135: Happy Endings Explores Gay Subcultures

“Ordinary Extraordinary Love” (January 8, 2013) 

Bears, twinks, otters, wolves, panthers, yetis and bunniculas. The breadth of subcultures that gay life offers is both wide and weird — and a subject rarely approached by mainstream sitcoms. However, Happy Endings brought this to broadcast in the mid-2010s, all centered around the uncategorizable Max.

The content warning that wasn’t: In the original intro clip, Max references a trans slur that, if we’re being responsible, would have gotten a warning. It’s a garbage joke. I cut it from our episode, and it could be removed so cleanly that 1) you won’t notice it being gone and 2) you have to realize how unnecessary it was in the first place. Should you watch the Happy Endings episode, be forewarned that it does feature this pointless joke.

See the framed otter photo that Drew thinks looks like Glen here.

Read After Elton’s piece on Happy Endings opting out of a same-sex kiss in its first season.

Read the NY Magazine piece on Happy Endings.

Episode artwork designed by Ian O’Phelan.