15 underrated TV shows with amazing LGBTQ+ characters

Looking for something new to watch?

You've watched The L Wordrevival, caught up on Euphoria, marathoned every iteration of RuPaul's Drag Race available, and burned through Schitt's Creek and Modern Family at least five times. So what's next?

Fortunately, we have more to choose from when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusive TV than ever. So when you're looking for your next show to get into, check out some of these underrated gems that put LGBTQ+ characters front and center, telling our stories in unique and nuanced ways.

Vida

Vida tells the story of two sisters, Emma (Mishel Prada) and Lyn (Melissa Barrera), who could not be any different from each other. The two return to their childhood home after the death of their mother, and they learn some shocking truths about her in the wake of her death -- including her bitter feelings about Emma's sexuality, which she must learn how to deal with on her own.

Special

Special was created by Ryan O’Connell and follows a main character based loosely on himself as he navigates life with cerebral palsy. As a gay man, he decides to switch his life up and shoot for everything he’s ever wanted. Watching Ryan’s love life is witty and heartfelt across the two seasons Netflix gave us.

Supergirl

Supergirl follows the story of Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist), a superhero sent to earth from Krypton. She uses her powers to save her sister, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), which leads her into her superhero status. Across the six seasons of the show, we get to witness Alex’s coming out, as well as Nia Nal (Nicole Maines) become the first transgender superhero on TV.

Batwoman

While we’re in the DC superhero world, let’s also take a moment to talk about Batwoman. The show follows along Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) as she fights crime in Gotham City in season one after her cousin, Bruce Wayne, skips town. The second season picks up with Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) taking over and the show takes on a different ride. Both Ryan and Kate are openly queer, and character Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy) shares her own coming out story during the run.

Kevin Can F**k Himself

The first season of Kevin Can F**k Himself tells the story of an unhappy wife trying to break free of her husband’s self-centered antics. Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden), the neighbor, goes on her own journey as she gets drawn deeper and deeper into the escalating escapades of Allison (Annie Murphy), and ends up with an unexpected love interest in the form of Detective Tammy Ridgeway (Candice Coke). As the show is all about breaking free of expectations and self-destructive patterns, Patty’s hesitancy to explore new facets of herself may resonate with anyone who has come out in adulthood.

This Way Up

Aisling Bea’s hilarious and heartfelt look at depression works for so many reasons, including the juxtaposition between her chaotic character, Aine, and Aine’s sister, Shona (Sharon Horgan), who seemingly has her whole life together — including a doting boyfriend. But over the course of the first two seasons, she slips into an unexpected flirtation with Charlotte (Indira Varma), examining what it’s like to realize the life you planned for yourself might not be the one you really want.

The Other Two

This half-hour gem follows adult siblings Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) after their 13-year-old brother (Case Walker) shoots to internet stardom overnight. Cary is a struggling gay actor, and many of the show’s plots dive into the intricacies of being gay in modern-day NYC, as well as in the entertainment industry. Its nuanced and gentle approach to internalized homophobia is strangely refreshing to watch, and the entire show never shies away from bold choices.

Claws

Currently in its final season, Claws has given us a phenomenal story of female friendship with an uproarious backdrop of truly crazy plots. Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes) plays the lesbian pal of the group, but don’t let the moniker fool you. This character has some of the best plots in the series, including a relationship with detective-turned-FBI-agent Arlene Branch (Suleka Mathew) constantly complicated by the criminal dealings of Quiet Ann and her ride or die friends. Claws also features one of the best coming out scenes on television, perfect for every queer person who has ever complained that the single LGBTQ character in a group of heterosexuals is completely unrealistic.

Work in Progress

Work in Progress came back for season two this year, following “self-identified fat, queer dyke” Abby (Abby McEnany) after her painful breakup with younger (trans) boyfriend Chris (Theo Germaine) and exploring the ways in which she can’t let go of the mistakes she made with him. The whole series so far has explored a sector of queer life often left untouched by the media, and season two only dives deeper.

Julie and the Phantoms

Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms may have tragically ended after just one season, but the recent series is still worth a viewing — and the adorable queer romance is part of that. Being a ghost doesn’t stop Alex (Owen Patrick Joyner) from having a sweet meet cute with another after lifer, Willie (Booboo Stewart), and despite the show’s short run of just nine episodes, the two are given the space to explore their burgeoning romance throughout, with no ambiguity whatsoever as to what’s happening between them.

Dickinson

Another recently ended show, Dickinson rewrote the life of young poet Emily Dickinson over the course of three seasons, embracing more recent academic theories that Emily (in this case, played by Hailee Steinfeld) had a lifelong relationship with her friend and eventual sister-in-law Susan Gilbert — Sue, in this Apple+ series, played by Ella Hunt. The show has become a fan favorite among the LGBTQ community, but has still flown largely under the radar due to its home on streaming and the way the queerness evolved throughout the show rather than being a marketing point upfront.

Big Sky

It seems strange to call an NBC show produced by David E. Kelley underrated, but the trans representation in the show is so important it could not possibly be discussed enough. Non-binary actor Jesse James Keitel plays Jerrie Kennedy, a trans woman who is among those kidnapped in the events that kick off season one’s mystery. Jerrie quickly became an integral part of the show, and her identity is relevant when it’s relevant but isn’t what defines her character or the stories she is given. The show has also made a point to weave in casually queer characters here and there, which we hope continues as the series continues.

Q-Force

Q-Force combines two things the LGBTQ+ community is desperate for on TV — characters that just happen to be queer in a plot that revolves around something else, and a reality check that friend groups aren’t usually made up of a bunch of straight people and a single gay person. The animated spy series features voice acting by Sean Hayes, Wanda Sykes, and Laurie Metcalf, and actually flips the script on the traditional “token gay” character, instead following these super-spies as they bring one new straight guy into their midst, and the hilarity that ensues.

The Girl in the Woods

Peacock’s fare is still flying under the radar, but they’ve given us a few interesting shows so far. The Girl in the Woods, starring Stefanie Scott as Carrie, a girl who escapes from a mysterious colony in the woods from her post guarding a secret door to another world, casually reveals its protagonist’s queerness through flashbacks. It also features Freaky’s Misha Osherovich as a teen figuring out their gender identity and how that intertwines, or doesn’t, with sexuality.

With Love

The latest offering from One Day at a Time’s Gloria Calderón Kellett just dropped its five episode season one on Amazon Prime, following siblings Lily (Emeraude Toubia) and Jorge Diaz (Mark Indelicato) as they juggle dealing with their close-knit family and searching for love over the course of five different holidays. With still so few LGBTQ+ romcoms in the world, this show is a sweet glimpse into what we’ve been missing in our own holiday viewing rotations. Whether we’ll get more with a second season remains to be seen, but we can certainly dream.