The Most Essential LGBTQ TV Shows of the 21st Century

20. “Tuca and Bertie” (2019)

What it is: The dearly departed “Tuca and Bertie” was one of TV’s best shows about friendship, dating, and being a hot mess: tried and true subject matter many queer people can relate to. The titular avian duo — impulsive party animal tucan Tuca (Tiffany Haddish) and sensible but anxious song thrush Bertie (Ali Wong) — have one of TV’s loveliest friendships, as the two total opposites support each other through career and romantic struggles. While the main romantic relationship of the show is between Bertie and her adorably square boyfriend Speckle (Steven Yeun), Tuca is very much an out-and-proud bisexual bird, flitting around from romantic partners of all genders and species.

Why it’s essential: The best season of the show, Season 2, features Tuca entering a relationship with Kara (Sasheer Zamata), a seagull nurse. Initially a positive bond, the show steadily tracks the flaws in the pairing, as Kara puts Tuca down and forces her to change to fit the mold of her perfect partner. It’s a hard few episodes to watch, but a fascinating and rare TV depiction of a genuinely toxic queer relationship, and a satisfying arc for Tuca as she learns with Bertie’s support how to be more unapologetically herself. —WC

19. “Wandering Son” (2011)

What it is: Way before live-action American TV really featured trans characters as leads, manga creator Takako Shimura released “Wandering Son”: a sensitive series about two 10 year olds going through parallel journeys with their gender. Published from 2002 to 2013, the manga tracks the friendship of trans girl Shuuichi Nitori and trans boy Yoshino Takatsuki, as they come of age, move through middle and high school, and ultimately embrace their true identities.

Why it’s essential: It’s a gutting read, filled with quiet devestation as the characters struggle against the societal pressures around them, but the bond and solidarity they share together also provides plenty of joy. The manga was eventually adapted into an anime in 2011, which massively compressed the story to focus on the years the cast spend in junior high. But even the abridged version of “Wandering Son” is well worth experiencing, retaining that same piercing honesty that breaks your heart. —WC

18. “Sense8” (2015-2018)

What it is: Queerness means seeing and experiencing the world differently, with a vibrance and texture unique to people existing in a society that others them and their expressions of gender and love. Created by J. Michael Straczynski and The Wachowskis — yes, of “The Matrix” fame — this brilliant sci-fi ensemble series explores the emotional depths and connective tissue of LGBTQ community through a lens that takes empathic perspective to its storytelling extreme. When eight strangers suddenly discover they are “sensates” — psychically linked to one another, but scattered across the globe — they must investigate their mysterious connection and the power it gives them together. 

Why it’s essential: “Sense8” is a good show, but notable at Netflix for a historic cancelation decision, and its subsequent partial reversal. Fans were left on a cliffhanger at the end of “Sense8” Season 2. Netflix announced it would cancel the series at the start of Pride 2017: a decision met with near-immediate blowback. Critics argued that abandoning the series was reflective of Netflix’s lack of committment to championing queer stories longterm. The platform then gave the show a finale in 2018, considered the final installment of Season 2 and a triumph for queer people speaking their whole piece. —AF

17. “Grace and Frankie” (2015-2022)

What it is: Howard J. Morris and “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman enjoyed a stroke of pure genius with “Grace and Frankie”: a sparkling LGBTQ sitcom set in SoCal, as sweet as it is sharp, which ran for seven seasons and remains one of Netflix’s most successful half-hour series.

The beloved odd couple comedy reunites “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two very different (straight) women who learn their husbands — Sam Waterson and Martin Sheen — are leaving their wives for one another. As the gravity of the men’s deception sets in, the titular Grace and Frankie are forced to confront single life in their 70s together. Soon, the former beauty exec and hippy artist are rooming together in a beach house the couples once shared, while their exes embark on a new life in a hard-won queer home of their own.

Why it’s essential: From dating farmers and fraudsters to inventing a vibrator for women with arthristis, the sex-positive and innately feminist antics of Grace, Frankie, and their gay ex-husbands make for generally light fare. But the show also carefully and compassionately explores the changing dynamics of modern found family, the difficulties of coming out later in life, and the endless misogynstic obstacles facing older women in the 21st century. —AF

16. “Los Espookys” (2019-2022)

What it is: Over the course of two seasons, the Spanish language comedy series — created by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen, all of whom starred — marched by the beat of its own drum, telling wild stories about a group of misfit, mostly queer friends who create their own business of bringing horror film hoaxes to life. Episodes swerve into bizarre storylines with haunted mirror demons, water spirits, and rewriting Don Quixote for children, all portrayed with a melodramatic, campy touch and delightfully ramshackle special effects. And although the Espookys’ sexualities usually aren’t the main focus, the show isn’t shy about it either — particularly with Andrés (Torres, a standout in a rock-solid ensemble), a pampered, preening prince who flits around from man to man looking for someone to take care of him. In most shows, a figure like Andrés would be a joke — in the off kilter, sweet, and queer world of “Los Espookys,” he’s a flawed but fabulous hero. 

Why it’s essential: There aren’t enough shows aimed at queer weirdos, which makes the too-soon cancellation of the proudly freaky  “Los Espookys” sting all the harder. —WC

15. “Schitt’s Creek” (2015-2020)

What it is: Perhaps the ultimate comfort watch, “Schitt’s Creek” famously was a world where homophobia didn’t exist, and the gay characters were free to be as cuddly and as messy as their straight counterparts.

Why it’s essential: Pansexual David (played by series co-creator Dan Levy) was introduced in Season 1 as a vapid, pampered prince: one who slowly softened over the course of the series as he and his rich family fell from grace and were forced to reside in the motel of the titular town. But he didn’t fully grow until the introduction of Patrick (Noah Reid), his straitlaiced business partner, and the romance between the two grew into the show’s emotional core. And even going past Patrick and David’s romance though, many of the non-gay characters still have a strong queer appeal; “A Little Bit Alexis,” anyone? —WC

14. “Sort Of” (2021-present)

What it is: Sabi, the protagonist played by Bilal Baig in the Canadian dramedy “Sort Of,” is in many respects exactly the type of character we’ve seen in so many shows of its ilk. Like Hannah Horvath or any dramedy protagonist, they’re slightly directionless, bad at communication, with a tendency to get themselves into emotionally fraught situations. Sabi’s identity as a Pakistani nonbinary person sets them apart from almost everyone around them, and it bleeds into their different lives — as the nanny of their friend’s kids, as a bartender at a queer café, as the child of a dysfunctional family of immigrants — in varying ways.

Why it’s essential: But Baig and Fab Filippo’s series doesn’t treat its lead as an educational tool for white cis people that may be watching. Instead, Sabi’s allowed to be a beautifully complicated mess, and the series is all the richer for it. —WC

13. “Orange is the New Black” (2013-2019)

What it is: One of Netflix’s first big hits and arguably its first truly great show, “Orange is the New Black” ran for seven seasons and 91 episodes — an eternity in streaming years. And although its final seasons were unquestionably bumpy, the show deserved its long run: at its peak, it was a smart, empathetic, and riveting character study of the various woman at Litchfield Penitentiary.

Why it’s essential: While main characters Piper (Taylor Schilling) and Alex (Laura Prepon) and their romance was always sort of blah, the show made up for it by quickly expanding outside of them to explore the lives of the much more interesting women around them: from lesbian inmates like Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba, phenomenal like always), Nicky (Natasha Lyonne), and Poussey (Samira Wiley), to trans women like Sophia (Laverne Cox, who made history as the first trans person to be nominated for an acting Emmy). —WC

12. “It’s a Sin” (2021)

What it is: Since creating “Queer As Folk” (the original pithier British one) in 1999, Russell T Davies has been one of the most reliable creators of quality LGBTQ entertainment. After a hiatus as showrunner of “Doctor Who,” where he left an indelible mark on the landmark series, Davies returned to his LGBTQ roots with two queer miniseries: “A Very English Scandal” and “It’s a Sin.”

Why it’s essential: In five episodes that are equally heartwrenching and fun, “It’s a Sin” colors its AIDS story with a new layer — joy. Set in London throughout the 1980s, the series follows of a group of queer friends as they navigate the early days of the epidemic through its worst times. But “It’s a Sin” is at its heart a celebration of the community that was lost, making it all the more tragic without flattening the human stories to another number. By sublimating the tragedy in favor of pleasure, Davies offers a much more realistic protrait of queer life at its most critical era. —JD

11. “Steven Universe” (2013-2019)

What it is: Rebecca Sugar’s popular kids cartoon focuses on the title character as he joins the Crystal Gems — a race of mostly queer aliens once led by his mother — to protect the world from their own kind.

Why it’s essential: Children’s TV has slowly but steadily embraced LGBTQ characters over the course of the last 10 years, and “Steven Universe” is arguably the single show most responsible for that shift. Between the character of Garnet, a fusion between two female Gems in love with each other, the messy and tragic relationship between Pearl and Steven’s mother Rose Quartz, and forays into nonbinary representation with Steven’s fusion with his friend Connie, “Steven Universe” led the charge into proving that kids aren’t just capable of handling queer stories, they deserve queer stories. —WC

10. “The L Word” (2004-2009)

What it is: The sexy drama about a group of lesbians living, laughing, loving (and fighting, fucking, crying, breathing) in mid-aughts West Hollywood needs no introduction. Creator Ilene Chaiken immediately became the uber power lesbian when she debuted the hit series on Showtime in 2004, where it played a double bill with fellow queer series “Queer As Folk.” Ushering in the era of “lesbian chic,” for better or worse, queer women and NB folks were never the same.

Why it’s essential: As Brian did on “Queer As Folk,” the shaggy-haired lothario Shane McCutcheon (Katharine Moennig) is responsible for generations of sexual awakenings — and copycat f-bois. But it’s Jennifer Beals’ Bette Porter who has endured as the iconic power lesbian, and quirky Alice (Leisha Hailey) who was the comedic heart of the show. Though it jumped the shark many times over (RIP Dana), its outsized place in culture has overshadowed the fact that the first two seasons feature consistently solid and episodic writing. It’s hard to maintain an hour-long comedy, but the first two seasons zip by with entertaining plotlines, zingers, sex, and unique characters. In addition to being the first lesbian and trans (as flawed as that was) TV show, “The L Word” was also entirely about women, including two Black women in lead roles (Beals and none other than Pam Grier). Not many shows could claim that at the time, not to mention for years to come. —JD
 

9. “Veneno” (2020)

What it is: A biographical drama of Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, or La Veneno, a Spanish media personality and a pioneering trans celebrity, from her career in the ‘90s to her 2016 death. The show alternates between Veneno’s career arc and the story of Valeria Vegas (Lola Rodríguez), the journalist who wrote the biography the series on a whole is based upon.

Why it’s essential: A hit in Spain that went slightly under the radar when it debuted in America, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s show is a moving story about identity, self-actualization, and the prices and rewards of becoming an icon. Filled with great performances — particularly from Jedet, Daniela Santiago, and Isabel Torres as different versions of La Veneno — “Veneno” is a clear-eyed monument to a legend, with as much room for joy as sorrow. —WC

8. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (2009-present)

What it is: “Racers, start your engines. And may the best drag queen win!” This reality competition series-turned-LGBTQ institution first hit Logo in 2009 as a golden-filtered platform for the titular RuPaul to preside over campy mini and “maxi” drag challenges, as performed by artists recruited from across the country to compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. It lived at Logo and then VH1 until 2022, dropping the aforementioned filter and picking up Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Matthews as mainstay judges along the way. The series eventually moved to MTV in 2023, where it continues to reign as the foremost television showcase for the art of drag — even as more of its cast members launch series and business empires of their own to the franchise’s countless fans.

Why it’s essential: “Drag Race” has jumpstarted the careers of dozens of the world’s most famous drag queens; not to mention a slew of international spinoffs; the accompanying “Untucked” behind-the-scenes series and various webisodes via YouTube; six spectacular “All Stars” reunion seasons; touring stage shows, including a residency in Vegas; and annually held, widely attended, hugely lucrative fan conventions. It’s easy to make the argument that more unscriptied programming should be providing opportunities for queer performers to break through, and “Drag Race” has a deeply troubled history when it comes to trans inclusion that really strengthens the case. But “Drag Race” remains an undeniable triumph for queer art, and one of the funniest puns in reality TV history. —AF

7. “Will & Grace” (1998-2006)

What it is: Though it premiered in 1998, the majority of the defining gay sitcom aired post-2000, and its influence is felt far and wide to this day. Starring Debra Messing and Will McCormack as the titular best friends living it up in New York City, “Will & Grace” introduced two lovable and hilarious gay characters to primetime television viewers.

Why it’s essential: It’s hard to overstate the impact of “Will & Grace,” though the show has been criticized for relying on gay stereotypes for laughs. Will was a successful gay lawyer who was happy and out, even if such a happy fate wasn’t always true for the actors. A master of physical comedy, Sean Hayes’ Jack remains one of the great comedic TV performances, a descendant of Lucy Ricardo and echoed in Kenneth on “30 Rock” and Elliott in “Search Party.” That it survived a 2017 revival with its reputation relatively intact proves its consistent quality. —JD

6. “I May Destroy You” (2020)

What it is: A nuanced character study of Arabella (Michaela Coel, who created and wrote the show), a twentysomething writer whose life is upended by a sexual assault. The series examines consent and violation from multiple angles, with considerable focus on Kwame (Paapa Essiedu), Arabella’s gay friend, and his own sexual assault.

Why it’s essential: “I May Destroy You” is one of the best shows of the 21st century in general, but Kwame’s storyline is a particularly insightful, devastating look at the dynamics of gay dating, hookup culture, and queer identity in the 21st century. Kwame’s assault is painful to watch, but the show is patient and generous in its portrayal of how it alters his relationships with his friends and lovers, and his slow journey to recovery afterwards. And, partially thanks to Essiedu’s lived-in performance, the series never feels didactic, handling all of the balls it throws into the air effortlessly and with gorgeous empathy. —WC

5. “Harley Quinn” (2019-present)

What it is: For a genre that thrives on hot people in tight clothing fighting each other, superhero media on TV and film can be boringly, insultingly straight. The queerness and campiness of the comics tends to get sanded-off and replaced with, at most, embarrassing tokenism inserted in to fill a diversity quota (the “first gay character” in “Avengers: Endgame,” anyone?) Which is why it’s so refreshing to watch Max’s “Harley Quinn” series: a bawdy superhero comedy that contains the most rewarding queer love story on TV.

Why it’s essential: Harley Quinn was a character initially defined solely by her obsessive love for the Joker, and attempts to move her beyond that zone have had mixed results. But Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey’s animated series does it most successfully, telling a lovely story of growth and recovery from a toxic relationship through Harley’s friendship and eventual romance with her best friend Poison Ivy. The two are heavily flawed villains, and “Harley Quinn” doesn’t shy away from portraying the numerous faults both have as individuals and romantic partners. But it’s also movingly sincere about how their relationship makes them better people, even when their differences threaten to pull them apart. No show on the planet subscribes to the mantra “be gay, do crime” like “Harley Quinn.” —WC

4. “Queer as Folk” (2000-2005)

What it is: We owe so much to British TV creator Russell Davies, and it all begins with “Queer As Folk.” While the UK version is equally (if not more) compelling, its 1999 premiere spared us having to make a Sophie’s Choice of which to include on this strictly 21st century list. The American version, while considerably soapier, is also about ten times sexier. It follows a group of five gay friends living, laughing, and loving (wait, that’s a different show) in the unbelievably fabulous city of…Pittsburgh. 

Why it’s essential: Ushering in Showtime’s era of delivering two of the most impactful queer shows ever made, “Queer As Folk” was America’s first entirely LGBTQ+ TV show. In terms of impactful characters, it’s hard to name one who outed more teenage boys than Brian Kinney, an effortlessly smooth top with an enviable loft. But in addition to the many hot sex scenes and crushable cuties, “Queer As Folk” offered a magical refuge away from what was then a very straight homogenous culture. It offered overly supportive moms played by TV icons (we love you, Sharon Gless), bickering lesbians who were maybe a little too annoying but also hot, and a vision of a fabulous life surrounded by chosen family. —JD

3. “Pose” (2018-2021)

What it is: An ensemble drama about the world of New York’s ballroom subculture from the late ‘80s to early ‘90s. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez leads the series as Blanca, the leader of House Evangelista who guides the other members through personal crises and the evolving HIV crisis.

Why it’s essential: A groundbreaking work in terms of trans representation on TV, “Pose” featured five trans women of color (Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross) in central roles, and gives them the opportunity to be kind, mean, messy, magnificent, and most importantly, human. The show’s exploration into ballroom culture is unapologetic and uninterested in hand-holding straight audiences, and its portrayal of how the queer community navigated the AIDS crisis is alternatively heartbreaking and life-affirming. —WC

2. “Six Feet Under” (2001-2005)

What it is: Premiering on HBO in 2001, “Six Feet Under” was once as important to the HBO brand as “The Sopranos” was. Created by gay screenwriter Alan Ball, the hour-long dark comedy takes place in a family-run funeral home, and each episode opens with a death scene. But the heart of the series are the lovably eccentric members of the Fischer family, who are reluctantly thrust together after the death of their patriarch.

Why it’s essential: In addition to just being extremely good TV that never dips in quality over six seasons, “Six Feet Under” introduced much of America to its first long-term committed gay relationship in Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) and David (Michael C. Hall). Though they had their ups and downs, ultimately their relationship became the show’s strongest and most enduring, as confirmed by the gutting last episode, which ranks high on any list of the best TV finales ever. —JD

1. “Angels in America” (2003)

What it is: Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play had already made a huge impact since its Broadway premiere in 1991. As with any revered piece of theater, but especially one as monumental as Kushner’s ensemble AIDS epic, audiences were right to be wary of a screen adaptation. But director Mike Nichols, firmly in command of this new form of film/series hybrid, worked brilliantly to shepherd Kushner’s fantastical storytelling to the screen. 

Why it’s essential: With its sweeping scope and career-defining performances, “Angels in America” is probably the most definitive piece of art about the AIDS crisis. From the wrenching dance between Louis and Prior as they try as they contend with life with HIV, to the monumentally grotesque character study of dangerous homophobe Roy Cohn, played electrically by Al Pacino in his last great role. Add Meryl Streep in Rabbi drag, and it’s one for the ages. —JD