Television portrayals of LGBTQ+ people have advanced significantly in recent years. According to a GLAAD survey, there are now nearly 600 LGBTQ+ characters on American television, a significant improvement from the past when they were virtually always the punchline. Only 111 of these characters were discovered in the survey’s initial iteration in 2012, and only three of them were transgender. In light of this, the past ten years have been crucial to the diversification of our screens, particularly when it comes to the representation of trans and LGBTQ+ persons of colour.
Yet, notable LGBTQ+ personalities and shows have appeared throughout history. It’s also critical to acknowledge the foundational work done by past initiatives that allowed us to get to this position of widespread representation. It’s simple to write off older shows as being out of date because of how quickly our understanding of ourselves and the world is evolving. Nonetheless, we may celebrate the effect they had and still have while also acknowledging their flaws.
There is room for them on this list whether they are programmes that entirely focused on LGBTQ+ characters or programmes that focus on something else but feature legendary LGBTQ+ characters. Here are the top 20 LGBTQ+ television programmes of all time, ranked.
A League of Their Own (2022-present)
By including the fact that many of the players were queer and the treatment of Black women who wished to participate, the A League of Their Own TV show fills in some of the holes left by the 1992 film. Along with Chanté Adams, Gbemisola Ikumelo, and D’Arcy Carden, it was created by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson, the latter of whom also stars in the programme. A League of Their Own is exceptional in its feeling of earnestness that never feels patronising, while being terribly short-lived. Given the 1940s era, the programme does a fantastic job of portraying a wide range of gender presentation and the joy that this gives without avoiding the danger of unfavourable reactions.
Angels in America (2003)
Tony Kushner’s drama served as the inspiration for the miniseries Angels in America. It follows a group of haphazardly connected individuals as they deal with the AIDS crisis in New York City. This group, which includes Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Jeffrey Wright, Emma Thompson, and more, is well-known and does terrific job. The narrative is daring and entertaining, interspersed with grim comedy amid the more terrifying scenes. It effortlessly suspends the audience’s disbelief by fusing fanciful moments with the opposite grounded sequences. With completely realised, jaw-dropping cinematic moments, director Mike Nichols masterfully prevents the show from coming off as staged.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a timeless teen drama with a surprising number of gay characters, mystical elements, and conflict. Some of the main actors are Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. When Willow, played by Hannigan, started dating Tara, they became one of the first lesbian couples to appear on American television. The fact that Willow accepted her sexuality without terror and anxiety had a significant cultural influence for a show that debuted in the 1990s. Buffy is a show that stands out for its unrivalled consistency in quality throughout the course of seven seasons, aside from the significance of Willow as a character, and is pure pleasure and entertainment.
Broad City (2014-2019)
Broad City, a television series created by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, centres on the lives of two young women in New York City. It follows the typical sitcom style where we just see Abbi and Ilana going about their daily lives, but because they are so hilarious together, even the most mundane activities are made fun of. The show merits its cult reputation in the community just based on the episode when Ilana sleeps with her twin. Later in the series, Abbi has a very beautiful and understated coming-out moment. Glazer describes the moment as “absolutely sincere” in an interview with The New York Times, while Jacobson says it felt “more real” than most of the extravagant show.
Feel Good (2020-2021)
Feel Good is the narrative of a comedian trying to get clean while starting a new relationship, as told by comedian Mae Martin. Martin and Charlotte Ritchie, the film’s leads, have wonderful chemistry together in both romantic and comic scenes. Because the novel is so closely based on their real-life experiences, Martin’s writing is both humorous and moving. The second season of the sitcom also explores Martin’s struggles with coming to terms with their non-binary identity in a way that is both lighthearted and taken seriously by their loved ones. Having said that, the primary reason Feel Good is so great is that it’s amusing.
It’s a Sin (2021)
Through the eyes of a group of friends who have just started college, It’s a Sin examines the AIDS issue. Russell T. Davies, the show’s creator, based it on his own experience of starting college right as the virus began to spread. Many frequently criticise the prevalence of AIDS stories in LGBTQ+ culture, but they neglect to take into account the fact that a tragic event will inevitably inspire many individuals to create art. The show’s creator, Davies, told The Guardian that the process of creating it was cathartic and that “I’m not bothered by it anymore.” This demonstrates the distinction between straight producers who make films and TV shows on this era for financial gain or other nefarious purposes and LGBT artists who use narrative as a way to absorb these events.
Love, Victor (2020-2022)
Love, Victor, the TV series, is a follow-up to Love, Simon from 2018. A adolescent boy is unsure of how to come out to his friends and family, with a somewhat similar premise this time, but much more diversified. Michael Cimino, Rachel Hilson, Mason Gooding, and Bebe Wood are all featured in the cast. Love, Victor is actually nicely done, despite the fact that it would be simple to write it off as another teen dramedy. It avoids the temptation of erasing all traces of “difficult” characters, which many modern gay shows do. Rather than speaking and acting in an oddly sanitised way, the teenagers here joke with one another like genuine people would. It’s heartwarming and humorous, and Love, Victor obviously doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Looking (2014-205)
Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett, and Frankie J. Alvarez play a trio of San Francisco pals in the movie Looking. It’s endearing and amusing, enabling its characters to exist as whole people rather than just being used as discussion points for LGBTQ+ concerns. Sadly, there are just 18 episodes of this show, which could have lasted much longer and left a gap that hasn’t yet been fully filled. Since then, there have been several series featuring LGBT characters, but none have truly matched the authentic setting created here.
Orange is the New Black (2013-2019)
The true story of Piper Kerman, a middle-class lady who was sent to prison for a crime committed ten years prior, was partially based on Orange is the New Black. The cast included Taylor Schilling, Laverne Cox, Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, and many others. It lasted for seven seasons. There was a lot of anticipation when the series premiered because it’s so uncommon to see a show that almost exclusively focused on women, especially when it has this many LGBTQ+ people. The portrayal of Sophia, played by Laverne Cox, in the programme is significant. And though this representation was undoubtedly imperfect, it was also sympathetic in a way that trans people on TV had previously hardly ever received. Nevertheless, it propelled Cox to well-deserved prominence.
Pose (2018-2021)
Pose, one of many series with an 80s theme, focuses on the ballroom culture in New York City. The event has a tonne of fantastic talent, including Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, and Billy Porter, to name a few. It is revolutionary to have a large cast of trans actors with their characters’ tales at the forefront. From its stunning visual surface to its powerful emotional depths, the play delivers on all fronts. With her outstanding performance here, Rodriguez unsurprisingly received an Emmy nomination, but the entire ensemble is top-notch.
Queer as Folk (1999-2005)
The basic idea of Queer as Folk is a bunch of gay friends and their lives, which may not seem like much from a modern viewpoint, but for a programme that debuted in 1999, was enormous. Gale Harold, Hal Sparks, Michelle Clunie, and Thea Gill are a few of its stars. Politics, health, and drug use are some of the topics that the show explores, and it does it honestly, despite the fact that it occasionally resorts to melodrama. Even when they act in an unpleasant manner, it does a remarkable job of evoking empathy for its characters, which is a sign of excellent writing. The show has over 80 episodes over five seasons, which is a tremendous accomplishment that similarly focused series nowadays are struggling to match.
Sense8 (2015-2018)
A group of eight people who find themselves unexpectedly psychically connected and randomly stumbling into each other’s lives are the subject of the intricate science fiction drama Sense8. Brian J. Smith, Jamie Clayton, Tuppence Middleton, and Tina Desai are a few of its cast members. The Wachowskis are the creators of this film, which has many queer and trans characters as well as people from various cultures. The show’s creators expertly balance the many stories despite the fact that there are more key characters here than we frequently see on television. Even if there are occasionally clichéd story developments and lines of language, the programme is generally endearing and benevolent.
Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)
Schitt’s Creek by Dan Levy may be a sitcom with less emotional weight than other of these series, but it does offer a respite from the darker ones. The show portrays a wealthy family who are suddenly rendered impoverished and forced to live in their last remaining property: a hotel in the middle of nowhere, in an Arrested Development-style premise. Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Annie Murphy make up the cast, and their resentment of one another makes them a perfectly believable family. It’s enjoyable to delve a little more into a homophobia-free zone while enjoying the rich people’s comeuppance.
Shameless (2011-2021)
Shameless, which is based on a British programme of the same name, centres on the tenacious Gallagher family in Chicago. Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, and Cameron Monaghan all play a few of its characters. The family engages in unexpected activities in the zany and irreverent plot. It ran for 11 seasons, which is a remarkable accomplishment for a show that goes to such lengths without running out of the next outrageous thing. Together with the rest of the mayhem, there have been some lovely and enjoyable homosexual romances over the years.
Skam (2015-2017)
The Norwegian television programme Skam had social media integrations for each of its characters, which was innovative in 2015. Each season is told from the perspective of a different individual as it follows a group of youngsters. In the third season, one of the buddies deals with his sexuality after starting a relationship with a boy who suffers from bipolar disease. Even while it may seem like standard teen drama fare, the show handles it with a startling amount of complexity and humanity. Again in 2015, its subject of mental health was extremely forward-thinking and served as a model for programmes of a similar nature in the future.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
The Haunting of Bly Manor, the latest in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror series, recounts the adventures of a lady who is hired as a nanny following the terrible death of the previous au pair. She slowly learns more about the family’s history and the history of the home as she begins to have paranormal experiences. Within its little run-time, the series’ crowning last episode depicts the fully formed and lovely arc of a relationship, leaving the audience as tormented as the show’s characters.
The L Word (2004-2009)
A great example of lesbian television is The L Word. It was novel to have a programme that, starting in 2004, was entirely devoted to the lives of lesbian and bisexual women. After six seasons, it came to an end, capping a lengthy and fruitful run. Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, Pam Grier, Kate Moennig, and other actors made up the core cast. There are moments that have aged poorly given its positioning in the 2000s, but it is counterproductive to discard the entire work and pretend that such opinions were never commonly held. Overall, though, it’s a funny, heartwarming, and well-made (if over the top) television programme that had a significant cultural impact.
Tipping the Velvet (2002)
Based on Sarah Waters’ novel of the same name, Tipping the Velvet is a miniseries that is set in Victorian England. Rachael Sterling plays a woman whose life is followed by a male impersonator who seduces her and wants fame and love with her. The plot is lighthearted and romantic, with plenty of ups and downs. Waters also penned The Handmaiden, demonstrating her aptitude for imaginative, suspenseful stories. Tipping the Velvet is unique in its frank presentation of the protagonist’s numerous difficulties.
Vida (2018-2020)
Vida is a programme about two sisters who take over the operation of their mother’s tavern after she passes away, and it was cut short like so many LGBTQ+ series. The sisters in question are portrayed by Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, and Roberta Colindrez. The gentrification of older Los Angeles neighbourhoods is the main topic of the show, which is handled delicately. Butch lesbians, drag kings and queens, nonbinary characters, to name a few, are among the LGBT characters that Vida doesn’t hesitate to include.
We Are Who We Are (2020)
During the presidential campaign that resulted in Trump’s election, We Are Who We Are is set on an American military installation in Italy. Jack Dylan Grazer and Jordan Seamón, who play two youths on self-discovery quests, are at its centre. The film’s director, Luca Guadagnino, is known for his distinctive lyrical style and sympathetic treatment of socially and politically disenfranchised people. Complex family relationships and identity-related issues are handled with ease. In relation to it, our heroes’ identities are malleable in a way that feels genuine and natural to them. Political issues are subtly brought up but remain relevant by setting the story in 2016. It’s a delicate yet effective show that accomplishes a lot with little.
