👭 The Rise and Fall of the ‘Lesbian Kiss Episode’ 👭

QUEER WORD
THE LESBIAN KISS EPISODE

What it means:

A ‘very special’ episode of a TV show (particularly in the 90s) where two women kiss, usually serving up shock value rather than actual queer representation.

Let’s use it in a sentence:

During her annual 90s TV marathon, Alex suddenly connected the dots between religiously recording every lesbian kiss episode on VHS and her current life with a wife, three schnauzers, and a Subaru.

A little bit of history:

Picture it.

It’s the 1990s.

You’re some TV network big-wig.

Your once-beloved TV show has started to flail in the ratings, and you need to do something to get audiences tuning in again.

You could shake up the storylines. You could develop your characters. You could hire better writers.

Or….. you could make two women kiss!

Genius! Someone’s getting a corner office!

And, so, the lesbian kiss episode is born!

Now, let's be clear - sapphic representation wasn't entirely new to TV. Shows like Hill Street Blues and Heartbeat had introduced out-and-proud lesbian characters in the late 80s.

Still, the 90s offered the perfect conditions for this trend to take off: attitudes toward homosexuality were softening just enough to make queer storylines feel edgy but not too controversial. A same-sex kiss could stir up just enough outrage to get people talking, without actually outright alienating any innocent heterosexuals.

The episode that kick-started it all aired February 7, 1991 on LA Law.

When Abby Perkins (Michele Greene) gets professional help from CJ Lamb (Amanda Donohoe), she is so overcome with gratitude that one thing leads to another and... gasp... they kiss!

Finally! What a moment of progress. A real lesbian couple on prime-time TV!

Well…… not quite.

Within no time, CJ is written off the TV show and Abby’s back to dating men.

But, no matter! The TV show was back on everyone’s lips, and surely this would pave the way for complex, multi-dimensional lesbian relationships on TV.

Everyone wins, right?

Well…… not quite.

Instead, the gimmick kicked off a trend where every flailing show suddenly had their own lesbian kiss episode. And, every time, almost without fail, they followed the same tired formula:

✅ A regular female character + a guest star
✅ A kiss that definitely wasn’t leading to anything serious (not even any tongue!)
✅ The guest star mysteriously disappearing within a few episodes
✅ The regular character resuming her heterosexual life as if nothing had happened

At first, the queer community clung to these moments—desperate for any sliver of representation. But over time, the lightbulb pinged.

These weren’t our stories. They were network stunts. Nothing but a cheap ratings ploy.

(And, notably, these kisses were always between women. The networks knew that a lesbian kiss would titillate without truly threatening their straight audience. But two men kissing? In the 90s? Now that’s a step too far.)

So, did the lesbian kiss episode really do anything to advance queer representation?

Well…… not quite…

Want to relive some of TV's most cynical moments of "representation"? Scroll down for our complete list of 90s lesbian kiss episodes!

QUEER LIST
THE BEST LESBIAN KISS EPISODES OF THE 90s

L.A. Law

Year: 1991
What happened: Lawyer Abby Perkins (Michele Greene) shares a passionate kiss with the confident and openly bisexual CJ Lamb (Amanda Donohoe).
Did they end up as a couple? Nope. CJ was written off the show soon after, and Abby returned to her humdrum heterosexual life.

Roseanne

Year: 1994
What happened: Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) gets an unexpected kiss from Sharon (Mariel Hemingway) at the gay bar she went to in order to prove that she’s still cool.
Did they end up as a couple? No. A very inconsequential kiss. Roseanne was straight, and nothing awoke in her from the smooch.

Picket Fences

Year: 1993
What happened: Who hasn’t been here before? Teenage friends Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs) and Lisa (Alexondra Lee) share experimental kisses during a sleepover.
Did they end up as a couple? No. The storyline was quickly dropped, and Kimberly went back to dating men.

Party of Five

Year: 1999
What happened: After Perry (Olivia d'Abo) does something super helpful, Julia (Neve Campbell) is so overcome with gratitude that she decides to snog her. Cause that’s how gratitude works, right?
Did they end up as a couple? No. Julia toys with the idea of bisexuality for a week or two, and Perry disappears from the show.

Ally McBeal

Year: 1999
What happened: Ally (Calista Flockhart) shares a steamy kiss with her colleague Ling (Lucy Liu) after a discussion about curiosity and attraction.
Did they end up as a couple? Nope. Never mentioned again.

Ellen

Year: 1997
What happened: Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres) kisses with her love interest Laurie (Lisa Darr) after coming out.
Did they end up as a couple? Kind of. They dated for a bit, and probably would have lasted for a while, but the show faced backlash after Ellen came out, leading to cancellation the following year.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Year: 1999
What happened: Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara (Amber Benson) share a deeply emotional (but subtle) first on-screen kiss while performing a spell together.
Did they end up as a couple? Yes! Finally! We have a winner! Unlike many others, this relationship was developed over time and became one of TV’s first recurring lesbian romances.

QUEER THOUGHTS
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