There's been a long history of LGBTQ+ shows being cancelled prematurely, but recent successes like Heartstopper and Big Boys demonstrate a shift in the tides. This article explores the progress made in LGBTQ+ representation on TV while acknowledging the challenges that remain.
We may have finally broken the curse of queer TV – but there’s still some way to go. The LGBTQ+ community is all too used to our favourite TV shows ending before it has even had a chance to thrive. But could there finally be a light at the end of the tunnel? The crusade against LGBT+ led shows has seemed relentless since as far back as 2018 when Netflix prematurely cancelled queer sci-fi series Sense8 much to the devastation of its devoted fanbase.
Since then we’ve said goodbye to some television gems including Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own remake, Netflix’s sapphic vampire series First Kiss, Neil Patrick Harris’ comedy Uncoupled, coming-of-age hit Everything Now, BBC’s historic romp Gentleman Jack. The Wilds, Warrior Nun, Our Flag Means Death, Glamorous, Dead End: Paranormal Park, Girls5Eva… need I go on. In fact, Glaad’s 2023 to 2024 Where Are We On TV report found that representation is down across the board. But rising from the ashes of these beloved shows gone too soon is hope for a better future – especially in British TV. There has been huge success for shows such as Alice Oseman’s coming-of-age series Heartstopper. The show follows the secondary school love story between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) and their found family populated with people from across the LGBTQ+ community like trans artist Elle (Yasmin Finney), asexual bookworm Isaac (Toby Young) and sapphic power couple Tara and Darcy (Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell). And a guaranteed season four is on the way. This week alone we saw the third and final season of Jack Rocke’s phenomenal Channel 4 comedy Big Boys come out – which allowed him to finish Jack and Danny’s (Dylan Llewellyn and Jon Pointing) journey through university exactly as he had envisioned. In doing so, Big Boys has become one of the rare LGBTQ+led shows in recent times to pull off the satisfying endings the creator wanted to offer its fanbase. And Big Boys forayed where few LGBTQ+ shows have gone in recent history – completing its story. Of course, there has been concern that shows centering white cis male leads have more of a chance of making it the extra mile (a 2023-2024 GLAAD report found that gay men are the most represented group on streaming) And while there’s no doubt that intersectional identities within the LGBTQ+ community struggle to get the same airtime – there’s still a lot to look forward to across the spectrum if we keep up the momentum of these wins. We have Ncuti Gatwa playing the 15th Doctor in the long-running sci-fi family series Doctor Who – where he has not only played out a love story with Jonathan Groff but made his queer identity an unapologetic part of his iteration. Meanwhile, one of Netflix’s biggest shows, regency drama Bridgerton, has all but promised us a sapphic season for Francesca Bridgerton’s (Hannah Dodd) gender-swapped romance with Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). A decision the current showrunner, Jess Brownell, has fiercely defended. Elsewhere, we’ve had some effortless inclusion from Apple TV+ with the show on everyone’s lips right now, Severance, after they introduced a romance between Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken). Not to mention Leo Woodall in Prime Target who has a sweet background love story with college barman Adam (Fra Fee). This month also saw the release of Motherland spin-off Amandaland, already lauded as one of the best BBC comedies this year, starring Siobhan McSweeney and Rochenda Sandall as chaotic lesbian mums, Della and Fi. And who can forget the upcoming third seasons of Yellowjackets and The White Lotus which have instantly become LGBTQ+ classics. All this to say that, amid the bad news, there’s is plenty of good. And progress is best marked when LGBTQ+ characters can be part of a show telling a different story, rather than just one about their identity – something that is showing signs of only growing. But, now is not the time to grow complacent. The TV industry remains a precarious place, with cancellations becoming a common occurrence, so we need to throw our support these grassroot, and popular, shows alike to give them the best chance to fly
LGBTQ+ Television Representation Queer Shows Heartstopper Big Boys Cancellations Progress
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