| He's a Lady | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Presented by | Tony Frassrand |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Production location | Los Angeles, California |
| Running time | 45–46 minutes |
| Production company | Evolution Film & Tape |
| Original release | |
| Network | TBS |
| Release | October 19 (2004-10-19) – November 23, 2004 (2004-11-23) |
He's a Lady is an Americanreality television series broadcast byTBS. The six-episode series premiered on October 19, 2004, and concluded on November 23, 2004. Filmed inLos Angeles, California, the series depicted elevencisgender men in competition for a $250,000 reward over who couldpass themselves off as a more convincing woman. The contestants were required tocross-dress and adopt femininepersonas, which were then introduced to their family and friends. The contestants additionally competed in weekly challenges that required them to embracefemininity. The competition culminated in abeauty pageant, which was judged by a celebrity panel. The series was hosted by American television presenter Tony Frassrand.
He's a Lady was a part of TBS's intent to capitalize on a rising interest inLGBT-themed reality television shows. The series was met with unfavorable reviews by critics, who believed that, despite an interesting concept, the series was poorly executed.He's a Lady additionally received fierce criticism from theAmerican Family Association, aChristian fundamentalist organization, who urged the series' sponsors to pull their advertisements and financial support due to concerns ofmisandry. The series premiered to 1.70 million viewers, although its viewership quickly waned over the course of the season. In 2004,He's a Lady was the subject of acopyright infringement lawsuit filed against TBS and production company Evolution Film & Tape.
Set inLos Angeles, the six-episode series depicted elevencisgender men in competition for a reward of $250,000.[1] The contestants initially believed that they were competing in afitness competition titledAll American Man; upon arrival, they learned that they would be required tocross-dress in an effort topass themselves off as women.[2] The contestants, who adopted femininepersonas, were required to move into a boisterous, pink-and-purple dwelling referred to as "The Doll House".[3][4] In an effort to "live as a lady," the contestants were taught aboutbrassieres and jewelry in addition to competing in weekly gender-specific challenges; challenges included modeling, wedding planning, serving as abridesmaid, and household chores.[5] A contestant was eliminated from the competition each week at the discretion of a celebrity panel, which includedMorgan Fairchild,Debbie Matenopoulos, andJohn Salley.[6] At the culmination of the series, the finalists competed in abeauty pageant, in which they had to explain what they "learned about being a man" over the course of the competition.[2] The series was hosted by American television presenter Tony Frassrand.[4]
He's a Lady wasgreen-lit in early 2004, with production commencing shortly afterward.[2] The series was filmed inLos Angeles, California, over the course of three weeks.[1][7] TBS executives intended to capitalize on the rising success of thereality television genre, in which they hopedHe's a Lady andThe Real Gilligan's Island "would pioneer a genre we call comedic reality".[8] On August 27, 2004, TBS officially announcedHe's a Lady through apress release. The release described the series' premise as "11 macho men [who are given] the opportunity to walk a mile in women’s shoes".[9] The series was initially set to premiere on October 12, 2004, although this airdate was ultimately delayed to October 19, 2004.[citation needed] According to TBS spokesperson Gina McKenzie, the series was intended to "break down barriers between men and women" and illustrate howgender roles function in society.[10] Executive producer Tom Campbell further explained that he wanted to assist thehypermasculine contestants in becoming more sensitive to the needs of women and change the way they approach women in the future.[1] Speaking on his experience, contestant Ryan Katz stated: "[He's a Lady] was terrifying, tumultuous; it took mytestosterone away. It was something I've never experienced."[11]
Following the recent controversies and cancellations of otherLGBT-themed reality television programs, executive producers Campbell and Douglas Ross were "anxious" to not offend the LGBT community.[1] The producers were specifically concerned about the series' perceived depiction oftransgender people and they did not want the contestants to "equate the change of gender with a change of sexual orientation."[1] The network offered themedia monitoring organizationGLAAD anadvance copy of the series for review, however, GLAAD later claimed that they were the ones to reach out to producers after examination of the series' press release.[10][12] GLAAD was concerned about the series'portrayal of LGBT people and wanted to ensure that it depicted LGBT representation more tactfully than the cancelledFox specialSeriously, Dude, I'm Gay.[10] Through their consultation with GLAAD, Campbell claimed that the organization helped the producers to "bec[o]me more aware of transgender issues and the double standards of beauty."[1] One of the changes that producers implemented was using the phrase "in character" as opposed to "indrag" when they referred to the contestants' personas.[1]
| No. | Title | Original release date | US viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | October 19, 2004 (2004-10-19) | 1.70[15] | |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | October 26, 2004 (2004-10-26) | N/A | |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | November 2, 2004 (2004-11-02) | N/A | |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | November 9, 2004 (2004-11-09) | N/A | |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | November 16, 2004 (2004-11-16) | N/A | |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | November 23, 2004 (2004-11-23) | N/A | |
He's a Lady drew sharp criticism fromChristian fundamentalist organizations, including theAmerican Family Association and theTraditional Values Coalition. The American Family Association claimed that the show was humorless and promoted "life as a transvestite" while the Traditional Values Coalition similarly condemned it as a "new homosexual-inspired transvestite show."[21][22] The organizations called for a boycott ofHe's a Lady, in which they urged itssponsors to drop the series.S. C. Johnson & Son, who served as the series' principal sponsor, pulled their advertising and financial support due to pressure from the organizations.[21]
On November 23, 2004,He's a Lady was subject to a lawsuit filed by screenwriters John Phillips and Derek Gerard. Known asPhillips v. Turner Broadcasting System, the suit was filed in theUnited States District Court for the Central District of California and targeted the series' production company, Evolution Film & Tape, alongside the series' network, TBS.[23] The plaintiffs sought a reward of $3,000,000, in which they allegedcopyright infringement, breach ofimplied-in-fact contract, andunfair competition.[23] The plaintiffs claimed that their scriptSex Change, which was previously pitched to TBS, was copied by the production company and network forHe's a Lady.[24] The concept ofSex Change was based on Phillips's experience as an "all-American" athlete who later underwentgender-affirming surgery; he claimed that the production company and network "stole part of my life" with the production ofHe's a Lady.[24][23] The plaintiffs and Evolution Film & Tape previously shared the samebooking agent, Cal Boyington.[24] On October 3, 2005, the court dismissed the suit withprejudice; the parties bore their own legal costs and fees.[citation needed]
A Portuguese version under the nameSenhora Dona Lady (Lady Dona Lady) hosted byHerman José &Sílvia Alberto aired onSIC in 2005.
A Russian version[25] aired on Russian channelTNT (not to be confused with theAmerican television network of the same name).