There are a lot of queer gems on Netflix right now.
It's no secret that there is A LOT of stuff to sort through when it comes to television shows on Netflix. While the quality of some of the content on the streamer is questionable at best, they do offer a lot of worthwhile quality titles that we can't ignore.
Either way, we've put together this list of some of the many LGBTQ+ shows on Netflix that we absolutely love. These are the shows that helped us make it through the global pandemic. From cartoons and reality shows, to dramas and science fiction, Netflix has been host to some of the best LGBTQ-inclusive content on any platform. Here are 17 queer shows to binge that will actually be worth your time!
The Andy Warhol Diaries
This docuseries produced by Ryan Murphy gives an inside look at one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. Going past his art, and using footage and audio Warhol recorded himself, this series looks at the man behind the public persona.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Not only is this Emmy-winning musical series starring and created by Rachel Bloom an absolute blast to watch, but it also has a terrific bisexual storyline featuring the main character's boss. Darryl, played by Pete Gardner, starts off the series married to a woman, and late in the first season, he realizes he's bisexual. It's a hilarious show with a lot of heart.
Dear White People
This TV show, based on the 2014 film of the same name, stars DeRon Horton as Lionel Higgins, an intelligent, gay school reporter who has trouble breaking out of his shell. Several episodes were also written and directed by Justin Simien, the original film's gay creator.
Derry Girls
This wildly popular British series is based on creator Lisa McGee's own experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland in the '90s during the final years of the Troubles. It follows a group of girls at a Catholic secondary school, one of whom, Clare, comes out as a lesbian in the first season.
Élite
This queer AF series is one of Netflix's most popular. This sexy and addictive show follows a group of wild teens at Las Encinas, a fictional elite secondary school in Spain. The show features lots of queer characters and couples, including the beloved Omar and Ander.
Queer Eye
Netflix's reboot of the original Queer Eye continues to change lives all around the world. Starring Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Bobby Berk as the new Fab Five, this version of Queer Eye gives every day heroes a chance to improve their lifestile and achieve more satisfaction out of life.
Grace and Frankie
Netflix's longest-running show just aired its final season recently. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as the title characters, two women who form a best friendship after their long-time husbands come out as gay and leave them for each other.
Heartstopper
One of Netflix's most popular new shows, Heartstopper is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Charlie falling in love with the star of his high school's rugby team, another boy named Nick. The show also features other queer characters including Tara, Darcy, and a trans girl named Elle played by Yasmin Finney.
Hollywood
Ryan Murphy's indulgent fantasy asks the question: what if women, people of color, and out gay people were able to succeed in the golden age of Hollywood? The cast includes Darren Criss, Laura Harrier, Joe Mantello, Dylan McDermott, Jeremy Pope, Holland Taylor, Samara Weaving, Jim Parsons, and Patti LuPone, among others.
Mindhunter
This dark crime thriller from David Fincher starred Jonathan Groff as Holden Ford, a special agent with the FBI's early version of the Behavioral Science Unit. He and his partner visit serial killers in prison and interview them, getting an all new look at the mind of criminals. Anna Torv also plays Wendy Carr, a psychology professor working with the team who is also a closeted lesbian.
I Am Not Okay With This
This coming-of-age black comedy stars Sophia Lillis as Sydney Novak, a 17-year-old girl who realizes she has blossoming telekinetic powers. At the same time, she's also realizing that she's also queer.
Orange Is the New Black
This long-running show set a women's prison featured many queer characters, including bisexual protagonist Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), confident lesbian Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne), Piper's ex Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), butch prisoner Big Boo (Lea DeLaria), and soft-spoken lesbian Poussey (Samira Wiley). It also starred Laverne Cox as prisoner and hair stylist Sophia Burset, a role for which she was nominated for four Emmys.
Sex Education
This British comedy-drama stars Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn, a student at Moordale Secondary School who sets up a sex therapy clinic with his friend Maeve based on information he got from his sex therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). The show also features new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa as Otis' gay best friend Eric and Connor Swindells as Adam, the headmaster's son he eventually dates.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
This groundbreaking animated show forever changed LGBTQ+ representation in animation and in children's shows. Not only are half the characters in this reboot of the '80s cartoon queer, but the main character, She-Ra, herself is a lesbian, and the entire show centers around her relationship with her best-friend-turned-enemy Catra.
Tiger King
This was the reality series all of America binged at the beginning of quarantine, so if you haven't seen it yet, check it out now. It follows the fued between private zoo owner Joe Exotic, a charasmatic and excentric gay man who keeps big cats as pets, and Carole Baskin, the animal rights activist trying to shut his zoo down. It's a wild ride full of wilder characters.
Umbrella Academy
This adaptation of the comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba stars Elliot Page as one of seven special children adopted by an eccentric billionaire and raised to be superheroes. In the third season, Page's character, Viktor Hargreeves, has transitioned and come out as trans man, much like Page's own real-life transition.
Everything Sucks!
Sadly, this show only got one season, but the season it had was wonderful. It follows a group of teens in the town of Boring, Oregon in 1996 and has some heavy Freaks and Geeks vibes. One of the main characters is Kate Messner, the quiet daughter of the school principal who develops a crush on an older girl in the drama club.
