Positive portrayals of lesbians were unknown in the first few decades of American broadcast television. At worst, they were sometimes portrayed as outright sociopaths, as in the case of Miss Brant (Virginia Christine), a sniper who kills attractive young women out on dates with their boyfriends, in an episode of the short-lived series The Asphalt Jungle (based on the movie of the same name). Although it is never explicitly said that Miss Brant was a lesbian, it was made fairly obvious. At best lesbianism might be presented as a mental disorder, sa in the case of the Eleventh Hour episode "What Did She Mean by Good Luck?" and the Bold Ones: The New Doctors episode "A Very Strange Triangle." The Medical Center episode, "Impasse," from 1973, was then revolutionary in featuring a psychiatrist, Dr. Anne Claymor (Lois Nettleton), as both a lesbian and a healthy, well-adjusted human being.
For those of you unfamiliar with Medical Center, it was a medical drama that ran from 1969 to 1975. It centred on surgeons Dr. Paul Locher (James Daly) and Dr. Joe Gannon (Chad Everett) at an unnamed hospital (the "medical centre" of the title) in Los Angeles. "Impasse" starred Lois Nettleton as Dr. Anne Claymor, a psychiatrist who is called into treat a a young heart patient, Tobi (Jamie Smith-Jackson), who is proving difficult. Dr. Gannon has a crush on Dr. Claymor, and it is after Tobi's boyfriend Sam (Tim Matheson) tells Dr. Gannon that Dr. Claymor is a lesbian. That leads Dr. Gannon to visit Dr. Claymore in her apartment where she admits that she is a lesbian.
This particular scene is remarkable for a TV show episode airing in 1973 (if you want to see it, it si available on YouTube). It is made clear that Dr. Claymor is comfortable with her lesbianism, as she deals with the stereotypes Dr. Gannon, like many Americans at the time, believed to be true, No, she does not hate men. Yes, a lesbian doctor can treat a young woman without pouncing on her. At no point in the episode is lesbianism presented as a mental disorder, although the fact that it was still frowned upon in society was acknowledged.
At the time, when homosexuality was still presented as a mental disorder on most American television shows and was still listed as such in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders used by the American Psychiatric Association, "Impasse" was revolutionary in its portrayal of Dr. Claymor. In his book Alternate Channels - LGBTQ Images on Television, author Steve Capsuto refers to Dr. Claymor in "Impasse" as "...American TV’s first productive, happy lesbian character." Following "Impasse" there would still be shows on which homosexuality was presented as a mental disorder and homosexuals as sociopaths, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
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