Top 5 LGBTQ+ TV Show/Series

Not all representation is created equal. While many shows feature LGBTQ+ characters, few truly place queer lives, identities, and experiences at the core of their storytelling. These five TV series don’t just include LGBTQ+ themes—they are LGBTQ+ stories, told authentically, unapologetically, and with depth.

1. Pose (2018–2021)

Platform: FX / Hulu

Pose broke ground with its cast—the largest ensemble of transgender actors in TV history—and its raw portrayal of queer and trans communities in 1980s and ’90s New York. Centered around the underground ballroom scene, it celebrates chosen families, survival, and the beauty of being yourself in a world that often refuses to see you.

2. It’s a Sin (2021)

Platform: HBO Max / Channel 4

This British mini-series is a heart-wrenching look at the AIDS epidemic in 1980s London, following a close-knit group of gay men and their friends. It’s a powerful story of youth, love, fear, and loss—and a reminder of the lives impacted and erased by stigma and silence.

3. Heartstopper (2022–present)

Platform: Netflix

Gentle, hopeful, and full of heart, Heartstopper is a rare series that centers queer teens navigating relationships, identity, and self-acceptance. It features gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters with a softness that challenges the idea that queer stories must be tragic to be meaningful.

4. The L Word: Generation Q (2019–2023)

Platform: Showtime

A reboot of the early 2000s classic, Generation Q picks up with a new, more diverse cast while keeping its original lesbian-centered energy. Focused on queer women and non-binary characters, it’s an unapologetically bold series about love, friendship, and navigating adulthood as an LGBTQ+ person.

5. Veneno (2020)

Platform: HBO Max

This Spanish biographical drama tells the life story of Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez, aka "La Veneno"—a trans icon and media personality in Spain. Veneno is raw, emotional, and deeply celebratory of trans womanhood and resilience, told through the lens of both historical memory and personal identity.

These series do more than entertain—they validate, reflect, and empower queer lives. They aren’t just shows with LGBTQ+ characters. They’re shows about us, for us, and by us. Representation matters—and these stories prove why.