To kick off PRIDE month, we think it’s only appropriate to settle in and watch some shows that celebrate inclusivity and representation. We wanted to highlight a few of the TV programs that celebrate LGBTQ+-identified people though believable character development and intriguing storylines. Watch these, and find even more fabulous content all month long with DIRECTV On Demand channel 1000 (Subscription required).
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‘Pose’
Pose is a drama spotlighting the legends, icons and ferocious house mothers of New York’s underground ball culture, a movement that first gained notice in the late 1980’s. Making television history, Pose features the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles.
‘Gentleman Jack’
If you like a queer period drama, this one’s for you. Set in 1832 Yorkshire, England, this show tells the story of Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) and is inspired by the real-life landowner and industrialist and her life as a butch-presenting gay woman when it was nowhere near acceptable to be either.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
It’s not enough that RuPaul herself is a sickening host, but the parade of goddesses that work their way through RuPaul’s Drag Race each season, keep us all simply dying for more fashion, looks and, of course, drama.
‘The Equalizer’
Speaking of queens, The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah gives us the vigilante guardian angel the world needs right now. The former CIA operative and single mother displays a believable balance of empathy and strength, and Latifah is absolutely perfect for the role. And watching a black, lesbian woman simply dominate as the show’s star makes it all the more worthwhile.
‘Steven Universe’
For a charmingly whimsical animated show about half-human, half-gem superheroes, Steven Universe breaks down many antiquated walls. First, the children’s series doesn’t conform as simply a “boy” or “girl” show, showcasing strong and inspirational characters across the spectrum. It also covers real issues that affect children all over the country (and world), including consent, trauma, relationships and so much more.
‘Elite’
Elite is a highly-acclaimed drama featuring three working-class teenagers in Spain who attend an exclusive private school. Eventually, conflict between them and the wealthy students leads down a path to violence.
‘Feel Good’
This TV series is a semi-autobiographical, LGBTQ+ romantic comedy. It follows a comedian, Mae, a recovering addict attempting to gain control over addictive tendencies and intense romanticism that overtakes their life.
‘Heartstopper’
A new pick among currently-streaming LGBTQ+ TV shows is Heartstopper, based on the graphic novel of the same name; both iterations are written by Alice Oseman. In this coming-of-age series, two teenagers navigating school and young love come to find that their unlikely friendship could be something more serious.
‘It’s A Sin’
During the early years of the AIDS health crisis, young gay friends navigate their new lives in London in this TV series. Brought to us by the creators of Queer as Folk, this heartbreaking yet honest and accurate telling of the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s demonstrates the reality of the toll the disease took on the entire LGBTQ+ community—and how society contributed to the shame and marginalization of queer people because of it. Watch It’s a Sin on Max.
‘La Casa de las Flores’
This dark comedy-drama follows a dysfunctional family, who owns a successful floristry shop along with a struggling cabaret that are both called The House of Flowers. With several LGBTQ+ main characters, the television series shows an upper-class Mexican family clinging to their image of perfection after their secrets are exposed.
‘Sex Education’
Featuring an ensemble cast of parents, students and staff of a local elementary school, this British television show follows the characters and their confrontations with sexual intimacy. Primarily, the storyline centers on a teenage boy, Otis, whose mom is a sex therapist (and whose best friend is gay). Teaming up with another classmate and close friend, Otis sets up an underground sex therapy clinic at the high school.
‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’
This animated TV show is a reboot of the Filmation series She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985), in which orphan Adora—who through magic transforms into the warrior She-Ra—leads a rebellion of princesses to free her land from evil invaders. With 52 episodes across five seasons, plus a slow-burn romance between two main characters, there is subtle LGBTQ+ representation throughout the animated series.
‘Special’
A touching story showing the intersection of LGBTQ+ and disability identity, this semi-autobiographical TV series revolves around a young gay man with mild cerebral palsy. Determined to achieve the life and identity he wishes to embody, Ryan navigates relationships, making friends and being self-sufficient.
‘We’re Here’
This American reality television show features past contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Eureka O’Hara, Bob the Drag Queen and Shangela Laquifa Wadley. In We’re Here, the drag queen trio travels across small-town America recruiting residents to join one-night-only drag shows. Encouraging others to come outside their comfort zones, the queens embark on a quest to show communities the joy and “human side” of drag.
‘Yellowjackets’
Yellowjackets shows the aftermath of a talented high school girls soccer team that survives a plane crash within the wilderness of Ontario, Canada. It tracks the state of their morale—from a functional team to combative and cannibalistic enemies. The perspective transitions from their survival struggle as teenagers to their adulthoods, where the full truth about the experience unfolds years down the road.
Keep up with the most powerful shows and engaging characters all month long, and beyond, with DIRECTV.
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