In honor of the return of the L Word we dive into a history of queer tv. From Canadian docuseries in the 70’s to groundbreaking British dramas in the 80’s. On to the popular 90’s American sitcoms and historical moments of the 2000’s. We cover the many ups and downs, protests and controversies. One failed and cancelled show after another paved the way for the incredible queer content we enjoy on TV today. So join us on this winding journey. Dial in and don’t worry about rushing through the commercials. It’s AD free as we discuss queer TV. In honor of the return of notorious lesbian drama the L Word, today we dive into queer tv. Covering some of the most groundbreaking moments and influential shows in English TV history. That’s right, we’re not just talking about America in this episode. We’re also covering England and Canada as the three countries have heavily influenced each others television. And we’ll be all over the place with genres from documentaries and dramas to sitcoms and reality tv. But let us take you back to where it all began; Canada, 1972. Before reality tv there were just docuseries. Which is how the first show dedicated to queer people was structured. In 1972 Toronto, Canada’s local community channel aired Coming Out. A 13 episode series that profiled early gay rights activists and the LGBTQ movement in Canada. The show covered a variety of members in the community and was one of the first positive exposures of queer culture produced on television. However, Coming Out was never picked up by any national broadcasting channels and the series only ran for one season. Yet it opened the door for queer exposure on TV. And possibly inspired All In The Family producer Norman Lear to pitch his new idea to the American Broadcasting Channel (ABC). Lear was the hit TV producer of the 1970’s; the Shonda Rhimes of his era so to speak. For the past four years he had given audiences one smashing success after another. Starting with All In the Family in 1971, Sanford and Sons in 1972, Maude in 1973, Good Times in 1974, and his newest release The Jeffersons in 1975. So it is no wonder producers were willing to take a chance on his new show Hot’L Baltimore. The sitcom was set in a run down hotel in Baltimore and featured an array of characters from prostitutes to illegal immigrants. But the most controversial was the older gay couple who lived at the hotel. Because of the content, when Hot’L Baltimore debuted in 1975 it was the first show on ABC to run a warning label before every episode. Yet even with Norman Lear backing the project and ABC – to their credit- standing by his side, the show faced harsh backlash. Ratings remained low and protests stayed high. Though the broadcasting company allowed the sitcom to complete its first season they didn’t pick it up again for a second year. This would be a recurring theme for the next 20 years. Shows prominently featuring LGBTQ characters would make their debut, run for a season, and then get cancelled. In 1977 Gay News and Views aired in Toronto as a talk show meets news segment for the queer community. The show managed to squeeze in two series runs in the fall of ‘77 and the spring of ‘78. But from its inception there was backlash from every side. Conservatives protested before the first episode ever aired and managed to push Gay News and Views from the prime 6pm slot to a much later 10pm program time. Complaints also got the show temporarily cancelled, then complaints from queer views and allys had it put back on the air. Eventually the program became too much of a headache for broadcasting company MaClean-Hunter and it was officially cancelled in May of 1978. Upon its cancellation one TV executive stated that Gay News and Views was “disrespectful to the establishment heterosexual community”. The following year across the pond Britain gave its first real shot at queer representation on tv.