Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

TV & Film

8 Must-Watch LGBTQ+ Shows and Harmful Queerbaiting Shows We Should Be Talking About

Celebrate Pride month with the best LGBTQ+ TV shows. Discover impactful stories of identity, love, and acceptance.

Celebrate Pride month with the best LGBTQ+ TV shows. Discover impactful stories of identity, love, and acceptance.
Image by Serena Morris/Trill

Happy Pride month! This month doesn’t come with the weight of recognizing those who have made it possible for the LGBTQ+ to exist. Representation matters, and it especially matters when you’re questioning your identity and place in this world, so here’s a list of LGBTQ+ TV shows you should watch. A handful of these shows also include harmful queerbaiting, a topic that needs to be discussed, recognized, and halted.

Heartstopper

Cast of Heartstopper, From left to Right; Leila Khan as Sahar Zahid, Corinna Brown as Tara Jones, Kit Connor as Nick Nelson, Tobie Donovan as Isaac Henderson, William Gao as Tao Xu, Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, and Yasmin Finney Elle Argent. Netflix/Samuel Dore.
Cast of Heartstopper. Netflix/Samuel Dore

Heartstopper is one of those rare hidden gems. It’s a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that follows the blossoming romance between Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), the popular rugby player with a kind heart. Set in a British high school, the show explores themes of identity, friendship, mental health, and self-acceptance. When you feel like Nick Nelson and taking an ‘am I gay?’ quiz, you could use a LGBTQ+ TV show like Heartstopper that represents you; It’s a show that makes you feel seen, and empowered in your existence.

Heartstopper urges its audience to celebrate love in all forms. It defies labels that make us feel like we need to conform to societal expectations. Heartstopper reminds us in this life all you have to do is exist, and that is enough.

IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Where to Watch: Netflix

Young Royals

Young Royals, Season 3, Episode 6. Omar Rudberg as Simon and Edvin Rydding as Wilhelm.
Young Royals, Simon and Wilhelm. Netflix

Another coming-of-age, hidden gem is Young Royals. This series is dark and gritty, filled with elements that unveil the complexities of figuring out your identity. It follows Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding), transferring to a prestigious boarding school where he is enamored by Simon (Omar Rudberg). But before he could ever figure out what he feels for Simon, he’s thrust into the line for the throne. Now he’s left with a choice to make: love or the crown?

It’s a tale as old as time. This show explores themes of being exposed, mental health, and identity in a world that’s ever-changing.

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Where to Watch: Netflix

Interview With The Vampire

Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac and Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt - Interview with the Vampire _ Season 1, Episode 7
Louis De Point Du Lac and Lestat De Lioncourt. Alfonso Bresciani/AMC

Now this is no ordinary tale; it’s an epic story that follows a gritty love story between Louis Du Pointe De Lac (Jacob Anderson), and Lestat De Lioncourt (Sam Reid). With the third season on its way, fans can’t help but boast about this TV series, which explores themes of manipulation, trauma, loss, domestic violence, and the perils of immortality.

IMDb Rating: 7.5/10

Where to Watch: First season on Netflix and the second on AMC+

First Kill

First Kill, Season 1, Episode 7, "First Goodbye." Sarah Catherine Hook as Juliette Fairmont, and Imani Lewis as Calliope Burns.
First Kill, Juliette Fairmont and Calliope Burns. Netflix

Unlike Heartstopper, First Kill has a darker take on falling in love for the first time. First Kill follows teens Juliette, a vampire, and Calliope, a vampire hunter. The themes in this show are beautifully crafted, mirroring biblical themes like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but in this situation, they’d be Eve and well…Eve.

Juliette is still a baby vampire, and she needs to take her first kill. Calliope is a baby hunter and also needs to take her first kill. Starring Sara Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis, the talented cast crafts a gripping tale of ‘doomed by the narrative’ lovers, making for a perfect forbidden romance story.

IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Where to Watch: Netflix

Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death, Season 2, Episode 5, "The Curse of the Sea Fairing Life." Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet and Taika Waititi as Blackbeard/Edward Teach.
Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach. Warner Bros. Entertainment

Our Flag Means Death is the opposite of Queerbaiting, a thing we will explore later on; It’s a fantastic original and heartfelt comedy that reimagines the golden age of piracy.

The show explores themes of self-discovery, love, and found family. Inspired by the true story of Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby, a wealthy aristocrat who abandons his privileged life to become a pirate. It delves deeper into the romance between Bonnet and Edward Teach, who is notoriously known as Blackbeard. Though at first it seems like it’s an absurd comedy, it has a great representation of queer love. It flips the pirate genre on its head, replacing toxic masculinity with empathy, identity exploration, and soft chaos.

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Where to Watch: Max

Black Sails

Black Sails, Season 4, Episode 10, "XXXVIII." Toby Stephens as Captain James Flint and Rubert Penry-Jones as Thomas Hamilton.
Captain James and Thomas Hamilton. Starz

Following the story of Captain Flint and his pirates, this tale is filled with survival and the lengths one would go for it. It explores themes of friendship and loyalty through the lens of gritty pirates with secrets. Starring Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, and Zach McGowan. The LGBTQ+ TV show (at first) doesn’t represent itself as a queer story. It’s only until we get through the memories of Captain Flint’s treasure, that we find love.

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Where to Watch: Max

9-1-1

9-1-1 – “Seismic Shifts” – The 118, still reeling from their recent loss, is dispatched to a mass casualty event after a high-rise apartment building collapses. Then, Athena and Chimney have to work together to save a familiar face.THURSDAY, MAY 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Christopher Willard)
AISHA HINDS, ASKYLER BELL, TRACIE THOMS, DECLAN PRATT.
Cast of 911. Disney/Christopher Willard

What at first seems like a medical drama, 9-1-1 is a show about the first responders in Los Angeles. What sets 9-1-1 apart from your average medical saga series is the LGBTQ+ representation. We have characters like Herietta Wilson, a fierce paramedic, who has a grounded relationship with her wife Karen. It’s a rare occurrence for anything in LGBTQ+ TV shows to have a stable lesbian relationship on their show. Not only do we have what fans call HenRen’s relationship, but we also have Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley, who has recently come out in Season 7 as Bisexual.

The show explores the hardships and complexities of being queer, specifically through Hen and Karen’s relationship in the most recent season. But it also explores Buck’s bisexuality and his coming to terms with it.

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

Where to Watch: Hulu

Ginny & Georgia

Ginny and georgia, Season 3, Episode 9, "It's Time For My Solo." Sara Waisglass as Maxine "Max" Baker and Katie Douglas as Abby Littman.
Maxine Baker and Abby Litman. Netflix

Now, Ginny and Georgia primarily follows the story of Ginny, daughter of Georgia, and their mother-daughter complex relationship. Underlying all the drama between Ginny and Georgia are two queer characters who bring a realistic portrayal of queer relations in a young adult, small-town context. Maxine Baker (Sara Waissglass), and Abby Littman (Katie Douglas), explore queer relations in the newest season of Ginny and Georgia.

A lot of fans expected the show to queerbait Abby’s character, but were surprisingly shocked that it was in fact explored in the most recent season. We also got to see Max and her mannerisms in a new relationship in comparison to her first queer relationship.

IMDb Rating: 7.5/10

Where to Watch: Netflix

Queerbaiting

Now, this is a much more serious issue in TV shows that needs to be addressed. There’s been a pattern in media where queerbaiting consistently happens so that TV shows get popular. Rather, these production companies rainbow-wash their shows to get queer audiences to watch and boost their ratings.

Also, these shows do get categorized as LGBTQ+ shows, which is harmful to the queer community, given that it’s not direct and meaningful representation.

Supernatural, Sherlock, Hannibal, and Merlin

Supernatural, Season 15, Episode 18, Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, Misha Collins as Castiel "Cass" and Alexander Calvert as Jack.
Supernatural. The CW

Supernatural itself does have queer characters like Charlie, but the relationship that fans struggle with is Dean and Castiel’s. Castiel is an angel who shows up in Season 4, promised to protect Dean Winchester. Their relationship to many viewers is seen as a romantic because of the way Castiel takes care of Dean. He quite literally pulled him out of hell, and in doing so their souls were forever bound together. This however is never seriously addressed in the series.

Castiel begins to believe in humanity and making it a better place because of his devotion to Dean. But, it’s never really addressed by anyone on the show. The biggest problem here is that Supernatural breadcrumbs and queerbaits their relationship in order to get more views, actively working against inclusivity.

Where to Watch: Netflix

Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes sitting in chair and Marin Freeman as John Watson. BBC.
Sherlock. BBC

Sherlock does the same here. Given how the show is written, it can nearly be assumed that Sherlock and John Watson are together. Their relationship deepens throughout the series, and it’s borderline romantic, but never quite reaches its full potential.

Where to Watch: Hulu

Hannibal, Season 2, Episode 13, "Mizumono." Hugh Grant as Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter. NBC.
Hannibal. NBC

Another show that follows the method of Supernatural queerbaiting marketing is Hannibal. The emotional turmoil between Hannibal and Will is indeed romantic, but it’s also a doomed tale by the narrative. Not to mention, they ‘adopted’ a daughter who was a victim of her own father’s murders.

Where to Watch: Amazon

Merlin, Bradley James as Athur and Colin Morgan as Merlin, Season 4, Episode 8, Laneclot Du Lac. BBC.
Merlin. BBC

Lastly, Merlin. Merlin and Arthur’s relationship is a model of a deepening rapport between future king and servant, who is a secret magic user. Fans also argue that magic represents queer identity in this series’ narrative. Much like the breadcrumb relationship in Supernatural, Merlin and Arthur’s saga runs synonymous.

Where to Watch: Tubi

If you’re interested in exploring queerbaiting in more TV Shows, check out this video that dives deep into the issue. It’s extremely important to preserve and promote media that uplifts the LGBTQ+ community to ensure everyone feels safe, seen, and celebrated!

Avatar photo
Written By

I studied Film and Digital Media at University of Califronia-Santa Cruz. Go Bannana Slugs! My favorite past time activities are watching TV shows and Films, creating crafts for my friends, writing my novel, and occasionally doing my own press-on nails.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Support Real Ones. Fund the Future.

If you read this far, you get it: young voices matter. At TRILL, every story is written by emerging writers telling the truth in a media landscape that too often silences them.

We run ads, yeah. But they don’t run us. We’re independent, mission-driven, and powered by people who believe young storytellers deserve more than just “exposure.”

Your donation goes straight to mentorship, editorial support, and launching the next wave of Gen Z writers into media careers that matter.

If that matters to you, chip in. Even $5 helps keep TRILL free, fearless, and independent.

Donate Now →
Advertisement
Advertisement

You May Also Like

Music

Selena Gomez’s lost Seven Heavens era blended dark pop, vintage aesthetics, and bold reinvention. Here’s why fans still can’t let it go.

TV & Film

Uncover the buzz around Love Island USA and its influence on pop culture since 2019. What makes this season stand out?

TV & Film

Running out of great movies to watch? Try a bad one. If you hate mainstream Hollywood, you'll love these 5 ridiculously mold-breaking films.