These new, LGBTQ+ holiday films and series are going to make the yuletide hella gay this holiday season!
The holiday season is officially here, and if you thought last year was the only year for queer-inclusive Christmas-themed fare, think again! 2021 is set to bless the world with even more inclusive and representative holiday movies for our viewing pleasure!
So to make it easier for you to binge all the brand-new LGBTQ+ holiday content 2021 has to offer, we've put together this handy-dandy guide (that we'll be updating periodically this season as more and more things get announced and released)!
'A Jenkins Family Christmas' (BET+)
Drama and secrets get exposed in this brand new, queer-inclusive family saga that features a gay couple played by Broadway actor/photographer Anthony Chatmon II and out model Derek Chadwick!
"After the loss of a loved one, the Jenkins Family attempts to carry on with their Christmas traditions while learning to navigate a new normal," the official description of the film (which, from the trailer, even features a proposal between the two queer characters) reads.
A Jenkins Family Christmas streams on BET+ and Paramount+ starting November 18!
'The Humans' (In theaters & Showtime)
Starring queer icon, Impeachment star, and Booksmart alum Beanie Feldstein alongside a star-studded cast that includes Steven Yuen (Minari), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck), and Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), The Humans is A24's latest drama film based on the Pulitzer-nominated, Tony-winning play of the same name from writer-director Stephen Karam.
Taking place in New York City on Thanksgiving, the film tells the story of a dysfunctional family as they help their youngest daughter Brigid (Feldstein) move into her new apartment with her boyfriend Richard (Yuen). Like most families do on Thanksgiving, things get aired out for everyone to discuss (Schumer plays Brigid's older lesbian sister Aimee, who is still getting over a bad breakup and going through some professional job woes), proving that sometimes, the holidays don't always go as planned...
The Humans premieres in theaters and on Showtime on November 24!
'The Syed Family XMas Eve Game Night' (Short Film)
Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival's Short Cuts Programme earlier this year, writer Kausar Mohammed (East of La Brea) and director Fawzia Mirza's (Signature Move) new short holiday film centers queer Muslims in this romantic comedy that tells the story of how "a queer Muslim woman adds another wild card to a gathering that's already plenty unpredictable when she brings her new partner to her family's holiday festivities."
"Having a queer Muslim Brown rom-com world premiere at one of the most important film festivals in the world is revolutionary," Mirza said in a statement ahead of the short's TIFF release. "We need more space for the stories of our love and joy, made by, starring, and written by us. We are thrilled to share the short with TIFF audiences and hope they, like us, want to see a whole lot more of the Syed family."
'Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas' (Roku)
NBC's cancelled musical series Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is making one last return to the small screen this year for a holiday TV movie -- Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas!
"On her first holiday without her father, Zoey attempts to create a magical Christmas for her family just like the ones Mitch used to do," the special's official description reads.
The beloved series' cast, including star Jane Levy, Glee alum Alex Newell, Happiest Season's Mary Steenburgen, Andrew Leeds, Alice Lee, Peter Gallagher, Skylar Astin, John Clarence Stewart, Michael Thomas Grant, Kapil Talwalkar, David St. Louis, and Bernadette Peters, are returning to wrap up their characters' storylines and prove that Christmas miracles do happen in Hollywood!
Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas premieres December 1 on the Roku Channel!
'Christmas on the Farm' (Stan)
Nonbinary actor Hugh Sheridan is taking on their first gay role, playing the happily married David alongside hubby miles (played by Nicholas Brown) in the Aussie Christmas rom-com Christmas on the Farm!
"Clementine Jones (Poppy Montgomery) is an Australian author whose book about getting back to nature on a blissful Queensland farm is snapped up by New York powerhouse publishers London & London," says the film's official description. "But the truth is, 'Clementine' is actually her daughter Emmy Jones, a New Yorker basing the book on her late mother's journals. When the publishers announce they want to experience an authentic Australian 'Clementine' Christmas before signing the deal, Emmy must race back to the old family farm, roping in her cousin David (Hugh Sheridan) and his husband Miles (Nicholas Brown) to help maintain the ruse. One problem: London & London CEO Ellison London (Jeanette Cronin) shows up with her handsome adult son Jack (Darren McMullen) in tow -- and if he remembers the night he met Emmy in New York, the game will be up!"
Christmas on the Farm streams on Stan starting December 1.
'Christmas at the Ranch' (Tello)
There's a reason why "city folk returning to their small-town family ranches" is an classic, age-old, beloved holiday film trope: it just works! And if you make that trope queer AF, you've got us absolutely hooked! So that's what director Christin Baker's (Season of Love & I Hate New Year's) upcoming lesbian rom-com Christmas at the Ranch is serving up this holiday season!
"When Haley Hollis returns to her family ranch to try and save it from foreclosure, she wasn't banking on spending so much time with ranch hand Kate -- or falling for her," the film's official description reads.
Christmas at the Ranch will be streaming on Tello on December 1!
'Single All the Way' (Netflix)
Directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and starring a stacked cast that includes Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers, Luke MacFarlane, Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Robertson, and comedy screen legends Jennifer Coolidge and Kathy Najimy, Single All the Way is Netflix's highly-anticipated, first gay holiday film and tells the story of a gay man named Peter who is "desperate to avoid his family's judgment about his perpetual single status," according to the film's official (and relatable AF) description.
Single All the Way starts streaming on Netflix on Thursday, December 2!
'The Bitch Who Stole Christmas' (VH1)
Emmy-winning TV icon and Drag Race legend RuPaul is getting in on all of the gay cheer this year by releasing her very own special holiday special for VH1, aptly entitled The Bitch Who Stole Christmas!
"In the draggiest Christmas movie ever made, a workaholic big-city fashion journalist is sent to a Christmas-obsessed small town to dig up a story when she finds herself in the middle of cut-throat housewives, a high-stakes "Winter Ball" competition, and a sinister plot that could destroy Christmas fore-evah!" reads the films official description.
Written by Connor Wright and Christina Friel and directed by Don Scardino, the film stars Mama Ru alongside a whole slate of amazing talent including Krysta Rodriguez, Andy Ridings, Michelle Visage, Ginger Minj, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Peppermint, Jan Sport, Jaymes Mansfield, Latrice Royale, Gottmik, Morgan McMichaels, Porkchop, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, Chad Michaels, Heidi N Closet, Kelly Mantle, Kimora Blac, Laganja Estranja, Manila Luzon, Mayhem Miller, Pandora Boxx, Raven, Rock M. Sakura, Kylie Sonique Love, Kim Petras, Charo, and Anna Maria Horsford.
The Bitch Who Stole Christmas premieres Thursday, December 2 at 9pm ET/PT on VH1!
'With Love' (Amazon Prime Video)
After her critically-acclaimed run as the showrunner of the queer-inclusive reboot of One Day at a Time, Gloria Calderon Kellett is teaming up with Amazon Studios to bring us With Love, Prime Video's first holiday miniseries featuring an inclusive LGBTQ+ cast and storylines! Telling the story of the Diaz family, the series features a gay couple, as well as one of the first transgender love stories to ever be featured in a holiday rom-com!
"Each of the five episodes, set during a different holiday throughout the year follows Lily (Emeraude Toubia) on her transition from being newly single to caught in a love triangle with two sexy suitors (Desmond Chiam, Rome Flynn)," the show's official description reads. "Brother to Lily, Jorge Jr. (Mark Indelicato) introduces his new boyfriend Henry (Vincent Rodriguez III) to the family for the first time on Christmas Eve/Nochebuena, and the Diaz's cousin, Sol Perez (Isis King), balances a potential blossoming relationship with their coworker Dr. Miles Murphy (Todd Grinnell). The patriarchs of the family, Beatriz (Constance Marie) and Jorge Sr. (Benito Martinez) also deal with their own relationship challenges in finding new ways to keep the spark alive in their 50's."
"The Diaz family takes a wild ride through all the highs and lows of life, during some of the most heightened holidays of the year."
With Love premieres on Amazon Prime Video on December 17!
'The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls' (Hallmark Channel)
Part of the Hallmark Channel's impressive and packed slate of 41 brand-new Christmas movies being released this holiday season, the upcoming sequel to last year's gay-inclusive The Christmas House, tentatively entitled Deck Those Halls, is reuniting the original cast for another round of queer holiday cheer, including Mean Girls alum Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harder, the two actors who played the loveable husband-husband duo in the first movie.
The Hallmark Channel's Christmas movie blitz is set to kick off on Friday, October 22, with The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls scheduled to premiere on December 18 at 8pm ET/PT!
'Under the Christmas Tree' (Lifetime)
Lifetime is bringing us its first-ever lesbian romance with the upcoming holiday film Under the Chrismas Tree!
"Marketing whiz Alma Beltran (Elise Bauman) and Christmas tree whisperer Charlie Freemont (Tattiawna Jones) cross paths when Charlie finds the perfect tree for the Maine Governor's Holiday Celebration - right in Alma's back yard," the film's official description reads. "While they initially spar, romantic sparks soon begin to fly between the two women as the enchanting tree and some Christmas fairy dust from the town's patissiere extraordinaire (Ricki Lake) bring out the best in them and spark each other to take leaps of faith and fight for love and Christmas magic."
Under the Christmas Tree is set to premiere on Sunday, December 19 at 8pm/7c on Lifetime!
