You know what they say — April flowers bring May television shows with lesbian, bisexual and queer women and/or trans characters. But do they? Well, in May of 2025 I would actually say, “yeah, actually, they kinda do.” There’s a lot to be stoked about this month, so let’s get into it!
Netflix’s May 2025 Stuff For Girls & Gays
Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
Bet: Season One // May 15
Netflix’s live-action (and English-language) adaptation of the manga series Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler finds a new student Yumeko at a gambling-focused elite boarding school full of evil children, intent on carrying out a secret mission. There’s a lot of homoeroticism in the series, as well as two main characters, RiRi and Mary, who are queer.
Big Mouth: Season 8 // May 23
In its final season, this queer-inclusive animated series will see its kids “step into the harrowing unknown of the future, made less afraid of what’s to come because they have each other.” Queer actor Cynthia Erivo joins the voice cast playing the role of “Missy’s Vagina.” Ayo Edebiri plays Missy. SO that will be neat!
Prime Video’s May 2025 LGBTQ+ Movies and Television
(L to R): Detective Summerville (Bashir Salahuddin), Vicky (Alex Newell), Darren (Andrew Rannells), Sona (Aparna Nancherla) and Stacey (Kelly McCormack) in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.
Another Simple Favor (2025) // May 1
This hotly anticipated sequel to the homoerotic and also literally queer Anna Kendrick / Blake Lively joy ride has garnered mostly mid reviews, and does not seem to share the sapphic tension of the original, which’s one of my favorite lesbian movies of all time. Alex Newell plays Vicky, Stephanie’s agent.
Overcompensating: Season One // May 15
The cast of this show — centered on a gay former football player (Benito Skinner aka Benny Drama) making his closeted way through his first year of college — is BANANAS, it’s like a laundry list of people who’ve made you laugh on TikTok. Obviously the story is mostly focused on gay men and straight women, but there’s some queer girl rep, too, like a minor lesbian character played by comedian Julia Shiplett and Desiree Akhvan directing in an episode in which she also makes a brief guest spot. It’s such a fun show with fantastic guest stars — truly a ray of joy we as a community deeply deserve.
The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy: Season Two // May 26
Valerie adored the first season of this animated series that had “Keke Palmer playing a queer, anxious surgeon and Stephanie Hsu playing her rule-breaking best friend.” In the second season the intergalactic besties will be continuing to solve medical mysteries across the universe, while finally unraveling the mystery of the doctor’s origins. The voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, John Waters and Bowen Yang.
Hulu’s May 2025 LGBTQ+ TV
Nine Perfect Strangers: Season Two Premiere // May 21
Based on a Lianne Morarity novel, season one saw Nicole Kidman as the unhinged wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko, running an elite wellness retreat in which sketchy things took place. (Also she did briefly kiss a girl, which was exciting to MEE personally.) The second season, spun from whole cloth rather than a second book, features nine new strangers, “chosen under bizarre circumstances for a healing retreat” in the Austrian Alps, at which she will be taking them TO THE BRINK. King Princess will be making her acting debut in the series, playing a queer character alongside fellow queer actress Maise Richardson-Sellers.
Keeping my eye on: Adults (FX, May 28), a new comedy from a really killer team. Seems like somebody has to be gay in there somewhere right?
HBO Max’s May 2025 Queer TV
Ready Player One (2018)
Lena Waithe plays a lesbian in this dystopian novel focused on a teenage orphan who, like most humans in this particular hellscape, spends most of his time in virtual reality simulation OASIS, playing with his friends as video game avatars. Waithe is one of his friends, playing as Aech, with whom he teams up to win a contest with a life-changing prize.
And Just Like That…: Season Three Premiere // May 29
Carrie Bradshaw promises us a new and unexpected New York City summer in a trailer which also sees Miranda flirting with a girl wearing a vest in a bar and doing some on-air journalism while telling Carrie “I really like her, but it’s a work contact” and also sitting in bed with a woman who has bangs. As you may have heard, Sara Ramirez will not be returning to reprise their role as Comedy Concerto Che Diaz. One thing is for sure: everybody will be wearing outfits that really don’t hold back.
Peacock’s LGBTQ+ May 2025
(Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/PEACOCK)
Poker Face: Season Two Premiere // May 8
This delightful mystery-of-the-week series is finally back, starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, human lie detector. There are of course a plethora of delightful guest stars, including queer actors Cynthia Erivo, Awkwafina, Alia Shawkat, Patti Harrison, Sherry Cola and Taylor Schilling. There’s some subtly queer characters throughout the series, and the ninth episode is legit gay — Lauren Tom plays a grandmother with valuable rent-controlled apartment she hopes to pass on to her granddaughter (Awkwafina), but then she gets a girlfriend (Alia Shawkat) and everything is thrown into DISSARAY!
Keeping my eye on: There might be a queer contestant in new geo-guessing competition reality show Destination X (May 27).
Apple TV+ May 2025 Queer TV and Film
Murderbot: Season One Premiere // May 16
Adapted from the novels by Martha Wells, this wry, comedic sci-fi series stars Alexander Skarsgård as a nonbinary asexual aromantic introverted cyborg programmed to provide lethal security to a corporate owner who hacked itself out of that destiny and now would mostly like to be left alone to watch streaming television. I can relate to it a lot. Murderbot is hired to work with a planetary commune that includes non-binary comic Sabrina Wu as lawyer Pin-Lee, who’s in an open marriage with biologist Arada. Everybody is poly and super-weird.
Lulu is a Rhinoceros (2025) // May 30
This animated family musical special is based on Jason and Allison Flom’s children’s book of the same name which is about a dog who thinks he is a rhinoceros WINK WINK. Auli’i Cravalho and Alex Newell are part of the voice cast.
Paramount+ Showtime’s May 2025 Gay TV & Cinema
Criminal Minds: Evolution: Season 18 Premiere // May 8
Nicole Pacent will be returning as DOJ Prosecutor Rebecca, who has had a lovely romance with Aisha Tyler’s character, Tara Lewis, which made them the first series regulars in a long-term relationship on this franchise. Queer actress Kristin Vagness stars as delightful computer nerd Garcia.
SkyMed: Season 3 Premiere // May 15
This Canadian medical drama’s second season was chock-full of queer women characters, including many who are returning; flight nurse Sydney Kuhne, ambitious pilot Lexi (Mercedes Morris) and First Nations flight nurse Crystal (Morgan Holmstrom).
The Chi: Season 7 Premiere // May 16
Lena Waithe’s hit series set on the south side of Chicago will see Alicia at the helm as all the women of The Chi rise up to reclaim their power. Sadly, our lesbians Dre and Nina will not be there to participate in this uprising, but L’lerrét Jazelle’s trans character Fatima will be.
Couples Therapy // Season 4B Premiere // May 23
My favorite method of receiving couples therapy, Couple’s Therapy on Showtime, is returning for the second half of Season 4. It doesn’t look like there are any lesbian couples this season… but there is Orna! Just saying
Minor correction: Jenny Slate stopped voicing Missy on Big Mouth several seasons ago (to stop playing a Black character). She’s now played by Ayo Edebiri—even more fun in combo w Cynthia Erivo!!!
oooo amazing and thank u for the correction!