Pride Month is a time for reflection, celebration, and acknowledgement of the progress made in advancing LGTBIQ+ rights, as well as the challenges that still remain. Television has become a vital space for sharing diverse and authentic stories, giving visibility to LGTBIQ+ identities, relationships, and experiences. These shows do more than entertain; they spark conversations, challenge prejudices, and build bridges of understanding. In this article, I’ll share five exceptional LGTBIQ+ series that are worth your time—not just during Pride Month, but any time of the year.

It's a sin (2021, UK)

This series, created by Russell T Davies—the mind behind Queer as Folk, often regarded as one of the first gay series—depicts the daily lives of five friends who move to 1980s London to escape various personal challenges. During a time when being gay was incredibly challenging, they came together as a chosen family while navigating the onset of the AIDS pandemic and its impact on each member. The little-known disease and its enduring stigma play a central role in this poignant and unflinching story, addressing the health crises in a very real way. Family rejection, prejudice, abuse, and homophobia permeate the five episodes, but there is also room for pride, activism, and hope.

Fellow travellers (2023, US)

Based on a book written by Thomas Mallon, this compelling political thriller explores the clandestine romance between political operative Hawk and young Tim, two men that come across each other in Washington during the McCarthy era and develop a secret love story throughout several decades. The plot focuses on the 1950s persecution of homosexuals during the Lavender Scare, when homosexuality was falsely linked to communism. Both characters experience this firsthand, as their work in the White House connects them to one of its key drivers: Senator Joseph McCarthy. They have to keep their secrets safe, living a double life while dealing with suffering and shame. The political backdrop alone makes this show compelling, and the LGTBIQ+ narrative elevates it to another level.

Black Mirror: San Junipero (2021, UK)

This episode of Black Mirror, which could be considered a short movie itself, shows the love story between Yokie and Kelly in a dream coastal town in California: San Junipero, a place in which you can enter and escape just by pushing a button. Both women, nearing the end of their lives—lives lived in starkly different ways—use San Junipero as a chance to stay young and experience what they missed in the real world. The production invites reflection on happiness and its fragility, the importance of making the most of life, and the fear of ageing, loneliness, and accepting death. Heaven is a place on earth is the soundtrack of the last scene. I do not know if it is true, but San Junipero is an actual heaven. The thing is, is it worth visiting it?

Hollywood (2020, US)

In the golden age of American Cinema, a group of actors, actresses and writers chase their big dreams to become stars and change the history of cinema in a context that is not easy at all for them due to their sexual orientation and/or racial issues. In this fiction—based on some real people and events—one can follow the early careers of Jack, Camille, Archie, and Rock, the injustices and prejudices they have to face, the role of power in their personal and professional relationships, and discover which is their ethical threshold is—if they have any—to get what they want. While some critics may view it as unrealistic or overly idealistic, I found it thoroughly entertaining.

The boyfriend (2024, Japan)

Unlike any other recommendation on this list, The Boyfriend is Japan’s first-ever same-sex reality dating show—a groundbreaking achievement in a country where public representation of homosexuality remains limited. It stands apart from any dating show seen before. Over eight episodes, the series follows nine young gay men living together for a month as they seek love and form lasting connections. Meanwhile, a panel of Japanese celebrities provides humorous live commentary from a TV studio, adding an entertaining layer to the show. Though I’m not typically drawn to dating shows, the authenticity of this one captivated me. Coexistence, love and rejection, responsibilities, and working together to raise money and much more are faced by the youth group. The show highlights cultural differences, such as the lack of physical affection among participants and the taboo nature of discussing sex, which may surprise viewers.

Representation matters, and these series remind us of the transformative power of storytelling. Whether they focus on love, struggle, activism, or the quest for acceptance, each of these shows adds depth and nuance to the portrayal of LGTBIQ+ lives. Watching them is not just an act of entertainment but also an opportunity to reflect, empathize, and learn. So, as Pride Month unfolds, take a moment to explore these remarkable stories.