Drew Mackie and Glen Lakin are human roommates and friends who spend an inordinate amount of time discussing gay stuff on old sitcoms. Drew, a journalist, eventually convinced Glen, a screenwriter, that they should have a podcast, especially after listening to Talking Simpsons and realizing that their formula could be appropriated for discussion of TV shows that are not The Simpsons. (We still talk about The Simpsons a lot. Also Talking Simpsons was cool with us ripping them off.)

We are mostly focused on showing the ways that sitcoms have educated audiences about LGBTQ issues in a way that’s subtler and sneakier than what you’d see on other forms of televisions. Dramas, for example, are expected to tackle issues, whereas the main job of a sitcom is to make audiences laugh. If a sitcom can make people laugh while also teaching them to cut LGBTQ people a break? That’s worth pointing out.

Episodes we’ve done that have done a particularly good job of educating audiences while also being funny include the Golden Girls episode “Isn’t It Romantic?” — or as we call it, “Dorothy’s Friend Is a Lesbian.”

Or the Cheers episode “The Boys in the Bar” — or as we call it, “Diane Chambers Is an LGBT Ally.”

Or even an episode of Dinosaurs that we shorthand as “Dinosaurs Uses Vegetarianism as a Metaphor for Homosexuality.” It’s wild that this was a show that aired on TV, really.

We are both white, cisgender gay guys trying our best. Whenever we tackle episodes that focus on a life experience outside our own, we bring in guests who can speak to that experience. Which is to say, despite the title, we make an effort to cover episodes of TV that reflect an experience beyond our own.

Do you have a list of every episode you’ve done so far?

Why, yes, we do have that.

Who hosts this podcast?

Glen Lakin failed miserably at his mother’s aspirations that he become a plastic surgeon. Instead, he studied film and screenwriting at Northwestern University and the American Film Institute. Despite misplacing his diplomas, Glen enjoys developing content for movies and TV, with his first feature film, BEING FRANK, releasing in theaters in 2019. Please ask about his other unproduced scripts... Please.

Once upon a time, Drew Mackie used to write for newspapers. Today, he talks instead of writes, capitalizing on a childhood spent in front of the TV, watching a lot of old movies and TV shows. He has a dog, Thurman, and also a mustache, which is not yet named. Because he believes podcasts can’t be too niche, he also hosts Singing Mountain and Deep Cuts and Superficial Wounds. He also produces Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie, about made-for-TV horror movies

What is this podcast?

What’s this about a Patreon?

Yes, we do have a place where you can compensate us monetarily for our podcasting efforts. In addition to granting you the one-of-a-kind sparkle that comes with giving away small sums of money, supporting Gayest Episode Ever on Patreon gives you…

  • Every regular episode one week early.

  • Cartoons That Made Us Gay, a whole bonus series looking at the cartoons of our youth that, all these years later, seem really gay. It’s a GEE-style approach to something other than sitcoms, and so far we’ve covered He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sailor Moon, Batman, Gargoyles, ThunderCats and more.

  • New bonus series as they arrive!

  • The Shelley Longcast, the only podcast examining the movie career of one Shelley Long.

  • Two monthly bonus series, Drew and Glen Talk About Anything (where patrons give us a jumping off point, TV-related or not) and GEE Movie Club (where we discuss a movie, book club-style).

  • And all donors giving us $3 or more a month get an on-air compliment and a compliment from the famous Box of Compliments.

We thank all of our generous supporters who justify us making this show!