Arts & Entertainment

Gayer than ever

Many hit shows return with queer themes and characters

Published

11 years ago

September 11, 2014

Santiago Melli-Huber

A scene from ‘The McCarthys,’ a new gay-themed CBS sitcom. (Photo courtesy CBS)

Season one of “BoJack Horseman,” Netflix’s first animated original series, is now available. The show focuses on BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), an anthropomorphic horse and former sitcom star (stay with me) trying to recapture his relevance. Amy Sedaris plays his agent, a pink Persian cat. Alison Brie provides the voice of BoJack’s ghostwriter while Aaron Paul voices BoJack’s slack roommate. Stanley Tucci has a minor role as a gay comedian.

“The McCarthys” premieres Oct. 30 at 9:30 p.m. on CBS. The family comedy centers around Ronny McCarthy, a 29-year-old gay Bostonian. Laurie Metcalf plays Ronny’s mother.

“Looking” has recently added Daniel Franzese (Damian, “Mean Girls”) to the cast. Season two returns to HBO in early 2015.

“Dancing with the Stars” season 19 premieres Sept. 15 on ABC. Contestants include Jonathan Bennett (Aaron Samuels, “Mean Girls”), designer Betsey Johnson and Sadie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty.”

“Masters of Sex,” starring Lizzy Caplan (another “Mean Girls” alum) and Michael Sheen, airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime with the second season finale airing Sept. 28. Allison Janney recently won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Margaret Scully, the wife of Beau Bridges’s closeted Provost Barton Scully.

Logo TV’s “Secret Guide to Fabulous” premiered on Sept. 3 at 11 p.m. The show, produced by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, features four experts in fitness, fashion, entertaining and home design who help people revitalize their lives. Comparisons to “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” are not unfounded.

Seasons one and two of the Netflix juggernauts “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards” are both available for streaming. Both shows are queer inclusive, and “Orange’s” Laverne Cox is the first openly trans actress to have been nominated for an Emmy.

Chelsea Handler’s stand-up special “Uganda Be Kidding Me” will be released on Netflix Oct. 10. The special is a live recording from a show on her recent tour of the same name.

HBO will air Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “On the Run Tour” on Sept. 20. The broadcast will feature performances from the musical power couple’s performances in Paris this month.

“The Comeback,” starring Lisa Kudrow, will make a comeback after nine years in November on HBO as six-episode mini-season.

“The Newsroom,” starring Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Jane Fonda, returns for its final season in November on HBO.

“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, premieres on FX on Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. Returning actors include Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett and Francey Conroy, among others. They welcome series newcomers Matt Bomer and Patti LaBelle.

Gustin Grant stars in “The Flash,” premiering Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Casey Wilson and Ken Marino star in “Marry Me,” which premieres Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. on NBC. The show is loosely based on series creator David Caspe’s (“Happy Endings”) recent marriage to Wilson, also of “Happy Endings” fame.

Jeffrey Tambor and Judith Light star in the Amazon series “Transparent.” Tambor plays a family patriarch who recently came out as a trans woman. The show debuted Feb. 6 and premieres in full this month on Amazon.com.

“How to Get Away With Murder” premieres Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. on ABC, the same night as fellow “Shondaland” juggernauts “Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m.) and “Scandal” (9 p.m.). In “Murder,” Viola Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a lawyer. Jack Falahee plays Connor Walsh, a gay student of Keating’s. The three Thursday night Shonda Rhimes dramas are all prominent, queer-inclusive hits.

“The Walking Dead” returns to AMC on Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. Series creator Robert Kirkman has recently suggested that fan favorite character Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) may be gay, which would make him the show’s first LGBT character.

John Mulaney (“Saturday Night Live”) stars in “Mulaney,” which premieres Oct. 5 at 9:30 p.m. on Fox as part of the network’s Sunday night comedy block (along with “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons”). Mulaney may be most known for creating the popular SNL character Stefon, played by Bill Hader.

Season 25 of “The Amazing Race” premieres on Sept. 26 on CBS at 8 p.m., a change from its previous Sunday night time slot. A consistently queer-inclusive program, season 25 features a gay couple competing on a team together.

Emmy magnet “Modern Family” returns to ABC on Sept. 24 at 9 p.m.

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PHOTOS: 10’s Across the Board

Impulse Group DC holds anniversary celebration at Bravo Bravo

Published

32 minutes ago

December 17, 2025

Michael Key

Impulse Group DC's '10's Across the Board' party was held at Bravo Bravo on Sunday, Dec. 14. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Impulse Group DC held “10’s Across the Board: A Celebration of 10 Years” at Bravo Bravo (1001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Sunday, Dec. 14. Impulse Group DC is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) and affinity group of AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated “to engaging, supporting, and connecting gay men” through culturally relevant health and advocacy work.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Celebrity News

Rob Reiner, wife killed in LA home

Director was prominent LGBTQ ally

Published

2 days ago

December 15, 2025

Matt Minton

Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner attend the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Dinner on March 30, 2019. (Photo by kathclick/Bigstock)

Rob Reiner, most known for directing untouchable classics like “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” and “Stand by Me,” died Dec. 14 alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Los Angeles residence. While investigations are actively underway, sources have told PEOPLE Magazine that the pair’s son, Nick Reiner, killed his parents and has been taken into custody.

Reiner was a master of every genre, from the romantic comedy to the psychological thriller to the coming-of-age buddy movie. But in addition to his renowned work that made him a household name, Reiner is also remembered as a true advocate for the LGBTQ community. In 2009, Reiner and his wife co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, helping fight against California’s Prop 8 same-sex marriage ban. They were honored at the 2015 Human Rights Campaign Las Vegas Gala.

In a statement, HRC President Kelley Robinson said: “The entire HRC family is devastated by the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner. Rob is nothing short of a legend — his television shows and films are a part of our American history and will continue to bring joy to millions of people across the world. Yet for all his accomplishments in Hollywood, Rob and Michele will most be remembered for their gigantic hearts, and their fierce support for the causes they believed in — including LGBTQ+ equality. So many in our movement remember how Rob and Michele organized their peers, brought strategists and lawyers together, and helped power landmark Supreme Court decisions that made marriage equality the law of the land — and they remained committed to the cause until their final days. The world is a darker place this morning without Rob and Michele — may they rest in power.”

Reiner’s frequent collaborators have also spoken out as the industry is in mourning, including figures like Ron Howard and John Cusack.

A joint statement from Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest (who starred in Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap”) reads: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them. There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage, and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”

While attending the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, Reiner spoke out about the need for equality: “We have to move past singling out transgender, LGBTQ, black, white, Jewish, Muslim, Latino. We have to get way past that and start accepting the idea that we’re all human beings. We’re all human beings, we all share the same planet, and we should all have the same rights, period. It’s no more complicated than that.”