Brother and Sisters

As I watch the season finale of Brother and Sisters, I can't help but think is this a gay sitcom? In the show there's a gay couple and a gay older man, Saul. The show frequently brings up the differences between the gay and straight community. The couple of Scotty and Kevin discuss the different struggles they've had to overcome being a gay couple, such as having or adopting a child. In this particular episode however, the topic of AIDS was brought up. Scotty and Kevin strongly encouraged the other gay male, Saul to get tested and Saul tried to fight it. It is interesting to see the stereotypes of gays in this television shows. On the topic on AIDS in particular, Saul brings up the fact that he does not want to get tested because times have changed and he is afraid that he may have contracted AIDS from a younger time in life when he was ashamed. It is interesting to here him talk about the differences between gays 20-30 years ago and the gays now. They are clearly more accepted and less shamed then before. They feel free to go out and live their life however they want, whereas Saul makes it apparent when he was Scotty and Kevin's age he was ashamed and has a series of meaningless hook-ups. Another interesting aspect to think about is the network of which it is aired, ABC. Thinking about other ABC shows and how they represent gay and lesbians is an interesting task. Grey's Anatomy has a couple of lesbians on the show which are equally represented in a non-stereotypical manner. By having these shows on the air, ABC is providing themselves with a unbiased views towards gays. The liberal community may then be more apt to watch the networks programming. If we look at another of ABC's shows, Modern Family, the gay couple in it have certain stereotypes but they are represented lightheartedly and in a humorous manner, making it more acceptable. ABC does a fantastic job showing a wide variety of diverse relationships, which is why the network is so successful.