First look at Netflix's That '90s Show, cludg gay character - Queer Forty

Contents:

• WHO IS JOSEPH ZIEGLER, THE GAY IRS WHISTLEBLOWER HUNTER BIN PROBE?
• IS FEZ GAY NETFLIX’S THAT 90S SHOW: REDD USER WONRS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY!
• FIRST LOOK AT NETFLIX’S THAT ’90S SHOW, CLUDG GAY CHARACTER
• ‘THAT ’90S SHOW’ IS A CYNIL TRAWRECK: EVERYTHG THAT ANNOYED ME ABOUT ITGOODBYE, WISCONSIN!HOW DID THIS AWFUL REBOOT OF ‘THAT ’70S SHOW’ BETRAY ME? LET ME UNT THE WAYS…LRA BRADLEYSENR ENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED JAN. 22, 2023 12:40AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 21, 2023 10:17PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ER O'FLYNN/THE DAILY BEAST/NETFLIXTHERE’S A MOMENT THAT ’90S SHOW WHEN BOB PCTTI—FATHER TO LRA PREPON’S THAT ’70S SHOW CHARACTER, DONNA—SERENAS HIS GRANDDGHTER WH AN CREDIBLY APPROPRIATE BALLAD. IT’S THE KD OF MOMENT THAT WOULD HAVE FELT RIGHT AT HOME THE ORIGAL SERI, BUT SADLY, DON’T QUE H THE SAME NOW. THE SCENE, LIKE MUCH OF THE SHOW THAT NTAS , FEELS MORE AK TO TAKG A PUFF OF SPERATN OM A MOLDY OLD JOT.THERE WAS NO FAIAR HIGH AS I WATCHED A JERRY-CURLED DON STARK BLEAT OUT BOYZ II MEN’S “I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU” TO HIS GRANDDGHTER, LEIA FORMAN. INSTEAD, I FELT A STRANGE MOMENT OF SYNCHRONICY WH THAT POOR, MORTIFIED TEENAGER. LIKE HER, I WAS WNSG A PLETE LLAPSE OF MEDIA PREHENSN. THAT ’90S SHOW IS A FAILURE TO READ THE ROOM ON PAR WH CRYSTAL PEPSI—A TRANSPARENT, POORLY BRAND FAILURE THAT LEAV A PRSG TASTE THE MOUTH.THE MOST STANTLY NOTICEABLE MISTAK THAT ’90S SHOW E DOWN TO STG AND WRG. THE ORIGAL THAT ’70S TEENS HAD THE KD OF CHEMISTRY THAT MOST STG AGENTS ONLY DREAM ABOUT. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS GO-AROUND, PASTAKG EFFORTS WOULD HAVE BEEN MA TO ENSURE THAT THE NEW KIDS OF POT PLACE, WISNS WOULD HAVE THE SAME RAPPORT. SADLY, NETFLIX DID NOT BOTHER TO DO THIS; PLACE OF A HODGE-PODGE OF PLEMENTARY MISFS, WE GET A ROOMFUL OF TEENS WHOSE REASONS FOR HANGG OUT TOGETHER ARE BORRLE IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM.CONSIR, FOR STANCE, THE WAY LEIA FORMAN—ERIC AND DONNA’S DORKY DGHTER, PREDICTABLY NAMED AFTER A CERTA STAR WARS PRCS—MEETS HER FIRST IEND POT PLACE. WHEN SHE AND HER PARENTS STOP BY FOR A VIS AHEAD OF A FATHER-DGHTER TRIP TO SPACE MP, LEIA WANRS OFF TO SPY ON A COOL GIRL™ NEXT DOOR, WHOM SHE HEARS JAMMG OUT TO ALANIS MORISSETTE. WHEN SAID NEIGHBOR—GWEN, PLAYED BY ASHLEY AUFRHEI—TCH HER, THEY BEE IENDS WHOUT CINT BEE SPE BEG A VOYR AND A DORK, LEIA HAPPENS TO HAVE A BOOTLEGGED CD OM CHIGO. HOW DO THAT WORK? WHILE WE’RE ASKG QUTNS: WHY IS THE DRIVEN AND STUD NIKKI (SAM MORELOS) ACTUALLY TERTED HER BLANDLY RENRED JOCK BOYIEND, NATE (MAXWELL ACEE DONOVAN)? THAT ’90S SHOW SEEMS TO BELIEVE THAT IF VIEWERS SEE THEM MAKE OUT ENOUGH, THEY’LL BELIEVE THE RELATNSHIP—BUT AS ASHTON KUTCHER AND MILA KUNIS’ MICHAEL AND JACKIE OM THE ORIGAL N TELL YOU, THE KEY TO A GOOD TV RELATNSHIP IS ALL ABOUT THE ROMANTIC TENSN, AND THE TWO SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE . KURTWOOD SMH AS RED FORMAN, TOPHER GRACE AS ERIC FORMAN, DEBRA JO RUPP AS KTY FORMAN, CALLIE HAVERDA AS LEIA FORMAN EPISO 101 OF THAT ‘90S SHOW. PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX AND SPEAKG OF KELSOS: IS JAY KELSO (SON OF MICHAEL AND JACKIE, AND THE HUNK OF THE GROUP) SUPPOSED TO BE, LIKE, LIKABLE? BEE AS HE EXISTS THIS SERI, HE’S MOSTLY JT OILED UP AND OAFISH. NOT EXACTLY A HEARTTHROB. ALSO, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO KELSO’S DGHTER, BETSY, AND HER MOTHER BROOKE? HOW ARE KELSO AND JACKIE TOGETHER AFTER ENDG THE SERI DIFFERENT RELATNSHIPS? DO FEZ STILL RRY A TORCH FOR JACKIE? GOD KNOWS WE’RE NOT MENTNG HER PAST RELATNSHIP WH HY—OR HY HIMSELF, FOR GOOD REASON—BUT ARE WE REALLY GOG TO PRETEND LIKE BETSY AND BROOKE NEVER HAPPENED? AS KELSO HIMSELF MIGHT SAY: BURN?IT SHOULD E AS NO SURPRISE, GIVEN HOW LTLE RE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PUT TO NSTCTG THE NEW CHARACTERS AND ARCS, THAT THAT ’90S SHOW’S FAIARY WH THE ’90S IS FACILE AT BT AND PURE REVISNIST DREAMG AT WORST.GWEN MIGHT VOKE THE RT GRRRL MANIFTO, BUT SHE ALSO ADMS TO HAVG ONLY SKIMMED —WHICH IS BASILLY WHAT THE SERI DO WH ’90S CULTURE WR LARGE. SAVE FOR A HORRENDOLY DISTRACTG WIG ON MORELOS, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE STUM SEEN HERE ULD BE PURCHASED ON SHE. (SAVE, PERHAPS, FOR NATE, WHOSE VOTN TO JERSEYS AS FASHN STATEMENTS DO FEEL VERY ’90S.) RATHER THAN ENGAGE WH WHAT LIFE WAS ACTUALLY LIKE AT THE TIME, THAT ’90S SHOW GRAFTS OLD REFERENC ONTO WHAT OTHERWISE ULD BE A MORN SETTG: ZIMA! BILL CLTON ON ARSEN! FLANNEL! ALANIS! IT’S A CEL IRONY THAT ’90’S ONE ENTERTAG ADDN TO THE THAT ’70S SHOW UNIVERSE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE S MOST IMPLSIBLE: AS OZZIE, ACTOR REYN DOI IS A CHARISMATIC FORCE. HIS EDIC TIMG IS KILLER, AND HIS NSISTENTLY SHARP LE LIVERI BREATHE LIFE TO AN OTHERWISE NARLEPTIC SCRIPT. UNFORTUNATELY, GIVEN THE SETTG, THIS CHARACTER MAK LTLE TO NO SENSE.THAT ’90S SHOW LIK TO IMAGE A KR VERSN OF S TIME PERD. THE SHOW’S VISN OF SUBURBAN WISNS IS DIVERSE AND ACCEPTG—SO MUCH SO THAT OZZIE, A YOUNG GAY TEEN, IS OUT TO ALL OF HIS IENDS AND HAS A MULTI-STEP PLAN TO EVENTUALLY E OUT TO EVERYONE ELSE. ON ONE HAND, ’S HEARTWARMG TO SEE THIS CHARACTER ON SCREEN. BUT THIS APPROACH ALSO THREATENS TO ERASE THE GRIM REALI OF THOSE TIM—REALI THAT NTUE TO FLUENCE THE PRENT. REYN DOI AS OZZIE EPISO 101 OF THAT ‘90S SHOW. PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX THERE’S A REASON THAT FRIENDS—A SERI THAT ACTUALLY AIRED THE ’90S—SPENT NEARLY S ENTIRE N PRETENDG THAT BLACK PEOPLE DON’T EXIST NEW YORK. THE TERM “SUPERPREDATOR” SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE THE MID-90S, RAG TERROR ON A GENERATN OF BLACK YOUTH. ELLEN DEGENER LOST HER SHOW AND ALMOST HER REER BEE SHE ME OUT ON TELEVISN AS A FICTNALIZED VERSN OF HERSELF; TELEVANGELIST JERRY FALWELL BRAND HER “ELLEN DEGENERATE,” A NICKNAME THAT BEME POPULAR AMONG BIGOTS FAR AND WI. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE LATE 2000’S THAT AN AD MPAIGN BEGAN TO PH BACK AGAST PHRAS LIKE “THAT’S SO GAY!”IT’S MORE PLEASANT TO IMAGE A VERSN OF THE ’90S (OR TODAY) WHICH SUBURBAN WISNS IS NOT SO LILY-WHE. IT’S SOOTHG TO PICTURE THE ’90S AS A TIME SHAPED BY POP HS AND NOVELTY SOFT DRKS STEAD OF REPRSIVE POLICI LIKE THE 1994 CRIME BILL, THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL. AND ’S THARTIC, TO A POT, TO SEE A YOUNG GAY TEENAGER G TO HIS OWN SUCH A PLACE—WHOUT THE FEAR AND TERNALIZED SHAME MANY OF REAL-LIFE FORMER QUEER KIDS OF THE ’90S ED TO RRY. BUT WHO, OR WHAT, ARE THE WARM, FUZZY, SOFT-FOCED DREAMS OF OUR LLECTIVE PAST REALLY HELPG?THAT ’90S SHOW ONLY FEELS MORE CYNIL ONCE FEZ SHOWS UP. IF THE ARGUMENT FOR CLUDG AN ANACHRONISTIC CHARACTER LIKE OZZIE THAT DOG SO HELPS RIGHT THE PROBLEMATIC WRONGS OF THE PAST, WHY IS WILMER VALRAMMA’S HEAVILY ACCENTED FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUNT STILL AS STEREOTYPIL AS EVER? IN FACT, THE PRIMARY JOKE ABOUT FEZ THROUGHOUT THE NEW SERI REMAS HIS FEMIZED PRENTATN—A PUNCHLE ONE WOULD THK WE’D BE LEAVG BEHD IF WE’RE TRYG TO TAKE A MORE ENLIGHTENED VIEW ON SEX, SEXUALY, AND GENR. BUT HOLLYWOOD HAS A TALENT FOR SELF MYTHOLOGY, AND ONE OF THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY’S GREATT TRICKS OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN NVCG A GENERATN OF VIEWERS THAT REPRENTATN PRODUC REAL SOCIAL PROGRS WHEN REALY, ’S MERELY A SYMPTOM OF PROGRS MA ELSEWHERE. ANOTHER NETFLIX SERI, RYAN MURPHY’S HOLLYWOOD, WAS EMBLEMATIC OF THAT PERNIC IA: THE SERI CREAT A FANTASY OF TSELTOWN’S GOLN AGE WHICH EVERYONE N FD ACCEPTANCE AND REGNN. IT’S A PLEASANT FANTASY, BUT JT LIKE THAT ’90S SHOW, ’S ALSO AN EMPTY ONE THAT DO MORE TO OBSCURE THE WRONGS OF THE PAST THAN TO FIX THEM THE PRENT.IN THAT ’90S SHOW’S SE, THIS MIGHT ALL BE AN OVERREACTN. EVEN AS A VOUT BUZZKILL, I REGNIZE THAT THIS SHOW IS, AT S RE, A HO-HUM REVIVAL OF AN EXCELLENT BUT MOSTLY ORDARY S. BUT THERE’S SOMETHG SID ABOUT PROJECTS LIKE THE—LAZY HALF-REMEMBRANC OF THE PAST THAT VE TO RCE OUR CULTURAL HISTORY TO A LLECTIBLE STACK OF SONG TL AND PRODUCTS WHILE SWEEPG ALL THE BAD STUFF UNR THE DOOR-OUTDOOR RPETG. IT’S A GREAT PLOY FOR MEDIA EXECUTIV, WHO REMA OVERWHELMGLY WHE AND STRAIGHT AND WEALTHY ENOUGH TO BE REMOVED OM THE ISSU THAT UNRP EVERYDAY LIFE THE REAL WORLD. BUT WHAT’S DOG FOR EVERYONE ELSE?KEEP OBSSG! SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK, TWTER, INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK. LRA BRADLEY
• JAGUARS STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY

WHO IS JOSEPH ZIEGLER, THE GAY IRS WHISTLEBLOWER HUNTER BIN PROBE?

Is there any show more perfectly sued for a gay '90s romp than Frasier? But by the time the show was s fal season 2004, TV shows had learned how to have a gay old time. I love those shows, but 's disappotg how poorly they age -- the characters are clearly homophobic, regardg queerns as weird at bt and a threat at worst.

After seeg Mil panic and ll gay people abnormal, I found myself wishg Murphy Brown had been better than that. Frasier, on the other hand, probably aired more affirmg gay episos than any other primetime show until Ellen and Will & Grace.

It started wh a 1994 episo entled "The Matchmaker, " which Frasier's gay boss thks they're on a date.

IS FEZ GAY NETFLIX’S THAT 90S SHOW: REDD USER WONRS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY!

Even by today's standards, 's a pretty posive pictn of a gay character -- there's no ht of hostily om Frasier, asi om the awkwardns about havg been on a date wh his boss. Given how other shows of the time prented homosexualy as a crisis, that this episo don't treat like a big al is self a big al. There was John Waters' aspiratnal character on The Simpsons, a popular gay gut character on Married wh Children, and South Park's Big Gay Al (who is plited and problematic, I know).

FIRST LOOK AT NETFLIX’S THAT ’90S SHOW, CLUDG GAY CHARACTER

In 1998, Frasier aired an episo lled "The Ski Lodge" which nobody seems particularly troubled when a gay character pursu Nil.

) Post-Ellen, TV started to make queer storyl more mastream, wh gay characters beg so monplace that there was no one way they were picted. " In that one, Mart is urted by a gay man, and queerns is more out the open than ever. In the end, he fds that he has more mon than he thought wh the gay man.

‘THAT ’90S SHOW’ IS A CYNIL TRAWRECK: EVERYTHG THAT ANNOYED ME ABOUT ITGOODBYE, WISCONSIN!HOW DID THIS AWFUL REBOOT OF ‘THAT ’70S SHOW’ BETRAY ME? LET ME UNT THE WAYS…LRA BRADLEYSENR ENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED JAN. 22, 2023 12:40AM EST / PUBLISHED JAN. 21, 2023 10:17PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY ER O'FLYNN/THE DAILY BEAST/NETFLIXTHERE’S A MOMENT THAT ’90S SHOW WHEN BOB PCTTI—FATHER TO LRA PREPON’S THAT ’70S SHOW CHARACTER, DONNA—SERENAS HIS GRANDDGHTER WH AN CREDIBLY APPROPRIATE BALLAD. IT’S THE KD OF MOMENT THAT WOULD HAVE FELT RIGHT AT HOME THE ORIGAL SERI, BUT SADLY, DON’T QUE H THE SAME NOW. THE SCENE, LIKE MUCH OF THE SHOW THAT NTAS , FEELS MORE AK TO TAKG A PUFF OF SPERATN OM A MOLDY OLD JOT.THERE WAS NO FAIAR HIGH AS I WATCHED A JERRY-CURLED DON STARK BLEAT OUT BOYZ II MEN’S “I’LL MAKE LOVE TO YOU” TO HIS GRANDDGHTER, LEIA FORMAN. INSTEAD, I FELT A STRANGE MOMENT OF SYNCHRONICY WH THAT POOR, MORTIFIED TEENAGER. LIKE HER, I WAS WNSG A PLETE LLAPSE OF MEDIA PREHENSN. THAT ’90S SHOW IS A FAILURE TO READ THE ROOM ON PAR WH CRYSTAL PEPSI—A TRANSPARENT, POORLY BRAND FAILURE THAT LEAV A PRSG TASTE THE MOUTH.THE MOST STANTLY NOTICEABLE MISTAK THAT ’90S SHOW E DOWN TO STG AND WRG. THE ORIGAL THAT ’70S TEENS HAD THE KD OF CHEMISTRY THAT MOST STG AGENTS ONLY DREAM ABOUT. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS GO-AROUND, PASTAKG EFFORTS WOULD HAVE BEEN MA TO ENSURE THAT THE NEW KIDS OF POT PLACE, WISNS WOULD HAVE THE SAME RAPPORT. SADLY, NETFLIX DID NOT BOTHER TO DO THIS; PLACE OF A HODGE-PODGE OF PLEMENTARY MISFS, WE GET A ROOMFUL OF TEENS WHOSE REASONS FOR HANGG OUT TOGETHER ARE BORRLE IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM.CONSIR, FOR STANCE, THE WAY LEIA FORMAN—ERIC AND DONNA’S DORKY DGHTER, PREDICTABLY NAMED AFTER A CERTA STAR WARS PRCS—MEETS HER FIRST IEND POT PLACE. WHEN SHE AND HER PARENTS STOP BY FOR A VIS AHEAD OF A FATHER-DGHTER TRIP TO SPACE MP, LEIA WANRS OFF TO SPY ON A COOL GIRL™ NEXT DOOR, WHOM SHE HEARS JAMMG OUT TO ALANIS MORISSETTE. WHEN SAID NEIGHBOR—GWEN, PLAYED BY ASHLEY AUFRHEI—TCH HER, THEY BEE IENDS WHOUT CINT BEE SPE BEG A VOYR AND A DORK, LEIA HAPPENS TO HAVE A BOOTLEGGED CD OM CHIGO. HOW DO THAT WORK? WHILE WE’RE ASKG QUTNS: WHY IS THE DRIVEN AND STUD NIKKI (SAM MORELOS) ACTUALLY TERTED HER BLANDLY RENRED JOCK BOYIEND, NATE (MAXWELL ACEE DONOVAN)? THAT ’90S SHOW SEEMS TO BELIEVE THAT IF VIEWERS SEE THEM MAKE OUT ENOUGH, THEY’LL BELIEVE THE RELATNSHIP—BUT AS ASHTON KUTCHER AND MILA KUNIS’ MICHAEL AND JACKIE OM THE ORIGAL N TELL YOU, THE KEY TO A GOOD TV RELATNSHIP IS ALL ABOUT THE ROMANTIC TENSN, AND THE TWO SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE . KURTWOOD SMH AS RED FORMAN, TOPHER GRACE AS ERIC FORMAN, DEBRA JO RUPP AS KTY FORMAN, CALLIE HAVERDA AS LEIA FORMAN EPISO 101 OF THAT ‘90S SHOW. PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX AND SPEAKG OF KELSOS: IS JAY KELSO (SON OF MICHAEL AND JACKIE, AND THE HUNK OF THE GROUP) SUPPOSED TO BE, LIKE, LIKABLE? BEE AS HE EXISTS THIS SERI, HE’S MOSTLY JT OILED UP AND OAFISH. NOT EXACTLY A HEARTTHROB. ALSO, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO KELSO’S DGHTER, BETSY, AND HER MOTHER BROOKE? HOW ARE KELSO AND JACKIE TOGETHER AFTER ENDG THE SERI DIFFERENT RELATNSHIPS? DO FEZ STILL RRY A TORCH FOR JACKIE? GOD KNOWS WE’RE NOT MENTNG HER PAST RELATNSHIP WH HY—OR HY HIMSELF, FOR GOOD REASON—BUT ARE WE REALLY GOG TO PRETEND LIKE BETSY AND BROOKE NEVER HAPPENED? AS KELSO HIMSELF MIGHT SAY: BURN?IT SHOULD E AS NO SURPRISE, GIVEN HOW LTLE RE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PUT TO NSTCTG THE NEW CHARACTERS AND ARCS, THAT THAT ’90S SHOW’S FAIARY WH THE ’90S IS FACILE AT BT AND PURE REVISNIST DREAMG AT WORST.GWEN MIGHT VOKE THE RT GRRRL MANIFTO, BUT SHE ALSO ADMS TO HAVG ONLY SKIMMED —WHICH IS BASILLY WHAT THE SERI DO WH ’90S CULTURE WR LARGE. SAVE FOR A HORRENDOLY DISTRACTG WIG ON MORELOS, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE STUM SEEN HERE ULD BE PURCHASED ON SHE. (SAVE, PERHAPS, FOR NATE, WHOSE VOTN TO JERSEYS AS FASHN STATEMENTS DO FEEL VERY ’90S.) RATHER THAN ENGAGE WH WHAT LIFE WAS ACTUALLY LIKE AT THE TIME, THAT ’90S SHOW GRAFTS OLD REFERENC ONTO WHAT OTHERWISE ULD BE A MORN SETTG: ZIMA! BILL CLTON ON ARSEN! FLANNEL! ALANIS! IT’S A CEL IRONY THAT ’90’S ONE ENTERTAG ADDN TO THE THAT ’70S SHOW UNIVERSE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE S MOST IMPLSIBLE: AS OZZIE, ACTOR REYN DOI IS A CHARISMATIC FORCE. HIS EDIC TIMG IS KILLER, AND HIS NSISTENTLY SHARP LE LIVERI BREATHE LIFE TO AN OTHERWISE NARLEPTIC SCRIPT. UNFORTUNATELY, GIVEN THE SETTG, THIS CHARACTER MAK LTLE TO NO SENSE.THAT ’90S SHOW LIK TO IMAGE A KR VERSN OF S TIME PERD. THE SHOW’S VISN OF SUBURBAN WISNS IS DIVERSE AND ACCEPTG—SO MUCH SO THAT OZZIE, A YOUNG GAY TEEN, IS OUT TO ALL OF HIS IENDS AND HAS A MULTI-STEP PLAN TO EVENTUALLY E OUT TO EVERYONE ELSE. ON ONE HAND, ’S HEARTWARMG TO SEE THIS CHARACTER ON SCREEN. BUT THIS APPROACH ALSO THREATENS TO ERASE THE GRIM REALI OF THOSE TIM—REALI THAT NTUE TO FLUENCE THE PRENT. REYN DOI AS OZZIE EPISO 101 OF THAT ‘90S SHOW. PATRICK WYMORE/NETFLIX THERE’S A REASON THAT FRIENDS—A SERI THAT ACTUALLY AIRED THE ’90S—SPENT NEARLY S ENTIRE N PRETENDG THAT BLACK PEOPLE DON’T EXIST NEW YORK. THE TERM “SUPERPREDATOR” SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE THE MID-90S, RAG TERROR ON A GENERATN OF BLACK YOUTH. ELLEN DEGENER LOST HER SHOW AND ALMOST HER REER BEE SHE ME OUT ON TELEVISN AS A FICTNALIZED VERSN OF HERSELF; TELEVANGELIST JERRY FALWELL BRAND HER “ELLEN DEGENERATE,” A NICKNAME THAT BEME POPULAR AMONG BIGOTS FAR AND WI. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE LATE 2000’S THAT AN AD MPAIGN BEGAN TO PH BACK AGAST PHRAS LIKE “THAT’S SO GAY!”IT’S MORE PLEASANT TO IMAGE A VERSN OF THE ’90S (OR TODAY) WHICH SUBURBAN WISNS IS NOT SO LILY-WHE. IT’S SOOTHG TO PICTURE THE ’90S AS A TIME SHAPED BY POP HS AND NOVELTY SOFT DRKS STEAD OF REPRSIVE POLICI LIKE THE 1994 CRIME BILL, THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL. AND ’S THARTIC, TO A POT, TO SEE A YOUNG GAY TEENAGER G TO HIS OWN SUCH A PLACE—WHOUT THE FEAR AND TERNALIZED SHAME MANY OF REAL-LIFE FORMER QUEER KIDS OF THE ’90S ED TO RRY. BUT WHO, OR WHAT, ARE THE WARM, FUZZY, SOFT-FOCED DREAMS OF OUR LLECTIVE PAST REALLY HELPG?THAT ’90S SHOW ONLY FEELS MORE CYNIL ONCE FEZ SHOWS UP. IF THE ARGUMENT FOR CLUDG AN ANACHRONISTIC CHARACTER LIKE OZZIE THAT DOG SO HELPS RIGHT THE PROBLEMATIC WRONGS OF THE PAST, WHY IS WILMER VALRAMMA’S HEAVILY ACCENTED FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUNT STILL AS STEREOTYPIL AS EVER? IN FACT, THE PRIMARY JOKE ABOUT FEZ THROUGHOUT THE NEW SERI REMAS HIS FEMIZED PRENTATN—A PUNCHLE ONE WOULD THK WE’D BE LEAVG BEHD IF WE’RE TRYG TO TAKE A MORE ENLIGHTENED VIEW ON SEX, SEXUALY, AND GENR. BUT HOLLYWOOD HAS A TALENT FOR SELF MYTHOLOGY, AND ONE OF THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY’S GREATT TRICKS OVER THE YEARS HAS BEEN NVCG A GENERATN OF VIEWERS THAT REPRENTATN PRODUC REAL SOCIAL PROGRS WHEN REALY, ’S MERELY A SYMPTOM OF PROGRS MA ELSEWHERE. ANOTHER NETFLIX SERI, RYAN MURPHY’S HOLLYWOOD, WAS EMBLEMATIC OF THAT PERNIC IA: THE SERI CREAT A FANTASY OF TSELTOWN’S GOLN AGE WHICH EVERYONE N FD ACCEPTANCE AND REGNN. IT’S A PLEASANT FANTASY, BUT JT LIKE THAT ’90S SHOW, ’S ALSO AN EMPTY ONE THAT DO MORE TO OBSCURE THE WRONGS OF THE PAST THAN TO FIX THEM THE PRENT.IN THAT ’90S SHOW’S SE, THIS MIGHT ALL BE AN OVERREACTN. EVEN AS A VOUT BUZZKILL, I REGNIZE THAT THIS SHOW IS, AT S RE, A HO-HUM REVIVAL OF AN EXCELLENT BUT MOSTLY ORDARY S. BUT THERE’S SOMETHG SID ABOUT PROJECTS LIKE THE—LAZY HALF-REMEMBRANC OF THE PAST THAT VE TO RCE OUR CULTURAL HISTORY TO A LLECTIBLE STACK OF SONG TL AND PRODUCTS WHILE SWEEPG ALL THE BAD STUFF UNR THE DOOR-OUTDOOR RPETG. IT’S A GREAT PLOY FOR MEDIA EXECUTIV, WHO REMA OVERWHELMGLY WHE AND STRAIGHT AND WEALTHY ENOUGH TO BE REMOVED OM THE ISSU THAT UNRP EVERYDAY LIFE THE REAL WORLD. BUT WHAT’S DOG FOR EVERYONE ELSE?KEEP OBSSG! SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK, TWTER, INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK. LRA BRADLEY

So normal that Fox tried to market a gay s starrg John Goodman entled Normal, Oh.

In the span of a , we went om gay characters beg treated as a crisis, to beg met wh ambivalence, to beg aspiratnal, and then fally beg so normal 's the name of the show. Well, an episo of Frasier that b all of those thgs -- pl Frasier's first gay bar, his first gay kiss, and his first boyiend.

RELATED | David Hy Pierce Talks Gay Jok on Frasier. The 14-year-old actor and dancer, who's stolen dienc' hearts after his character Ozzie me out as gay to beloved s mom Kty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp), tells PEOPLE that filmg the heartfelt scene Netflix's That '70s Show reboot "was fely a joy.

JAGUARS STRENGTH COACH KEV MAXEN COM OUT AS GAY

Ozzie beg a semi- openly gay character, nothg agast beg gay but don't f the . There was still a gay stigma left over om the growg Aids epimic and the phrase " That's so gay!

In fact the show "My so-Called life" which was released 1995 was praised for havg one of the first (ma) gay characters TV and while he was out, he talked about his stggl and tryg not to draw attentn to his sexually bee was aaid of beg bullied and beat up daily. Gwen follows Donna’s “ol girl next door” footsteps, while the sardonic Ozzie (Reyn Doi) has an outsir stat remiscent of that of Fez (Wilmer Valrrama), not so much bee he’s Asian Amerin but bee he’s gay — openly to his iends and more utly to ls perceptive adults. A show like the recent CBS seri “So Help Me Todd, ” wh Marcia Gay Harn as an attorney and Skylar Ast as her vtigator son, uld easily have been been mounted the 1960s or ’70s; the upg “Poker Face, ” wh Natasha Lyonne, though intifiably of s time, tak stctural cu om “Columbo” and “The Fugive.