the other man codees..

[michaelpousti]

Thank for sharing this. I really like it :)

[tich302001]

@Scrabbler27 Tom's not gay. Desperate Housewives is coming to an end in 2012 they better make their minds up lol!!

[EmzK86]

Censored by fox! Well fox can kiss my ass! Why censor a completely natural innocent kiss, just because it happens to be between two guys. If it was two women kissing the at the time mainly male executives would I'm sure be more willing to see that, no doubt!

And mini rant over.

Doug Savant is my new crush I don't care if he's old enough to be my father, he is F.A.F - Fit As Flip!

That is all. :)