Homosexuality on Television:The Heterosexualization of Will & Grace in Print Media

By gnovisguest November 2, 2003

Posted in Earlier to 2006 Journal  |  Tagged discourse analysis, homosexuality, television, will & grace

Abstract:

Despite its arrival to primetime television so soon after the demise of Ellen – television’s first program with an openly homosexual lead character – NBC’s Will & Grace has incurred no right-wing protest or controversy. According to media critics, Will & Grace has been successful because it consistently marks Will and Grace as a thwarted heterosexual couple. An analysis of metaphors used in print media may only enforce this idea in the minds of viewers. In their reviews and articles, television critics make use of these metaphors to describe the relationship between these characters, strengthening the popularity of the show among viewers, while at the same time negating its inroads into the representation of homosexuality on American television.

Full Article (PDF):Marisa-Connolly-Homosexuality-on-Television.pdf