Aaaah how nice it is have a lazy morning while the sun shines! Almost as nice as encountering actually three-dimensional queer characters in mainstream media. A mix of new classics and underrated picks, find your new obsession in the list below.
5. Extraordinary
I have to say I am partial to a good dark-comedy-British-drama, so Extraordinary was off to a good start. Add superpowers becoming mundane, a group of twenty-somethings struggling against the system and great bi-representation? I’m sold.
Imdb Synopsis: Ten years ago, everyone over age 18 got superpowers, but Jen, a painfully self-aware 25-year-old woman, is still waiting to get hers. She’d take anything at this point. Adrift in a big, confusing world and armed with nothing but a bit of hope, a lot of desperation, and her flatmates, Jen begins her journey to find her maybe-superpower. 7.7/10
Created by: Emma Moran
4. Ready Set Love
The premise of this show is so intriguing: a world where men have become a scarce resource and they live in a walled-off “farm”? You get pulled in for a “guilty pleasure” and stay along for the ride as the plot unfolds. In a dystopian backdrop, this Thai drama is sure to pull at your heartstrings and provide you with many intense twists!
Imdb Synopsis: A world where women significantly outnumber men, and men are considered “national treasures.” In this parallel universe, the government sponsors a game show named “Ready, Set, Love” where women compete for the men’s affection. Day, an ordinary woman, unexpectedly gets a chance to participate in this competition. Though hesitant, she plunges in and crosses paths with Son, one of the five bachelors, leading to true love with a twist. 7.3/10
Directed by: Yanyong Kuruangkura
3. Girls 5 Eva
I started watching this show without any expectations, thinking it would be another one of these one-seasons Netflix shows, but the more it went on, behind the kind of gimmicky-humor, the more I started really laughing and thinking… this is actually good? As the show goes on and gets renewed for a THIRD (!) season not only do the songs get better but each character gets more depth and screen time. This includes “hot spice” Gloria, who was in the closet during their rise to fame now well determined to be a queer icon.
Imdb Synopsis: A one-hit-wonder band from the ’90s gets a second shot at fame when a young rapper samples their song. 7.3/10
Created by: Meredith Scardino
2. Abbott Elementary
This witty mockumentary has already joined the ranks of The Office and Parks & Recs in for its exquisite use of the genre. As it grows into its second season, it continues to serve us the perfect balance between humor and urgency and makes us fall in love even more with its cast. Gay teacher Jacob Hill gets even more of his own arc and various LGBTQ+ topics get touched upon without becoming cartoonish.
Imdb synopsis: A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers – and an oblivious principal – in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. 8.2/10
Created by: Quinta Brunson
1. A League of Their Own
I watched this show during an 8-hour-long bus ride and I didn’t see a minute go by. This show is every young lesbian’s or GNC person’s historical drama dream, you simply wish it would never end. All the characters are extremely compelling, with friendships, affairs, dreams and everything in between, it is a part of history we are so lucky to have captured in this one and sadly only season. And yes, you will love it even if you know nothing about baseball.
Imdb synopsis: Comedy series about the WWII All-American professional women’s baseball league. 7.6/10
Created by: Will Graham, Abbi Jacobson
Other mentions: Heartbreak High has amazing representation and many cool characters but unfortunately a little too intense for me. Never Have I Ever is a really great show but I wouldn’t be able to feature it on a list with great LGBT characters because even though there are some, their relationships are often sped through.