TV Chat

Wiz Imp

(7,461 posts)

8. Numerous sitcoms in the 70's and 80's had similar story lines.

Sun Sep 21, 2025, 07:10 PM

Sunday

The Jeffersons
Edie is George's old army buddy as shown in the Season 4 episode "Once a Friend" and is a trans woman. (1977)

Night Court
In the Season 3 episode "Best of Friends", Dan meets up with a college buddy who is no longer living as a man but is a woman, hence a trans woman. (1985)

It's a Living
In Season 3, episode 12, titled "Gender Gap", Fern Fitzgerald plays a transgender woman who dates Sonny. (1986)

Married... with Children
In season 9's tenth episode, "Dud Bowl", Thad, a former high school teammate of Al, is now a trans woman, to Al's dismay. Nevertheless, she plays football on Al's re-organized team. (1994)

And it's become even more prevalent more recently. TV shows are more "niche" targeted now and don't have the audience size that shows had 40-50 years ago, but plenty of new shows not only have transgender "guest" characters, some have transgender regular characters. So, no, the Love Boat would not be cancelled tomorrow if that episode aired today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transgender_characters_in_television

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

14 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

I just saw an episode of The Love Boat from 1982. Gopher's roommate from college had a sex change operation [View all] MIButterfly Sunday OP

Fred Grandy was a 4 term congressman. Harvard grad. underpants Sunday #1

He was a right wing Republican Wiz Imp Sunday #2

There's a story about him getting a staffer fired. underpants Sunday #5

And in enough time it will be considered high art. Then it will be considered high camp. marble falls Sunday #3

A man I had worked with had the surgery to transition to a woman in 1973 or 1974. greatauntoftriplets Sunday #4

I recall Archie Bunker's army buddy did too JoseBalow Sunday #6

Actually, it was rather woke synni Sunday #7

Numerous sitcoms in the 70's and 80's had similar story lines. Wiz Imp Sunday #8

Really? In the America we live in today where right-wing politicians are passing laws against transgender people MIButterfly Sunday #9

Do you need me to cite examples from the past 5 years or so? Wiz Imp Sunday #11

Fine, you win. I'm sorry I'm so ignorant. MIButterfly Monday #12

I did not call you ignorant or stupid and did not even imply that Wiz Imp Monday #13

I accept your apology and thank you for your explanation. MIButterfly Monday #14

Yeah but in those days Figarosmom Sunday #10