HBO leads on TV in showing gay characters

[Behind the Aegis]

NEW YORK (AP) -- HBO scored highest among 15 networks for its representation of gay characters last season, according to a report released Monday.

In its third annual Network Responsibility Index, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of HBO's 14 original prime-time series, 10 included content reflecting the lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people. That totaled 42 percent of the network's programming hours, in series such as "True Blood," "Entourage" and "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency."

By contrast, on NBC and CBS only 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of prime-time hours included them, the report said.

For the report, GLAAD reviewed all prime-time programming - totaling 4,901 hours - for inclusion of such characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW) from June 1, 2008, to May 31, 2009. The study also examined all original prime-time programming - 1,213 hours - on 10 prominent cable networks. The programming included dramas, comedies, unscripted fare and newsmagazines.

Cable's Showtime ranked second, with 26 percent of its programming hours featuring gay characters or themes. Series included "The L Word," "Weeds" and "The United States of Tara," a new comedy about a family whose teenage son is gay.

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[DarkTirade]

1. I'm curious to see how the BBC stacks up against our TV channels.

[Ian David]

2. British people all SOUND gay anyway, so it's not a big deal for The BBC. n/t