Finally, stories about strong, healthy, happy LGBTQ+ people have entered the limelight. For many years, stories about tragic decades-long gay affairs kept secret from the world (think Brokeback Mountain), and heartbreaking coming-out tales plagued by familial rejection and low self-esteem (thinkPretty Little LiarsandGlee) were the only queer stories the LGBTQ+ community got to see on-screen.
While these portrayals reflect elements of reality, LGBTQ+ people get tired of that constant workplace narrative and crave representations of queer joy on-screen.
Luckily, more and more TV series feature plotlines about happy queer relationships. FromQueer Eye(2018-) toA League of Their Own (2022), these TV series delight LGBTQ+ audiences because they celebrate the queer joy of being a member of the community.
1. A League of Their Own (2022)
Based on the 1992 film of the same name, this comedic sports drama highlights the lives of the queer women who played in the first-ever women's professional baseball league during World War II. The series highlights essential topics like gender identity, sexuality, racism, hom*ophobia, and more.
It follows three main characters: Carson Shaw (Abbi Jacobson), an awkward woman who struggles to find confidence in herself when she's not on the field; Greta Gill (D'Arcy Carden), a feminine beauty with a talented throwing arm who falls in love with Carson; and Max Chapman (Chanté Adams), a black baseball phenom who struggles with her gender identity and doesn't make it on the team because of its racist managers.
While most depictions of LGBTQ+ characters and relationships in historical fiction focus more on the tension of secret romance as a titillating plot device,A League of Their Owntakes a different look at LGBTQ+ history by showing off the robust queer subculture of 1940s America. The series doesn't shy away from challenging moments of hom*ophobic backlash, but it also shows that LGBTQ+ people, like Max's uncle Bertie (Lea Robinson), have found a way to thrive despite the hate for decades.
2. Drag Me to Dinner (2023-)
Drag Me to Dinner gathers drag queen artists from across the U.S. to compete in an over-the-top dinner party hosting competition. Contestants include stars fromRuPaul's Drag Race(2009-), like Jinkx Monsoon, BenDeLaCreme, and Thorgy Thor, who team up with another queen to compete against another pair in each episode. Judges Neil Patrick Harris, Haneefa Wood, Bianca Del Rio, and David Burtka choose the winning party based on three categories: Food & Drink, Design & Decor, and Entertainment & Overall Vibe.
Like other competitive reality series about the stars of drag shows,Drag Me to Dinnerfocuses on the fabulous side of what it means to express your most authentic, theatrical self. The series doesn't have space for tragedy when there's so much party planning to do.Drag Me to Dinnercelebrates queer joy by showcasing drag queens having fun together to do what they do best: entertain.
3. First Kill (2022)
This sapphic vampire take on the classicRomeo and Juliet story of a treacherous love between two members of warring families is tense, fiery, and oh-so queer. When Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) turns sixteen, she must face a crucial coming-of-age milestone in her vampire family by taking her first kill. At the same time, she nurses a crush on a mysterious classmate named Calliope (Imani Lewis). But what Juliette doesn't know is that her love interest is a member of a monster-hunting clan determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth.
Yes, Juliette and Calliope's love story sets up as a tragedy from the get-go. But unlike other portrayals of tragic queer romance, the reason their families disapprove of the girls' relationship isn't because they're gay but because one is a vampire and the other is a vampire hunter. This narrative choice was intentional on the part of the creators.
Co-creatorVictoria “V.E.” Schwab tells ScreenRantthat creatingFirst Kill“was specifically about placing this queer romance into a genre space and allowing them to take up space in that place and have it not be about their sexuality, have it not be about this one aspect of them.” LGBTQ+ viewers get to focus on the joys of the girls' steamy, forbidden romance without hom*ophobia as the central conflict.
4. Glamorous (2023-)
The hilarious workplace drama series Glamorous follows a gender-nonconforming person named Marco (Miss Benny) who has a passion for makeup. When they land a job as an assistant to a high-powered beauty mogul named Madolyn (Kim Cattrall), they must learn what it takes to make it in the cutthroat makeup artistry world. Throughout the show, Marco contends with problems typical to a workplace drama: career stress, romantic interests, and workplace friendships form and burst as viewers get to know the zany yet loveable characters.
The show spends most of its time showing its audience that queer people, and people who are different, live whole, meaningful, everyday lives. “At no point in the show are our characters feeling less-than because of their queerness. Glamorousis a celebration of not wanting to be any different than we already are,” actor Zane Phillips, who plays Madolyn's son in the show,shares in an interview with Digital Spy.
5. Heartstopper (2022-)
This heartwarming, romantic coming-of-age story about two gay British boys falling in love earned a spot in many fans' hearts upon its first season's release. It follows Charlie (Joe Locke), an anxious, openly gay student who begins crushing on a handsome rugby player named Nick (Kit Connor). The first season depicts the beginning of their love story as the two share intimate moments and Nick explores his sexuality, eventually coming out to his friends.
While the series' first season's main plotline contends with the tension between a hom*ophobic society and its characters' true identities, the second season examines Nick and Charlie's ongoing, primarily happy and stable relationship. “The main reason for this show to exist is to bring people happiness and joy, so wanting to show as much of that as possible was a big priority in this season,” executive producer Patrick Walters told NBC News.
Countless series have dedicated themselves to the romance between straight couples that chronicle the ups and downs of teen dating life. With Heartstopper, LGBTQ+ teenagers finally get a lighthearted romantic series created just for them. Chock full of intimate moments, hot makeout sessions, and cute conversations, this series is a welcome relief for young queer audiences and older LGBTQ+ adults alike.
6. In My Skin (2018-2021)
The darkcomedy series In My Skin follows Bethan (Gabrielle Creevy), a teenage girl with a massive, life-altering secret. Her mother lives with severe bipolar disorder and often stays at the psychiatric hospital down the road from her high school. Even though much of her free time gets consumed by caring for her mother, Bethan tries to hide her mom's condition from her classmates, including her crushes, Poppy (Zadeiah Campbell-Davies) and Cam (Rebekah Murrell).
In season two, Bethan and Cam meet and quickly realize they're both attracted to one another. Bethan spends time with Cam to distract herself from her challenging home life. Their moments of connection are a beacon of light compared to the dark moments of Bethan constantly on guard about her mother's recurring bipolar episodes and her father's alcohol-fueled anger issues. The secret in Bethan's life isn't her sexuality but her family's unfortunate situation.
In My Skinsubverts the typical narrative of queer tragedy by exploring Bethan's complex human struggles outside the realm of sexuality. LGBTQ+ people exist beyond their sexual and gender identity, which this dark teen comedy series understands to a tee. At the same time, the show embraces queer joy by depicting gay romance as the one beautiful morsel in a teen's complicated life.
7. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)
This animated, family-friendly sci-fi fantasy series takes place in a world full of larger-than-life mutant animals. Now equipped with human intelligence, the “mutes” overtook the planet's surface, leaving humans scrambling to find safety in underground burrows. But when Kipo (Karen f*ckuhara), a bubbly twelve-year-old human girl, gets lost on the planet's surface, she makes it her mission to reconnect with her people and befriend every mute and human surface-dweller along the way.
One of the new pals she meets on her journey is Benson (Coy Stewart), a music-loving teenage human boy. When Benson brings Kipo to the wonderful amusem*nt park Ratland, she begins to develop feelings for her first crush. But Kipo's feelings get squashed in a fantastic twist when the viewer learns that Benson wasn't trying to win Kipo's romantic interest; he was just being a great friend. It turns out Benson is gay.
This series never brings up hom*ophobic attitudes in any way, shape, or form. It does the opposite. Every human, cat, snake, or bird Kipo's group of heroes encounters has no qualms about Benson's sexuality. Plus, in the last episode of season one, Benson trips and drops his cassette player before a handsome teen named Troy (Giullian Yao Gioiello) reaches down and grabs it for him. The animation shifts into a dreamy state as a romantic song plays in the background, and both Benson and Troy experience love at first sight.
As the series continues, the two share an out-and-proud adorable romance that makes any LGBTQ+ person swoon. This lighthearted gay relationship presented without the context of hom*ophobia is something we rarely see in the media for queer couples, and it's so satisfying to watch in this incredible series.
8. Legendary (2020-2022)
Legendary dives into the subculture of the Ballroom scene. While examining the history of queer Ballroom culture in the U.S., the series evaluates several contestants' performance skills in a series of dances that present various challenges. From walking to voguing to dancing, these talented contestants go through it all, hoping to be crowned the winner and take home a cash prize of $100,000.
The series sets out to accomplish the same goals of the pioneers of ballroom all those years ago: to provide an inclusive, warm, and supportive space for people of all races, genders, and sexualities to come together and be themselves. The competitors joined the competition to win the money, of course. But mostly, they wanted an opportunity to showcase their talents, individuality, and culture to the world.Legendarycelebrates the joy of queer people coming together to create incredible performances that teach viewers it's ok to stop holding back and reveal your true self.
9. Modern Family (2009-2020)
This hit mockumentary-style sitcom tells the story of an extended family split into three households. Jay (Ed O'Neill), the family patriarch, lives with his second and much younger wife, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), and their son. Jay's daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), lives with her husband and three children. Lastly, Claire's brother, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), shares a home with his long-term partner Cam (Eric Stonestreet), who becomes his husband at the end of season five.
Upon its debut in 2009,Modern Family earned praise for depicting a gay couple as protagonists in the series. While the show has received criticism for falling into some stereotypes, like hyper-femininity and its focus on white, affluent gay men, Modern Family helped normalize queer relationships, adoption, and marriage.
What other TV shows in the 2000s showcase the family life of a queer couple? At the time, Cam and Mitchell's relationship was groundbreaking. Even today, some elements of their relationship prevail as a subversion to typical tropes about LGBTQ+ people. Cam and Mitchell already went through the coming out process and live as an openly proud gay couple. The men experience ups and downs in their relationship, but not because of their sexuality. Modern Familydisplays the everyday nature of queer joy and did so before most other shows were willing to go there.
10. One Mississippi (2015-2017)
When L.A. radio host Tig (Tig Notaro) returns to her Mississippi hometown to support her family as they take her ailing mother off life support, she decides to move in with her brother for a while as she recovers from a double mastectomy. As she reacquaints with her childhood home, she uncovers secrets about her late mother and struggles to stay connected to her girlfriend in California. Comedian Tig Notaro's real life loosely inspired this dark comedy series.
One Mississippi'sfirst season delves into dark topics like death, cancer, and child abuse, all of which are punctuated by heartwrenching moments and a healthy dose of dark humor. While Tig struggles to maintain her tense relationship with her girlfriend in season one, it's not because of Tig's sexuality. Even Tig's family in the South have no problem with who she dates. “In the first season of One Mississippi, it was important for me to show being gay in the South and with my family being not a big deal,”Notaro shares in an interviewwith Metro Weekly. “I think people, as soon as they hear the South or Mississippi or whatever, they have their ideas. Although those ideas can be true, I wanted to show that it wasn't my truth.”
While the second season of Notaro's semi-autobiographical series discusses hom*ophobia in the context of the Trump administration, it also showcases a beautiful, complex, and loving relationship between Tig and Kate (Stephanie Allynne), the producer of Tig's new radio show.One Mississippi challenges the commonly held perception that queer people can't exist openly anywhere in the South because of the oppressive, hom*ophobic attitude of its culture. While that can be the case, those beliefs don't define every individual. This series provides hope that queer people can live an open, fulfilling, and joyful lives in stereotypically hom*ophobic environments.
11. Our Flag Means Death (2022-)
Our Flag Means Deathbegins as Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a wealthy early 18th-century aristocrat, gives up his luxurious lifestyle to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pirate. On his new ship, the aristocrat-turned-pirate's crew soon discovers that Stede has no idea how to live a tough life on the rough seas. While you may expect this series to be primarily action and adventure, it falls more clearly into the romantic comedy genre.
The series spends ample time showcasing three queer relationships. The adorable casual romance between Revenge crewmates Lucious (Nathan Foad) and Black Pete (Matthew Maher) takes off after Black Pete crafts Lucious a wooden thumb to replace his missing one. Jim (Vico Ortiz), an AFAB pirate with high-powered fighting skills, falls for their kind fellow crew member, Oluwande (Samson Kayo). Lastly, the romance fans squeal about the most is between the show's two main characters: Stede and Edward Teach (Taika Waititi), more commonly known as Blackbeard.
Many challenges exist for a pirate on the vast, open waters. Other pirates, decked-out warships, finding drinkable water and edible food, and the elites in port cities all threaten the pirates' lifestyles. But the pirates' sexual identities never become the source of an episode's tension.
Instead, the pirates welcome queer romance and, even more surprisingly, respect Jim's they/them pronouns and respect his trans identity after they discover their assigned gender. The creators' decision to keep hom*ophobia at the margins of this series lets queer audiences revel in its adorable, steamy, and heart-wrenching LGBTQ+ romances.
12. Pose (2018-2021)
Pose broke ground by putting black trans women at center stage. Taking place in 1980s New York City, the series dives into the world of ball culture through the life of Blanca (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) and the LGBTQ+ youth she supports in her “house.” In ballroom culture, houses are chosen families that come together because of their blood families' rejection.
As Blanca and her house children cope with racism, the AIDS epidemic, and other historic '80s-era history in the Big Apple, they support one another so they can do what they love: get on stage to dance, walk, and vogue in ball competitions.Posedoes an incredible job depicting the complex relationship between sadness and jubilance, aptly showing the dire importance of queer joy in a hostile world.
The final episode of the series encapsulates the importance of this complex emotional web. The sorrow occurs when Pray Tell (Billy Porter) dies of AIDS, and his loved ones scatter his ashes on the White House lawn as a form of protest. This utter tragedy is followed by a beacon of hope when the show flashes forward to 1998 as four of the show's main characters put on one last performance and have built fulfilling lives for themselves.Poseboldly argues that in a world filled with prejudice and hate, clinging to joy is an act of resistance.
13. Queer Eye (2018-)
Queer Eyeencourages people down on their luck to embrace their most authentic selves. In each episode, a team of queer experts meets up with someone who needs a slight push to get back on the right path. Grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness helps the guests style their hair and craft the perfect skincare routine. Culture expert Karamo Brown provides a listening ear and essential advice. Tan France, the team's fashion expert, gives the guests a new wardrobe. Antoni Parowski teaches vital cooking skills, and Bobby Berk gives their homes a renovation makeover.
While the series focuses on the guests' transformation more than anything, seeing a team of bubbly, proud, and joyful queer people teach others how to live their lives to the fullest feels like a beautiful dream. But luckily, it's a reality. As the Fab Five provides encouragement, fashion advice, and five shoulders to lean on, people see that these men and nonbinary people are role models to look up to. Most importantly, members of the LGBTQ+ community watch the series and know it's possible to live a full, successful, happy life as a queer person.
14. RuPaul's Drag Race (2009-)
This long-running reality TV competition takes the world's most talented drag queens and launches them into the contest of a lifetime. Each season, ten to thirteen queens compete in fashion and performance challenges in the hopes of making it to the final to be crowned as America's Next Drag Superstar. The contestants must impress Judge RuPaul with their outfits, makeup, dancing, and lip-sync skills if they want a shot at winning the $200,000 grand prize.
Drag is all about embracing one's innermost desires and putting them out there for the world to see. It plays with gender roles and, most of all, having fun. RuPaul's Drag Racebrings drag to the forefront of America's media landscape and, with it, shows queens having the time of their lives.
15. Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)
Schitt's Creek followsa wealthy family whose riches disappear when a sketchy business manager scams them. The scammer leaves the family with nothing but a deed to a small, rural town called Schitt's Creek. Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy), the family patriarch, moves his melodramatic wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara) and their two pampered adult children, Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Dan Levy), into a shabby motel in town, hoping to sell the deed and get back on their feet.
As the Rose family clashes with the overly involved mayor and the other townspeople, they slowly integrate into their new lifestyle. Settling in at a snail's pace, some family members have an easier time fitting in than others. David manages to befriend Stevie (Emily Hampshire), the deadpan hotel manager, and later, a romance blossoms between David and his business partner, Patrick (Noah Reid).
David and Patrick's relationship is filled with love. While they have a few ups and downs, like when David gets a massage with an unexpected happy ending on the morning of his wedding, their squabbles are typical of a happy, communicative couple. The townspeople or David's family members never make hom*ophobic comments about their relationship. Instead, they embrace the happy couple with open arms. This lighthearted queer romance with an overwhelmingly happy ending is a rare thing to see on TV, and we're here for it.
16. S*x Education (2019-2023)
This show follows Otis (Asa Butterfield), an awkward teenager who opens an underground sexuality therapy practice at his school to help his classmates with issues like impotence, consent, and how to please their partner. The series also follows Otis' crush and business partner, Maeve (Emma Mackey), Otis' vibrant best friend, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), and the protagonists' best friends, parents, and love interests.
The series has gained acclaim for fostering an open dialogue about sexuality amongst teenagers and for its authentic LGBTQ+ representation. Eric is a black gay man who copes with classic hom*ophobic bullying in the series's first season. But as Eric's story develops, his character experiences more joy through his sexuality. In the show'sfinal season, Eric finally connects with a vibrant LGBTQ+ community at his new school. The show depicts just how essential it is for queer people to come together to support one another and provide a safe space for us to be ourselves.
Eric isn't the only queer character in the series. Ola (Patricia Allison) and Lilly (Tanya Reynolds) share a lovely romantic relationship in seasons two and three, and the show spends ample time delving into the diverse trans experiences of Cal (Dua Saleh), Abbi (Anthony Lexa) and Roman (Felix Mufti). This seriesshows its teen fans that being a member of the LGBTQ+ community is a normal, happy part of life.
17. Take My Wife (2016-2018)
Created intentionally to avoid the “Bury Your Gays” trope, Take My Wife tells the story of two married lesbian standup comics named Rhea (River Butcher) and Cameron (Cameron Esposito). “If you watch a lot of television and you don't know what could happen to lesbians if they don't die, this is a show about that,” Esposito shares in an interviewwith Entertainment Weekly. “I promise you, no lesbians die in this show.”
The series, created by queer women and women of color, focuses on a primarily happy lesbian couple and their lives leading up to their wedding as they host hilarious underground comedy shows. Rhea struggles with the fact that her partner is the more professionally successful of the two, but that's about as tragic as the series gets. The show's characters skip past the coming-out stage and straight into the throes of living life as openly queer women.Take My Wifehighlights diverse queer experiences, like those of queer women of color and butch lesbians.
Fans get to watch as a hilarious, content lesbian couple works through the ups and downs of everyday life in this heartwarming show.Take My Wifebrings joy to the queer community with its on-point jokes about relatable LGBTQ+ issues and its message that queer women's stories aren't one monolith.
18. The Boulet Brothers' Dragula (2016-2021)
The famous horror entertainers and drag artists, the Boulet Brothers, host this spooky reality TV drag competition. Eleven drag artists compete for the top spot of the World's Next Drag Supermonster, with a whopping $100,000 grand prize each season. In each episode, the drag artists undergo a series of contests that test their dancing talents, makeup artistry, fashion sense, and overall performance. Of course, each challenge has a horror element to keep things spooky.
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula is all about having fun, being creative, and not being afraid to show off a weird side. It also ties in an element of horror, especially with the extermination challenges. When contestants get stuck in the bottom two, they must compete in a terrifying or disgusting task like skydiving or chowing down on cow intestines to make it into the next episode.
19. The Dragon Prince (2018-)
The Dragon Prince follows two human princes named Callum (Jack De Sena) and Ezran (Sasha Rojen) who team up with an elf named Rayla (Paula Burrows) to return the secret egg of the dragon price back home to the magical land of Xadia. But with humans, elves, and other magical creatures in their way, they must be clever to save the egg and, with it, the world.
The show builds queerness into its very fabric. In a fantasy world, nobody needs hom*ophobia, and the creators of The Dragon Princeunderstand that. When Princess Janai of the sunfire elves (Rena Anakwe) falls in love with the princes' human aunt, Amaya (Sheila Ferguson), their communities are concerned. But that's not because the women are in a gay relationship. The problem is that one is an elf in line to become queen, and the other is a human.
Other queer characters fit seamlessly into the show's plot, like the young queen of Duran's late parents, a royal lesbian couple. We're introduced to a new character in season four: Terry (Benjamin Callins). He's the trans boyfriend of the increasingly evil mage Claudia (Racquel Belmonte). When Terry comes out to the central villain of the series and Claudia's father, Lord Viren (Jason Simpson), this evil character accepts Terry, no questions asked.
That's just the world they live in: one without hom*ophobia. It's a much-needed relief because LGBTQ+ people deal with hom*ophobia in our real lives. When we get to watch a TV series that takes place in a world where people don't get discriminated against for their sexuality or gender identity, it makes for a fantastic escape.
20. The Owl House (2020-2023)
When a bright, charismatic teenager named Luz (Sarah-Nicole Robles) happens upon a mysterious portal, she tumbles through it and into a magical world of witches, monsters, and mysteries. There, Luz meets an outlaw witch named Eda (Wendie Malick) and her small but ferocious demon companion, King (Alex Hirsch). Trapped in the magical world, Luz tries to find a new way to get home while she falls in love with the world she stumbled into in this family-friendly fantasy series.
As Luz acclimates to her new environment, she discovers a school for witches and enrolls despite being human. There, she meets a few friends and a bully named Amity (Mae Whitman), who soon changes her ways and becomes Luz's girlfriend.
The Owl Houseis another series where hom*ophobia does not exist in its fictional universe. Amity's parents and friends are more concerned that her crush is human than another woman. Plus, Eda has a relationship with Disney's first nonbinary character, Raine Whispers (Avi Roque), and no one bats an eye at Raine's gender identity.
Watching Luz and Amity's adorable crushes blossom into a passionate teen romance makes hearts sing. Young members of the LGBTQ+ community will feel euphoric watching characters they can relate to on screen and on Disney, no less.
21. With Love (2021-)
With Love centers on the lives of Latinx siblings Lily (Emeraude Toubia) and Jorge Jr. (Mark Indelicato) as they search for romance. Each episode takes place on a different holiday, like New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, and Día de Los Muertos.With Love breaks new ground because it places Latinx experiences at the story's forefront while embracing LGBTQ+ romance between an openly gay Jorge and his boyfriend, Henry (Vincent Rodriguez III).
Henry and Jorge engage in conflicts typical of any modern couple. “There are complexities in all relationships, not just because it is two cis gay men or a heterosexual couple. It is not about the gender or orientation of the character. Relationships are hard and complex and varied,”Indelicato tells Philadelphia Gay Newsin an interview about the series. Watching the two men fall in love with one another is a treat for any queer viewer who craves romantic LGBTQ+ joy on screen.
22. Yellowjackets (2021-)
This tense survival thriller takes place in 1996 when a high school girls' soccer team's plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness on their way to nationals, leaving them stranded in an endless forest for nineteen months. The series also flashed forward twenty-five years to the present as the survivors of the plane crash cope with the traumas left behind by the horrors they endured in the wild.
Based on that premise,Yellowjacketsseems like a show devoid of happiness. While that's often the case for the girls stranded in the wilderness and the women reeling from their teenage tragedy, this series features fleeting moments of joy that emerge in moments of intimacy. Taissa (Tawny Cypress / Jasmin Savoy Brown), a success-driven lawyer running for state senate in the present plotline, shares a home with her loving wife, Simone (Rukiya Bernard), and their young son. To Taissa, her relationship with Simone represents a perfect life that she uses to push away the terrors of her past.
While trapped in the dense forests of Canada, Taissa and her fellow teammate, Van (Liv Hewson), begin a romantic relationship that becomes a much-needed escape from their dreadful circ*mstances. Because they have each other, Taissa and Van remain driven to escape the wilderness and survive. The darkness in the series is much more bearable to watch when we also get glimpses of hope and joy through the power of a beautiful queer romance.
