This story originally appeared on Them.
Between big-screen offerings like Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and the TV shows on this very list, summer 2026 is shaping up to be a fantastic few months for LGBTQ+ entertainment. As far as LGBTQ+ summer 2026 TV shows go, we’ve got an ageless vampire rockstar on tap, as well as the hotly anticipated prequel to Legally Blonde and the return of Ted Lasso. Overall, it’s a strong mix of mainstream fare like House of the Dragon and smaller, coming-of-age dramas like What It Feels Like for a Girl.
To get your calendar marked off with shows you won’t want to miss, read on.
The Vampire Lestat (2026) — AMC+, airing now
The third season of AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire books fast-forwards us all the way to Lestat de Lioncourt’s rockstar era, which means lots of long hair and gratuitous shirtlessness. (Look, it’s OK to be thirsty over the show that gave us levitating gay vampire sex in the pilot.) After debuting June 7, The Vampire Lestat is already earning rave reviews, with new episodes coming out weekly through late July.
What It Feels Like for a Girl — Prime Video, now airing
Already out in the U.K., this series-long adaptation of Paris Lees’ memoir of the same name landed on Prime Video at the start of Pride Month. Set in the aughties, the series follows Byron (Ellis Howard) on a journey into queer nightlife in working-class Britain. It’s a stunning visual time capsule and a heartwarming coming-of-age story that’s worth watching on as many continents as you can stream it on!
House of the Dragon season 3 (2026) — HBO Max, June 21
Do I fully follow all the political ins and outs of House of the Dragon? I do not. Does the show feature hot trans and nonbinary people like Emma D’Arcy wearing armor and riding sky lizards? Yes. Say no more, I’ll pick up the lore from Wikipedia articles and enjoy the sheer spectacle.
Elle (2026) — Prime Video, July 1
Did we really need a Legally Blonde prequel? Probably not. The character of Elle Woods is so fully realized, I feel like we can kind of just assume she was always that way: perky, bright, needlessly optimistic, and protective of other women. That said, will I be tuning into Elle, which drops July 1 on Prime Video? Absolutely, yes! I will bend and snap to attention! The trailer focuses on what is actually some fairly niche West Coast humor about Angeleno transplants to Seattle, but that’s a perfect way to point out just how much of an anomaly Elle is anywhere she goes.
Survival of the Thickest season 3 (2026) — Netflix, July 2
The teaser for the third and final season of Survival of the Thickest features a flurry of queer guest stars but we’ll be tuning in to watch how everything turns out for Peppermint, who plays a fictionalized version of herself on the show. Last season, Peppermint as Peppermint married Harrison (Dan Amboyer) in a ceremony that featured a choreographed dance from the House of Balenciaga. Hard to think how anything could top that, but we’ll find out on July 2.
Adults 2 (2026) — July 31 prequel episode, season 2 premiere August 27, FX
The lives of New Yorkers in their twenties will probably never stop being the source of television comedy, but Adults handles that age-old premise with panache. The second season won’t premiere until August 27, but FX is releasing what Variety has characterized as a “standalone prequel episode” on July 31.
Ted Lasso (2026) — August 5, Apple TV
Ted Lasso might not be everyone’s cup of tea — get it? — but for those who can get down with its sweetness, nothing hits quite like it. The fourth season will find the “aw shucks” soccer coach working with a second division women’s soccer team — which, if you know anything about women’s soccer, means the show is almost certain to build on its existing LGBTQ+ representation.
