Underrated Queer TV Shows
"First Kill on Netflix. Somewhat inspired by Romeo & Juliet. A vampire falls for a vampire hunter. Queer POC leads are not always common and very nice to see."
—Anonymous, 25, NY
"In the Flesh. It's beautiful, so relevant today, and the opposite of 'bury your gays.' It deserves a bigger audience. Check the trigger warnings, though."
—Sarah, 35
"Overcompensating. It has a slow start, and the acting felt off initially. But eventually it grew on me, and it's really good. Great depiction of friendship and the mess of early adulthood and figuring yourself out. Can't wait for Season 2."
—sallytracy
"Do reality shows count? I Kissed A Boy and I Kissed A Girl on Hulu are constantly on replay at my house! Reality dating shows that have heartwarming conversations about coming out and being your authentic self along the way."
—acidicswan78
"I know it's been canceled, but Our Flag Means Death still holds such a special place in my heart. I went in without knowing anything about the show, fully expecting to be queer-baited again, and was so glad to be proved wrong. It's got pirates, Fleetwood Mac, and great comedy! 🏴☠️🍊"
—Anonymous, 25F, Arkansas, USA
"Mid-Century Modern with Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and the late, great Linda Lavin."
—blackbird68
"Heartstopper. I wish I had watched it when I was a teen; I would have been less uncomfortable with my questionings."
—silencesilence
"We Are Lady Parts on Channel 4."
—Anonymous, 25 Europe
"Wynonna Earp. God, I miss that show."
—thisisfine
"It's not an LGBTQ+ show per se, but I love Keith and David's relationship in the superb Six Feet Under. It's just wonderful!"
—shabooshabah
"Vicious."
—Anonymous
"The Owl House has some good LGBTQ+ characters and relationships."
—magicalcoach402
"The 2019 reboot of Tales of the City on Netflix."
—Anonymous, 25 Europe
"The Magicians is great, even though it kinda fell apart at the end."
—bluesundae638
"What It Feels Like For a Girl."
—Anonymous, 18, Britain
"Hacks is also good — Ava's bisexuality really opens up the eyes of the protagonist, Deborah, to discrimination."
—shabooshabah
"Orphan Black."
—mizk23
"A League of Their Own!! Heartbroken it was cancelled immediately; there is such a gap in sapphic rep. :("
—Anonymous, 27, UK
"If we're talking about shows that feature LGBTQ characters, then I'd recommend Lost Girl."
—mizk23
"My So-Called Life."
—mizk23
"I loved Orange is the New Black — there were plenty of gay relationships in that show, and they were represented as normal, dignified, and loving."
—shabooshabah
"Big Boys on Channel 4."
—Anonymous, 25 Europe
"Adults on FX."
—Anonymous, 18, Scotland
"Pretty Little Liars. I love the fact this show has a POC queer character (Emily), but not only that, her love interest is your stereotypical mean girl character, who you would typically see in a hetero relationship. Most lesbian characters are the athlete, the nerd, etc., not hyper-feminine like Alison is."
—Anonymous, 25, NY
"Feel Good on Netflix."
—Anonymous, 25 Europe
"The Wheel of Time."
—Anonymous, 31 United states
"Sense8 from Netflix. A group of eight people around the globe becomes psychically linked. It has awesome representation, and the characters and relationships feel so real."
—Anonymous, Emily, Wyoming, USA
"My Lady Jane."
—Anonymous, 17, UK
And finally, there was an overwhelming number of responses about Dead Boy Detectives, so I pulled some of the best ones:
"It's lovely, the actors are phenomenal, and you can tell that it was written BY queer people FOR queer people. I get misty-eyed just thinking about a handful of scenes from that show. It nails the quintessential parts of the queer experience in its eight-episode run, namely found family/community and coming to terms with your identity, and the external shame people will try to impose on you for your choice to simply exist authentically. Beautiful in every way."
—Anonymous, 28, Ohio
"Dead Boy Detectives has an interesting take on internalised homophobia due to your time period (a dead Edwardian is one of the titular Dead Boys) and having to overcome it. I also love that none of the queer characters ever have to have a 'I'm gay/lesbian/etc.' moment, they just start having a relationship with someone or mention a previous one that makes you figure it out. We need more of this 'it is what it is' with no grand coming out gestures (not that they're bad, just that they don't help fight the 'straight is standard' narrative, so it's nice when they're not the be all and end all)."
—Anonymous
"I went into it expecting a fun supernatural show, but I walked away feeling completely changed and seen for perhaps the first time in my life! I related so much to the themes of shaking off queer repression and trauma that was forced upon you by time, family, and circumstance. It's not only one of the best LGBTQ+ shows to come out in years, but it's one of the best shows I've seen in years, overall. Amazing story, beautiful representation, a 10/10 all around. I highly recommend it, and I will never stop talking about it!"
—Anonymous, 28, United States
"Dead Boy Detectives is such a good one! Has great LGBTQIA+ characters and approaches heavy themes with reverence, while still maintaining levity and hope. Couldn't recommend it more!"
—nikolaki
"Such a good show that was canceled too soon (only one season). I'm still mad at Netflix for not giving it a fighting chance."
—Anonymous
Are there any other underrated queer TV shows you'd recommend? Share them in the comments!
Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2025.
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