29 years ago, Roseanne's best Christmas episode made television history

Although Roseanespin-off The Conners never mentioned Martin Mull's Leon Carp, the original show's Season 8 Christmas episode featured a historical piece of gay representation centered on the supporting character. One of the harsh realities of rewatching Roseane it's the realization that some of the show's jokes have aged terribly. Yet for every joke that seems tasteless or problematic in 2024, there are moments that stand out as surprisingly progressive. RoseaneThe story of an average working-class American family addressed poverty, gay rights, racial discrimination, parental abuse, and a host of other controversial issues with surprising tact and dexterity.

As The Conners As Season 7 prepares to end the sitcom franchise for good, it's tempting to claim that the original series was problematic and its updated spinoff made up for its flaws. However, the truth is a little more complicated. The ConnersThe large cast of characters never included the late, great Martin Mull, although Mull played Roseanne and Jackie's boss, Leon Carp, for much of RoseaneThe original run. A completely unique character, Carp was a groundbreaking character in terms of LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media and a testament to Roseanesurprising achievements in the world of sitcoms.

Roseanne’s “December Bride” Featured Network TV’s First Gay Wedding

Leon and Scott Wedding was a historic moment of representation

On December 12, 1995, Roseane Season 8, episode 11, “December Bride,” aired. The output was RoseaneJackie's penultimate Christmas episode before the infamously disastrous season 9 aired its infamous episode 12, “Home for the Holidays,” where Jackie discovers that Dan has been cheating on Roseanne with his sick mother's nurse. However, “December Bride” was notable for more than just being Roseanelast good Christmas special. RoseaneSeason 8's Christmas episode featured the first same-sex wedding portrayed on network TVbetween Leon of Mull and Scott of Fed Willard. The episode revolved around this event and, more specifically, Roseanne's attempts to plan the wedding.

When Leon is unexpectedly reunited with his ex Scott, who he left at the altar a few years earlier, the two take it as a sign and decide to go through with the wedding. Much to Leon's chagrin, an overzealous Roseanne immediately begins planning the wedding and ensures it is as tacky, over-the-top, and stereotypical as possible. Leon objects to the presence of drag queens and strippers at his wedding, but soon reveals that the real reason behind his reticence about marrying Scott is that he doesn't feel comfortable calling himself gay. This makes for a sweet and hilarious final scene.

Why Roseanne's Last Christmas Episode Was So Important

Friends presented a lesbian wedding a month later

Roseanne and Leon kiss, allowing Mull's character to confirm to himself beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is gay. The wedding in “December Bride” proceeds as Roseanne berates Dan for objecting to two men kissing, and the episode ends with plenty of jokes about gay stereotypes but an unexpectedly direct message of acceptance nestled between them. Although not as controversial as The ConnersThe banned Christmas episode “December Bride” met with some resistance from conservative cultural commentators. “December Bride” was a landmark moment for gay representationnot only due to their marriage, but also the gripping storyline and Leon's unique character.

Just a month later, Friends Season 2 Episode 11, “The One with the Lesbian Wedding,” became the second sitcom episode to focus on a gay wedding ceremony. However, unlike “The One with the Lesbian Wedding,” “December Bride” spends its entire story interrogating gay stereotypes as Roseanne tries to make Leon's wedding suitably mortified.”gay.” This led ABC to move the Roseane episode from its regular 8pm to 9:30pm slot. The network spokesperson said The Washington Post that this had nothing to do with the “Idea of ​​a gay marriage”, and it was due to his adult humor.

Roseanne's Christmas Episode Almost Spawned an LGBTQ+ Spinoff

Roseanne Barr proposed a series starring RuPaul and Don Knotts

The fact that most Roseane The Season 8 episodes featured more explicit jokes than “December Bride” calls that claim into question, but it's still notable that the network aired the episode. Leon Carp was a rare gay Republican character and one of the episode's funniest scenes saw him assert that he couldn't be gay thanks to his insensitivity, his dislike of Barbara Streisband and his political affiliation. This underlined the character's complexity and divergence from simple stereotypes. Where The Conners season 7 can comfortably portray Darlene's son Mark as a gay teenager, Leon's role in Roseane provoked significantly more reaction.

Despite this, according to Steven Capsuto's 2000 book Alternative Channels: The Uncensored History of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, RoseaneRoseanne Barr star and co-creator attempted to utilize “December Bride” as a backdoor pilot for an LGBTQ+ sitcom spinoff about Leon and Scott raising Leon's teenage daughter. Barr and co-producer William Lucas Walker, who went on to work as supervising producer on Will and Gracereleased a series in which Leon and Scott were parents to a teenage daughter that Leon had years before. The show would have co-starred RuPaul and Don Knotts as the couple's neighbors.

The Roseanne Spinoff Wasted Leon's Story

Martin Mull never reprized his Conners role

Although Leon was a central figure for much of Roseanethe original season and he almost headlined a spinoff of his own, The Conners never mentioned Martin Mull's Leon Carp in its first six seasons. While The Conners season 7 Roseane the character's return could improve this by acknowledging his existence, unfortunately it's too late for the show to introduce Leon or Scott on screen. Willard passed away in May 2020, while Mull died in June 2024. The Conners the lack of mention of any of the characters was made more notable by the spinoff's focus on The Lanford Lunchbox, the restaurant where Leon worked as Jackie and Roseanne's manager.

Although The Conners revealed that Roseanne and Jackie's mother, Bev, still secretly owned the deed to the restaurant, the spin-off never explained what happened to Leon and why he stopped working there. This was a huge oversight since Roseanethe season 10 revival and The Conners Seasons 1-3 focused on Mark's struggles growing up gay in Lanford, and Leon's story could have meant a lot to him. Unfortunately, after centering one of the Roseanethe best Christmas episodes about the character's wedding, The Conners he went on to forget all about Leon Carp and his wife decades later.

Source: The Washington Post

Alternative Channels: The Uncensored History of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television, Steven Capsuto, 2000.