In honor of tonight's Grey's Anatomy dealing with gay servicemembers, here's a sampling of gay military men on television. In researching this list, I was expecting to find stories to be either be recent (as the issue of gays in the military is a current topic) or to boom around 1993, when "Don't Ask Don't Tell" began, but the topic has popped up off and on throughout the years.

Take a look at some of the gay men we've seen serve their country on the small screen ...

Paul Dill
From: The Real World: New Orleans

By its ninth season, The Real World had its share of trainwreck personalities but still hadn't devolved into the parade of sexual promiscuity and inane arguments the show is today. At that point, it was still a show able to provoke discussion of social issues, as it did when gay housemate Danny Roberts introduced his boyfriend Paul to the nation. Paul was an US Army Ranger Captain at the time and, to protect him from a dishonorable discharge, the show blurred his face when he came to see Danny. After leaving the military, Paul appeared with Danny in an MTV special without hiding his identity. Danny and Paul have gone on to speak out about gay issues, especially the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.

Jeffrey Lindley
From: Melrose Place

In 1994, things were looking up for Melrose Place's gay resident Matt Fielding (Doug Savant) as he met Jeff, a guy who managed to stick around beyond the first date (Jeff Beghe). As with many Melrose Place guests, Jeff behaved oddly and eventually revealed that he was hiding a secret: he was a closeted Navy officer. Jeffrey was quickly transferred to the East Coast, breaking up him and Matt. He returned the next season, holding another topical secret ... that he was HIV positive.

Enos Fry
From: Futurama

In one of the irreverent animated comedy's most memorable stories, putting aluminum foil into a microwave sends the Planet Express crew back to Roswell, New Mexico in the 1950s. Fry is sternly warned not to do anything to do anything to change the future. Fry being Fry, that warning doesn't stop him from seeking out his grandfather, Enos Fry, whose life on base turns out to be fraught with dangers. In order to protect his eventual birth, Fry tries to protect him from harm. However, to Fry's horror, Enos confesses that he might be gay and is hesitant to follow through on his engagement to the woman who will be Fry's grandmother. Worried about taking himself out of history, he pushes Enos back in the closet, only to see him die in a freak accident. In true Futurama style, Fry makes up for it by becoming his own grandfather.

Reichen Lehmkuhl
From: The Amazing Race

In The Amazing Race's fourth season saw the show's second same-sex couple, Chip and Reichen, charge through the globe-spanning reality competition, eventually winning the big prize. Reichen was a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served for five years, eventually reaching the rank of captain and being honorably discharged. While Riechen is best known nowadays for who he is dating or his TV roles (like a recent gig on Dante's Cove), he's also a spokesperson for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and raises money for the advocacy group.

Lots more after the jump!

You might have heard that Mensa, the organization for people with very high IQs, has assembled a list of the Smartest TV Shows of All Time. Frasier makes the list at number 8 (aided, no doubt, by the performance of David Hyde Pierce as natty Niles) and four shows known for occasionally tackling gay themes - The West Wing, Boston Legal, Mad About You and All in the Family - are also included.

The full list:

1. M*A*S*H
2. Cosmos with Carl Sagan
3. CSI
4. House
5. West Wing
6. Boston Legal
7. All in the Family
8. Frasier
9. Mad About You
10. Jeopardy

As always with a list like this, a number of omissions come to mind, ones that makes the inclusion of Boston Legal and Mad About You seem even odder. Seeing Mensa chairman Jim Wardell explain the choices doesn't help things, since there doesn't seem to be on over-arching rationale; CSI and House are considered smart for the way they use science in their stories while Frasier and M*A*S*H are praised for their characters and dialouge.

While a list of this always inspires people to think of their favorite deserving shows (I always go with Wonderfalls, myself) there are a couple general omissions that I find interesting. All of these ten shows originally aired on broadcast television, so critical darling cable networks like HBO and fx are not represented.

Animated and science fiction series don't make the cut, nor do any gritty, emotionally exhausting dramas like Homicide or Six Feet Under. One could almost say that Mensa picked shows that were intellectually challenging but not too intellectually challenging.

The most glaring omission is probably The Simpsons, a show that playfully challenged its audience's attention to detail almost constantly. Does the fact that Lisa Simpson is a high-ranking member of Mensa Springfield mean nothing?

But there are plenty of other gay-inclusive TV shows that could fit on the list. Earlier, I mentioned Homicide (which gave us an unflinchingly realistic look at police work and characters who developed over time, including Kyle Secor's Det. Bayliss becoming comfortable with his bisexuality), Six Feet Under and Wonderfalls, and would also think Oz and The Wire would be deserviing nominations.

What are your favorite examples of smart, gay television? Which shows do you think challenged audiences' brains the most? Let us know in the comments!

In this week's Boston Legal, titled "Do Tell", Denny Crane (William Shatner) is visited by an old friend, General Mark "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Sam McMurray). Fitz has begun re-examining his life after his grandson came out as gay. He realizes, thanks to his grandson, that he's been a bad role model in being closeted and for hiding instead of fighting for civil rights. His grandson has motivated Fitz to finally come out himself, and now Fitz faces being discharged from the army due to Don't Ask Don't Tell. Wanting to set an example for his grandson, Fitz asks Denny and Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) to help him challenge DADT in court.

Shirley is initially discouraged when she learns the case was assigned to Judge Clark Brown (Henry Gibson), who had previously sued an ex-gay ministry for not curing him of his homosexuality as he hoped they would. Shirley manages to turn that to her advantage by repeatedly suggesting he couldn't fairly judge the case and, therefore, goading him into trying the case (which seemed sure to be dismissed) just to prove he wouldn't be prejudiced against a gay plaintiff.

In court, Judge Brown is quick to disregard any arguments that deal with bigotry and prejudice. He demands that Shirley offer practical arguments to allowing gays to serve in the military and she quickly points out that our military's recruiting efforts are strained to the point where they are relaxing their standards but they are also turning away highly-qualified gays. "As a practical matter, the policy stinks," she argues in her closing. "As a moral one, I repeat, how can even one of use not be ashamed and why the hell aren't you?"

I'm thrilled those lines were given to Candice Bergen. She delivers them with a righteous anger that isn't undercut with any of the quirks found in the rest of the Boston Legal cast. I can't imagine anyone else making this argument with the same amount of power.

Meanwhile, the army's lawyer avoids making practical arguments and instead drops hints that appeal to anti-gay prejudices. He describes DADT as merely a wish that gay service members not be "open and notorious" (notorious?) adding that "We wish to strike awe and, yes, a little fear into the heart of our enemy" suggesting (but never explicitly saying) that if gays were allowed to serve in the military, our army wouldn't be effective anymore. The argument nicely mirrors how anti-gay rhetoric talks around stereotypes and prejudices.

For Denny, his friend's coming out is like a betrayal, one that sets him up for a further fall when he sees Shirley kissing another man. Unfortunately, Denny's discomfort with Fritz is mostly set-up. We see much more of him dealing with the truth that he doesn't have a chance of wooing Shirley back. Fitz's revelation only used to make losing Shirley worse for him. Similarly, there's a missed opportunity with Judge Brown. I would have loved to find out how he really felt about Fitz, a man who came out late in life, since the judge was also struggling with his sexuality late in life.

Just thought we'd throw together a little pre-cap of a few gay goings-on in TV land (not on TV Land, mind you, as countless reruns of Bewitched are too much gay for even us to handle)...

Boston Legal 4.08: "Oral Contracts"
We noted not too long ago that Boston Legal would be boasting a gay episode tomorrow centering on a gay military official, but it looks like the folks behind the Emmy-nabbing lawyerpalooza have grabbed the Larry Craig baton and run for episode eight, in which Denny is accused of soliciting gay sex by two undercover cops (Two?! How big are the stalls in this bathroom?).

Desperate Housewives (Nov. 4th Halloween episode)
As if adding the new Househusbands this Sunday weren't enough, the Halloween episode will also put Wisteria Lane's scheming gay teen Andrew in drag, dressed either as Yvonne De Carlo or Amber from Footballer$ Wive$. There's a few more pics over here if the one above just wasn't enough for you.

Gossip Girl 1.09
We made mention of Blair's gay dad Harold making an appearance on the show, and it looks like the "impeccably-mannered" fellow will make at least two appearances (beginning in episode nine) and that he is simply mad for his daughter (not to mention his male model boyfriend). Well hello, she's rich and gorgeous and embroiled in a Bratz Dolls version of Dynasty ... what gay dad wouldn't be?

*-*-SPOILERS-*-*

We came across word that David E. Kelly's award-winning lawyer dramedy Boston Legal will feature a gay storyline in episode four of this season. In the ep a military general friend of Denny Crane (William Shatner) comes out of the closet and of course is not welcomed by his superiors with a ticker-tape parade, leading him to come for legal counsel in the face of being discharged. Denny is apparently troubled by his old friend's admission and turns to his colleagues for advice.

Boston Legal had a similar "gay ep" last season, in which recurring character Judge Clark Brown (Henry Gibson) came out of the closet while suing an ex-gay group for not being able to "cure" him of his sexuality. The episode handled the topic quite well, and we can only hope that this similarly headline-friendly plot will be handled with the same sensitivity.

Gibson appears as Judge Brown in this episode as well, so hopefully he'll have some interaction with the military client. But the real good news is that Denny's gay friend is played by Sam McMurray, one of my favorite "Hey, it's that guy!" actors (my favorite McMurray appearance was in the underappreciated L.A. Story).

Boston Legal airs Tuesdays on ABC. 

Yesterday, ABC announced their upcoming fall schedule and TV critics are noting how the schedule is heavy on shows aimed to appeal to women. A few months ago, New York Times' Alessandra Stanley previously referred to the network as the TV equivalent of "Chick flicks" and this schedule moves ABC even further in that direction.

When I see discussions of how the network is so female-friendly, however, I also start to think about how ABC also has the most gay-friendly schedule with shows like Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, Men in Trees, Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives. ABC also picked up the largest number of pilots with gay visibility this week.

ABC may be the most gay-friendly broadcast network, but there are also two cable channels that aim to draw female viewers and that also have been resources for positive gay visibility. Lifetime has been home to Lovespring International and Gay, Straight or Taken? (with its emphasis on not using stereotypes to presume sexual orientation). Oxygen, meanwhile, has been home to hair styling competition Tease as well as The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, where JP Calderon's coming out was handled with sensitivity.

Is this another example of the camaraderie often shared between heterosexual women and gay men? After all, we both benefit from these series since we get characters we can identify with, as well as characters that remind us of our friendships. On the other hand, gay men in these shows are almost always supporting characters, secondary to their female friends and frequently rather stereotypical. Still those supporting roles can do their part to push down barriers and increase gay visibility on television. And that's something both gay men and straight women can be glad about.