Gay british tv series
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Perfect for people searching for some messy bisexual representation.
Where to watch it: Channel 4, Disney +
LGBTQ+ rep: Queer Women
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Episode Run Time: 40m
9. DEAD BOY DETECTIVES (2024)
Based on the comics by Neil Gaiman, DEAD BOY DETECTIVES follows a group of mystery-solving teens - two of whom are dead - as they help their ghostly clients find closure and move on to the afterlife...
During the making of the show, Benny came out as trans, resulting in her character being written to reflect that change. Who knew the world that gave us Drake was also a queer favorite?
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Gentleman Jack (2019–present)
Many LGBTQ shows are set in the present day, but it’s important to remember that queer people have always existed—even when they haven’t necessarily been visible.
I read the book but haven’t seen the series, so I cannot tell you if the guy gets a personality on screen. The story follows two professional hockey players at the top of their game who find themselves turning their rivalry on the ice into something far more intimate in the bedroom. Through flashbacks, we twist and turn through the events leading up to Frannie’s arrest, including her passionate queer relationship with the murdered woman.
A standout queer classic of recent years, Feel Good draws from Mae Martin’s real life as a comedian struggling with addiction as they embark on a co-dependent relationship with schoolteacher George, who is trying to adapt to her first queer love.
BBC3 also released the cast for the spinoff series I KISSED A GIRL this week - think the same show, but with lesbian couples - set to be released on the 5th of May.
Where to watch it: BBC iPlayer
LGBTQ+ rep: Queer Men/Queer Women
Genre: Reality TV, Drama, Romance
Episode Run Time: 45m
3.
Starting in season 4, nurses Patsy and Delia inject some queer angst into proceedings.
2019 // 1 season // 10 episodes
A not very good women’s prison drama that tries but fails to fill the gap left by classics like Wentworth and Bad Girls. The show charts their relationship over the next three decades, all the way up to the AIDS crisis, with a beautiful, poignant story that echoes with political issues we’re still seeing to this day.
Whereas previous LGBTQ-centric shows might have included a single lesbian character or two, or perhaps had a lesbian or a single trans person as a secondary character, Orange made the lives and relationships of its LGBTQ cast the main event.
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Euphoria (2019–present)
We’ve seen so many “teen dramas” come across our screens over the years, but none have come close to the emotional depth and grittiness of HBO’s award-winning Euphoria.
Although the show goes to some dark places, it never fails to mine Mae’s many traumas for laughs and leaves you rooting for Mae and George to make it together.
2022 – 2024 // 2 seasons // 12 episodes
This Scottish series of short episodes follows current and former lifeguards at a small-town swimming pool.
Maybe now this show can be considered a period piece from a time when it felt like we were, as a nation and culture, trying to make progress towards greater understanding and compassion around gender identity.
2019- 2022 // 2 season // 16 episodes
Per Riese: “the groundbreaking historical drama that Heather called ‘your sex-filled soft butch Historical Drama Dream Come True’ follows legendary seductress Anne Lister, whose diaries from the early 19th century detail lesbian romantic consequences executed with remarkable boldness and fearlessness for the time period.
Why don’t we try and rectify that, this very minute! Set in the Outer Hebrides, expect much drone camerawork over the dramatic countryside that could double as a Visit Scotland advert. The second season, however, is one of the best seasons of TV that Drew’s ever seen, so I should probably brace myself and continue!
2018 – 2022 // 4 seasons // 32 episodes
You know this one: just your typical cat-and-mouse caper featuring a government agent tracking down a female assassin, leading her to question her life, sexuality and everything else.
2012 – 2020 // 5 seasons // 24 episodes
The plot of this largely excellent comedy-drama is initially driven by the reuniting of septuagenarian former sweethearts Alan and Celia, and the chalk-and-cheese mixing of their daughters, farmer Gillian (Nicola Walker, somehow not playing gay here), and haughty headmistress Caroline (Sarah Lancashire, definitely and deftly playing gay here).
The 36 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of All Time
Fellow Travelers (2023)
In this heart-wrenching Showtime miniseries, Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer play two Capitol Hill men caught in the horrors of McCarthyism, falling in love despite a political atmosphere that is trying to crucify all its queer members.
But life has moved on and life is terrifying and oh my god everything is going wrong in every single way possible.
Where to watch it: Netflix
LGBTQ+ rep: Queer Women, Queer Men
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Episode Run Time: 45m
BONUS: LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES(TBA later This Year)
We may not know much about LOST BOYS AND FAIRIES at this point, but from what we do know, we're excited.
Since its inception, this franchise has been forward-thinking and raw in its depiction of challenges teens face, including coming out, bullying, and other issues related to LGBTQ life. Although much of the plot is driven by storylines revolving around men murdering or assaulting women, the show shines in scenes involving the ensemble powerhouse female cast.
Specifically these are shows with characters with queer, lesbian, bisexual women and/or trans characters.
It’s time to excavate all the gay gems (and some diamonds in the rough) on the streaming services of the UK’s major free-to-air TV channels.