Jason Bateman described the show as a contemporary Odd Couple and, although the show featured no shortage of stereotypes (the flamboyant Vern, played by Alec Mapa, and the dimwitted macho Italian Pino, played by Michael DeLuise), the lead actors consciously attempted to give their characters a sense of normalcy. After a midseason start, however, Some of My Best Friends was given a summer hiatus and never returned.

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In fall 2003, amidst the clamor of political pundits debating the pros and cons of same-sex marriage, ABC, the former home of TV's pathbreaking Ellen, launched It's All Relative, the network's version of Will and Grace with a twist.

It's All Relative centered around a long-term committed gay couple whose highly intelligent, Harvard-educated daughter, is determined to marry her working-class bartender boyfriend. Her boyfriend's father does not take kindly to gays, but for the sake of the kids, the future in-laws must figure out a way to get along. Craig Zadan, one of the show's co-executive producers, noted that the show's humor came from the conflict between blue-collar and snooty people, rather than from the conflict between gays and straights.

According to the show's co-creator and co-writer Chuck Ranberg, It's All Relative traded in some degree of stereotyping for both gay and straight parents, but as Zadan noted in an Advocate interview, the goal of It's All Relative was to use stereotypes and break them down, all the while making sure that these stereotypes were blended with corresponding amounts of humanity. In fact one of the show's revolutionary qualities stemmed directly from breaking a powerful television stereotype by presenting a committed gay relationship normally and matter-of-factly, as an average, middle-class couple who cook, work, and pay the bills.

The show was also revolutionary for its casting of two openly gay actors, Christopher Sieber and John Benjamin Hickey, in the roles of the gay couple. Hickey remarked to The Advocate that the fact both men are gay really added to the on-set chemistry. Unfortunately, and despite its promise, It's All Relative suffered from low ratings and was not renewed for a second season.

Conclusion

Throughout their history television sitcoms have held a mirror up to society, and in that mirror they have reflected the presence of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, often in distorted and unflattering ways, but occasionally in ways that acknowledge our humanity and complexity. Although sitcoms have long relied on problematic stereotypes for their humor, as the decades have progressed television viewers in general and queer viewers in particular have demanded a more varied palette of characters. By watching "classic TV" reruns alongside current television offerings, viewers can easily perceive crucial shifts in the representation of homosexuality and homosexuals. In the future, increasingly funny and honest queer portrayals in television sitcoms are likely.

American television has made significant strides in its portrayal of homosexuals in dramatic series and movies, but cable networks have been more daring than the "big three" broadcast networks.

Although glbtq people and issues have been inadequately covered by American television news, there have recently been signs of improvement.

Reality television viewers have come increasingly to expect the appearance of gay men and lesbians on these shows because their presence helps further underscore the "reality" in Reality TV.

Treatments of gay relationships on network soap operas have always been limited; recently, however, gays and lesbians have created their own soap operas to tell the convoluted stories of lesbian and gay entanglements.

For glbt people, television talk shows are both promising and problematic; they have brought glbt issues to public awareness, but they have also presented glbt people as stereotypes and freaks.

The portrayal of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer people in English Canadian television programming has been sporadic, but the advent of PrideVision promises to increase the number of shows developed for a glbtq audience.

Many gay and lesbian artists who have defied the legal and social prohibitions against explicit or sympathetic depictions of homosexuality have seen their art censored or suppressed.

Award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer Alan Ball, whose work frequently features glbtq characters, has had great success in both film and television.

Actor Dan Butler, best known for his portrayal of "Bulldog" Briscoe on the television comedy Frasier, not only came out as a gay man, but also authored and starred in the gay-themed play The Only Worse Thing You Could Have Told Me.

No matter how great her contribution to the world of comedy, Ellen DeGeneres will probably be best remembered as the first lesbian to star as a lesbian on her own network television show.

Portia de Rossi moved almost effortlessly from a teen modeling career to acting roles in film and television; her widely publicized relationship with Ellen DeGeneres has made her one of the best known lesbians in American pop culture.

From the 1960s until his death in the 1988, puppeteer Wayland Flowers presented to mainstream television audiences a campy gay point of view mediated through his puppet "Madame," who eventually eclipsed him in fame.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a watchdog group dedicated to promoting accurate representations of the glbtq community in the media.

Actress Sara Gilbert, who became a favorite with lesbian audiences for her portrayal of tomboy Darlene on the long-running television series Roseanne, came out publicly as a lesbian in 2004.

Candace Gingrich, the half-sister of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, serves as a spokesperson and Senior Youth Outreach Manager for the Human Rights Campaign.

The pseudonymous Andrew Holleran has placed his homosexuality at the center of his commercially and critically successful novels.

Best known for his work as a writer and producer for the hit television show Frasier, Joe Keenan is also the author of richly comic gay-themed novels.

Once best known as a youthful actor, Sheila James Kuehl is now a respected California state legislator and a vigorous advocate for glbtq rights.

Accomplished character actress Nany Kulp, who specialized in playing prim, straight-laced spinsters, publicly acknowledged her lesbianism only towards the end of her life.

Out lesbian actress Jane Lynch has forged a successful career on television, in movies, and on the stage, including some memorable turns portraying lesbian characters.

American comedian Paul Lynde, most famous for being the crucial "center square" on the 1970s television game show Hollywood Squares, created a campy bitch comic image but was fiercely closeted.

A sharp social critic, novelist Armistead Maupin places his gay characters within a large framework of humanity, creating a social history of San Francisco during the tumultuous decades of the 1970s and 1980s.

Although she was not publicly out as a homosexual, actress Agnes Moorehead became a lesbian icon by virtue of her choice of roles during a long and distinguished career.

Award-winning actress Cynthia Nixon recently acknowledged publicly that she is bisexual and in a loving relationship with a woman.

Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, best known for his comic performance on the long-running hit comedy television series Frasier, belatedly acknowledged his homosexuality in 2007.

Funnyman Charles Nelson Reilly gained fame during the 1970s as a regular guest on game shows and celebrity talk shows, but he was also an accomplished character actor, director, and teacher.

Most widely remembered as "the second Darrin" on the television sitcom Bewitched, actor Dick Sargent remained closeted for most of his career, but came out in 1991 and embraced gay activism as a "new mission in life."

Comedy writer and performer Bruce Vilanch has appeared on stage, television, and film and is a tireless proponent of glbtq causes.

Prolific film, television, and stage producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have created a diverse body of work, including a number of theatrical films and television features with glbtq themes.