Episodes
| Year | Series | Network or station |
Episode | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Dick Cavett Show | ABC | "Nov. 26" | Episode featuring discussion of gay issues and gay representatives. |
| 1970 | Medical Center | CBS | "Undercurrent" | A gay research scientist (Paul Burke) becomes the target of an anonymous smear campaign. |
| 1970 | Newsfront | WNDT | Seven gay liberation leaders appeared on the June 24 episode. | |
| 1971 | All in the Family | CBS | "Judging Books By Covers" | After mocking his son-in-law Mike's (Rob Reiner) effeminate but heterosexual lunch guest (Anthony Geary), Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) finds out that Steve (Philip Carey) a former pro football player and one of his all-American drinking buddies, is gay. President Richard Nixon watched the episode in the White House and found it distasteful. |
| 1971 | Dan August | ABC | "Dead Witness to a Killing" | Laurence Luckinbill plays a presidential cabinet nominee who murders his sister to prevent her from outing him. He also kills his accomplice and lover, played by Martin Sheen. |
| 1971 | David Susskind ShowThe David Susskind Show | Syndicated | "Lesbians and Society" | |
| 1971 | Room 222 | ABC | "What Is a Man?" | A high school boy named Howard (Frederick Herrick) becomes a target of schoolyard homophobia. |
| 1972 | Bold OnesThe Bold Ones: The New Doctors | NBC | "Discovery at Fourteen" | Dr. Amanda Fallon (Jane Wyman) has difficulty treating the bleeding ulcer of Cory Melino (Ron Howard) until she discovers that his father Jack (Robert J. Hogan) is homosexual. She assures Cory that he doesn't have to turn out like his father. |
| 1972 | Bold OnesThe Bold Ones: The New Doctors | NBC | "Very Strange Triangle""A Very Strange Triangle" | Dr. Marty Cohen's (Robert Walden) attempts to rekindle his relationship with nurse Valerie DeMarco (Donna Mills) are complicated by the fact that Valerie is currently involved with Eleanor (Hildy Brooks). |
| 1972 | Hawaii Five-O | CBS | "V for Vashon: The Patriarch" | Corrupt lawyer Harvey Drew (John Stalker) frames Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) for a crime but is undermined when his much younger "nephew" exposes him. |
| 1972 | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | ABC | "Words of Summer" | Ann Glover (Meredith Baxter) is accused of molesting a young girl (Denise Nickerson) and to clear her name her former roommate Meg (Kristina Holland) is forced to come out as a lesbian. |
| 1973 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | ABC | "Other Martin Loring""The Other Martin Loring" | Loring (Mark Miller) is a stressed, diabetic man about to be divorced as he faces the "illness" of homosexuality. Dr. Welby (Robert Young) suggests that he is not really homosexual but his fear of being homosexual is making him believe that he is. The Gay Activists Alliance denounced the episode. After a meeting with ABC resulted in no changes, GAA members occupied the offices of network president Elton Rule and chairman Leonard Goldenson. Executives offered to meet with two GAA representatives. The group refused, saying that all protesters should be present at the meeting. Six protesters were arrested but charges were eventually dropped. |
| 1973 | Mary Tyler Moore Show | CBS | "My Brother's Keeper" | Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) wants to set up her visiting brother Ben (Robert Moore) with Mary. Phyllis' brother is gay. |
| 1973 | Medical Center | CBS | "Triangle" | Dr. Annie Claymor (Lois Nettleton) treats Tobi (Jamie Smith Jackson), an emotionally confused teenager. Tobi's treatment is compromised by accusations that Claymor is trying to "recruit" her and a one-time sexual encounter with a female friend but in the end she is reassured that she is not a lesbian. |
| 1973 | Sanford and Son | NBC | "Lamont, Is That You?" | Fred (Redd Foxx) gets the wrong idea when Lamont (Demond Wilson) and Rollo (Nathaniel Taylor) are seen coming out of a gay bar. |
| 1973 | The Streets of San Francisco | ABC | "A Collection of Eagles" | Vince Hagopian Jr. (John Saxon) is a numismatist who is secretly in a relationship with both Tommy Hendriksen (William Gray Espy) and Karen Pearson (Belinda Montgomery). Vince uses both Tommy and Karen in a plot to switch a wealthy collector's (Joseph Cotten) gold double-eagle coins with counterfeits. Tommy becomes increasingly jealous of Vince's affection toward Karen and Vince murders Tommy by giving him and overdose of insulin. Later in the episode, Vince attempts to murder Karen in the same manner but is stopped by Det. Lt. Stone (Karl Malden) and Insp. Keller (Michael Douglas). |
| 1974 | Columbo | NBC | "By Dawn's Early Light" | Colonel Lyle C. Rumford (Patrick McGoohan) is implied to be a gay man with an interest in S&M. |
| 1974 | Harry O | ABC | "Coinage of the Realm" | Joe Heston (David Dukes) and Fred Lassiter (Granville Van Dusen) are a pair of gay hit men. |
| 1974 | Lou Gordon ProgramThe Lou Gordon Program | Syndicated | "Are Gays Going to Hell?" | Gordon's conclusion on the matter is unknown. |
| 1974 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | ABC | "Outrage""The Outrage" | A high school teacher (Edward Winter) sexually molests one of his students, Ted (Sean Kelly). Ted initially can't admit that he was assaulted but his injuries require surgery. As he recovers, the police arrest his teacher trying to molest another child and the teacher is transported to a mental institution. The National Gay Task Force tried to work with ABC but ultimately still found the episode unacceptable. Seventeen ABC affiliates refused to air the episode. |
| 1974 | M*A*S*H | CBS | "George" | A serviceman (Richard Ely) is beaten by members of his own unit for being gay. He confides in Hawkeye (Alan Alda) but Major Burns (Larry Linville) overhears and seeks to initiate a discharge. Hawkeye and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) blackmail Major Burns (threatening to reveal he bought the answers to his medical school admission exams) and he agrees to drop the matter. |
| 1974 | Maude | CBS | "Maude's New Friend" | Maude (Beatrice Arthur) befriends Barry (Robert Mandan), a gay author. |
| 1974 | Pat Collins ShowThe Pat Collins Show | WCBS-TV | "Night at the Continental Baths""A Night at the Continental Baths" | |
| 1974 | Police Story | NBC | "Ripper""The Ripper" | The homophobic owner of a modeling agency (Peter Mark Richman) is slashing gay men to death as part of his plan to rid the world of "undesirables", including homosexuals, drug addicts, prostitutes and "the lame and the blind". Three members of the Gay Media Task Force served as consultants on the episode. |
| 1974 | Police Woman | NBC | "Flowers of Evil" | A lesbian gang (Fay Spain, Laraine Stephens, Lynn Loring) that runs a nursing home is killing off their clients. Pepper (Angie Dickinson) tries to persuade Janet (Loring) to testify against her lover Gladys (Stephens) and tells Janet about her lesbian college roommate. The group Lesbian Feminist Liberation staged a sit-in at NBC and, after meeting with gay activists, the network agreed not to rerun the episode. |
| 1974 | Streets of San FranciscoThe Streets of San Francisco | ABC | "Mask of Death" | A female impersonator (John Davidson) is famed for his impersonations of actresses Carol Channing and (the fictional) Carol Marlowe. The Marlowe persona takes over and begins stabbing men to death with a hatpin. Jim Bailey provided the voice for Davidson's Channing impersonation. |
| 1974 | Tomorrow | NBC | "Boy Prostitution" | |
| 1975 | All in the Family | CBS | "Archie the Hero" | Archie saves the life of a drag queen known as Beverly LaSalle (Lori Shannon) – who he thinks is a woman – by administering artificial respiration and is chagrined when the rescue draws media attention. |
| 1975 | Barney Miller | ABC | "Discovery" | Darryl (Ray Stewart) and Marty (Jack DeLeon) allege that an officer from the 12th Precinct is extorting the gay community. A sergeant from another precinct apprehends the suspect (who is not an officer) and delivers him to the 12th, casually coming out in the process. |
| 1975 | Bob Crane ShowThe Bob Crane Show | NBC | "Case of Misdiagnosis""A Case of Misdiagnosis" | Bob Wilcox (Bob Crane) treats a man (John Astin) who praises him in a newspaper story. The story identifies the patient as a prominent gay activist, leading Bob to worry that others might think he is also gay. |
| 1975 | Doctors' Hospital | NBC | "Watchman, Who Will Guard Thy Sleep?" | A homophobic patient is cared for by a gay orderly. |
| 1975 | Medical Center | CBS | "Fourth Sex""The Fourth Sex (Parts 1 and 2)" | Robert Reed plays transsexual Doctor Pat Caddison who decides to have sexual reassignment surgery. |
| 1975 | Tomorrow | NBC | "Gays and Military Service" | |
| 1976 | Alice | CBS | "Alice Gets a Pass" | Alice (Linda Lavin) falls for an ex-pro football player (Denny Miller). When he comes out, Alice hesitates about allowing her son to accompany him on a fishing trip. |
| 1976 | All in the Family | CBS | "Beverly Rides Again" | Archie sets his friend Pinky up on a blind date with Beverly as a practical joke. |
| 1976 | Bob Newhart ShowThe Bob Newhart Show | CBS | "Some of My Best Friends Are..." | Howard Hesseman plays Craig Plager, a gay patient who joins Dr. Hartley's long-standing therapy group. |
| 1976 | Bronk | CBS | "Deadlier Sex""The Deadlier Sex" | Sara (Julie Sommars), the first female officer assigned to Bronk's (Jack Palance) department, is accused of molesting a female prisoner. |
| 1976 | Executive Suite (TV series) | CBS | "Sounds of Silence" | Julie (Geraldine Brooks) comes out as a lesbian to her best friend Leona. |
| 1976 | Family | ABC | "Rites of Friendship" | Family friend Zeke (Bryan Byers) is caught in a raid on a gay bar. The Lawrence family take him in when his father throws him out of the house, but son Willie (Gary Frank) has difficulty understanding and accepting Zeke. |
| 1976 | JeffersonsThe Jeffersons | CBS | "The Breakup: Part 1" | A two-parter begins with Lionel's difficulty writing a paper on homosexuality. The issue at hand changes after George buys him a term paper. Tempers flare, and he splits with Jenny. |
| 1976 | Kojak | CBS | "Need to Know""A Need to Know" | A foreign diplomat (Hector Elizondo) is accused of molesting two young boys but must be released because he has diplomatic immunity. The National Gay Task Force issued a "media alert" regarding the episode, believing that viewers would interpret the molester as gay. CBS made no changes to the episode in response but Washington, D.C. affiliate WTOP ran a disclaimer before the episode noting that it dealt with molestation and not homosexuality. |
| 1976 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | CBS | "Episode 126" | Ed (Larry Haddon) and Howard are revealed to be lovers and later on, Ed threatens to walk out on Howard. |
| 1976 | Maude | CBS | "Arthur's Worry" | Walter (Bill Macy) is upset about a dream in which he kisses best friend Arthur (Conrad Bain). |
| 1976 | Phyllis | CBS | "Out of the Closet" | Phyllis (Cloris Leachman) is relieved to learn that her new boyfriend (Edward Winter) is gay because she was worried that he did not find her attractive. |
| 1976 | Police Woman | NBC | "Trial by Prejudice" | Marlena (Pat Crowley), Pepper's lesbian friend and former roommate, is hesitant to publicly defend Pepper from charges that she sexually molested a female suspect for fear of her own reputation being ruined. |
| 1976 | Sirota's Court | NBC | "Court Fear" | Judge Sirota (Michael Constantine) marries a gay male couple. |
| 1977 | All in the Family | CBS | "Cousin Liz" | Archie and Edith (Jean Stapleton) attend the funeral of Edith's cousin, Liz. Afterward, Liz's friend Veronica (K Callan), a teacher, reveals she and Liz were more than just roommates. Edith is surprised but quickly accepting, allowing Veronica to keep a tea set she had been bequeathed. Archie is outraged and declares his intent to sue for the tea service. Edith warns Archie that a lawsuit would likely destroy her teaching career. Archie relents, but states that he does not have to like what went on between the two women. |
| 1977 | All in the Family | CBS | "Edith's Crisis of Faith" | In the two-part "Edith's Crisis of Faith", Beverly is murdered, causing Edith to question her belief in God. |
| 1977 | Barney Miller | ABC | "Asylum" | A gay musician (Ion Teodorescu) from the Soviet Union seeks political asylum. Marty is arrested for possession of marijuana. Series creator Danny Arnold worked closely with the National Gay Task Force in developing the characters of Darryl and Marty. Initially both were presented as stereotypical swishing queens, but as the series progressed Darryl began acting and dressing more conservatively. |
| 1977 | Baretta | ABC | "Sky Is Falling""The Sky Is Falling" | Baretta (Robert Blake) befriends Tommy (Barry Miller), a teenage hustler, after he witnesses a john murder his friend and fellow hustler Jeff (John Herbsleb). |
| 1977 | C.P.O. Sharkey | NBC | "Sharkey's Big Secret" | The men mistakenly think Sharkey (Don Rickles) is gay when they spot an effeminate man going into his office. |
| 1977 | Carter Country | ABC | "Out of the Closet" | Chief Roy (Victor French) is stunned when his old friend and fishing buddy Bill (Richard Jaeckel) reveals he's gay. Bill loses his job as a teacher and the chief testifies on his behalf before the school board. |
| 1977 | Family | ABC | "We Love You, Miss Jessup" | Buddy (Kristy McNichol) learns that her favorite teacher is a lesbian when she resigns following a PTA witch hunt. |
| 1977 | JeffersonsThe Jeffersons | CBS | "Once a Friend" | "Once a Friend" features one of the first transgender characters on American television in the person of Edie Stokes (Veronica Redd), who George knows as an old Navy buddy named Eddie. |
| 1977 | Maude | CBS | "Gay Bar""The Gay Bar" | Maude is upset when her husband and some of his friends try to prevent a gay bar from opening in their neighborhood. Arthur forms the group Fathers Against Gay Society (F.A.G.S.). Craig Richard Nelson appears as a patron of "The Gay Caballero". |
| 1977 | Richard Pryor ShowThe Richard Pryor Show | NBC | "Episode #1.3" | A woman describes a lesbian encounter. |
| 1977 | Rockford FilesThe Rockford Files | NBC | "Requiem for a Funny Box" | The gay son of a mafia leader is forced to come out to his father after being blackmailed by a comedian. When an attempt to murder the comedian fails, the mafia leader orders his son to be executed to avoid shaming the family. |
| 1977 | Starsky and Hutch | ABC | "Death in a Different Place" | Game show host Art Fleming plays a bisexual cop murdered by a corrupt fellow officer after witnessing him making a drug deal. Charles Pierce appears as a female impersonator. |
| 1977 | Streets of San FranciscoThe Streets of San Francisco | ABC | "Good Cop, But...""A Good Cop, But..." | Inspector Lambert (Barry Primus) has to come out to convict a drug dealer. His partner (Robert Walden) initially is unable to accept his gay partner but eventually comes to terms. |
| 1977 | Streets of San FranciscoThe Streets of San Francisco | ABC | "Once a Con..." | A lesbian college student named Jackie Collins (Devon Ericson) murders her lover's (Joanne Nail) best friend out of jealousy. |
| 1977 | Three's Company | ABC | "Strange Bedfellows" | Mr. Roper (Norman Fell) thinks he's gay when he wakes up in bed with Jack (John Ritter). |
| 1977 | Westside Medical | ABC | "Mermaid""The Mermaid" | A post-operative MTF East German Olympic swimmer (Betsy Slade) wants to defect because her government will not allow her to live fully as a woman. |
| 1978 | Rockford FilesThe Rockford Files | NBC | "Empty Frame""The Empty Frame" | A trio of Berkeley Communists raid an elite dinner party being hosted by a gay couple and steal some of their valuable paintings. The gay couple hire Rockford (James Garner) to recover the paintings. |
| 1978 | WKRP in Cincinnati | CBS | "Les on a Ledge" | Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) threatens to jump out of the station's building after rumors about his sexual orientation circulate. In a subplot, Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) tries to stop Herb (Frank Bonner) from sexually harassing receptionist Jennifer (Loni Anderson) by telling Herb that Jennifer used to be a man. |
| 1979 | ABC News Closeup | ABC | "Homosexuals" | This episode looked into the contributions that gay people have made to society and aired on December 18, 1979. |
| 1979 | Archie Bunker's Place | CBS | "Cook""The Cook" | Veronica Rooney (Anne Meara) is hired as the cook and insists that her openly gay nephew Fred (Dean Scofield) is hired as a waiter. |
| 1979 | Barney Miller | ABC | "Inquisition" | Inspector Scanlon (George Murdock) of Internal Affairs investigates an anonymous letter from a gay cop. Officer Zatelli (Dino Natali) comes out to Barney (Hal Linden). |
| 1979 | BaxtersThe Baxters | Syndicated | "Homosexual Teachers" | Each episode of this syndicated series was structured as a 15-minute episode followed by a locally-produced 15-minute talk show. In this episode, the family finds out that a favorite teacher is gay and the father must decide whether to sign a petition calling for him to be fired. |
| 1979 | Dallas | CBS | "Royal Marriage" | J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) has high hopes for the upcoming marriage of his niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton) and Kit Mainwaring (Mark Wheeler), son of an oilman with whom J.R. hopes to do business. When Kit reveals his homosexuality to J.R., he still insists the wedding go on. However, Bobby (Patrick Duffy) – to whom he comes out later – tells Kit that he must tell Lucy the truth. |
| 1979 | Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life | NBC | "Rough Housing" | In the first episode, Cindy's casual, friendly hug of a girl is misinterpreted by Blair (Lisa Whelchel) as being "strange." Later, the tomboyish Cindy (Julie Anne Haddock) confides to Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) that because she likes sports, dislikes dresses, and feels uncomfortable around boys, she thinks "maybe I'm not normal", until Mrs. Garrett convinces her that two girls can show affection even if they are not gay. The episode does not specifically use the word "lesbian". |
| 1979 | Kate Loves a Mystery | NBC | "Feelings Can Be Murder" | Kate (Kate Mulgrew) investigates the murder of a married bisexual woman. Suspects include her married female lover. |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | CBS | "Cop" | A fire at a gay bar kills five men and Lou (Edward Asner) insists on publishing their names despite this meaning they will be labeled gay and may not have been out. He argues that by withholding the names this time the public will question whether the paper is withholding information in the future. In the course of covering a murder, Lou figures out an investigating officer (Joe Penny) is gay and in the closet. The paper does not publish his sexual orientation because it is irrelevant to his catching the murderer. The fire portion of the story was inspired by the true story of the death of eight men at a gay film club in Washington, D.C. |
| 1979 | White ShadowThe White Shadow | CBS | "One of the Boys" | Ray Collins (Peter Horton) transfers to Carver High because of a rumor at his old school that he is gay. When the rumor starts circulating at Carver, Ray considers dropping out but after a talk with Vice Principal Buchanan (Joan Pringle) he decides to return to his old school. |
Read more about this topic: List Of 1970s American Television Episodes With LGBT Themes
Famous quotes containing the word episodes:
“What is a novel if not a conviction of our fellow-men’s existence strong enough to take upon itself a form of imagined life clearer than reality and whose accumulated verisimilitude of selected episodes puts to shame the pride of documentary history?”
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)
“Twenty or thirty years ago, in the army, we had a lot of obscure adventures, and years later we tell them at parties, and suddenly we realize that those two very difficult years of our lives have become lumped together into a few episodes that have lodged in our memory in a standardized form, and are always told in a standardized way, in the same words. But in fact that lump of memories has nothing whatsoever to do with our experience of those two years in the army and what it has made of us.”
—Václav Havel (b. 1936)