The Best Current TV Shows With LGBTQ+ Characters
Gay characters on TV shows have come a long way since the days of All in the Family when a character named Steve shocked the nation by becoming the first openly gay character on a sitcom. Since then, gay TV shows like Will and Grace and Glee have blazed trails for LGBTQ+ characters. Now, scores of shows feature gay characters, sometimes in leading roles and other times as members of the supporting cast - and include teen LGBTQ+ characters. Which gay TV series currently on air are the best?
Unlike in the past, series like The Flash, Euphoria, and Grey's Anatomy and plenty of others now feature gay and lesbian characters without focusing overtly on their sexuality. In the past, most gay characters' predominant trait was the fact that they were gay. Now, we have LGBTQ+ TV shows with gay characters who are defined by their other traits as well, and they just happen to be gay, trans, lesbian, or otherwise queer.
Many people relate the growing presence and positive portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community in television to the gradually changing ideals of America. Many television writers have attempted to tackle the issue of gay rights and in doing so, they have helped to change the national narrative.
Thanks to that, we now have gay shows featuring gay characters who are everything from superheroes to prisoners to stay-at-home dads. Check out this list of gay and lesbian TV shows and vote up the series you think are the best current TV shows with gay characters.
- Michael Cimino, Rachel Hilson, Anthony Turpel
- Premiered: June 17, 2020
- Genres: Drama
Teenager Victor adjusts to a new school and struggles with his sexual orientation. - Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud
- Premiered: June 16, 2019
- Genres: Drama
- Premiered: 2021
- Genres: Comedy
Sort Of (HBO, 2021) is a Canadian comedy-drama television series. Fluid millennial Sabi Mehboob straddles various identities from bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a ...more- Arón Piper, Miguel Bernardeau, Ester Expósito
- Premiered: October 5, 2018
- Genres: Crime,Drama
The clash between working-class teens and wealthy students at a private school leads to murder. - Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Samson Kayo
- Premiered: March 3, 2022
- Genres: Adventure,Comedy
Stede Bonnet abandons his life of privilege to become a pirate in the early 18th century. - Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga
- Premiered: October 5, 2011
- Genres: Drama,Horror,Thriller
A family of three moves from Boston to Los Angeles to reconcile its painful past. - Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda
- Premiered: February 15, 2019
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Fantasy,Mystery
A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father's death. - Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens
- Premiered: March 27, 2005
- Genres: Drama
Doctors in Seattle try to balance life and work. - Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, John Bishop
- Premiered: March 26, 2005
- Genres: Drama,Fantasy,Science Fiction
An eccentric Time Lord travels through time and space to battle injustice across the universe. - Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk
- Premiered: November 29, 2019
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Animation,Fantasy
Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn
The newly single Harley Quinn sets off to make it on her own in Gotham City. - Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker
- Premiered: October 7, 2014
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Drama,Fantasy
When a freak accident grants CSI Barry Allen superspeed, he uses the power to solve crimes. - Sarah Paulson, Sharon Stone, Cynthia Nixon
- Premiered: September 18, 2020
- Genres: Drama,Thriller
A young nurse at a mental institution becomes a monster to her patients. - Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown
- Premiered: February 7, 2018
- Genres: Entertainment
Five gay style experts aid hapless men and women in the United States. - Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig, Leisha Hailey
- Premiered: December 8, 2019
- Genres: Drama
A group of women face the trials of life and love in Los Angeles. - Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson
- Premiered: June 9, 2021
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Drama
Loki, the God of Mischief, steps out of his brother's shadow to embark on an adventure. - K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes
- Premiered: January 26, 2017
- Genres: Drama,Thriller
Archie Andrews navigates the drama of small-town life while working toward a future in music. - Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange
- Premiered: September 27, 2019
- Genres: Comedy,War & Politics
Before he can become president, Payton must navigate the most treacherous landscape, high school. - Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish
- Premiered: September 20, 1999
- Genres: Action,Crime,Drama,Drama,Thriller
Capt. Benson and her NYPD squad fight for justice in cases ripped straight from the headlines. - Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams
- Premiered: January 16, 2018
- Genres: Action,Adventure,Drama
Retired vigilante Jefferson Pierce gets pulled back into the fight as his alter ego. - Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp
- Premiered: September 24, 2017
- Genres: Drama,Science Fiction
The crew of the USS Discovery explores new worlds and civilizations. - Zoe Levin, Brendan Scannell, Micah Stock
- Premiered: April 24, 2019
- Genres: Comedy
A New York City grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix enlists her gay BFF to be her assistant. - Cierra Ramirez, Zuri Adele, Sherry Cola
- Premiered: January 8, 2019
- Genres: Drama
Callie and Mariana Adams Foster embark on the next phase of their young adult lives in Los Angeles. - Logan Browning, Brandon P Bell, DeRon Horton
- Premiered: April 28, 2017
- Genres: Comedy,Drama
Diverse students navigate a Ivy League college where racial tensions tend to be swept under the rug. - Trey Parker, Matt Stone
- Premiered: August 13, 1997
- Genres: Animation,Comedy
The adventures of four boys who live in South Park, Colo. - Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Eamonn Walker
- Premiered: October 10, 2012
- Genres: Action,Drama
The firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 risk their lives to save and protect their city. - Ana Fabrega, Julio Torres, Cassandra Ciangherotti
- Premiered: June 14, 2019
- Genres: Comedy
Friends turn their love for horror into a peculiar business, providing scares to those who need it.