The Big Gay Sketch Show

Recurring characters and sketches

• Gay Werewolf, a straight man who turns gay - and hairy - under the light of a full moon.
• Svetlana, an ex-KGB secret agent and chorus dancer who practices her Soviet brand of martial arts as a means to stardom.
• Fitzwilliam, a gender-non-conforming English teen desperate to obtain a vagina. Sketches also include their father.
• Steven, a large man also known as "Waffles". This character originated on McGovern's podcast, Gay Pimpin' with Jonny McGovern.
• Ron Odyssey, a frustrating flamboyant gay male receptionist who gives customers / patients a difficult time.
• Chocolate Puddin', a transgender sex worker. Puddin' originated in McGovern's stage show, "Dirty Stuff".
• Naldo, a Latino worker, who moves items in an explicit, sexual manner, unknown to him, exciting his gay male clientele.

• Maya Angelou, who reads sexually explicit posts from Craigslist.
• Antonio Banderas
• Liza Minnelli
• Elaine Stritch, who appears performing a series of menial jobs like Wal-Mart greeter, airport luggage inspector, and the like.
• Barbara Walters, appears in "The View" sketches.

Critical reception

• Variety: "ay or straight, the audience has too many options to rely on mediocrity, which is why this exercise would seem a whole lot bigger and gayer if it was just a bit funnier."
• AfterEllen.com : "BGSS faces inevitable comparisons to mainstream sketch shows like NBC's long-running Saturday Night Live and Fox's Mad TV and In Living Color. The success of SNL has hinged on the ability of its most talented cast members to develop memorable recurring characters. Similarly, the strength of both Mad TV and In Living Color is in the willingness of each to "go there" with the sort of sociopolitical humor that the modern incarnation of SNL usually avoids... With its cast of mostly queer performers and its residence on a gay network, BGSS has a unique opportunity to do both of those things well. If the first two episodes are any indication, it looks promising."The Soup: Host Joel McHale commented unfavorably during the April 24, 2007, episode about BGSG's opening sketch, "Pocket Gay Friend", citing its similarity to The Soup's "Little Gay" recurring character that had debuted a year earlier and jokingly threatening a lawsuit.
• AfterElton.com : "I was pleasantly surprised to find that The Big Gay Sketch Show demonstrates definite promise....this is pretty standard sketch comedy, save a few more gay characters peppered in and some humor based around gay relationships. And to be honest, the skits that had little to do with gayness were often much funnier than the ones that lampooned gay life....if Big Gay focuses on developing great characters and skits that don't get bogged down in the concept, the show could become a solid hit."

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