Warning: Spoilers for Frasier season 2, episode 8
Upon his return, the second season of Frasier reboot brought a surprising revelation about one of the characters from the original series. Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe reunited with Dr. Crane on his trip back to Seattle in Frasier season 2, episode 8. Their reunion surprisingly confirmed that Bulldog is in fact gay. Played by actor Dan Butler, this former sports talk host was famous for being a womanizer and annoying Frasier and his colleagues, eventually becoming a main character on the series in season 6.
In the episode, Bulldog’s sexuality is brought to light when Roz says, “someone finally came out of the closet.” This led to a moment of confusion, until it became clear that Roz was referring to a decision Bulldog apparently made some time after the end of the original show. This series was interested in featuring returning characters from the original Frasier before, bringing back fan favorites like Roz and Bebe Glazer. However, the way the show reinvents the character of Bulldog forces audiences to rethink previous perceptions of the show, making his debut one of the series’ best twists. Frasier revival show.
Was Gay Bulldog in the original version of Frasier or was it suggested?
Bulldog didn’t come out as gay in the original Frasier
As a product of its time, this sitcom didn’t feature many long-running gay characters. However, Frasier is known for its LGBTQ+ undertoneswith Frasier and his brother Niles exhibiting stereotypical gay qualities as well-educated men interested in good culture. One episode even featured a gay man who assumed the two brothers were also interested in men. Despite this, the series never hinted at Bulldog’s attraction to men beforehand, which makes the reveal in the reboot all the more surprising.
In short, Bulldog was an effective contrast to Frasier’s more sophisticated character, presenting different images of what a straight man could be like, at least until now.
Over the course of its first 11 seasons, Frasier instead, it portrayed Bulldog as Frasier’s opposite: an aggressively masculine and ill-mannered sports fan who loved fooling around with and picking up women (including Roz at one point). This often made him an inappropriate presence in the workplace and an especially great annoyance to Dr. Crane, as the former messed with Frasier on more than one occasion. In short, Bulldog was an effective contrast to Frasier’s more sophisticated character, presenting different images of what a straight man could be like, at least until now.
Why Bulldog is gay in the Frasier reboot
Bulldog as gay person makes Frasier more diverse
Since Frasier First aired in the ’90s, the reboot featuring a gay character like Bulldog helps the franchise keep up with modern times, further highlighting LGBTQ+ people and allowing them to better represent themselves on television. Frasier already had two gay actors in its main cast: Dan Butler and David Hyde Pierce. Even one of the show’s creators, David Lee, is gay. But having one of the main characters from the original series come out as gay in the reboot only promotes more LGBTQ+ inclusion and representation in the series.
It’s also a creative way to honor and reflect Butler’s true self in the series, while also doing something new and surprising with his character in Frasier. Although Roz and Bebe have returned to the show before, the new series hasn’t changed much about their already beloved characters. But by having a main character return to the series as an openly gay person, the Frasier reboot goes beyond providing mere fan service with Bulldoggoing in a bold new direction by exploring preconceived notions of sexuality.
Bulldog being gay brilliantly subverts expectations
Bulldog shows how sexuality doesn’t always follow stereotypes
The original Frasier had previously suggested that one of its characters was gay. Gil Chesterton, Dr. Crane’s colleague on KACL radio, had his sexuality frequently questioned by Frasier and his colleagues due to his flamboyant personality. Even though Gil is married to a woman, the issue of his sexual orientation became a long-running joke throughout the program. One would probably expect Gil to be gay all along rather than Bulldog (Frasier himself thought when he returned to Seattle in Frasier season 2, episode 8).
But by having Bulldog come out as gay (or at least openly gay) in the reboot, Frasier challenges previous expectations of the character and sexuality as a whole. Since Bulldog appears as a stereotypical heterosexual man by constantly hitting on women, talking about sports, and making sexist jokes, one would probably not think that he would actually be gay.
The twist surrounding his character shows how a person’s sexuality doesn’t always fit into social stereotypes. Although he has previously expressed his interest in men, Bulldog proves in the reboot that he is still the same Bulldog he always was. Frasier assumed he was overcompensating for being gay with his “frat boy toxic masculinity” aimed at women, but Bulldog quickly refuted this theory, saying he only targets it at men.
However, FrasierThe reboot proved once again that it has something new to say to its audience, with Bulldog coming out as gay. In addition to providing greater LGBTQ+ representation within the series, Bulldog shows how a person is not always what they seem to be, encouraging the show’s audience to open their minds and accept new ideas about masculinity and sexuality.