Question of a segment of FOL fans.

[80s Dude]

Not being prejudice or intolerant, but one question I have is why are so many gay men fans of Facts of Life? I can see why straight men and lesbians (just look at how many lesbian fan fiction sites they are) are fans. But what is it in the show that seems to attract a gay male audience when there is not many male characters until George Clooney came along.

[Christopher]

As a gay man, I don't understand why this question is always brought up. Why can't gay guys like any type of show without being asked why for liking it? I like a huge variety of shows and movies. My favorite genre is horror which people probably think is weird for a gay guy to like. The stereotypical view for gay men is that they're supposed to like musicals, fashion designs, and things that are considered for girls. That's as I said a stereotype for how people think gay men should act and what to like. I see a lot of boys in the schools start changing how they were because they suddenly feel they're gay and have to dress a certain way and act a certain way. I consider those fake stereotypical gays. Be yourself and stop living up to the way other people think you should be if you're gay, lesbian, transgender, or whatever. Being gay isn't a show for people to watch and be either entertain or annoyed. That's my soapbox rant.

I like The Facts of Life because it's a funny show. The main four have great chemistry and genuinely care about each other in real life. They made the show fun to watch throughout the entire run. Plus I started at a young age watching The Facts of Life so it's just something that will always be part of what I want to watch.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

I can see why straight men...are fans. But what is it in the show that seems to attract a gay male audience when there is not many male characters until George Clooney came along.

Isn't the stereotype in our society the opposite? That straight guys wouldn't wanna watch shows about girls but gay guys would?

[Smartboy]

Originally Posted by Christopher

As a gay man, I don't understand why this question is always brought up. Why can't gay guys like any type of show without being asked why for liking it? I like a huge variety of shows and movies. My favorite genre is horror which people probably think is weird for a gay guy to like. The stereotypical view for gay men is that they're supposed to like musicals, fashion designs, and things that are considered for girls. That's as I said a stereotype for how people think gay men should act and what to like. I see a lot of boys in the schools start changing how they were because they suddenly feel they're gay and have to dress a certain way and act a certain way. I consider those fake stereotypical gays. Be yourself and stop living up to the way other people think you should be if you're gay, lesbian, transgender, or whatever. Being gay isn't a show for people to watch and be either entertain or annoyed. That's my soapbox rant.

I like The Facts of Life because it's a funny show. The main four have great chemistry and genuinely care about each other in real life. They made the show fun to watch throughout the entire run. Plus I started at a young age watching The Facts of Life so it's just something that will always be part of what I want to watch.

I find it interesting that, according to you, it is stereotypical to think of musicals as being for girls. I am a straight male and "Mamma Mia!" is tied with "The Frisco Kid" as my second favorite movie. Just in case anyone is wondering, my favorite movie ever is "Marci X". But, then again, there are also some chick flicks that I enjoy. One that comes to mind is "Boys on the Side". I think that Mary-Louise Parker is great! On top of that, as older women go, I would consider Anita Gillette as some pretty nice eye candy!

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Smartboy

I find it interesting that, according to you, it is stereotypical to think of musicals as being for girls.

I don't consider musicals as things considered for girls. Musicals are separate from what I meant things considered for girls. What I meant was playing with barbie dolls, doing dress up, doing make up, and talking like girls. That's what I meant by things that are considered for girls. As for musicals, a lot of people have this impression of gays as someone who loves the theater and knows every musical made. That's not the case for every gay guy born.

[RetroGuy2000]

I think the real question is: is there a broad segment of people who don't like the show?

Loved by The Straights
Loved by The Gays
Loved by The Guys
Loved by The Gals
Loved in original airings
Loved in repeats

This is the most popular forum on SitcomsOnline, with over 100,000 posts, and over 607,000 views. There's something to be said about the enduring legacy of a show which is now over 40 years old, and which still has extremely active fan communities.

With one noted exception, the cast remains tight, interacting with one another on social media, showing up to support each others' events, appearing in each others' projects, and thrilling their fans by still appearing to be a real family, even after four decades. That just doesn't happen much, in Hollywood. Instead, we see former cast members accuse each other of lying/molestation (Charles in Charge), being in cliques (Charmed), abandonment (Happy Days), being mean/controlling (Little House), etc.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think the real question is: is there a broad segment of people who don't like the show?

Yes. And the answer is: most people. lol...in my opinion, anyway. I mean, this is an old show with a certain niche audience. No one I know talks about FOL, much less watches it these days. It's certainly not "cool" to bring up when all the rage now is reality TV and Nicki Minaj and that "K" family that takes up so much stuff in Hollywood.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Loved by The Straights

I almost never hear anyone bring up this show.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Loved by The Gays

I see more of a gay audience talking about the show, and it's on Logo, implying there's a healthy gay fan base out there today.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Loved by The Guys
Loved by The Gals

I would say many, many more girls than guys (it seems more of a "guilty pleasure" if it were your average guy).

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Loved in original airings

I always felt it was more just "eh, liked" in original airings, because it never even got into the Top 20 ever. But then Christopher here pointed out once that it was actually the top-rated sitcom at least one of those seasons---that all those oodles of show ranking above it were anything but sitcoms! I never knew that before.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Loved in repeats

It would be interesting to see the demographics on its reruns on USA, then N@N, then Hallmark, and now Logo.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

This is the most popular forum on SitcomsOnline, with over 100,000 posts, and over 607,000 views. There's something to be said about the enduring legacy of a show which is now over 40 years old, and which still has extremely active fan communities.

As another S.O. poster pointed out when they started a thread, that actually seems odd. I mean of course you know I think this is a TERRIFIC show. But I would assume something like "The Golden Girls" here would have skyrocketed numbers of threads and posts, leaving FOL way back in the nostalgic dust. I mean GG has been in re-runs practically non-stop for decades. And it's still a "cool" show to love---you see people rocking GG shirts, there are books and merchandise about the series, it's always had a home in re-runs, and plus Betty White has been considered a national treasure for years now, which only helps boost the show's popularity and legacy even more. Yet FOL is the show on this board to be in the runaway lead. It doesn't seem logical.

But, I believe in the early years, a big part of that had to do with The Nancy McKeon Fan Brigade which seemed to overwhelm this board (back in the days when only Christopher and I may be the only ones here now who were here back in the day). And then there was the show's heralded return to TV on N@N, followed by Hallmark, which kept a lot of Nancy fans here, then after the NMFB had vanished, some years later suddenly a band of Lost Girl fans found their way here and we have been flooding this place with memories, analyses, questions, theories, and all kinds of fan creativity.

So to me it seems so odd this board is the #1 board for the whole '80s section, but it's also, of course, awesome.