It’s the first of May, a beautiful day in which we might want to say, what’s gonna be gay on our teevees today? Well I have that information for you in what is a surprisingly robust slate of television shows and cinema films available streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Peacock and Paramount+Showtime.
Also BIG NEWS which’s that we’re debuting some brand new newsletters this month for AF+ members including one about TV from me and one about film from Drew and if you wanna get on those lists, you can do so right here.
Netflix Will Deliver This Unto The Gays in May 2024
Beautiful Rebel (2024) // May 2nd
This Italian musical biopic covers the life and groundbreaking career of queer Italian rock star Gianna Nannini, “one of the most incisive and renowned voices of our music.” Telling her story from childhood into the roots of her life and consecration, Beautiful Rebel promises to “takes the audience on a journey into the life and creative mind of a woman capable of shaping emotions with poetry and music.”
Lola (2024) // May 2nd
Nicola Peltz Beckham’s directorial debut is set in the Los Angeles suburbs and stars Nicola Peltz Beckham as Lola James, a 19-year-old struggling to earn the money necessary to get her gender-nonconforming younger sibling, Arlo (Luke David Blumm), out of the home they share with her alcoholic and super-religious mother.
Bodkin: Limited Series // May 9
A crew of podcasters are investigating a murder in a small Irish town in this darkly comedic thriller in which “our heroes try to discern fact from fiction – about the case, about their colleagues, and, most painfully, themselves.” Siobhán Cullen is Dove, a lesbian “hard nosed investigative journalist” who is very skeptical of everybody and also authority and hypocrisy. She’s been thrown onto this podcast project against her will after tragic fallout to a story she’d covered as a journalist.
A Simple Favor (2018) // May 19
Classic bisexual film A Simple Favor stars Blake Lively as a charismatic and intriguing hottie who wears 17-piece suits and Anna Kendrick is a mommy blogger who’s kid befriends Blake’s kid but then Blake goes missing and it’s pretty wild, I highly recommend!
HBO Max’s LGBTQ+ TV and Movies For May 2024
Hacks: Season Three Premiere // May 2
Season Three begins with Deborah Vance as “a newly world-beating comedian operating solo” and Ava staffed on a “Last Week Tonight”-esque late-night comedy show, but of course they will be brought back together again as Deborah’s career takes off and she finally has the opportunity to do her own late-night show again. According to Variety, Season Three finds Ava “alternately acting as mastermind, cheerleader and occasional best frenemy,” a position that “gives this season its crackle and verve, and brings new life into a show that’s been off the air for two years.” Also Christina Hendricks is mounting her in the trailer? We’ll also be getting more of deeply beloved queer actor Megan Stalter!
Pretty Little Liars Summer School: Season 2 Premiere // May 9
The girls from Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin are back and this time they’re headed to summer school, but there’s a new villain in town who might have a connection to A and will put all of their relationships with each other to the test. Queer character Mouse is returning, as is her trans boyfriend Ash, and in the trailer we’ve also got Noa kissing a new character Jen (queer actor Ava Capri), her former “juvie cell mate” who returns to school and “draws Noa into messy drama.” (You may recognize Capri from her queer storyline in Love, Victor.)
Thirst With Shay Mitchell: Season One // May 23rd
Queer actor Shay Mitchell is “exploring the world one drink at a time” as she visits exciting locations, samples unique ingredients, encountering new drink trends, the best bars and 8,000 years of sipping history.
Hulu’s LGBTQ+ May 2024
Jeopardy! Masters: Season Two Premiere // May 2
Debuting on May 1st on ABC, Jeopardy! Masters will feature the six highest-ranking current Jeopardy! contestants competing across ten episodes.This will include non-binary Canadian competitor Mattea Roach and the legendary trans lesbian contestant Amy Schneider.
Prom Dates (2024) // May 3
Best friends Jess and Hannah (queer actor Julia Lester) want to have the perfect senior prom because of a pact they made 13 years ago, which’s a bit silly but ok! 24 hours prior to the big event, their plans fall apart when both girls break up with their dates — Hannah doing so because she is in fact gay — and they’ve got a small window in which to find new dates. And now she’s got her eye on a hottie played by Terry Hu.
Black Twitter: A People’s History: Complete Docuseries // May 9
Based on Jason Parham’s WIRED article “A People’s History of Black Twitter,” this docuseries looks at the rise, the movements, the memes, the jokes and the voices that turned Black Twitter into “an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.” Talking heads include Jenna Wortham, Raquel Willis and Roxane Gay.
Eileen (2023) // May 10
I will be honest I hated this movie but your mileage may vary! It’s more homoerotic than explicitly gay, set in 1960s Massachusetts and following the relationship between two women working in a juvenile detention facility. Eileen is a depressed oddball living with her terrible father ostracized by her peers. She becomes enchanted by a new psychologist, Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway), who joins the prison staff.
Paramount+ Showtime’s LGBTQ+ TV
The Chi: Season 6B Premiere // May 10
In September, Natalie declared Season Six of The Chi “better and gayer” than previous seasons, which we hope will to continue when Brittany, Nina and Dre return when the second batch of Season Six episodes drop in May.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars: Season 9 // May 17
Eight returning queens will be competing not only for their own prize money but also for a $200k gift to a charity of their choice. The queens duking it out for top prize are Angeria Paris VanMicheals, Gottmik, Jorgeous, Nina West, Plastique Tiara, Roxxxy Andrews, Shannel and Vanessa Vanjie.
Prime Video’s Queer TV and Cinema
Outer Range: Season 2 // May 16
In Season Two, the Abbotts begin their search for Amy, who disappeared in last season’s finale, and leaning into its supernatural elements. While keeping things as unclear as possible, Prime Video has promised: “Building on Season 1’s thoughtfully laid foundation that set the central mystery in motion, comes an invigorating sophomore season full of payoffs, grounded twists, and liberated character journeys.” Tamara Podemski plays lesbian character Deputy Sheriff Joy Hawk.
Bombshell (2019)
Kate McKinnon plays a lesbian reporter stuck working at Fox News when a new staffer decides it’s time to fight back against CEO Roger Ailes’s rampant sexual harassment of the channel’s talent.
Outlaws: Season 3 // May 31
The Outlaws attempt to move on with their lives while crime boss The Dean awaits trial, but then one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger! Yikes! They’ve gotta prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses and he comes out looking for revenge. Eleanor Tomlinson returns as lesbian influencer Gabrielle Penrose-Howe.
Peacock’s Queer Show
We Are Lady Parts: Season 2 // May 30
It has been a minute since we last had the gift of spending time with this series about an all-female Muslim punk band with a queer drummer. Natalie wrote that Season One has storylines that “fill an often undervalued aspect of representation: offering a reminder that inside each of us, is all of us.” showrunner Nida Manzoor promises a “bolder, sillier, darker and deeper” season two that’ll explore the interior lives of each of the women in more depth.
Apple TV+
Acapulco: Season 3 Premiere // May 1
This charming bilingual comedy hasn’t ever gotten the appreciation it deserves. As Season Three begins, the present-tense narrative finds Maximo returning to a Las Colinas he no longer recognizes. In the 1985 story, young Maximo is still climbing the ladder of success while potentially jeopardizing his relationships. What is important of course to all of us here is that his sister, Sara Gallardo Ramos, is a lesbian, and has a pretty prominent role in the series!
SO ready for We Are Lady Parts! Literally going to switch from registered non-user to paying the license fee for this (UK over here)
BBC take note!
BBC ARE YOU LISTENING
Very excited for the return of Hacks and We Are Lady Parts!
UK viewers might be interested to know I Kissed a Girl starts on 5 May on BBC Three and iPLayer (not sure if/when it will be available outside of the UK). I’m not big into reality dating shows – the queer series of The Ultimatum is the only one I’ve watched – but I saw this billed as ‘the UK’s first dating show for girls who like girls’ and that’s enough for me to give it a try.
ooooh yeah i have seen little rumblings about that show, we will look into it!
Jurassic World Chaos Theory and I Kissed A Girl should have been on the list.
And as usual, Netflix has nothing special. I am still waiting for a new series from Netflix that will not be canceled :D
But strangely, even though there are so many series in this month, none of them can really be labeled as lesbian romance
For example, Hacks is the story of a one-sided love :D
Outlaws has only one lesbian character and that’s it :)
The only queer main character in the first season of Pretty Little Liars is in a heterosexual relationship (although it would be better if they developed this relationship since the two actors are also in a relationship in real life).
Outer Range is the only series that has a lesbian couple, but they are rarely discussed, and I haven’t seen the rest of the series.
I just hope Jurassic World Chaos Theory sequel Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous doesn’t get cancelled :)
I hadn’t heard about Jurassic World Chaos Theory, but loved Camp Cretaceous, so will definitely check it out!
Under the Bridge is on Hulu and it has Riley Keogh and Lily Gladstone getting their sexy on. Four of eight episodes have aired.
yes! it premiered in april and i’ve written about it twice and will do so again this week!
https://www.autostraddle.com/under-the-bridge-gay-lily-gladstone-riley-keough-review/
https://www.autostraddle.com/under-the-bridge-303-recap-riley-keough-and-lily-gladstone-lesbian-sex-scene/