Overview
Television has been both a mirror and a window for LGBTQ+ audiences — sometimes showing us ourselves, sometimes showing the world what our lives actually look like. From groundbreaking cable dramas to mainstream sitcoms, these 50 shows represent the best of LGBTQ+ television storytelling.
🏆 Top 25 LGBTQ+ TV Shows
1
Pose (FX, 2018-2021)
Set in New York's 1980s-90s ballroom scene during the AIDS crisis. Features the largest cast of transgender actors in TV history. Janet Mock and Our Lady J write and produce. Extraordinary, devastating, triumphant.
2
RuPaul's Drag Race (Logo/VH1, 2009-)
The show that mainstreamed drag culture and educated millions about LGBTQ+ identity, terminology, and history. Now in its 16th+ season with international franchises worldwide.
3
Queer as Folk (UK, 1999 / US, 2000-2005)
The UK original (Russell T Davies) was revolutionary. The US remake ran five seasons. Both depictions of gay men's lives — including sexual frankness — were groundbreaking for mainstream television.
4
The L Word (Showtime, 2004-2009 / 2019-)
The first major series centered on lesbian and bisexual women. Imperfect but groundbreaking. The revival (Generation Q) significantly improved trans representation.
5
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix, 2013-2019)
Prison comedy-drama with significant LGBTQ+ representation, particularly around Laverne Cox's Sophia Burset — the first transgender character played by a transgender actress in a major series.
6
Schitt's Creek (CBC/Pop TV, 2015-2020)
David Rose's pansexuality handled with extraordinary normalcy. Dan Levy (who plays David and co-created the series) has said: "What if we set a show in a world where homophobia didn't exist?" The result is beautiful.
7
Killing Eve (BBC America, 2018-2022)
Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer's cat-and-mouse thriller is electric with queer tension. The show handles bisexuality and desire with genuine complexity.
8
Sense8 (Netflix, 2015-2018)
The Wachowskis' ambitious sci-fi series features transgender, gay, and lesbian characters as central heroes. Its inclusion was revolutionary for a major streaming drama.
9
Looking (HBO, 2014-2016)
Three gay men in San Francisco navigating love, sex, and friendship. Quiet, realistic, and deeply felt. Cut short too soon.
10
Years and Years (BBC, 2019)
Russell T Davies' near-future family drama features a gay character and his Nigerian refugee partner navigating an increasingly hostile Britain. Prescient and moving.
11
It's a Sin (Channel 4/HBO Max, 2021)
Russell T Davies again. Five gay men in 1980s London and the AIDS crisis. Stars Olly Alexander. Extraordinarily moving and important. Many viewers reported it prompted them to get HIV tests.
12
Heartstopper (Netflix, 2022-)
Based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel. A queer teenager finds love in a British secondary school. Gentle, joyful, and beloved by young LGBTQ+ viewers worldwide.
13
I May Destroy You (HBO/BBC, 2020)
Michaela Coel's masterpiece about consent and sexual trauma. Features explicit bisexuality and explores queer identity with extraordinary honesty and complexity.
14
Gentleman Jack (HBO/BBC, 2019-2022)
Based on the real diaries of Anne Lister, an early 19th-century landowner who was openly attracted to women. Suranne Jones is extraordinary.
15
Euphoria (HBO, 2019-)
Jules, a transgender girl played by Hunter Schafer, is one of American television's most complex and compelling transgender characters.
16
Transparent (Amazon, 2014-2019)
A family discovers their parent is transgender. Controversial for casting cis Jeffery Tambor but groundbreaking in its scope and cultural impact. Won multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
17
Ellen (ABC, 1994-1998)
Ellen DeGeneres's 1997 coming-out episode ("The Puppy Episode") was the most watched episode of any show that year. The first time a lead character in a US sitcom came out as gay.
18
Will & Grace (NBC, 1998-2006, 2017-2020)
Vice President Biden credited Will & Grace with doing more for gay acceptance than any other single cultural force. Hugely popular mainstream sitcom with gay lead characters.
19
Angels in America (HBO, 2003)
Mike Nichols' adaptation of Tony Kushner's play. Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Mary Louise Parker. Wins 11 Emmy Awards. Transformative television.
20
Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001-2005)
David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) and his relationship with Keith Charles — one of the most honest, sustained depictions of a gay relationship in early 2000s television.
21
The Real World (MTV, 1992-)
Pedro Zamora's appearance in The Real World San Francisco (1994) introduced AIDS to millions of young Americans. When President Clinton attended his funeral, it marked a cultural turning point.
22
Modern Family (ABC, 2009-2020)
Mitch and Cam — sometimes criticized for stereotyping but undeniably important in normalizing a same-sex couple with a child for mainstream American audiences.
23
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, 2014-2020)
Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee) and his relationship — including explicit gay intimacy — on primetime network TV was groundbreaking.
24
Queer Eye (Netflix, 2018-)
The reboot of the original Fab Five. Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, and Karamo Brown bring compassion, style, and representation to mainstream streaming.
25
A Very English Scandal (BBC/Amazon, 2018)
Hugh Grant as Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe in a true story about a gay politician's attempt to cover up his sexuality through murder. Brilliant and horrifying.
📺 Shows 26–50: Essential LGBTQ+ Viewing
26
Fleabag (BBC/Amazon, 2016-2019)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's masterpiece doesn't center queerness but is loved by queer audiences for its radical female perspective and emotional honesty.
27
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 2013-2020)
The first children's cartoon to feature an LGBT couple (Ruby and Sapphire's same-sex wedding). A generation of queer children grew up with their identity reflected in Steven Universe.
28
BoJack Horseman (Netflix, 2014-2020)
Todd's arc as an asexual character — including his self-identification and his relationship — is one of the most honest depictions of asexuality in mainstream media.
29
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC, 2013-2021)
Rosa Diaz's bisexuality, portrayed by bisexual actress Stephanie Beatriz. Captain Holt's decades-long career as an openly gay police captain. Both handled with great care.
30
Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005-)
Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins — the longest-running lesbian couple in American network television history. Multiple LGBTQ+ storylines handled with varying degrees of success.
31
Doctor Who (BBC, 2005-)
The revival features numerous LGBTQ+ characters. Captain Jack Harkness was the first openly pansexual character on British mainstream television.
32
Shameless (UK, 2004 / US, 2011-2021)
Ian Gallagher's story — a gay teenager with bipolar disorder — was one of TV's most complex and sustained LGBTQ+ character arcs.
33
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 2010-2017)
Emily Fields was one of the first lesbian/bisexual lead characters in a major teen TV series. Important for a generation of LGBTQ+ young viewers.
34
The Fosters (ABC Family, 2013-2018)
A lesbian couple raising a blended family in San Diego. Mainstream family drama with LGBTQ+ leads that was influential in normalizing queer family structures for young audiences.
35
Warehouse 13 (Syfy, 2009-2014)
Claudia's coming out storyline and Myka Bering's lesbian subtext — beloved by queer audiences for its unexpected representation.
36
Lost Girl (Showcase, 2010-2015)
A Canadian fantasy series centered on a bisexual female lead (Bo Dennis). Significant in its positive bisexual representation at a time when few shows had bisexual main characters.
37
Wentworth (Foxtel, 2013-2021)
Australian prison drama with extensive LGBTQ+ storylines. Often compared to but significantly different from Orange Is the New Black.
38
Vida (Starz, 2018-2020)
Two Mexican-American sisters discover their late mother's secret life and the queer Latinx community of East Los Angeles. Created by Tanya Saracho.
39
Work in Progress (Showtime, 2019-2021)
Abby McEnany's semi-autobiographical show about a fat, queer Chicago woman finding love. Honest, funny, and important for plus-size queer representation.
40
One Day at a Time (Netflix/CBS, 2017-2020)
Cuban-American Latinx family comedy with openly lesbian Elena Alvarez — one of the most lovingly written coming-out storylines in American television.
41
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, 2019-2023)
Viktor Hargreeves's transition from Vanya to Viktor (played by Elliot Page, who himself came out as transgender during filming) was handled with beautiful care.
42
Atypical (Netflix, 2017-2021)
Sam's sister Casey discovers her bisexuality in a subplot that develops naturally and is handled with sensitivity.
43
I, Daniel Blake (2016) / Years and Years (2019)
Social realist dramas beloved by queer audiences for their political honesty.
44
Interview with the Vampire (AMC, 2022-)
The adaptation explicitly centers the gay relationship between Louis and Lestat that Anne Rice's novel coded but never named.
45
Bad Buddy (Thai BL, 2021-)
The Thai Boys Love drama that transcended the genre's typical limitations. Beautiful, honest, and enormously popular globally.
46
Reservation Dogs (FX, 2021-2023)
Indigenous American comedy featuring queer Indigenous characters integrated naturally into the story. Groundbreaking representation.
47
Industry (HBO, 2020-)
Young banking graduates in London includes gay and bisexual characters in storylines that treat their queerness as part of their complete humanity.
48
Abbott Elementary (ABC, 2021-)
Quinta Brunson's celebrated sitcom includes gay character Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) in a show celebrated for its warmth and authentic community.
49
The Bear (FX, 2022-)
Chef Carmy's team includes Marcus, whose story touches on sexuality, and the show's emotional honesty is celebrated by queer audiences.
50
It's a Sin (2021)
Russell T Davies' AIDS drama. Already at #11. Worth being on this list twice. If you haven't watched it, stop reading and watch it immediately.
Final Thoughts
Television has the unique power to create intimacy — we invite these characters into our homes week after week. The best LGBTQ+ TV shows have done more than entertain; they have created the conditions for empathy, understanding, and acceptance in millions of living rooms around the world.