Lesbian kiss episode
The "lesbian kiss episode" is a subgenre of the media portrayal of lesbianism in American television media, created in the 1990s. Beginning in 1991 with a kiss on the American L.A. Law series' episode "He's a Crowd" between C.J. Lamb and Abby Perkins, David E. Kelley, who wrote the episode in question, went on to use the trope in at least two of his other shows. Subsequent television series included an episode in which a seemingly heterosexual female character engages in a kiss with a possibly lesbian or bisexual character. In most instances, the potential of a relationship between the women does not survive past the episode and the lesbian or suspected lesbian never appears again.
In 2005 The New York Times, examining the lesbian kiss episode phenomenon, concluded that women kissing women is often used as a gimmick during "sweeps" periods, times when Nielsen ratings are used by the broadcast networks to determine advertising rates. Lesbian kisses are:
Eminently visual; cheap, provided the actors are willing; controversial, year in and year out; and elegantly reversible, kisses between women are perfect sweeps stunts. They offer something for everyone, from advocacy groups looking for role models to indignation-seeking conservatives, from goggle-eyed male viewers to progressive female ones, from tyrants who demand psychological complexity to plot buffs.
Michele Greene, who played Abby on L.A. Law, confirmed in an interview with AfterEllen.com that her kiss with Amanda Donohoe's C.J. was a ratings ploy and that there was never any intention on the part of producers to seriously explore the possibility of a relationship between two women. The attitude about portraying lesbian relationships with any longevity persisted in Hollywood, as Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Marti Noxon encountered resistance from television executives when setting the groundwork for the long-term relationship between Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay. Noxon spoke of the resistance Buffy writers encountered in 2002, saying in an interview, "You can show girls kissing once, but you can't show them kissing twice… because the second time, it means that they liked it."
Series
American series which have had lesbian kiss episodes include:| Program | Title | U.S. air date | Kissers |
| L. A. Law | "He's a Crowd" | February 7, 1991 | Abby Perkins and C. J. Lamb. |
| Picket Fences | "Sugar & Spice" | April 29, 1993 | Kimberly Brock and Lisa Fenn. After negotiations between producer David E. Kelley and CBS, the scene was reshot in lower light. |
| Roseanne | "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" | March 1, 1994 | Roseanne Conner and Sharon. Full contact not shown. Sharon makes a cameo appearance in "December Bride", featuring the wedding of two men. |
| ' | "More Than Friends: The Coming Out of Heidi Leiter" | March 7, 1994 | Heidi Leiter and Missy. Based on the true story of Heidi Leiter, who attended her senior prom in Virginia with her girlfriend. Neither character appeared again in this anthology series. |
| ' | "Rejoined" | October 30, 1995 | Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn. Lenara Kahn never reappears on the series. As joined Trills, a previous male host of Dax and female host of Kahn had been husband and wife 90 years earlier. Trill culture considers such rejoinings to be taboo; however, no remarks are made about Jadzia's and Lenara's genders. |
| "The Emperor's New Cloak" | February 1, 1999 | Ezri Dax and Kira Nerys. In the alternate universe, mirror Ezri and mirror Kira share a kiss. | |
| Relativity | "The Day the Earth Moved" | January 11, 1997 | Rhonda and Suzanne. Dattilo's character only appeared in episode. The series was cancelled four episodes later. |
| Sex and the City | "Bay of Married Pigs" | June 21, 1998 | Miranda Hobbes and Syd. Miranda kisses Syd to prove that she, Miranda, is not a lesbian, and Syd never re-appears. |
| Sex and the City | "Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl..." | June 25, 2000 | Carrie Bradshaw and Dawn. Dawn never reappears on the series. |
| Ally McBeal | "Happy Trails" | November 9, 1998 | Ally McBeal and Georgia Thomas. |
| Ally McBeal | "You Never Can Tell" | November 9, 1998 | Ally McBeal and Elaine Vassal |
| Ally McBeal | "Buried Pleasures" | November 1, 1999 | Ally McBeal and Ling Woo. These episodes are unusual in that all of the women involved are series regulars. |
| Party of Five | "I'll Show You Mine" | May 5, 1999 | Julia Salinger and Perry Marks. Perry appears in one additional episode. |
| Talk to Me | "About Being Gay" | April 11, 2000 | Janey and Teresa. On a dare from her friends, Janey flirts with Teresa, who turns out to be an actual lesbian. Janey decides she is not a lesbian after the kiss. Teresa was a one-episode character. |
| Friends | "The One with Rachel's Big Kiss" | April 26, 2001 | Rachel Green and Melissa Warburton ; Rachel Green and Phoebe Buffay. Melissa never reappears on the series. Phoebe kisses Rachel to see what all the fuss Melissa made was about. |
| Once and Again | "The Gay-Straight Alliance" | March 11, 2002 | Jessie Sammler and Katie Singer. Katie appears in three additional episodes of the series, and the two remain in a relationship, albeit secretly, until the cancellation of the series. |
| Firefly | "War Stories" | December 6, 2002 | Inara Serra and the Councilor. The Councilor is a client of Inara's and she does not reappear in the series, though it only had one season. Other characters note that they were previously aware that Inara accepted male and female clients. |
| Fastlane | "Strap On" | January 17, 2003 | Billie Chambers and Sara Matthews. Sara never reappears on the series. |
| The Joe Schmo Show | Episode 7 | October 7, 2003 | Ashleigh and Molly. In this reality television parody, Ashleigh and Molly kiss at the behest of a "network executive" who explains that the kiss is a ploy for ratings. |
| One Tree Hill | "I Will Dare" | October 19, 2004 | Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis. Peyton and Brooke are both regular characters. |
| One Tree Hill | "The Heart Brings You Back" | January 25, 2005 | - |
| The O.C. | "The Lonely Hearts Club" | February 10, 2005 | Marissa Cooper and Alex Kelly. Alex leaves the series four episodes later. |
| American Dad! | "Not Particularly Desperate Housewives" | December 8, 2005 | Linda Memari and Francine Smith. Linda is a closeted lesbian who kisses Francine to save her from being killed by the Ladybugs. Linda is genuinely attracted to Francine; however, Francine thinks the kiss was fake. Linda appears in other episodes; however, Linda's sexual interest in Francine is not discussed. |
| Crossing Jordan | "Mysterious Ways" | April 23, 2006 | Jordan Cavanaugh and Detective Tallulah "Lu" Simmons. Episode hints at the possible bisexuality of lead character Jordan. Bibb was a recurring cast member. |
| How I Met Your Mother | "Best Prom Ever" | May 1, 2006 | Lily Aldrin and Robin Scherbatsky. Robin kisses Lily to give Lily the "lesbian experience" she never had. Both are series regulars. |
| How I Met Your Mother | "Big Days" | September 20, 2010 | Barney Stinson, Ted Mosby, and Robin Scheerbatsky all witness a kiss at MacLaren's Pub between Ted's ex-girlfriend Cindy and her date. |
| How I Met Your Mother | "The Broath" | March 19, 2012 | Robin Scherbatsky and Lily Aldrin kiss in order to seal an oath promising not to interfere with Barney's life, along with Marshall and Ted, who also share a kiss. |
| How I Met Your Mother | "Rally" | February 24, 2014 | Robin Scherbatsky and Lily Aldrin decide to make out after Robin suggests the ploy in order to wake up a hungover Barney. Lily willingly joins along with Robin and proceeds to make out with her female companion in a blithe fashion. Consequently, this would lead to Robin offering Lily another opportunity to make out after the issue had been resolved, however, Lily declines the wanton approach. |
| Las Vegas | "Fleeting Cheating Meeting" | January 12, 2007 | Samantha Marquez and Mary McConnell. Samantha and Mary, both series regulars, were portrayed as heterosexual although dialogue in several episodes indicates Samantha's possible bisexuality. |
| Dirt | "Ita Missa Est" | March 27, 2007 | Lucy Spiller and Tina Harrod. The episode hints at a former intimate relationship between the two. Tina never reappears on the series. |
| Kyle XY | "Free to Be You and Me" | July 23, 2007 | Lori Trager and Hillary. Hillary was a recurring character. |
| Desperate Housewives | "The Story of Lucie and Jessie" | March 15, 2009 | Susan and her boss, Jessie; Susan and Gabrielle. Susan and Gabrielle were series regulars; Jessie was a guest star. |
| Greek | "Dearly Beloved" | May 4, 2009 | Rebecca Logan and Robyn Wylie. |
| Greek | "Divine Secrets and the ZBZ Sisterhood" | May 18, 2009 | Rebecca and Robyn; Rebecca and Casey Cartwright. The kiss in "Dearly Beloved" opened a three-episode story arc in which Rebecca questions her sexuality. The arc culminated in "Divine Secrets" with Rebecca deciding that she was not a LUG and her response to the kiss was because it was a new and unusual experience. Robyn did not reappear. |
| The Cleveland Show | "Pilot" | September 27, 2009 | Lois Griffin and Bonnie Swanson. The two kiss at the behest of lead character Cleveland as something of a going-away present. |
| Heroes | "Hysterical Blindness" | October 12, 2009 | Claire Bennet and Gretchen Berg. Gretchen kisses Claire and confesses to having a crush. Panettiere, who has acknowledged "experimenting" with female friends as a teenager, persuaded the creators to include the storyline. Zima's character was a recurring role. Heroes had previously planned a lesbian cheerleader character in 2007 but the actress took another job after just one episode and the part was not re-cast. |
| FlashForward | "Gimme Some Truth" | October 22, 2009 | Janis Hawk and Maya. Janis is a closeted FBI agent and Maya is a chef. Maya did not reappear on the series. |
| Gossip Girl | "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" | November 9, 2009 | Vanessa Abrams and Olivia Burke. The two kiss as part of a threesome with Dan Humphrey. Duff's character was a recurring role. |
| 90210 | "Rats and Heroes" | March 9, 2010 | Gia and Adrianna kiss after bonding at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Willis' character was a recurring role. |
| Community | "Early 21st Century Romanticism" | February 10, 2011 | Britta and Page. Britta and Page become friends and later kiss, each under the mistaken impression that the other is a lesbian. Page did not reappear in the series. |
| Pan Am | "Diplomatic Relations" | January 15, 2012 | Maggie and Amanda. Amanda comforts a sad Maggie by wiping Maggie's tears, then telling her opinion on men, and kissing her. Greene's character was recurring; her sexual orientation formed part of a recurring story arc. Maggie's reaction to the kiss was discussed in later episodes. |
| The Simpsons | "Lisa Goes Gaga" | May 20, 2012 | Marge Simpson and Lady Gaga. |
| Riverdale | "" | January 26, 2017 | Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Veronica and Betty auditioned together for the cheer team. At the end of the routine, the judges don't seem very impressed so Veronica initiates a kiss with Betty for a shock factor. After some more persuading by Veronica, they both make the team. |