Queerview television guide: September 23

Two new gay-inclusive shows debut tonight. Medical drama Mercy has Guillermo Diaz playing gay nurse Angel while ABC's comedy Modern Family has Jesse Tyler Ferguson playing gay a second time.

But first, the Fish family's coming out drama continues. Be sure to join us staring at 2PM Eastern when we follow the action with a liveblog!

As the World Turns (CBS) Check local listings
After the trouble Luke got himself in yesterday, someone gets him out of it today... considering that Noah has mostly been a bystander in Holden's faux-death, I'm guessing Luke's hero will be one of his two dads.

One Life to Live (ABC) Check local listings
Oliver's parents have a "You made our son gay!" confrontation with Kyle today. On most soaps, I'd probably be cringing through the homophobia segment of a gay storyline but OLTL has been handling things with such flair, I've got some high hopes for today's episode.

Mercy (NBC) 8:00 PM EDT
While I'm waiting until Weeds' third season becomes available through the X-Box, NBC has my new way of catching out actor Guillermo Diaz as a gay nurse in working with a nurse who isn't afraid to bend the rules... hm, have I seen this show already? Ah, well, I can overlook that if there's a sufficient amount of Guillermo...

Modern Family (ABC) 9:00 PM EDT
As one of the few people who thought Jesse Tyler Ferguson's previous sitcom, Do Not Disturb was nowhere as bad as hyped by critics (I didn't love it but those reviews had me hoping for the second coming of She's the Sheriff), I'm looking forward to seeing Ferguson play another married gay. Hopefully, his character will have as dull a life as his DND character. Here's a preview of Cameron and Mitchell:

Glee (Fox) 9:00 PM EDT
Kurt gets the spotlight this week as he tries out for the football team in order to impress his dad. Kurt got a solid story last week and I'm hoping that's just a taste of what's coming up next.

Top Chef (Bravo) 10:00 PM EDT
Top Chef combines a comedian that rubs me the wrong way with a cullinary trend that usually underwhelms me when Penn & Teller show up for a challenge where the cheftestants deconstruct a classic dish.

Daytime Preview for Thursday, September 24

The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated) Check local listings
Last week it was Whitney, and now Oprah chats with gay icon Barbra Streisand

The Bonnie Hunt Show (syndicated) Check local listings
Gay icon and TV legend Betty White chats with Bonnie Thursday.

As the World Turns (CBS) Check local listings
The love triangle (or whatever it's supposed to be) storyline takes another baby step Thursday as Mason shows some of his jealousy towards Luke and Noah. Also, Maddie returns -- and here I thought she already came back while I was blinking.