Introduction
In April 1997, Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay on national television during an episode of her sitcom. She pioneered the way for gay and lesbian representation in public television. At first, the feedback was good and viewers were supportive, then the criticism of Ellen’s new lifestyle grew and the show ended up getting canceled after the last episode of the season. A year later in September 1998, a new gay character emerged on the popular sitcom, Will and Grace. Will Truman was the first openly gay male character in a lead role on primetime television. In an interview on Meet the Press, Joe Biden gave a shout out to Will and Grace by saying: "I think Will Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far. And I think people fear that which is different” (2012). …show more content…
Recently in September 2017, they brought back the show for a ninth season. The plot of the show revolves around Will, a gay man and his roommate Grace, a straight woman who live in New York City. For comedic relief, Will’s best friend Jack, who is flamboyant and narcissistic and Grace’s assistant, Karen, who is a wealthy alcoholic, appear throughout the episodes as well. The show consists of the struggles of relationships, friendship jealousy, and other various gay issues. In a study by Schiappa et al. they found that “81% of viewers agreed (from slightly agree to strongly agree) to the statement that the show is an important step forward in television situation comedies because it features gay men in major roles” (p. 8,
In April 1997, Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay on national television during an episode of her sitcom. She pioneered the way for gay and lesbian representation in public television. At first, the feedback was good and viewers were supportive, then the criticism of Ellen’s new lifestyle grew and the show ended up getting canceled after the last episode of the season. A year later in September 1998, a new gay character emerged on the popular sitcom, Will and Grace. Will Truman was the first openly gay male character in a lead role on primetime television. In an interview on Meet the Press, Joe Biden gave a shout out to Will and Grace by saying: "I think Will Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far. And I think people fear that which is different” (2012). …show more content…
Recently in September 2017, they brought back the show for a ninth season. The plot of the show revolves around Will, a gay man and his roommate Grace, a straight woman who live in New York City. For comedic relief, Will’s best friend Jack, who is flamboyant and narcissistic and Grace’s assistant, Karen, who is a wealthy alcoholic, appear throughout the episodes as well. The show consists of the struggles of relationships, friendship jealousy, and other various gay issues. In a study by Schiappa et al. they found that “81% of viewers agreed (from slightly agree to strongly agree) to the statement that the show is an important step forward in television situation comedies because it features gay men in major roles” (p. 8,