''Normal, Ohio'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

aired on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

in 2000. The show stars

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, an ...

as William "Butch" Gamble, a gay man returning to his

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

home town. The cast also includes Joely Fisher,

Anita Gillette Anita Gillette ( Luebben; born August 16, 1936) is an American actress. She had numerous roles on Broadway, American television, and in feature films. She also made many appearances as a celebrity guest on television game shows. Early life Gill ...

, Orson Bean, Mo Gaffney and Charles Rocket. The title is a reference to Sherwood Anderson's ''

Winesburg, Ohio ''Winesburg, Ohio'' (full title: ''Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life'') is a 1919 short story cycle by the American author Sherwood Anderson. The work is structured around the life of protagonist George Willard, from the ...

''.

Overview

The original concept for the series was an ''

Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

''–style situation comedy called ''Don't Ask'', with Goodman as "Rex", sharing his

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

apartment with college friend David (

Anthony LaPaglia Anthony LaPaglia (, ; born 31 January 1959) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Jack Malone in the television drama ''Without a Trace'' (2002–2009), for which he received a Golden Globe Award in 2004. LaPaglia won a Prim ...

). Although the pilot was well-received, creators Bonnie and Terry Turner felt that the premise was not strong enough for an ongoing series. LaPaglia's character was written out and the series was relocated to Ohio. The show was most notable for the divisions it exposed regarding American culture's view of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

. Gamble is an average blue collar

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

-type gay man, with many traits typical of American

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...

, including a love of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and beer, and very few of the traits

stereotypically In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

associated with gay men. Nevertheless, his sexuality itself was signified in part by isolated moments of more stereotypically gay behavior, such as singing snippets of Broadway show tunes and helping his sister to color her hair, that were seemingly at odds with the way his character was presented most of the time. As a result, some media outlets dismissed Goodman's role as unrealistic. Goodman won the People's Choice Award for Best Actor in a New Comedy Series, but, up against the second half hour of '' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'', it flopped in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

. Twelve episodes of the series were made, but only seven were aired before its cancellation. Goodman appeared on the cover of

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

's 2000 Fall Preview issue, along with three other actors starring in new sitcoms: Geena Davis,

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

and

Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...

. The magazine proclaimed them a "fab foursome", but none of the shows was a hit. (In the 2001 Fall Preview issue, the 2000 cover was re-printed with thought balloons over the actors' heads, with Goodman's saying, "Even I didn't buy me as a gay dad!")

Cast

as William "Butch" Gamble *

as Joan Gamble * Joely Fisher as Pamela Gamble-Miller *

Greg Pitts Greg Luke Pitts (born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Drew in the film ''Office Space''. Career He has taken bit roles in films and television series, including ''Grey's Anatomy'' and ''Sons & Daughters ( ...

as Charlie Gamble * Julia McIlvaine as Kimberly Miller *

Cody Kasch Cody Reed Kasch (born August 21, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his role of Zach Young on the ABC comedy-drama series ''Desperate Housewives''. Early life Kasch was born in Santa Monica, California. He is of Scottish descent. He w ...

as Robbie Miller * Orson Bean as Bill Gamble * Mo Gaffney as Elizabeth * Charles Rocket as Danny

Episodes

References

External links

Normal, Ohio @ Carsey-Werner

Carsey-Werner - Normal Ohio
* * {{Epguides, NormalOhio, Normal, Ohio 2000 American television series debuts 2000 American television series endings 2000s American sitcoms 2000s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2000s American LGBT-related television series English-language television shows Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Gay-related television shows Television series by Carsey-Werner Productions Television shows set in Ohio Bear (gay culture) Television series created by Bonnie and Terry Turner American LGBT-related sitcoms 2000s LGBT-related sitcoms