How Does a Conservative Sitcom Do a Gay Episode?

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (November 29, 2011)

Yes, Tim Allen’s follow-up to Home Improvement got branded as the most conservative sitcom on network TV, but is that fair? We’re honestly not sure, because the ninth episode of Last Man Standing’s first season features a gay couple. We’re mostly good with how this plays out. At the end of the discussion of this first episode, however, we’re also skimming over the second-season episode “Bullying,” which ended up arguing that it’s okay to use “gay” as a slur. Key takeaway: Tim Allen may actually be less conservative than Kelsey Grammer.

Listen to our Home Improvement episode.

Remember a short-lived sitcom from Fox’s early days? Tell us about it (there’s a thread on Patreon that’s open to even non-members), and we may cover it for our upcoming bonus miniseries, The Fox Files!