www.ExpressGayNews.com • September 29, 2003 Q1 Q_COVERstory All in the Gay Family ‘It’s All Relative’ Breaks the Next TV Barrier—Gays as Parents By Christopher Lisotta explains. “We wanted the characters to be writing sitcoms you have to stick to basic they are just the unknown,” Harris says of Special to The Express more real.” themes in order to get your story across. her character’s reaction to Philip and Simon For the past few years, Will Truman and Zadan and Meron kept meeting potential “We really think there’s an upside to that, and their long-term relationship. “It’s so not Jack McFarland have been the cutting edge writers before sitting down with Chuck and we can use it to our advantage,” Ranberg a part of her world. She’s got a great life, when it comes to gay sensibility on Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano, writing says of the fabulous gay male stereotype. loves her family and just never thought about television. No longer psycho killers or tragic partners who spent several seasons on “Particularly in a comedy, it helps you to start it.” victims, Will & Grace proved that gay Frasier and other well-received sitcoms. out at least with characters who are clearly Harris, who won a Tony for Thoroughly characters could be the central figures on a Although Zadan is quick to point out It’s All recognized archetypes.” Modern Millie and is known to TV audiences well-regarded and, more importantly for the Relative is its own show, the sensibility Christopher Sieber, who plays Simon, as Frasier’s hardcore agent Bebe, sees a networks, profitable situation comedy Ranberg and Flett-Giordano showed on notes that there is plenty to delineate this gay difference between the gaggle of gay-themed without bringing about widespread criticism Frasier struck them as the perfect fit for couple in terms of character. “We’re not heroes shows currently on the air and what’s being or right-wing boycotts. coming up with the right dynamic. “Imagine by any means,” Sieber says of himself and his covered in It’s All Relative. “Sometimes you But in the TV business, what is Frasier and Niles, not as brothers, but lovers,” on-screen husband, John Benjamin Hickey. see it on TV, and you think, ‘OK, part of what innovative a few seasons ago can quickly he says. “The gay parents and the straight parents have makes this palatable is they will grow up,’” become mainstream, and network executives Ranberg and Flett-Giordano started with the same opinions; they are just on opposite she says, noting that Simon and Philip are are always looking for new areas to explore. college student Liz and South Boston sides. We are just as bad as they are, and the breaking new broadcast ground in terms of So it shouldn’t be a surprise that Craig Zadan working-class Bobby, who get engaged after people in the middle are our poor children. It’s the nature of their relationship. “This is a and Neil Meron, the openly gay team who a whirlwind romance. Liz is afraid to break just two families trying to get along.” mature relationship. That doesn’t mean flat executive produced the Academy Award- the news to her cultured and sophisticated Hickey agrees with Sieber. “These or static. They look like people I know.” winning Chicago and the Emmy-winning parents, a long-term, monogamous gay people are not being written as role models,” Although it was first conceived almost biopic Life With Judy Garland: Me and My couple in a stable relationship. Philip, an art he explains. “I think the show, if I can be so two years ago, It’s All Relative comes on the Shadows, were tapped by ABC to come up dealer, and Simon, a third-grade teacher, are bold, compares to All in the Family. It’s like heels of some major cultural shifts in terms with a new kind of gay sitcom. But this time, living the yuppie dream of having a child the Bunkers and the Jeffersons. It’s as much, of gay imagery on TV. This past summer TV the network wasn’t just looking for a couple of attend Harvard, and don’t see marriage for if not more, about class than about sexual viewers flocked to watch Queer Eye For the carefree gay characters vamping it up with their Liz for several years to come—and certainly identity.” Straight Guy and Boy Meets Boy, while the straight gal pals. Instead, ABC wanted to show not with Bobby. Balancing out Philip and Simon are the editorial pages were filled with opinions on gays taking on the ultimate responsibility—a “For me, what’s exciting about the show O’Neils, an Irish Catholic Boston couple who the Supreme Court sodomy case and the gay child. The result, It’s All Relative, premieres is the gay couple are not treated any run a blue-collar bar. You know Bobby is in marriage decision in Canada. Does this mean Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 8:30 p.m. differently in their everyday life,” says trouble early when his parents are shocked there is a gay “trend” on TV, and can It’s All “It was just a general idea,” says Zadan Ranberg, who is openly gay and in an 11- that he’s marrying not only outside their faith, Relative ride it to the top of the Nielsen about the request from ABC Entertainment year relationship. But one of the criticisms but also outside the neighborhood. When ratings? Television chairman Lloyd Braun. “Then already being thrown at It’s All Relative is, the O’Neills find out their son’s future in- “We can’t depend on that to be Susan Lyne [ABC Entertainment president] once again, gay men on TV are being laws are gay, they are shocked, but stage successful,” Zadan warns. “Also, what if said, ‘The center of the show is a young portrayed as wealthy cosmopolitans veteran Harriet Sansom Harris, who there’s a backlash? Just the moment we air couple.’” From there, the concept developed who know how to dress and plays Audrey O’Neil, notes that her people might say, ‘All right, enough with all into something that begins with a classic TV cook. Ranberg shakes off the character’s reaction comes from a this gay stuff.’ Hopefully we’ll be judged on convention, but takes on a new twist—two criticism, arguing that when different place than some our merits.” families, one gay and one straight, are thrown audiences might suspect. “I hope it’s not a trend that self together when their kids announce they are “They are not the enemy, destructs,” Meron adds. “That’s the real getting married. danger—you don’t want to be 15 minutes “It’s a way of embracing the form ago. We’ve got to go beyond the gayness.” while pushing the boundary in a way At the end of the day, the creative team that’s not self conscious, and that’s why behind It’s All Relative believes their success we love the show,” says Meron, who comes down to the one truism in sitcom explains he and Zadan are excited to production—success only comes when you finally be in the TV series business, make your audience laugh and present them after success in both films and movies with beloved characters. of the week. But as any seasoned TV “We’re really just trying to exec can tell you, the only tell a funny story in 21 minutes,” thing more important than Ranberg explains, but noted if they coming up with a good are all successful, he can still push concept is proper the envelope. In one episode, execution, and Zadan and Ranberg has Simon kiss Philip Meron took their time in finding goodbye. “It’s a very normal the right writers for the project— moment,” he says, noting that it’s so much time, in fact, that the the first male-to-male sitcom kiss network started to get antsy. “A “that isn’t a punch line. It’s just lot of the writers were talking considered an everyday about the dads as the characters occurrence, and that’s the most in The Birdcage,” Meron The cast of ABC’s latest subversive thing we can do.” gay sitcom, It’s All Relative Q2 www.ExpressGayNews.com • September 29, 2003 www.ExpressGayNews.com • September 29, 2003 Q3 Q_CULTURAL COCKTAIL By Mary Damiano Movies and Parties: A Tale of Two Film Fests FLIFF and MGLFF Hold Events for Movie Fans Monday Morning the only host next year.” MGLFF Parties Allure of the two Quarterbacking If they’d only asked me…I would with ‘Party women is especially for The Emmys have told the producers of the Emmys to Monster’ romantic. The film takes not plug their tribute to John Ritter every place in Paris during the Being the media maven I am, every The Miami Gay & 10 minutes, as if it were coming up after 1930s and 1940s and award show is like a sacred holiday for Lesbian Film Festival is the next commercial break. The tribute follows several friends me—with the Oscars being the ultimate going all out for its didn’t air until about 10:45 p.m., almost at through World War II. holy day—so naturally I was glued to my upcoming fundraiser, the the end of the show. Instead of what could Cruz plays a Spanish Civil TV Emmy night for the show that honors South Florida premiere of have been a moving tribute, we ended up War refugee who shares the best in television.