Since the late ‘90s, there’s been a notable rise in LGBTQ-themed shows and storytelling on TV, especially thanks to early, groundbreaking programs like Will & Grace (1998), Queer as Folk (2000), Six Feet Under (2001), The L Word (2004) as well as various installments of The Tales of the City miniseries. And as the landscape has become more inclusive, especially thanks to the rise in streaming platforms and growing acceptance of the LGBTQ community, there’s been an explosion of queer shows, with each new one more authentic than the last.
Over the past decade in particular, audiences have watched Cam and Mitchell get legally married on Modern Family, Santana come out to the powerful rendition of “Rumor Has It/Someone Like You” on Glee, a new generation of teens — unashamed of their sexuality — behaving badly on shows like Elite and Euphoria, the rise of trans visibility thanks to Orange Is the New Black and Pose, and Ryan Murphy reimagine what would have happened if Hollywood was more accepting of the queer community in the Golden Era.
In celebration of Pride Month and the continued rise of LGBTQ visibility and inclusion on TV, here’s some of the best, most notable and groundbreaking scripted TV series of the past 10 years.
9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox)
Co-created by Ryan Murphy, this GLAAD Media Award-winning procedural about fire, police, and ambulance services in Austin, Texas, has become one of the most progressive primetime series on network TV thanks to its openly LGBTQ cast and characters: Brian Michael Smith as Paul Strickland, Rafael Silva as Carlos Reyes and Ronen Rubinstein as TK Strand.
