"Ellen" was a hit sitcom in its time, but it will always be remembered for one thing: "The Puppy Episode." It saw the main character Ellen, played by Ellen DeGeneres, come out of the closet — not long after DeGeneres herself did in real life. "The Puppy Episode" drew monster ratings and got massive publicity, but it also marked the beginning of the end for the show.
Going forward, DeGeneres and ABC clashed behind the scenes. The New York Times reported that ABC tried to limit the number of LGBTQ storylines and even at one time slapped a special viewer's advisory in front of the show. DeGeneres was quick to point out that shows about heterosexual relationships had no such warning.
GLAAD media director Chaz Bono noted to Variety the dangers in the show becoming "too" LGBTQ, especially after it became important to the plots: "This is network prime time. When a show treats gay issues over and over again, it becomes 'a gay show,' and the average viewer says, 'Hey, I'm not gay — I'm not going to watch it.'" The show's ratings declined, and it's certainly possible that the audience and networks weren't quite ready.
If the show's cancellation wasn't proof enough of this, the hit that Laura Dern's career took was. Dern, whose character made Ellen realize that she was gay, started getting death threats. Dern hit a career peak with "Jurassic Park," but the backlash to "The Puppy Episode" meant that she stopped getting offered roles for a significant period of time.
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August 17, 2021 at 03:44AM
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Sad Reasons These TV Shows Were Canceled - Looper
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