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Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Series

From cult classic “Queer as Folk,” through the iconic, female-fronted “The L Word,” to “Orange Is the New Black” and its stellar and incredibly diverse cast, these are some of the shows that dared to challenge heteronormativity in the mainstream media and paved the way to the LGBTQ+ representation that is thankfully becoming the norm today. With their original portrayal of characters all along the LGBTQ+ spectrum, these shows helped so many people finally feel seen.

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  • TheTVDB.com List ID 8097
  • Created By Equinox
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  • Created June 7, 2021 by
    Equinox admin
  • Modified June 1, 2022 by
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My So-Called Life

1994

"My So-Called Life" is a realistic mid-nineties teen drama series that takes a look at a 15 year-old girl and her trials and tribulations with being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents and school.

Will & Grace

1998

In the original eight-season run of this groundbreaking sitcom, best friends Will, a meticulous corporate lawyer, and Grace, a neurotic interior decorator, share a New York apartment after Grace leaves her fiancé at the altar. Will and Grace, along with their pals Karen, an outspoken socialite, and Jack, a free-spirited actor, face the highs and lows of life in Manhattan together. From sex, dating and divorce to cutting cultural commentary, nothing's off limits! Then, 11 years later, the foursome reunites with their razor-sharp jabs, super-hot takes and of course, very dirty martinis.

Queer as Folk (US)

2000

Brash humor and genuine emotion make up this original series revolving around the lives, loves, ambitions, careers and friendships of a group of gay men and women living on Liberty Avenue in contemporary Pittsburgh, PA.

The L Word

2004

The series tells the intimate story about the lives and loves of a group of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles. Mostly centering on Jenny, a recent graduate of the University of Chicago, who moves to L.A. to live with her boyfriend Tim and begin a professional writing career. Jenny's life is turned upside down when she attends a party hosted by Tim's neighbors, Bette and Tina, a lesbian couple who are looking to take the step into parenthood after seven years of dating. A brief encounter at the party suddenly has Jenny thrust into the local lesbian community and a whole new world she never understood until she questions her own sexual orientation.

Noah's Arc

2005

Noah's Arc follows the lives of four African-American men in Los Angeles. Noah, the protagonist of the series, is a struggling screenwriter who falls for Wade, a fellow screenwriter who is questioning his sexuality. Outspoken HIV counselor Alex has some self-confidence issues and is struggling to hold onto his sexy anesthesiologist boyfriend, Trey. Ricky is the promiscuous owner of a clothing store on Melrose Avenue. Economics professor Chance struggles to maintain his sanity after moving in with his boyfriend Eddie and Eddie's daughter, Kenya.

SouthLAnd

2009

Rookies learn the ropes. Veterans burn out. Detectives take their work personally. Partners take their addictions too far. Relationships fall apart. Blood spatter patterns provide clues. With fast-moving action filmed on gangland streets and in pricey cul-de-sacs, the series tells personal stories of men and women on both sides of the badge as they struggle to make a difference or simply survive.

Glee

2009

In the face of much criticism, an optimistic high school teacher challenges a group of outcasts to realize their potential in the school's glee club.

Modern Family

2009

This mockumentary explores the many different types of a modern family through the stories of a gay couple, comprised of Mitchell and Cameron, and their daughter Lily, a straight couple, comprised of Phil and Claire, and their three kids, Haley, Alex, and Luke, and a multi-ethnic couple, which is comprised of Jay and Gloria, and her son Manny.

Shameless (US)

2011

Chicagoan Frank Gallagher is the proud single dad of six smart, industrious, independent kids, who without him would be... frankly, perhaps better off. When Frank's not at the bar spending what little money they have, he's passed out on the floor. But the kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him. They may not be like any family you know, but they make no apologies for being exactly who they are.

Hunting Season

2012

'Hunting Season' is a new series based on the funny and painfully truthful blog of 'Alex', a single gay 20-something in Manhattan, a smart and successful blogger at Gawker by day, who turns the spotlight on himself and his friends and starts anonymously writing about his social life. Based on the wildly popular blog, The Great Cock Hunt, and the novel of the same title published by Kensington Books.

EastSiders

2012

Cal turns to his friends for help through a hilariously dark time when he discovers that his partner Thom's been cheating on him.

Please Like Me

2013

After breaking up with his girlfriend, Josh comes to the realization that he is homosexual. With the support of his now ex girlfriend Claire, and his best friend and house mate Tom, Josh must help his mother with her battle with depression and the rest of his family embrace his new found orientation.

Orange Is the New Black

2013

Piper Chapman is a public relations executive with a career and a fiance when her past suddenly catches up to her. In her mid-30s she is sentenced to spend time in a minimum-security women's prison in Connecticut for her association with a drug runner 10 years earlier. Forced to trade power suits for prison orange, Chapman makes her way through the corrections system and adjusts to life behind bars, making friends with the many eccentric, unusual and unexpected people she meets.

Looking

2014

The series revolves around three friends in San Francisco who explore the fun and sometimes overwhelming options available to a new generation of gay men.

Transparent

2014

Mort gathers his three adult kids – Ali, Sarah and Joshua – for a talk about the future, but everyone is shocked to learn that it’s not a financial inheritance at stake, but rather the complex legacy of a secret life as a trans woman. Everyone’s relationship – to the world, themselves, each other, through the lens of boundaries, intimacy, sex and gender – is about to change.

Banana

2015

Celebrates love without labels. Join 8 different couples on their journey of love, heartbreak, sex and drama.

Cucumber

2015

Original drama series from Russell T Davies exploring the passions and pitfalls of 21st century gay life, beginning with the most disastrous date night in history

Sense8

2015

A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.