My guest this week is Jesse Murray, who got hooked on soap operas as a kid when he watched them with his mom … and then as an adult, found himself working in writer’s rooms at ABC, helping to make soap operas for a new generation. As a young viewer, Jesse’s enthusiasm for the soaps was bolstered when he saw gay teenage characters on daytime TV. It’s a measure of inclusivity that’s steadily improved in the years since — thanks to folks behind the scenes who appreciated its importance.
We’ll have that conversation in a minute. And by the way, speaking of gay teens on television: If you like this podcast, you might enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, which featured a groundbreaking gay teenager named Rickie, played by Wilson Cruz. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it launches March 25, 2024. You can subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts, and at SoCastPod.com.
And you may also like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows. I just premiered a new video about the 1961 movie Victim, which helped overturn England’s 400-year-old ban on homosexuality. Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com.
And by the way, here are some fun soap clips that Jesse sent along:
Susan Lucci being amazing as Erica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-YlCHBbE_8
Susan Lucci being even more amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT98I87Fsaw
Another fun Erica scene, ending on a hilarious delivery of “I’m not even that rich!” https://youtu.be/RT98I87Fsaw?si=Sg_B6i-91L7W-aOU&t=444
Erica compares herself to Yoko Ono: https://youtu.be/NH9xsXKbpuA?si=oiXnjNdZZlEmCFHe&t=323
Living a Superhero Lifestyle (Ep 465 - Scooby Doo/Tim Fish)
Gay Male Student #1 (Ep 464 - Carol Burnett/Justin Root)
I Love F***-Ups (Ep 463 - Another World/Rasheed Newson)
Loners & Misfits (Ep 462 - Silence of the Lambs/Monty Wolfe)
I Don't Know When I Lost My Sense of Shame (Ep 460 - Dayspring/Anthony Oliveira)
Legendary Slumber Parties (Ep 459 - Robert Patrick/Greenwich Village)
The Silver Age of Queer Cinema (Ep 458 - Tyler/It's a Sin)
People Who Have Real Magic (Ep 457 - Ryan/Dune)
Very Powerful Women (Ep 456 - Paul/The Eyes of Laura Mars)
A Writer's Job (Ep 455 - Wicked/Gregory Maguire)
If I Drown Myself in my Bathtub for my Art, so Be it (Ep 454 - Sam/Pushing Up Daisies)
I Didn't Know I Could Love Someone Like That (Ep 453 - Mark/Rent)
How Much Can We Get Away With? (Ep 452 - David/The Muppets)
I Live My Life Like Performance Art (Ep 451 - Dean FM/That's So Raven)
Everything but the Snakes (Ep 450 - Joseph/Worship songs)
It's Worthwhile to Fall in Love (Ep 449: Jin/Tales of the City)
The Sewers of Paris: Best of 2023
I Wanted to be a Rock Star (Ep 447 - David Bowie/Scott Shoemaker)
A Dream I Didn't Know I Had (Ep 446 - Justin Randall/Girls)
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