147: Madame’s Place Was TV’s First Gay Puppet Sitcom

“#001” (September 20, 1982)

Look, Madame’s Place wasn’t a good sitcom, but it was the gayest puppet-focused sitcom and also a contender for one of the first gay sitcoms, on account of its draggy sensibility and the fact that the man behind Madame was one of the first openly gay entertainers. Drew and Glen discuss how weird this show is, including the fact that its antagonist is a TV executive who’s literally missing a face and who can control the weather. All this plus dick jokes.

Read a 1985 L.A. Times interview with Wayland Flowers.

Decades before Joan Rivers, Faye Emerson might have been the first female late night talk show host — and also the first late night host of any gender identity.

Watch: Bea Arthur vs. Madame and Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party.

Listen to the Round Springfield episode where Jeff Martin discusses naming Waylon Smithers after Wayland Flowers.

The anime Glen fails to name, BTW, is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Episode artwork designed by Ian O’Phelan.