Grading the Majors

NBC

Summary

Despite being home to Will & Grace and airing some landmark gay-themed TV movies, NBC has had a lackluster record when it comes to gay representation. And the network's intention to curtail scripted programming during the first hour of prime time starting next season might not bode well for increasing GLBT visibility on the peacock network.

Discussion

When people think of NBC and gay representation, they probably think of Will & Grace. This long-running sitcom certainly was a landmark in gay television and is a credit to the network that aired it. But what is surprising is how nearly solitary this series is when looking back on NBC's programming landscape.  

To its credit, the network has aired several groundbreaking TV movies that dealt with gay issues. In 1977, NBC broadcast Terraces, which dealt with a gay affair by a married doctor (played by Lloyd Bochner).  

In 1985 the landmark An Early Frost aired, the first movie to deal with the issue of AIDS. In 1995, NBC broadcast Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story, starring Glenn Close in the title role of a lesbian army officer who was discharged due to her sexual orientation.

On daytime television, NBC's Passions made history in 2005 by showing two women in bed making love. Unfortunately, Passions has been cancelled and will end its run this year. 

NBC also holds the distinction of having presented the first bisexual male lead character on prime time. On the last two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street (1997–99) it was revealed that Detective Tim Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor) was bisexual — or at the least bi-curious.  

In terms of GLBT visibility on NBC though, there is no question that Will & Grace (1998–2006) made the most important single contribution. Sure, it did not have the first gay title character (ABC's Ellen beat it to the punch), and it also received criticism for trading in gay stereotypes, particularly for the catty, flamboyant character Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes).

But the long-running sitcom's unapologetic and light-hearted portrayal of homosexuality made the show to be accessible to a mainstream audience. As Boston Globe critic Matthew Gilbert wrote: "Will & Grace advanced a national conversation about a subject many conservatives would rather have stifled, a conversation Ellen DeGeneres provoked in 1997. The show worked to liberate homosexuality from centuries of silence by deploying nonstop gay-related jokes that could be self-ironic, silly, and sometimes touching."

Accompanying Will & Grace on NBC's famed "must-see TV" Thursday night line lineup was Friends (1994–2004). which offered occasional appearances by Ross' ex-wife Carol (Jane Sibbett), a lesbian who left him for another woman. In addition, NBC's long-running medical drama ER, which debuted in 1994 and is still on the air, has featured several gay characters through the years, most notably Dr. Kerry Weaver (played by Laura Innes). Earlier this season, Innes decided to leave the show after 12 years, and Dr. Weaver departed the Chicago hospital.

With Dr. Weaver now gone, NBC is left with only two recurring gay characters: The Office's Oscar Martinez (played by Oscar Nuñez) and lesbian mayor Lucy Rodell (Libby Villari) on Friday Night Lights. Critics have praised Friday Night Lights, but the show has had lackluster ratings. If it is cancelled, that would leave poor Oscar as the only surviving recurring gay character on NBC prime time. 

Given the fact that the network intends to cut back on scripted programming to focus on reality programs and game shows from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., the future of gay representation at NBC is uncertain. 

What makes NBC's record all the more discouraging is the recent Heroes contretemps. The teen character of Zach (played by Thomas Dekker) was originally intended to be gay, but behind-the-scenes wrangling (presumably from Dekker's management) resulted in the character being "de-gayed."