It’s a new dawn, it’s a new year, it’s a new year and there are a handful of new shows out there that we could be watching if we want to see some lesbian, bisexual and/or queer women characters. Also everybody is returning to the various hospital programs and maybe this season a girl on The Pitt will say “I am gay,” or something similar. We can dream! Have you seen Heated Rivalry? Or any of the best shows of 2025? Something to think about.

Brilliant Minds (ABC) – Season Two returns January 5 
The central character of Brilliant Minds, played by gay actor Zachary Quinto, is a gay super-smart neurologist who takes an unconventional approach to medicine. Bravely breaking the “there can only be one” trope, queer actress Aury Krebs plays Dana Dang, a lesbian neurologist on his team and her girlfriend is played by Mishel Prada of Vida.

The Ms. Pat Show // January 7 // BET+ // Season Five Premiere
Season 5 of this multi-generational sitcom about a former drug dealer turned suburban Mom (with a lesbian daughter!) promises to be the “wildest, most uproarious season yet” and Raven-Symoné will be guest starring.

9-1-1 (Fox) – Season Nine returns January 8 
Hen continues to quietly battle her mysterious health issues when the embattled 118 returns to your primetime schedule.

9-1-1: Nashville (Fox) – Season One returns January 8
The latest new installment in the 9-1-1 universe includes a lesbian lead paramedic / in-house physician, Roxie Alba (Juani Feliz).

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – Season 22 returns January 8 
While fans remain feeling betrayed over the fate of Dr. Beltran (Natalie Morales), Sophia Bush has been making the rounds in Season 22, with her character and Teddy actually starting to kinda date each other. So there’s that then.

The Traitors // Season 4 Premiere // January 8 // Peacock 
Season 3 of Traitors was a f*cking delight, and we’re all understandably a bit wary that Michael Rapaport was invited into the house for Season 4. Hopefully he won’t ruin it and they’ll get him out of the house quickly because there’s a lot to look forward to — Top Chef legend Kristen Kish, Real Housewives of Potomac‘s recently-out-as-bisexual cast member Porsha Williams (who was previously not very queer-friendly!) and Drag Race star Monét X Change will also be in the cast.

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Tell Me Lies // Season 3 Premiere // January 13 // Hulu
Unfortunately Lucy and Stephen will be reconciling for their spring semester at Baird. Our present-tense queer couple Pippa and Diana are returning for the drama, and in the past-tense timeline, Pippa’s getting back together with Wrigley and Diana’s not sure why she’s doing that.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy // Season One Premiere // January 15 // Paramount+
Set in the 32nd century, after the cataclysmic event depicted in Star Trek: Discovery, this new entry into the Star Trek franchise follows the first new class of Starfleet cadets as they grow and change and learn. Tig Notaro plays her Discovery character Jett Reno, USS Discovery engineer.

Bridgerton // Season 4 // January 29 // Netflix
(spoiler alert for those unfamiliar with the books!) Bridgerton fans were shocked at the end of last season to discover Michael Stirling, John’s cousin who eventually grows close to Francesca in his absence, had been gender-swapped for the show, which means a sapphic storyline is afoot. There’s no sign of it in the first look at Season 4, but Masali Baduza has been confirmed as part of the season, and would they really do all that hullabaloo for nothing? I certainly hope not!

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