Vacation Repost: Queer. And Present.

originally posted February 14, 2011

According to TVGuide Canada, these are the Top Ten Same-Sex couple ever to appear on television:

1 Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) on  Modern Family:

You’ve probably already fallen for Mitchell and Cam, the funniest--and most visible--gay couple on television today. The 2009 pilot episode opened with the couple flying home with their adopted daughter Lily, and a hilarious misunderstanding when another passenger says “Look at the cute baby with those cream puffs.”

To be fair, Lily was eating cream puffs!

Fans campaigned online for more physical affection between the two, as it seemed that only the show’s heterosexual couples were allowed to kiss. The kiss came during Season 2, in an episode devoted to Mitchell’s discomfort with public displays of affection.

2 Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick) and David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) from Six Feet Under:

How would you describe a relationship between an emotionally repressed, closeted mortician and a police officer with anger issues?

If you said “complicated,” move to the head of the class.

HBO’s Six Feet Under was acclaimed for its true-to-life portrayal of gay men and the highs and lows of their relationships, and no one went higher or lower than David and Keith. They broke up twice over five seasons, but by the series’ end, they had achieved a new level of intimacy and adopted two teenage boys, Anthony and Durrell. The emotional final episode showed us a glimpse of their future, including their wedding and how each of them died.

3 Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramírez) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) on Grey’s Anatomy:

Some Grey’s fans cried foul after Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) was suddenly written out during Season 5, coincidentally after kissing Callie. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes insisted the decision had nothing to do with a reluctance to portray a lesbian relationship, but rather a “lack of chemistry.”

Thankfully, that chemistry is alive and well with Callie and Arizona, the head of pediatric surgery at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Initially, Callie was reluctant to date Arizona, who had only ever been with one woman. Now they’re having a baby together! And with Mark Sloane.

it’s complicated. It’s Grey’s.

4 Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro) and Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) from True Blood:

Outrageously flamboyant, Lafayette makes no apologies for who he is, and won’t put up with anyone who feels he should. A part-time prostitute and dealer of V-juice, Lafayette is the short order cook at Merlotte’s Bar, and isn’t afraid of any trash-talking redneck that sends a hamburger back to the kitchen.

Enter Jesus, the caregiver of Lafayette’s institutionalized mother. After some hot dates and a sampling of V, Lafayette and Jesus discover they are both descendants of practitioners of magic — and not the nice kind. It’s just another day in Bon Temps, Louisiana.

5 Dr. Jon Fielding (Bill Campbell) and Michael “Mouse” Tolliver (Marcus D’Amico) from Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City:

This 1993 miniseries was years ahead of its time in its representation of the LGBT community, and brought to life some of the most beloved characters in contemporary literature.

Unlucky-in-love Mouse finally met the first big love of his life, Jon, by crashing into him at a roller rink — just in time for the couples dance.

6 Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) and Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) from Torchwood:

Jack Harkness proved so popular in the 2005 season of Doctor Who, the time-travelling con artist was spun out of the 51st century and into a series of his own. Over three seasons, Jack’s relationship with Torchwood Institute colleague Ianto Jones went from casual to complicated, and the ongoing storyline hit home with gay and bisexual viewers.

Sadly, Ianto fell prey to a fatal virus in Torchwood: Children of Earth, telling Jack he loved him with his dying breath.

7 Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane) on Brothers & Sisters:

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for conservative Kevin and out-and-proud Scotty; the two had a few spats and an emotional breakup before reconnecting. Then came their commitment ceremony in Season 2’s finale--the first same-sex wedding between ongoing regular characters on any American network show.

As of this season, the ABC series’ showrunner is David Marshall Grant, one of the actors from a controversial 1989 thirtysomething scene in which two men appeared for the first time on TV in bed together, after what was undoubtedly a sexual encounter.

What goes around, comes around.

8 Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman) from The L Word:

Throughout the series’ run, is there anything this up and down, on-and-off couple didn’t work through? A miscarriage, unemployment, childbirth, dating men, legal battles over adoption … I could go on, or just point out their indiscretions on The Chart.

While other couples on the show also captured fans’ hearts (take a bow, Shane and Carmen, Alice and Dana), only Bette and Tina saw through their trials and tribulations for all six seasons. Shame about Jenny Schecter’s dead body in their pool in that series finale, though. That was a bit of a mood killer.

9 Larry (Julius Chapple) and Sam Adama (Sasha Roiz) on Caprica:

Earth can learn a lot from Caprica, where sexual orientation is a non-issue. In the series’ third episode, viewers met Larry, the supportive husband of tattooed Tauron mob enforcer Sam Adama. Larry appeared in only four episodes, but resonated with fans who enjoyed his charm and his willingness to stand by his man — even when Sam usually came home grumpy. The two served as role models to Sam’s young nephew, William, who will one day grow up to command Battlestar Galactica.

10 Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) and Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Buffy fans still consider the romance between Willow and Tara to be one of the series’ most important relationships. Kudos to creator Joss Whedon for showing the first regularly represented lesbian couple on network television, even if they weren’t allowed to kiss for a long time.

Willow went on a rampage after Tara’s sudden death in Season 6, but Whedon didn’t let her mourn forever. In one of the series’ final episodes, Willow and new girlfriend Kennedy (Iyari Limon) steamed up the screen in network TV’s first lesbian sex scene.

This post is two years old .... How does this list work for you? Who are the other same-sex couples who should have been on the list?