The Best LGBTQ+ Shows on Netflix
Over the years, there has not been nearly enough LGBTQ+ representation in TV and film. Though things are slowly improving, some countries still ban films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for merely featuring LGBTQ+ characters, actors, or even a transgender flag. However, there are many platforms working to maintain and improve LGBTQ+ representation.
Netflix in particular has been growing its selection of inclusive films and TV shows. In fact, they’ve added LGBTQ as a genre on the platform. This means you can easily filter shows and movies to specifically find Netflix’s array of LGBTQ+ content, the majority of which are Netflix originals. Additionally, many of them are high quality and have received glowing reviews from critics. Many of these shows are thoughtful, inclusive, and represent the LGBTQ+ community well.
Here are the 12 best Netflix LGBTQ+ series to enjoy this Pride month.
Queer Eye
Queer Eye premiered on Netflix in 2018 and has run for six seasons so far. The series is a reboot of the highly popular 2003 series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which was canceled in 2007. Netflix’s Queer Eye follows a new Fab Five—a group of queer experts in the fields of design, fashion, culture, grooming, and food—who utilize their skills to help various individuals improve their lifestyles. Sometimes, these individuals are very different from the Fab Five and have different beliefs and perspectives, which fosters interesting social commentary.
Queer Eye has been positively received and garnered a number of Primetime Emmy Awards. The show has been especially praised for its representation of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other less represented communities. Meanwhile, the episodes are often emotional and heartwarming, as the individuals that the Fab Five help are usually ordinary people struggling with very real problems. Queer Eye truly shows how much just a little bit of openness, acceptance, and spontaneity can change one’s life.
Heartstopper
Heartstopper is a coming-of-age comedy that follows two teenagers, Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), whose friendship slowly develops into sweet young love as they navigate high school life together. Heartstopper is adapted from the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman, and effectively incorporates animations adapted from the source material.
Heartstopper quickly received critical acclaim following its release in April 2022. The series is charming, sweet, emotional, and provides a sensitive and representative look at young romance. Heartstopper doesn’t go into dark territory, but it does still manage to depict the dangers of homophobia. The storyline, acting, animation, and music all work together to frame a romance that is simply adorable.
Young Royals
Young Royals is a Swedish TV series that premiered on Netflix on July 1, 2021. The series boasts a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and has run for two seasons so far. Like Heartstopper, the show follows the love story between two schoolboys. However, the setting is quite different as the main protagonist is the fictional Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) of Sweden who falls for his classmate, Simon (Omar Rudberg), at one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country. The chemistry between Wilhelm and Simon is palpable, and the sweet love story is further elevated by the numerous themes in the series. While it is representative of the LGBTQ+ community, the show also seeks to explore how race and social class impact the experiences of young individuals exploring their sexualities. It is dramatic and charming and tells a meaningful story to viewers.
I Am Not Okay With This
While this one may break your heart because it was canceled after one season, it is still one of the best LGBTQ+ shows on Netflix. I Am Not Okay With This is a dark comedy that follows Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis), a teenage girl navigating grief, sexuality, and superpowers. Sydney has a secret crush on her best friend, Dina (Sofia Bryant). However, when Dina begins dating another guy, Sydney finds her anger manifesting in surprising ways.
The series is extremely fast-paced and ends on a cliffhanger that will make your jaw drop. Meanwhile, I Am Not Okay With This is one of the few series that poignantly captures the frustration and adolescent rage that many young people harbor inside. It is also simply a great combination of LGBTQ+ representation, humor, the trials of adolescence, the impact of grief, and supernatural elements. Also, a great reminder that we need way more LGBTQ+ characters with superpowers.
Sex Education
Sex Education is a dramedy that premiered on Netflix on January 11, 2019. The series follows Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) a socially awkward teenager who begins passing sex education along to his peers after learning about sexuality from his sex therapist mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson). The show has proven to be extremely LGBTQ+ inclusive and explores deep themes of acceptance, homophobia, and violence.
In the series, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), is Otis’ best friend and is also gay. Sex Education shies away from stereotypes as the show explores his journey. Eric is funny, multi-faceted, and has his own values and approach to faith. He’s not just some stereotypical gay character who is designated as the comic relief, and the show follows the ups and downs of his life as a gay man. Sex Education encompasses the progression of inclusivity and the work that still needs to be done.
Special
Special is an American comedy-drama starring Ryan O’Connell as Ryan Hayes. The series is a semi-autographical account of O’Connell’s navigation of life as a gay man with cerebral palsy—exploring Hayes’ desire to write his own identity and live life according to his desires, rather than others’ expectations. Special ran for two seasons before its conclusion and was the recipient of several Emmy nominations.
Special is, like its name denotes, a pretty special and unique LGBTQ+ show. The fact that it is based off of O’Connell’s life gives it a realism and poignancy that is difficult to find in other shows. Meanwhile, the series is a much-needed triumph for marginalized groups in society—portraying a character whose disability does not define him. Special is equal parts humorous and heartwarming, with a deep and compelling premise.
Elite
Elite is a Spanish drama thriller that premiered on Netflix on October 5th, 2018. The series follows three working class students who get offered scholarships to the most exclusive, elite private school in Spain after their school is destroyed. However, the tension their enrollment sparks between the upper and working class students escalates to the point it becomes fatal.
Like several shows on this list, Elite wasn’t created specifically for LGBTQ+ audiences, but it does feature multiple strong storylines involving queer characters. Additionally, the series boasts a breakneck pace and intense melodrama that will effectively hook viewers.
Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek is a beloved Canadian sitcom that ran from 2015 to 2020. The series follows the wealthy Rose family who experience a huge setback in their standard of living when they lose their fortune to a fraudulent business manager. The only asset they have left is a small remote town in Ontario named Schitt’s Creek, so the family relocates and must adjust to the local lifestyle.
Schitt’s Creek is hilarious and an intriguing take on the difference between the rich and the working class and the fragility of materialism. Additionally, Schitt’s Creek is one of the shows on this list that does the absolute best at normalizing the LGBTQ+ community. When the Rose’s son, David (Dan Levy), who is pansexual, begins dating Patrick (Noah Reid), the family fully accepts it and there are no signs of homophobia. The series depicts exactly how any relationship between any two people should be accepted—wholly and simply.
Atypical
Atypical premiered on Netflix in 2017 and ran for four seasons before its 2021 conclusion. The series follows Sam (Keir Gilchrist), a teenager on the autism spectrum who is determined to become more independent by entering the dating and college world. Accompanying him on his journey is his less-than-perfect family who, although tentative about Sam’s journey, realize they’re all looking for the same things as he is: love and self-discovery.
Atypical is a heartwarming series despite a shaky start. While season 1 was criticized for not including autistic cast members or crew, Atypical learned from its mistakes. Season 2 featured autistic actors and writers and more accurately depicted the autism spectrum. Additionally, the show also began following Casey’s (Brigette Lundy-Paine) exploration of her sexuality and attraction to a female friend. Atypical isn’t perfect, but it does perfectly encompass how even an imperfect family can love and accept one another.
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American sitcom that premiered on Netflix in 2017 and ran for three seasons. Following its Netflix cancellation, the Pop network revived the show for an additional fourth season. One Day at a Time is inspired by the sitcom of the same name that aired in 1975. The series follows newly single Army veteran and nurse Penelope (Justina Machado) as she navigates life while raising her two children, including supporting her feminist lesbian daughter.
In One Day at a Time, Penelope’s daughter Elena (Isabella Gomez) discovers she is a lesbian and comes out to her family. Despite her father’s disapproval, she continues exploring her sexuality and even starts a Gay-Straight Alliance club at her Catholic school. Elena is a very strong depiction of the LGBTQ+ community as she is unapologetically herself and a fierce advocate for others. Penelope’s story arc is similarly powerful as it explores her struggles with PTSD after serving in the Army. With powerful representation and a celebration of a family’s bond through the good and bad times, One Day at a Time is funny, heartfelt, and captivating.
Black Lightning
Black Lightning is a CW superhero drama that ran from 2018 to 2021 and is available to stream on Netflix. The series follows Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), a retired vigilante who thinks he’s done with the superhero lifestyle—until his daughters are kidnapped. Pierce is forced to don the suit again, but his vigilantism will be different this time, with his family looking to join him on the front line.
Black Lightning effectively blends elements of humor, action, and social commentary. The series entwines Black and LGBTQ+ cultures into its storyline in a way that feels natural and normalizing. The Pierce family explores the challenges and dynamics of being a Black family in America. Meanwhile, Pierce’s daughter, Anissa/Thunder (Nafessa Williams), is openly a lesbian. The series devotes substantial time to the progressing relationship between Thunder and Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy), and in doing so, it gives viewers their first black lesbian TV superhero. Black Lightning breaks down barriers, is filled with representation, and is a very fun and engaging superhero series.
The Most Beautiful Flower
The Most Beautiful Flower premiered on Netflix on December 7, 2022. The Spanish-language series is set in Xochimilco, Mexico, and is loosely based on the teenage years of Mexican actress and comedian Michelle “Mich” Rodríguez. The Most Beautiful Flower follows Mich (Esmeralda Soto), a young woman seeking to topple the popularity hierarchy at her school and balance her journey with the traditions of her family and heritage. One of the major plot points of the series is Mich’s love life; she is caught in what she calls a love octagon. The show is very much an exploration of her sexuality as she begins to realize she likes both girls and boys. While her family struggles with the idea at first, most of them come to accept it. Some even express surprise that her liking a girl would be a point of contention at all. The Most Beautiful Flower is a poignant exploration of young love and acceptance of all kinds of love.
Grand Army
Grand Army only ran for one season before being canceled by Netflix, but it had loads of potential. The teen drama follows the lives of several high school students in Brooklyn, NY, and tackles many of the modern problems that Gen-Z faces today. Grand Army poignantly covers mature topics including sexuality, racism, gender inequality, classism, and elitism. Meanwhile, a large part of the show focuses on Sid (Amir Bageria), who struggles to come out to his family. Grand Army doesn’t hold back when it comes to realistically depicting what adolescence looks like, allowing it to give a gritty but impactful representation of the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups.
XO, Kitty
In this To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spinoff series, Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) steals the spotlight from Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and goes on a solo adventure to South Korea. She chooses to study abroad to be closer to her long-distance boyfriend Dae (Choi Min-young), and attend the same school her late mother did. However, she soon finds herself navigating the complexities of high school life, relationships, and sexuality during her journey. XO, Kitty has some of the pitfalls of teen romance in that it’s sometimes melodramatic, but it still manages to be highly entertaining and a worthy spinoff of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
In the show, Kitty doesn’t put a label on her sexuality, but she does realize that she has feelings for another girl despite dating Dae. As a result, some have viewed XO, Kitty as a bisexual coming-out story. The lack of labeling also works for the show in that Kitty is allowed to experience, question, and navigate these feelings to discover her true self in her own time.
Grace and Frankie
Grace and Frankie is Netflix’s longest-running original series, having run for seven seasons before its conclusion. The show follows Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) and Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin), two older women who find themselves forced to be friends and allies when their husbands announce they are in love and are leaving their wives to get married. Grace and Frankie was a groundbreaking show in the way that it destigmatized aging and depicted the lives of seniors with dignity, humor, and realism. It’s an intriguing depiction of what it means to come out later in life and makes you consider how many same-sex couples waited nearly their whole lives for the ability to marry legally in the United States.
Orange Is the New Black
Orange Is the New Black is another one of Netflix’s longest-running and most-watched original series. The dramedy is based on Piper Kerman’s memoir of the same name and follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), whose life is disrupted when a crime she committed 10 years ago finally goes to trial and lands her in a women’s prison for 15 months. The critically acclaimed series brought a diverse group of women to the forefront, depicting rape survivors, incarcerated women, and LGBTQ+ women—many of whom are women of color, and are the most often silenced or discriminated against. It was one of the earliest shows to feature and normalize the stories of multiple LGBTQ+ women, and Laverne Cox became the first transgender actor nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the show.
Gameboys: Level-Up Edition
Gameboys began as a Philippine web series starring Kokoy De Santos and Elijah Canlas as two boys who develop an online romance after meeting through gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix soon picked up and retouched the series and released it globally on its platform as Gameboys: Level-Up Edition. Gamesboys: Level-Up Edition is a sweet gay romance story and a unique depiction of two boys connecting while the world around them is in quarantine. The series covers the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it was a time of loss for many. However, amid unprecedented times, people still found heartfelt and meaningful ways to connect.
Smiley
Unfortunately, Smiley is another LGBTQ+ show that Netflix canceled after one season. The rom-com managed to nab a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s certainly worth a watch. Smiley follows Alex (Carlos Cuevas) and Bruno (Miki Esparbé), two men who form an unexpected connection after they meet by chance due to a misdirected voicemail. The show is delightful, hilarious, romantic, and at times deeply emotional as it follows the whirlwind romance between Alex and Bruno. One of the things that makes Smiley so great is that it normalizes gay romance by making it into your typical binge-worthy rom-com series filled with the tropes we love.
(featured image: Netflix / Warner Bros. Television)
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