Archie bunker gay friend episode

The episode plays less as a coming out story for Steve as much as it does Archie just getting up to speed on what a lot of other people seem to already know. But in skipping over it all those years, we missed out on a foundational sitcom that helped shape a lot of subsequent shows we did like.

Every block of weekday afternoon cartoons segued into an early evening of syndicated sitcom reruns. Not only that, it gave America its first gay sitcom character — and quite likely, the first LGBT character on a show of any kind that was portrayed sensitively and positively.

Archie is irritated at Mike's offbeat friend, who dresses and behaves in a way that leads him to mistakenly conclude he is a homosexual. But give this episode of my podcast, Gayest Episode Evera spin. Judging Books by Covers: Directed by John Rich.

Watch When Archie Bunker

Steve, an old ex-football player friend of Archie's, appears just once on All in the Family in the Season 1 episode "Judging Books by Covers"'. With Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers. TODAY IN QUEER TV HISTORY ALL IN THE FAMILY: "Judging Books by Covers" - 2/9/, CBS The first openly gay character ever on a U.S.

sitcom appeared 50 years ago today on ALL IN THE FAMILY. Log in Sign up. We were probably right in thinking that, too. I get it. The part of Steve is played by veteran TV, film and stage actor Philip Carey, who is perhaps best known to TV viewers as Asa Buchanan from the ABC-TV.

But Archie soon learns that one of his best friends is gay.

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In the fifth episode of the show, Archie Bunker derides a well-dressed, effeminate man as being gay to a friend only to have the tables turn when he learns his alpha male friend, Steve, is gay. In its earliest days, one of the controversial topics 'All in the Family' tackled was Archie Bunker's view of gay representation.

But, similar to the one-off queer character in our spotlight on Golden GirlsSteve seems very comfortable in his skin. Back when I was growing up, All in the Family was tough for me. More than a few kids my age probably thought the same.

I think I can convince you All in the Family is important and a lot more watchable than you might think. "When Archie reacts with disbelief and shock, Steve again slams Archie's arm to the table and triumphantly exits, leaving Archie to adjust to his new reality: that the stereotype of the effeminate.