We love the full rainbow of sapphic and lesbian characters. We live for our bisexual gals, our nonbinary sapphics, our queer WLWs, our trans lezzies, and everyone in between. But sometimes, you want to see the L in LGBTQ+ shine.
Thankfully, there is some genuinely great lez representation on our screens if you know where to look. So, with that mission in mind, here are 15 TV shows that feature lesbians in their lead roles and where you can stream and binge them right now.
PLUR1BUS
PLUR1BUS
Apple TV+
The newest lesbian led series just about broke Apple TV+ when it dropped. PLUR1BUS is the latest from Vince Gilligan and stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a disillusioned lesbian writer who is somehow immune to a virus that causes people to become unnaturally happy, develop a kind of hive mind, and infects nearly all of humanity.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
Prime Video
While painfully and unfairly short-lived A League of Their Own is one of our all time favorite lesban-led series. The film follows a group of women who join the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League while their maile counterparts are overseas during WWII. Central to the series is Carson Shaw (Abbi Jacobson) a married woman and player who comes to realize shes a lez when she falls for her teammakte Greta Gill (D’Arcy Carden).
Where to watch: Prime Video
Gentleman Jack
Gentleman Jack
HBO
This lesbian-led series is based on the diaries of a real-life lesbian, Anne Lister (Suranne Jones). The series follows Lister as she takes over her ancestral home, Shibden Hall, with ambitions of bringing it back to its former glory. She’s unapologetically a lesbian who strikes up a romance with wealthy heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle).
Where to watch: HBO Max
Harlem
Harlem
Prime Video
Harlem is another stellar ensemble piece, but when Tye Reynolds (Jerrie Johnson) is on screen, it might as well just be her show. The series follows four friends living, loving, and laughing in New York’s Harlem neighborhood. Tye is an ambitious event planner—and yes, a lez—who’s determined to take her career to the next level, which puts a strain on her romantic endeavors.
Where to watch: Prime VideoThe L Word
The L Word
Showtime
Was this show perfect? No, ma’am, but it is unquestionably groundbreaking in its representation of lesbian lives and loves. It focuses on a group of lesbians and queer women living in Los Angeles as they navigate their relationships, careers, friendships, and families. It was also very, very sexy, introducing iconic characters like Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), and yes, Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner). The show was so popular that it led to a reality spin-off and a sequel series…
Where to watch: Paramount+The L Word: Generation Q
The L Word: Generation Q
Showtime
Speaking of which, The L Word: Generation Q picks up where the previous series left off ten years earlier. In addition to returning characters Bette, Shane, Tina, and Alice, this series follows new faces like Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), Dani Núñez (Arienne Mandi), Gigi Ghorbani (Sepideh Moafi), and more.
Where to watch: Buy on Prime VideoBatwoman
Batwoman
The CW
Batwoman made history as the first television series to focus on a lesbian superhero. In season one, the show centers on Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), followed by Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) taking up the mantle in seasons two and three.
Where to watch: HBO MaxOne Mississippi
One Mississippi
Prime Video
Tig Notaro’s semi-autobiographical series One Mississippi is required sapphic viewing. The series follows a fictionalized version of Notaro returning to her hometown in Mississippi after her mother suddenly passes away. It’s achingly funny and moving — pretty much exactly what you would expect if you’ve seen anything Notaro-related.
Where to watch: Prime Video
South of Nowhere
South of Nowhere
The N
For sapphics of a certain age, South of Nowhere was everything. The show centers on a young lesbian named Spencer Carlin (Gabrielle Christian), who moves from Ohio to Los Angeles with her family and meets — and falls hard for — Ashley Davies (Mandy Musgrave). But really, who could blame her?
Where to watch: DailymotionTrinkets
Trinkets
Netflix
This coming of age drama centeres on three teens who meet in a Shoplifters Anonymous group. Amongs them is Elodie Davis (Brianna Hildebrand) who is acting out in part because she's struggling with both the loss of her mother and coming to terms with her lesbian identity.
Where to watch: NetflixWork in Progress
Work in Progress
Showtime
This brilliant and achingly funny series is the first to center on a self-identified “fat, queer dyke” and we’re obsesed. In it Abby (Abby McEnany), is just trying to live while navigating struggles with her mental health. But her life takes a new direction when she meets Chris (Theo Germaine), a young kind and gorgeous trans man.
Where to watch: Buy on Prime Video
Dickinson
Dickinson
Apple TV+
Hailee Steinfeld, nation rise up! This coming-of-age dramedy reimagines the life and love of poet Emily Dickinson (Steinfeld), making her exactly what every sapphic who read her poetry in high school has long believed with all their hearts—that shes was a big ol’ lez.
Where to watch: Apple TV+Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush
Channel 4
Want more lesbian coming-of-age stories? Then Sugar Rush is a must-see. The series follows Kim Mathews (Olivia Peel), a baby dyke who has fallen madly and foolishly in love with her seemingly straight best friend Sugar (Lenora Crichlow). Cue the lesbian longing.
Where to watch: The Internet ArchiveTwenties
Twenties
BET
Created by Lena Waithe, this series focuses on a group of best friends living in Los Angeles. Among them is Hattie (Jonica T. Gibbs), an aspiring TV writer whose relationship with Ida Sophina Brown (Ida Sophina Brown) is both sweet and messy—just like we like it.
Where to watch: BET+
The Beast In Me
The Beast In Me
Netflix
This is a bit of a cheat since the series doesn’t debut until November 13, but we’ll definitely be ready for this one—starring Claire Danes as a lesbian, at last. In the series, she plays Aggie Wiggs, who is mourning the loss of her son. When a man whose wife has disappeared moves in next door, Aggie becomes consumed with the desire to uncover the truth. Plus, Natalie Morales stars as her ex-wife.
Where to watch: Netflix
