Frasier & Sitcoms of the Gay '90s

Is there any show more perfectly suited for a gay '90s romp than Frasier? When the show the first premiered, television often treated gay characters as a source of fear. But by the time Frasier was in its final season, lots of sitcoms were having a gay old time.

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[tjmichael]

I was outed in 80s, told I would die from AIDS and beat up in locker room. My first boyfriend in mid 90s was painfully closeted. Thankfully so much has improved to help us lead happier lives.

[LittleBearMysticNun]

“Tom’s not gay, ”
“Well he seems to be under that impression.”

That’s such a great line.

[NinjaTylerBlack]

my favorite catchphrase of the 90s is "its the 90s"

[MrAnthoniii]

The fact Frasier is still being talked about to this day puts a smile on my face

[FaeQueenCory]

I feel like Frasier had so many gay positive episodes was because like half the cast is gay IRL.

[masonallen]

The whole Ski Lodge episode is great but Frasier’s last line is absolutely perfect.

Frasier: Let me see if I can get this straight. All the lust coursing through this lodge tonight, all the hormones virtually ricocheting off the walls. And no one was chasing me? . . . See you at breakfast. (Leaves angrily)

Frasier’s not mad at Guy for being gay. He’s mad that Guy was attracted to Niles and not him.

[SterlingHolmes]

The gay positivity of Fraser is one of the main reasons why I’ve watched the series well over 25 times on Netflix

[chrisparkes]

I’ll just say that growing up gay in the ‘90’s every tiny little representation felt so precious.

[happyninja]

I've never understood the freakout about having a gay guy be interested in you, as a straight guy. I've had it happen to me multiple times when I was in my 20s, and it really wasn't a big deal. It wasn't any different than having a girl I wasn't interested in ask me out. I just would politely decline, say "Thanks but I'm not gay.", and that would be it. As the first Frasier episode illustrates, it's a pretty easy thing to defuse when there is some miscommunication.

[Elleraiser]

"every day is lesbian lover day!" is the greatest thing to ever come out of ross geller's mouth

[ytyt]

That scene with Niles in the kitchen “I’m sorry can you repeat the question” must be one of the funniest in the entire series.

[globetrekker]

Ross’ intoxicated remark to Chandler is one for the books: “I love you, man. Now, listen, if you wanna be gay, be gay. Doesn’t matter to me!”

[BrutalOddball]

Im not gay myself but I have a friend who recently came out and since i dont know many gay people Im watching this series to understand and relate more to him. He's my friend and I want to be by his side but I don´t know much about "gay culture" if there is such a thing. Your videos have been helpful for me to understand his situation, so Im very thankful for that :)

[MehodofMadness]

Please never stop doing these. They are so valuable.

[DarkPsychoMessiah]

"You're from the south" I actually laughed for a whole minute

[snowicedragon]

I know of an episode where a character comes out and no one cares that’s before Frasier. The episode is “George” from MASH. Hawkeye notices a soldier that has bruises that aren’t combat related and the soldier says he was beaten by his unit because they found out he was gay. Hawkeye and pretty much everyone doesn’t think it’s a problem except Frank who wants to give him a dishonorable discharge. So could you do a video on this episode?

[masonallen]

Will & Grace was both a step forward and a step back for LGBT representation on television. On one hand it was nice to see a show where gay characters were the main characters instead of just supporting or guest. But on the other hand it also enforced a lot of stereotypes and keep in mind that openly gay actor John Barrowman, who you might know for his work on Doctor Who, auditioned for the role of Will but was rejected for being "too straight". The show would later cast a straight actor Eric McCormack as Will.

[Vincornelis]

If we’re talking 90’s sitcoms The Nanny is certainly worth discussing. It’s a bit all over the place with it’s gay content. There’s a couple of very stereotypical flamboyant gay guest characters but then they have an I can’t believe it’s not homosexual episode where the guest character is assumed to be gay before to Fran’s shock it turns out he’s actually straight. Mr. Sheffield suffers from gay panic a couple of times but Fran kisses other women without a second thought and when a lesbian assumes she’s gay and let’s slip she would have asked her out if she was she actually briefly considers it before turning her down cause she’s not Jewish.

[thebeardedseeker]

Frasier and Niles were the gayest straight men ever. that's what made their characters so hilarious.

[jonathanramirez]

You missed another fantastic gay episode where the Crane boys' mom's research assistant (Leland Barton) pays a visit and he has so much in common with Niles and Frasier that they wonder if they were the product of the late Mrs. Crane's infidelity. The final punchline is that it isn't possible because the researcher is gay. It is a sweet episode with a touching ending.