On the Mon., Oct. 12, episode, titled 'Hysterical Blindness,' Hayden Panettiere's character Claire will share a girl-on-girl kiss with her new college roommate Gretchen, played by Madeline Zima. Want proof? Feast your eyes on this:
So what say you about this latest headline-grabbing storyline? Is it awesome and progressive that NBC is allowing its infamous cheerleader to flirt with a lesbian relationship? Or -- seeing as how some people can't get enough of a little salacious girl-on-girl action -- is it just a shameless plug for better ratings?
Either way, it got us thinking: With iconic female characters having tested the waters on TV for years -- from Roseanne's same-sex smooch with guest star Mariel Hemingway and Ellen's first onscreen PDA, to the ladies of 'Ally McBeal,' 'The O.C.,' 'The L Word,' 'Sex and the City' and, yes, even 'Gilmore Girls' swapping spit -- it's striking that, aside from the controversial Callie and Arizona relationship on 'Grey's Anatomy,' there aren't more lesbian characters on TV by now.
We can name a slew of gay male characters, but not so much on the female side of the spectrum. Are gay men, for some reason, more TV-friendly than lesbians? But whether the network is taking a real chance with 'Heroes' or showing its desperation, what still remains to be seen is what Claire's kiss will mean for the future of this once-popular show. Can the 'Redemption' volume of 'Heroes' redeem the show (and yes, the network as well) for the bad choices of seasons past?
Share your thoughts in the comments section ...
Special thanks to AfterEllen.com for reminding us of so many more examples with their handy-dandy chart of TV lesbian kisses. Sadly, it hasn't been updated since 2005 ... but we can thank shows like 'Weeds,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Scrubs' and 'The Simpsons' for continuing to portay equal opportunity lovers on TV.
Reader Comments (2)
AJ at 2:41PM on Oct 7th 2009
Unless this has consequences larger than "omg I'm so sorry" and "it's okay I don't care let's still be friends!", total shameless plug for ratings.
As for the gay men to gay women on prime time TV ratio, are you kidding? I can think of two men only: Kevin on Brother & Sisters, and Oscar on The Office; one of whom has hardly ever been shown to have a serious relationship. When House and Wilson come out of the closet, we can talk.
Leo at 10:57PM on Oct 15th 2009
OMG I was enjoying Heroes sooo much till today. Adding the whole gay aspect to the series will destroy it. What next? they gonna start adding nudity or something? I think their ratings are high enough without having to try new extremes which will divide their fans. I personally am terribly disappointed. Heroes is just not the type of show I want to see this stuff in. ...and yes i'm a guy. I'd rather them keep the lesbian content in other series.