Tv shows with gay female characters
55 Best Lesbian Shows That Put Gender non-conforming Characters Front and Center
The L Word
When The L Word premiered in 2004, it was groundbreaking television because it finally dared to put lesbian stories at the forefront. The leads were queer women who had full, sexual lives. (No execute your gays here!) Since then, the show has been criticized for its lack of diversity, but the reality remains that it ushered in a new era of queer television.
About a decade after the original display ended, Showtime launched The L Word: Generation Q, a revival that attempted to right the original’s wrongs by featuring a more diverse group of leads and stories, while also catching up with the characters original fans know and love.
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Orange is the New Black
Netflix’s first hit original series was also one of the streamer’s most groundbreaking. Based on the manual by Piper Kerman, Orange is the New Black kicks off when Piper (Taylor Schilling) is sentenced to jail time for a crime committed years earlier with an old girlfriend—much to the shock of her current male fiancé. The dramedy follows Piper as she finds her way amidst her fellow inmates and reconnects with her old flame. The
Lesbians are still few and far between on television. And while the diversity of queer, female experiences is far from creature comprehensively captured on TV screens, there are a handful of great womxn loving womxn shows—even more so in recent years—pushing representation forward. Though once a unique televised species, lady-loving ladies now lead sitcoms, teen comedies, family dramas, cop procedurals, reality series, period pieces, and more genres.
Could there more lesbians on TV? Of course! But now there is a (limited, but decent) plethora of binge-worthy shows that depict great representation of lesbian and bisexual women, plus mythically trendy woman-loving woman bars that leave real-life sapphics salivating.
Queer content, of course, isn’t just for queer people. Embracing fully developed, complicated, lovable (and sometimes unlikable) queer characters is also an essential part of being an ally. When there are still so few Homosexual characters on TV, sometimes we have to pursue out queer media (including books and movies, too).
You may likeThankfully for all of us, a wide range of great lesbian-led TV shows streaming right now. Below, find the best queer woman TV shows and series with b
Autostraddle is the expert on queer TV shows with characters who are lesbians, bisexual women, and/or transgender. We have all the latest news, trailers and exclusive scoops on the best queer TV shows to watch, stream and savor: a library of queer TV reviews, our streaming guides for the best Queer TV on Apple TV, Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and HBO Max; and tv recaps of shows like The Ultimatum, The L Word: Generation Q, and Yellowjackets.
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Last updated: July 17, 2025
Characters on television are more diverse than ever, and there's been a notable rise in the number of gay, lesbian, bisexual person, and transgender characters, reality stars, and talk show hosts. Series that highlight diverse characters (Glee, The Fosters) as well as real-life inspirations and Queer icons such as Laverne Cox and RuPaul continue to pave the way for even more representation on television. From the hilarious shenanigans on Modern Family to Ellen DeGeneres reminding viewers to "be gentle to one another," these must-see TV shows (and stars) celebrate diversity and highlight the Homosexual community in positive, relatable ways. For more great Gay stories, check out our lists of books and movies with LGBTQ+ characters.
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TV has been instrumental in the LGBTQ+ rights movement and in changing attitudes towards the community. It has also, perhaps most importantly, been a platform to tell stories that have made gay, womxn loving womxn, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and more people undergo less alone in the world – to understand there is a giant and varied community to which they belong. One pioneering show at a time, groundbreaking character by groundbreaking character, TV and streaming series have given the world an understanding into the LGBTQ+ encounter, and provided LGBTQ+ people with reflections of their own lives – stories to laugh along with, to cry with, and to identify with. In this list of Homosexual TV shows, we showcase 180 shows that contain broken ground, enlightened, and entertained.
We’ve arranged the list into four categories: shows that were big TV firsts, or featured TV firsts; shows that center on LGTBQ characters or experiences; shows that main attraction LGBTQ+ characters and stories, but where that isn’t necessarily t