From Doctor Who and Star Trek to Buffy and Wynonna Earp, sci-fi has been one of the more consistent places we, as queer people, have been able to find ourselves on TV over the past few decades. People who write sci-fi and fantasy tend to connect with the “outsider” themes and therefore often include more minority groups (also I imagine it’s a little easier to pitch “also there are lesbians” when you’ve already been approved for “a woman sees herself jump in front of a train and then realizes she’s a human clone.”) And as the world outside looks more and more like the post-apocalyptic hellscape often found in shows like the ones on this list, seeing ourselves in the stories we look to for a bit of escapism is more important than ever.

While there have been countless popular sci-fi and fantasy shows over the years, I have found 184 shows that have featured LGBTQ+ characters and put them through a gauntlet of sorts to narrow them down to the Top 100, the best of the best, the shows where the quality of the show and quality of the representation were quantified to see who ended up on top. This is our third time updating this list, as it was created in 2020, and updated again in 2022.

This was no easy feat, and honestly some great shows didn’t make the cut. While most of the shows that landed below the line probably would come as no surprise (like The Exorcist), some hurt my feelings (Timeless would be in my own personal top 50, but it was all the way down in spot 118), and some were more surprising. Probably the biggest surprise is that while Warrior Nun was on the 2022 version of this list, it ended up getting bumped this year, simply not having the numbers to compete with all the new blood in the competition.

One thing I love about lists like this that we do at Autostraddle is that it is very uniquely ours. Any other Top 100 sci-fi list would have The Walking Dead much higher than it landed here, but on this list, you get points docked for buried gays, so #81 it is. The votes of my fellow members of the Autostraddle TV Team weigh heavily on the outcome, so if you couldn’t please enough queer TV critics, it is what it is.

I have an overly complicated ranking system, and a very intense, annotated spreadsheet (I’vebeen told that is the Capricorn in me) that helped me be sure I was putting as many FACTS into this list as I was heart. So while I used my own judgment for tiebreakers, to get a general idea of order, I awarded points as follows:

Every show got 0-3 points based on the quantity of LGBTQ+ characters, 0-3 points based on the quality of those characters’ stories, and 1 point for each of the following achievements:

• The show had a character on Carmen and Natalie‘s Top 100 Queer and Trans Women of Color Television Characters in TV History
• I could find an out queer and/or trans actor or writer with a reasonable amount of research
• The show being critically acclaimed by mainstream critics
• And the show being critically acclaimed by queerstream critics.

Also, despite the fact that sci-fi is the first type of show to claim “everyone dies” in equal amounts, I still removed one whole point for every single dead queer female or non-binary character. Because we’re not at a point yet where it doesn’t matter. The only time a dead queer person did not count against a show is if their death didn’t mean they were no longer on the show. Since it’s sci-fi/fantasy we’re talking about here, often a person would die but their ghost would hang around, or they’d die but be resurrected.

And finally, I had our TV Team here at Autostraddle give their faves a rating of 1-5, with the ability to give out fourteen 10s. Because it doesn’t matter how much representation there is on paper if actual queer people didn’t like or connect to it.

(Note: before you Ctrl + F for She-Ra or Carmilla: I didn’t include cartoons or webseries, because those would require a list of their own.)

I would like to thank Riese’s exhaustive TV database for giving me a foundation to start on, Carmen and Natalie for giving me an idea for point structure, Autostraddle TV Team members for helping me out with some of the blurbs, and sites like LezWatchTV, IMDb, and Wikipedia for being invaluable sources of information, plus any help/input from friends (and my dad) I got along the way. Also, shout out to the folks who keep fan wikis up to date, you’re the real MVPs.

One last thing: This is for fun! While based on a fuckton of reading and watching and learning, and a lifetime of experience consuming sci-fi, this is a rating system I made up! I feel like my hours of research and toiling makes for a fairly accurate list of 100, but when it comes down to it, the difference between the #15 show and the #10 show could have just been how many people on the TV Team saw it. I do HIGHLY encourage you to make your case for why your favorite show should be higher on the list in the comments; just remember that this list doesn’t actually have any bearing on anything besides our hearts, so please be kind to each other about it, okay? Sara Lance didn’t come back to life 86 times just so you can set each other on fire.

Okay, without further ado… the top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Shows featuring lesbian, bisexual, queer and/or trans characters OF ALL TIME!

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The 100 Best Lesbian+ Sci-Fi and Fantasy TV Shows of All Time

100. Torchwood (2006 – 2011)

Starring: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Naoko Mori, Indira Varma, Freema Agyeman”
Watch on Max

Torchwood managed to cling to this list by the coattails! This Doctor Who spinoff about Captain Jack Harkness takes the “everyone is queer” vibe and puts it in ink — creators of the show have confirmed that everyone of any gender on Team Torchwood is queer, and we see at least five women bring that to life on screen. And I know 2008-2011 doesn’t sound like that long ago, but in Queer TV years, it’s practically a lifetime, so this was truly a unique situation. Not all of the queer women survive, which is why it isn’t higher on this list, but whew did we enjoy the timey wimey, wibbly wobbly ride.

99. The Power (2023)

Starring: Toni Collette, Halle Bush, Auliʻi Cravalho, Daniela Vega, Adina Porter
Watch on Prime Video

The Power, starring bisexual icon Auli’i Cravalho, imagines a world where the scales are balanced and women are granted literal (electric) power in an attempt to put them on an equal playing field with the men in the world with physical and political power. All teen girls came into this power at the same time, and they can unlock the power in older generations. Suddenly women all over the world can stand up to their abusers, their tormentors, their competitors. It’s a powerful metaphor that admittedly gets a bit off the rails, but along the way we meet queer characters, like the lesbian daughter of a mob boss, queer kids in a school for runaways, and a trans nun.

98. American Horror Stories (2021 – Present)

Starring: Sierra McCormick, Aaron Tveit, Billie Lourd, Noah Cyrus, Lisa Rinna
Watch on Hulu

American Horror Stories, the AHS-themed anthology series, is hit or miss episode to episode, starting off with a bang in the form of a lesbian murderess and her ghost girlfriend. The second season features queer milkmaids in what stands out as one of the better episodes of the series.

97. Firefly (2002 – 2003)

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite
Watch on Hulu

A cult classic, this one-season Joss Whedon space cowboy show made waves long after it was over, leaving us to wonder if Inara, the spaceship’s resident sex worker and confidante, could have explored relationships with women further if the show had continued on. As it stands, she takes on female clients occasionally, seemingly by choice and not out of necessity. She also seems to have a bit of a history with Julie Cooper Nichol, but that might be me projecting.

96. Twisted Metal (2023 – present)

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Joe Seanoa, Will Arnett, Thomas Haden Church
Watch on Peacock

Loosely based on the 90s video game by the same name, this post-apocalyptic adventure follows Anthony Mackie’s charming-as-hell John Doe and bisexual goddess Stephanie Beatriz’s Quiet as they race across the country, facing many dangerous obstacles as they go. Along the way they meet characters that will be familiar to anyone who played the game but still a delight to anyone who didn’t, including queer-coded wild child Bloody Mary (played by the hilarious Chloe Fineman), and a caravan of what seems like an entire queer community, including lesbian couple Amber and Watts.

95. The Midnight Club (2022)

Starring: Iman Benson, Igby Rigney, Ruth Codd, Annarah Cymone, Adia
Watch on Netflix

The Midnight Club is arguably the least gay of the Mike Flanagan Netflix catalog, so it’s no surprise it sits in the lowest position of them all. That said, maybe it’s because his wife is bisexual icon Kate Siegel and he just carries that bi wife energy into everything he makes, maybe he’s just a stand-up guy, but so far we have yet to go unrepresented in a show he’s produced with Netflix. The Midnight Club is an amalgamation and reimagination of some classic Christopher Pike tales, centering around a group of teenagers in a facility for end-of-life care, as they all have terminal illnesses. To entertain themselves, they have a club not unlike Are You Afraid of the Dark‘s Midnight Society, where they take turns telling each other stories. Some of these stories have queer vibes, and one of the patients is the resident rich kid with a good heart that everyone suspects might be a pathological liar, Cheri, confides to the other gay resident, Spencer, that she’s gay, too, in a rare, earnest moment.

94. Dracula (2013 – 2014)

Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jessica De Gouw, Katie McGrath, Victoria Smurfit, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Buy on Prime Video

One way you can know I am not just arbitrarily making the order of this list up is because Dracula would be MUCH higher if I were. Katie McGrath is the picture of perfection as Lucy Westenra, harboring a soul-crushing love for her best friend Mina, knowing her feelings will probably never be returned. She learns to identify these feelings by way of Lady Jayne, who showed her what kissing girls is like, Cruel-Intentions-style. Technically Dracula killed Lucy, but SHE was totally down to be a vampire, and I will never, ever, ever forgive the TV gods for denying me at least one season of Vengeful Lesbian Vampire Lucy Westenra for as long as I live.

93. Vagrant Queen (2020)

Starring: Adriyan Rae, Tim Rozon, Alex McGregor, Bonnie Mbuli, Jennifer Steyn
Watch on Prime Video

This SYFY space adventure was short-lived but not lacking in queer content. The sweet and bubbly pansexual alien Amae is a foil for grumpy and serious bisexual Elida as they make their way through space with their unlikely group of friends, and luckily the slow burn paid off before the show got sucked into the black hole of cancellations.

92. Counterpart (2017 – 2019)

Starring: J. K. Simmons, Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi, Sara Serraiocco
Watch on Prime Video

This timeline-hopping thriller follows Baldwin, a soft butch assassin, who is having a time of it; she feels her life is not her own, she watches her alternative timeline self die, she struggles to connect to the women she encounters, which makes sense because the risk of betrayal is always just around the corner in a world like hers. This show blurs the line of the Bury Your Gays trope, by killing of a queer character in one dimension but not the other, but overall it is unique representation that should not go uncelebrated.

91. The Librarians (2014 – 2018)

Starring: Rebecca Romijn, Christian Kane, Lindy Booth, John Harlan Kim, John Larroquette
Buy on Prime Video

This campy, ridiculous show is like the bookish cousin of Warehouse 13 and Legends of Tomorrow. A spinoff of the movies starring Noah Wiley, the show follows a bunch of “chosen” nerds with special skills who have to save and protect magical objects. One of said nerds is Cassandra, a sweet, bubbly woman with an amazing brain, who once had a fairytale prince spell put on her, and another time had a tempting encounter with a vampire. It’s cheesy and magical fun all around.

90. Vampire Academy (2022)

Starring: Sisi Stringer, Daniela Nieves, Mia McKenna-Bruce, André Dae Kim, Anita-Joy Uwajeh
Watch on Peacock

In the latest remake of the popular book series, Vampire Academy follows vampire royalty Lissa Dragomir and her bodyguard-in-training, best friend and (supposedly platonic) soulmate Rose. While, at first glance, it might seem like Lissa and Rose are in love, it turns out they are strictly best friends. This television adaptation does give us some some queer vampires though, including Mia, who also has two vampire dads. Despite her desire for upward mobility in the social ranks, Mia ends up falling for a guard, Meredith, and learning illegal battle magic just to protect her. Very romantic.

89. I Am Not Okay With This (2020)

Starring: Sophia Lillis, Wyatt Oleff, Sofia Bryant, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong
Watch on Netflix

A story about grief at its core, I Am Not Okay with This is about a teenage girl named Sydney who finds herself at the hardest time in her life suddenly with powers that she can’t control. And of course that’s not all, on top of having powers and experiencing grief and just the general trauma of being a teenager, she is also harboring a pretty massive crush on her best friend, Dina. Unfortunately, there is only one season of this show, despite it originally being renewed for two, which was attributed to delays due to the pandemic.

88. Roswell, New Mexico (2019 – 2022)

Starring: Jeanine Mason, Nathan Dean, Michael Vlamis, Lily Cowles, Heather Hemmens
Watch on Netflix

There was a long time where I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on re: the queerness of this aliens-among-us reboot of the 90s show, but eventually they made it crystal clear that alien hottie Isobel is bisexual as heck, and the show proves that we don’t have to give some shows to the boys and some to the girls, but you can in fact have multiple main queer couples at the same time. A win for human AND alien-kind!

87. Silo (2023 – Present)

Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Rashida Jones, Common, Harriet Walter, Clare Perkins
Watch on Apple TV+

Another post-apocalyptic entry to the canon, Silo takes place in an imagined future where everyone lives underground, the outside world deemed unsafe. The titular Silo is huge, many floors deep, everyone assigned to their roles, which keeps the community functioning like the well-oiled machine that is the silo itself. But as Rebecca Furgason’s Juliette starts to learn, there may be secrets yet to unfold. She starts to uncover some of them with the help of a lesbian electrical engineer who stopped leaving her workshop altogether when her wife left her 25 years ago.

86. The Sandman (2022 – Present)

Starring: Vivienne Acheampong, Jenna Coleman, Gwendoline Christie, Briby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park
Watch on Netflix

The Sandman lives up to its name, having a dream-like and nightmarish quality depending on the episode. With a combination of throughlines and vignettes, it tells the story of Morpheus, one of seven entities called the Endless. The Endless all seem to live outside humans’ limited concept of gender and sexuality, plus there is a healthy sprinkling of queer human characters throughout, including but not limited to Doctor Who‘s Jenna Coleman. Not all of the sapphics survive, but they’re all incredibly interesting, in my humble opinion.

85. Defiance (2012 – 2015)

Starring: Julie Benz, Jaime Murray, Mia Kirshner, Jesse Rath, Anna Hopkins
Watch on Roku

Jaime Murray is someone who shows up in multiple shows on this list, but this is only one of two where she plays canon queer. (Though let’s be honest, Jaime Murray has chemistry with practically everyone like some kind of Katie McGrath.) In Defiance, she plays a quiet, obedient alien wife who has her eyes opened up to the world beyond her husband and starts to rebel in her own ways. One of which is by sleeping with Jenny Schecter the madame at the local brothel, Kenya Rosewater. This show also boasts queer alien Doc Yewll, and while Kenya goes the way of Jenny in this show, overall it’s still a fun supernatural romp.

84. Fantasy Island (2021 to 2023)

Starring: Roselyn Sánchez, Kiara Barnes, John Gabriel Rodriquez, Alexa Mansour, María Gabriela González
Watch on Tubi

Not only does Fantasy Island have a Very Special Queer Episode that is better than most lesbian romance movies I’ve ever seen, one of the main characters, Ruby, is a woman who was married to a man who was her best friend, but now that she got her fantasy of starting life over as a young woman, she is realizing she was hiding the truest part of herself; the part that loves women. So we get to see Rose explore this side of herself for the first time, occasionally with a mysterious stranger named Isla, and it truly is a magical thing to witness.

83. Caprica (2009 – 2011)

Starring: Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson, Alessandra Torresani, Polly Walker
Watch on Prime Video

This Battlestar Galactica prequel did not last very long, despite having Buffy alum Jane Espenson at the helm for the first few episodes. And yet, in its one short season, it tackles topics like technology, religion, loss, and more. Clarice Willow — who Heather Hogan once described as “a psychotic bisexual Mommi” — has many husbands and wives, but despite living in a polytheistic community, is secretly a monotheistic terrorist. She even murders one of her own wives on suspicions that proved unfounded. It’s…a lot. But! Those who loved the show LOVED it, and those who love the Battlestar Galactica franchise but didn’t love it still accept it as the weird cousin they don’t really talk about at Thanksgiving.

82. The Big Door Prize (2023 – present)

Starring: Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis, Djouliet Amara. Ally Maki, Crystal Fox
Watch on Apple TV+

One day, in a small town, a machine showed up that promised to tell people their true potential. On a little blue card, in plain ink, just a handful of words told them of their fate. Chaos ensues. The potentials are worn like titles, weaponized, lied about, you name it, and Dusty and his family are in the center of it all. In this funny, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking show, Dusty’s mother-in-law, Izzy, is the mayor and has an ex-girlfriend in town.

81. The Walking Dead (2010 – 2022)

Starring: Lauren Cohen, Danai Gurira, Merritt Wever, Eleanor Matsuura, Nadia Hilker
Watch on Netflix

This zombie apocalypse drama is a critical darling that is lower on our list than it would be a mainstream site’s because they have killed three of its five lesbians. I won’t tell you which ones, but the lesbians in question are Tara, her consecutive girlfriends Alsiha and Denise, and girlfriends Magna and Yumiko, a leader/lawyer and a badass archer respectively.

80. The Shannara Chronicles (2015 – 2017)

Starring: Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett, Vanessa Morgan
Watch on Prime Video

Shannara is a rare mix of post-apocalyptic and high fantasy, not too dissimilar from Into the Badlands in that regard, but with more elves and magic. The opening scene in this show features an elven girl named Amberle running a blindfolded race intended only for men and winning it, so I was in from the start. Then they added bisexual rover Eretria, and though they killed her ex-girlfriend, she eventually meets a literal princess played by Toni Topaz herself, Vanessa Morgan.

79. Midnight Mass (2021)

Starring: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Annabeth Gish
Watch on Netflix

Mike Flannagan is back! The time with his wife, bisexual actress Kate Siegel, as the leading lady, Erin. This dark and twisty tale is a stunning take-down of Christianity, and a thoughtful inspection of life and death, all with a supernatural twist. It could be equal parts triggering and cathartic for someone raised Christian, and overall it’s a very compelling story. The canon queer in question here is Sarah Gunning, played by Annabeth Gish, who is the local doctor and Erin’s best friend.

78. Naomi (2022)

Starring: Kaci Walfall, Cranston Johnson, Alexander Wraith, Mary-Charles Jones, Camila Moreno
Watch on Max

Everything’s seemingly idyllic for Naomi McDuffie in Port Oswego until it isn’t. She’s got two loving and supportive, adoptive parents, a true “ride or die” best friend, and friends that are down for whatever. But then Superman appears and does battle with an enemy above the town square and it’s clear: everything Naomi thought she knew was in doubt. Naomi discovers that superheroes and aliens exist, beyond the pages of the comic books she covets, and — to her great dismay — she could be one of them. An adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, Naomi is brought to the small screen by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship. The adaptation expands Naomi’s world to include Lourdes, the queer owner of the local comic book shop, who wants to be more than just friends with Naomi. But even the show’s A-list creator and lush visuals couldn’t save Naomi from the CW’s Red Wedding and it was canceled after just one season. —Natalie

77. Heroes (2006 – 2010)

Starring: Hayden Panettiere, Tawny Cypress, Ali Larter, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka
Watch on The CW

Save the cheerleader. Save the world. Even if you never watched Heroes, you’ve probably heard this phrase, because this ominous tagline was so pervasive while this show about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities became popular. We find out in later seasons that the cheerleader in question, Claire, is bisexual, which we learn via a kiss from her roommate (during sweeps week, of course) and a hand-holding that implied things could have gone places if the show hadn’t ended.

76. Utopia Falls (2020)

Starring: Robyn Alomar, Akiel Julien, Humberly González, Devyn Nekoda, Kate Drummond
Watch on Hulu

Utopia Falls is like if Hunger Games and High School Musical had a strange, futuristic baby. Set in a world where different sectors send teenagers to compete in a high-stakes talent show, the show also uncovers long-kept secrets, including but not limited to a bunker full of archives of long-forgotten music. Hilariously, the AI voice of this archive is Snoop Dogg. Two of the contestants are Brooklyn 2 and Sage 5, despite being each other’s competition, the two girls also start to develop feelings for each other. Which is how I imagine all real competition shows go.

75. American Horror Story (2011 – Present)

Starring: Sarah Paulson, Emma Roberts, Cara Delevinge, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Patti Lupone
Watch on Hulu

I know that technically each season of American Horror Story is kind of like its own show, but they’re always at least a little bit queer, and I didn’t want 1/10 of this entire list to be filled up by Ryan Murphy, so I smooshed them together. The show ranges in quality season to season, both on a large scale and on a queer scale, but every time Lana Winters survives another decade of chaos, a lesbian reporter angel gets her wings. Because despite having upwards of 25 LGBTQ+ characters to date, they also come in at the highest kill rate with a whopping 15 buried gays at last count. And honestly I could have missed some, I just grew weary from counting. Everyone has their favorite season of AHS, but as far as queer people go, Murder House (a classic fave, the first), Hotel (hello, Gaga), and Coven (a Stevie Nicks music video, a lesbian witch’s fever dream, and a haunted walking tour had an orgy in New Orleans, what’s not to love?) tend to trend as favorites. Also a shout-out to Asylum, because even though it was far from kind to our gal Lana, she was the Final Girl in the end.

74. Arrow (2012 – 2020)

Starring: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Emily Bett Rickards, Caity Lotz
Watch on Netflix

If we were judging shows only on their most recent seasons, Arrow would be much lower on this list, but we’re looking at the whole sum of these shows, and when it comes down to it, this DC-comics-based vigilante show gave us Sara Lance, so we are forever in its debt. Sara and her assassin girlfriend Nyssa al Ghul came to us by way of Arrow Season 2, and they were dark and tense and a bit star-crossed, and it was beautiful. Sara dies a few times but it never sticks, and she ends up being so compelling she got her own spinoff, while Nyssa stays back and hangs out with Sara’s sister Laurel for a while, eventually training the future Green Arrow. (And, most importantly, staying alive.)

73. Lucifer (2015 – 2021)

Starring: Lauren German, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Tricia Helfer, Aimee Garcia, Brianna Hildebrand
Watch on Netflix

For a show that could have very easily crossed the line from “a bisexual demon” to “demonizing bisexuality,” Lucifer earned its spot in the Top 100 by never treading those dangerous waters, and in fact compensating for any qualms about that by pairing up the demon Mazikeen (aka Maze) with Eve. Yes, THAT Eve. Their story was heartfelt and touching and not just a lusty corruption tale; there was real, deep love and a few tender moments that really sunk their cloven hooves into my heart.

72. Doom Patrol (2019 – 2023)

Starring: Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Alan Tudyk, Matt Bomer, Madeline Zima
Watch on Max

A mummy, a human blob, a talking robot, a cyborg, and a woman with multiple personalities all with unique superpowers all live in a mansion haunted by sex ghosts and sometimes they visit a hundred-year-old little girl who lives on a sentient genderqueer street inhabited by drag queens. Oh also there are zombie butts. That sing and dance. Listen, this show is absolutely bonkers in the best, comic-booky way imaginable, and there are also lovely little queer love stories sprinkled throughout.

71. Peacemaker (2022 – Present)

Starring: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Elizabeth Ludlow, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland
Watch on Max

On paper, Peacemaker is not the kind of show that one might expect would appear on this list. John Cena as a beefy, dim-witted man who loves to smash in every sense of the word. A Suicide Squad-themed show with no Harley Quinn in sight. But as it turns out, there’s a character in the main cast of this show that makes it extremely up our alley. Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo is a lesbian, and easily the best part of the show. Out of her element, and constantly either making hilarious missteps or saying out loud what the audience is thinking, she’s an amazing addition to this cast, and with important (spoilery) ties to the main plot. She has a wife, Keeya, played by Elizabeth Faith Ludlow and they are downright adorable.

70. Legacies (2018 – 2022)

Starring: Danielle Rose Russell, Kaylee Kaneshiro, Jenny Boyd, Piper Curda, Lulu Antariksa
Watch on Netflix

The Originals was a gayer spinoff of The Vampire Diaries, and Legacies is an even gayer spinoff of that spinoff. (It’s also, generally, lighter and funnier despite occasionally harking back to its emotional ancestors.) Set in a boarding school for supernatural teens, everyone is queer and everything hurts. Witches Josie and Penelope were the couple to watch out for in Season 1, then witch-werewolf-vampire tribrid Hope and Josie keep mentioning their past crushes on each other despite them both having current feelings for the same boy, and eventually Josie finds other girls to kiss, including the new werewolf in town. Not to mention Hope proves what we’ve always known: all vampires are queer, end of story.

69. American Gods (2017 – 2021)

Starring: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Bruce Langley, Yetide Badaki
Watch on Prime Video

You know you want to watch a show where a goddess occasionally devours her lovers via her vagina, right? No? Well, that’s what this show has. American Gods’ Bilquis is a goddess who will seduce any gender she pleases to turn them into her worshipers, on this show where New Gods and Old Gods live in America to wreak their havoc (or the opposite of that.) This show also features a guest appearance by queer, Indigenous actress Devery Jacobs plays two-spirit, Indigenous Sam Black Crow.

68. Santa Clarita Diet (2017 – 2019)

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo, Natalie Morales
Watch on Netflix

In the second season of Santa Clarita Diet, out queer actress Natalie Morales plays Deputy Anne, who starts dating her dead police partner’s widow, Lisa. They are funny and important to the plot and, despite how many brains got nibbled on over the course of the series, still alive. Bonus: the main family’s teenager is played by Yellowjackets‘ own Liv Hewson!

67. Mr. Robot (2015 – 2019)

Starring: Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, Stephanie Corneliussen, Grace Gummer
Watch on Prime Video

If you have a thing for quintessential disaster lesbians, this show is for you. Amidst the hacktivism and corruption and conspiracies of the show at large, there is an FBI Agent named Dominique DiPierro who seems so smooth when she’s on the job but is immediately disarmed by Darlene when she asks her what her type is, and later, when she’s in her apartment and starting to make moves. It’s all very relatable. The show is dark and gritty and there is deception and trust issues but maybe these two crazy kids could make it work. Side note, trans actress Eve Lindley appears in four episodes in season four, and her character’s name is Hot Carla, which honestly is #goals.

66. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014 – 2020)

Starring: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Lucy Lawless
Watch on Disney+

I’ll be perfectly honest with you, most of the points that got AoS to this position came from TV Team points. Because it’s a compelling, action-packed show with found family feels, but they don’t have much to report on re: queer women. Victoria Hand and Isabelle Hartley are queer in the comics, but that is never mentioned in the show. And Sk’Daisy and Simmons should have kissed decades ago, it seems. We do have Briana Venskus’s Piper and Jolene Anderson’s Olga Pachinko however, so it’s not nothing. Plus, bisexual actress/singer Dove Cameron plays a big part of the shows’ fifth season.

65. Stitchers (2015 – 2017)

Starring: Emma Ishta, Kyle Harris, Ritesh Rajan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Allison Scagliotti
Watch on Hulu

Stitchers imagines a world where a woman with a unique brain chemistry could be “stitched” into newly dead bodies and relive their last memories to help solve their murders. A fascinating concept, brought to life by the main character’s coworker and roommate Camille, a sarcastic, hilarious computer scientist who later reveals herself to be bisexual. She talks about her queerness in that frank, explicit way we don’t see on TV nearly often enough, and her eventual romance with Amanda, played by real life queer actress Anna Akana, was breathtaking (but not literally, which is something I feel has to be said on a list like this.)

64. Siren (2018 – 2020)

Starring: Alex Roe, Eline Powell, Ian Verdun, Rena Owen, Fola Evans-Akingbola
Watch on Hulu

If you, like me, are horny for mermaids, or thirsty for poly triad representation, this is the show for you. In a world where a town’s mermaid folklore proves to be based in reality, and the mermaids in question tend to be murdery, Siren somehow balances a mythical mystery, a PSA on the dangers of overfishing, and an endearing throuple between a man, a woman, and a mermaid who is learning how to live on land.

63. Into the Badlands (2015 – 2019)

Starring: Sarah Bolger, Emily Beecham, Madeleine Mantock, Ally Ioannides, Maddison Jaizani
Buy on Prime Video

In this post-apocalyptic world, society is split into factions, and only the strongest survive. With magical abilities as an undercurrent, this show is a combination of stunning visuals and battle scenes that could be mistaken for a ballet. One of the main characters, Tilda, a baby assassin who is ready to grow into her own person, falls for a sex-worker-turned-assassin named Odessa. Just two little Butterflies in love. (The assassins were called Butterflies.)

62. Andor (2022 – Present)

Starring: Diego Luna, Fiona Shaw, Genevieve O’Reilly, Varda Sethu, Faye Marsay
Watch on Disney+

I could hardly blame you for steering clear of yet another Star Wars spin-off series. The latest iterations have felt more like money grabs than true contributions to the lore. They satiate fanboys with weapons and wizardry and enticing the rest of us with nostalgia and cute merchandise (Baby Yoda!). They’ve been escapism — vacuous, spectacle-filled escapism — and hardly feel worth the investment. But Andor is different; it is so unlike every other Star Wars spin-off that it may be the only one worth seeing. Andor strips away all the hallmarks of those other shows and invests in character building and storytelling. The show goes back to the roots of Star Wars — as political allegory — and showcases the early days of resistance against a fascist Empire. And among those freedom fighters, our gay heroines, Cinta and Vel. Cinta is the fiercest of warriors, driven by the murder of her parents by Stormtroopers. For her, “the struggle always comes first” and what’s left belongs to them. Meanwhile, Vel struggles to balance the life of a revolutionary with the life of a regressive…trapped in a conservative cloister that will, one day, arrange her marriage to a man. It isn’t the most ostentatious display of queerness — and it’s understandable to want and demand more — but the story of rebellion can’t be told without queer people, both in real life and on the small screen. — <strong>Natalie</strong>

61. The Vampire Diaries (2009 – 2017)

Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, Candice King
Watch on Peacock

I will admit that the TV Team’s score on this really bumped it up higher than it would have been on its own, because despite having two of the most fun queer characters, and despite a threesome that made one of the series’ best characters officially bisexual, they did end up killing three of their four queer ladies by the end. The Vampire Diaries had strong women at its center, queer among them including Original Vampire Rebekah, Vampire/Traveler Nadia, and Heretics (Vampire/Witch hybrids) Nora and Mary Louise. Their stories were complex and delightful and oh how I wish I could stop here because I love this franchise so much. But Nadia met an unfortunate end, and while if it happened in 2024 I would have argued Nora and Mary Louise, and their love that lasted literal centuries, went out in a blaze of glory, they died during the Lesbian Massacre of 2016, and it was the last wlw relationship we ever saw on the show, so they’ll get no defense from me on that front.

60. The Way Home (2023 – present)

Starring: Chyler Leigh, Evan Williams, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, Andie MacDowell, Vaughan Murrae
Watch on Peacock

Chyler Leigh is all grown up and playing a mom to a teenager in this Hallmark show about family, love, and time travel. The Landry family has a secret: there is a pond on their property that can send them back in time. Shenanigans (and epic 90s needle drops) ensue. A character in season one has two moms, and the second season features a non-binary character named Casey played by non-binary actor Vaughan Murrae.

59. The Imperfects (2022)

Starring: Italia Ricci, Morgan Taylor Campbell, Rhianna Jagpal, Celina Martin, Kyra Zagorsky
Watch on Netflix

Another show that I’ll be forever salty that it only got one season. It has everything I love in a sci-fi romp: people discovering their powers and testing their limits, found family, a reluctant adultier adult who pretends to be annoyed by the youths but ends up feeling connected to them anyway. Plus, it gave us two queer characters of color: Abbi, who is asexual, and Hannah, who is cool with it. It would have been cool to get an entire season with those two as a couple, but what we do get is delightful and feels fresh and new. The cast also included non-binary Australian Rhys Nicholson, and Rekha Sharma who I don’t think is gay herself but she has played gay before, as recently as Roswell, New Mexico.

58. Game of Thrones (2011 – 2019)

Starring: Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, Natalie Dormer
Watch on Max

Game of Thrones isn’t known for its respect for women, and the show does a better job of it than the books, if you can believe it. For this reason, maybe it’s better that the show only gave us three canon queer women over the course of its eight seasons. Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand unapologetically enjoyed the company of women (and each other), as well as a sex worker Ellaria entertained once called Marei. A lot of us were rooting for Yara to take her seat next to an Iron Throne with Daenerys upon it, but sadly that was not our fate.

57. For All Mankind (2019 – Present)

Starring: Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Krys Marshall, Sonya Walger, Meghan Leathers
Watch on Apple TV+

For All Mankind is a what-if imagining of a future where the space race was more diverse and neverending. Set in the late 60s/early 70s, Ellen the astronaut (played by Jodi Balfour from Bomb Girls) can’t exactly reveal to NASA that she is a lesbian who used to date Pam the bartender. Instead she finds herself a beard (a gay man himself, because the best beards are mutual beards) and shoots for the stars. And the presidency.

56. The 100 (2014 – 2020)

Starring: Eliza Taylor, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Paige Turco, Marie Avgeropoulos, Lindsey Morgan
Watch on Netflix

I don’t think I really have to explain this one to you. I think if you’ve followed queer TV at all since 2014 (or hell, 2016), you’ve heard about The 100. About Clarke and Lexa, the bisexual leader of her peers who all grew up on a space station then were unceremoniously dropped on a potentially uninhabitable earth, and the woman who leads the people who were already there that fell in love with her. About Lexa and Clarke, the Commander of Trikru and the Commander of Death. Or, at the very least, about Lexa kom Trikru, whose death in 2016, amongst too many others, after a long line of dead queer characters before her, launched an industry-wide pledge to treat LGBTQ+ characters better. It makes sense to me that this show lands in the middle of a list of 100 shows. Because when it was good, it was very, very good. Clarke and Lexa were loved by many, and still are. But then it betrayed the fans’ trust by not only killing Lexa when they teased her survival, but having a lifelong trained warrior struck down by a bullet not even meant for her, in an all-too-familiar situation that Buffy fans were still healing from. I think The 100 is a good milestone in our history, a point we can look to as a beacon, to see how far we’ve come, to remember how far we have left to go.

55. The Originals (2013 – 2018)

Starring: Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin, Leah Pipes, Riley Voelkel, Danielle Rose Russell
Watch on Prime Video

The Originals looked at The Vampire Diaries‘ Thelma and Louise vampire couple, and said, “Oh yeah, watch this.” And thus was born Keelin and Freya, a werewolf/witch duo for the ages. Their relationship starts…strangely, to say the least, but it develops slowly and deeply until the two ultimately not only get the first wedding to go off without a hitch (read: murder) in the TVD universe.

54. Quantum Leap (2022 – 2024)

Starring: Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park, Nanrisa Lee, Eliza Taylor
Watch on Peacock

A remake of the late 80s/early 90s show of the same name, Quantum Leap follows Dr. Ben Song as he leaps from person to person through the past in an attempt to return to his correct timeline. Along the way, he meets queer and trans people and their very special episodes tell stories of trans inclusion in sports, coming out as non-binary to your siblings, and more. The show was unfortunately canceled after two seasons.

53. Gen V (2023 – present)

Starring: Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor
Watch on Prime Video

The Boys‘ younger sibling, Gen V takes place in a school for powered people. It keeps with the general conceit of it’s big brother – “what if assholes had powers” – but instead of full grown assholes, it’s young adult assholes. Though of course, like in The Boys, power doesn’t go to EVERYONE’S head. But also like in The Boys, even the best intentions can end in bloodshed. The show’s core crew includes Marie, a blood-bender, and Jordan, a dual-gender shape shifter, who try to navigate starting a relationship amidst the chaos.

52. Doctor Who (1963 – 1985; 2005 – Present)

Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Jenna Coleman, Pearl Mackie, Yasmin Finney, Alex Kingston
Watch on Max

Before the Thirteenth Doctor graced us with her presence, along with her enamored companion Yaz, queering the scene indefinitely, Doctor Who has been making us feel seen across space and time for a long while. There was Twelve’s companion Bill and her girlfriend Heather, Clara Oswold who made out with Jane Austen (albeit off-screen), the legendary River song, and a Silurian and her wife: Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint. Here’s to decades more of saving the universe, the timeline, and the queers.

51. The Magicians (2015 – 2020)

Starring: Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Summer Bishil, Jade Tailor, Brittany Curran
Watch on Netflix

Imagine a world where a bunch of messed up, self-absorbed college students had the capacity for magic and were deemed rulers of a fantastical world. That’s The Magicians. They bounce back and forth between the real world and Fillory, a land long thought to be fictional, while trying to save their friends, their worlds, their sanity, and sometimes even all of magic. This is another show where I ship every combination of the main ladies, and Margo is confirmed sexually fluid. Outside of the core cast, we also had a little visit from a (female) Pirate King (appropriately attracted to our own High King Margo), an unfortunate aside from a lesbian named Kira who asked to be killed, and, the lovely revelation that Marina has a girlfriend that she keeps jumping timelines for so she can get the relationship right. (Also I know this is not necessarily why we’re here but almost all the boys are bisexual too, which is awesome.)

The Top 50 Best Lesbian+ Sci-Fi and Fantasy TV Shows of All Time

50. From (2019 – present)

Starring: Chloe Van Landschoot, Hannah Cheramy, Kaelen Ohm, Harold Perrineau
Watch on MGM+

Debuting on this list right smack dab in the middle is the poorly named but brilliantly executed From, which is about a family who finds themselves unable to leave a mysterious town with things that quite literally go bump in the night. Among the residents of this town, all of whom have also come to be stuck here for one reason or another, are nurse Kirstie and her girlfriend Mari. The town has to work together to figure out how to get home, and, more importantly, how to survive long enough to do it.

49. Good Omens (2019 – present)

Starring: Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Nina Sosanya, Maggie Service, Frances McDormand
Watch on Amazon

Based on the Neil Gaimen book of the same name, Good Omens is about a demon named Crowley and an angel named Aziraphale who have decided to take up residence on Earth and work together to stave off a war between Heaven and Hell. Along the way, they meet Maggie and Nina, who they decide to play matchmaker with, perhaps to distract themselves from the chemistry they themselves have.

48. Impulse (2018 – 2019)

Starring: Maddie Hasson, Sarah Desjardins, Enuka Okuma, Missi Pyle, Daniel Maslany
Watch on YouTube

Impulse is about a teenage girl named Henry who discovers her ability to “jump” aka teleport while experiencing the trauma of sexual assault. The show takes us through her journey of PTSD and healing, all while trying to figure out what these new powers are all about. Key in supporting her during all this is Jenna, her mother’s boyfriend’s daughter who becomes a sister to her, whether she likes it or not. Jenna is smart and kind and on a figuring-out journey of her own, trying to solve the mystery of her sexuality while trying to help Henry solve the mystery of her powers. Jenna’s journey is sweet and slow and very grounded in reality despite the sci-fi nature of the show.

47. What We Do in the Shadows (2019 – Present)

Starring: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Beanie Feldstein, Kristen Schaal
Watch on Hulu

All vampires are queer, this we know. We’ve learned it from watching vampire content from the dawn of time, with sucking someone’s blood being very sensual, turning someone into a vampire being very metaphorical, and with most vampires not having a preference for gender when they select whose necks to suck. What We Do in the Shadows continues this long tradition of queer vampires, including but not limited to the pansexual vampire Nadja, and even has some queer actors in the mix like Beanie Feldstein, who plays Nadja’s protégé vampire, Jenna. It’s like when a gay elder takes a baby gay under their wing. Very precious. As a comedy horror mockumentary, it is one ridiculous scenario after another, and it’s always a damn good time.

46. Nancy Drew (2019 – 2023)

Starring: Kennedy McMann, Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Tunji Kasim, Alex Saxon
Watch on The CW

Nancy Drew is a fresh, ghostly take on the classic YA novels about a girl detective and her band of misfit friends who help her solve mysteries. A lot of us read the books as kids and shipped Nancy and George before we knew what shipping was, but in this iteration however, I found myself accidentally shipping Nancy and Bess even when Bess had a girlfriend named Lisbeth. And then when she fell in love with the ghost possessing her best friend. And then again when she started dating the new girl in town, Addy. I love Bess, is what I’m saying. Bess is a sweet, airheaded-but-not-dumb girl and the optimistic believer to Nancy’s pessimistic skeptic, and a vital part of the team, and I love to see a queer girl in the spotlight.

45. Humans (2015 – 2018)

Starring: Gemma Chan, Emily Berrington, Bella Dayne, Katherine Parkinson, Carrie-Anne Moss
Buy on Prime Video

For a while I thought maybe Riese and I were the only ones watching this show, which was truly a shame, because it was a deeply thoughtful and haunting-but-in-a-good-way exploration of humanity by way of synthetic humans aka synths who were considered “broken” because they had free will. What makes a person human, is it their body, their brain, their heart? Their ability to fall in love? Because fall in love they do, specifically the usually-stoic-and-hard synth Niska who softens for her human girlfriend Astrid.

44. Westworld (2016 – 2022)

Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Shannon Woodward, Tessa Thompson, Jeffery Wright
Buy on Prime Video

Elsie Hughes isn’t the BEST representation we’ve ever had, as a community, but Westworld has been walking the line between queer and not ever since Evan Rachel Wood Bisexual made her first appearance as Dolores. While all the hosts are defaulted to a sort of pansexual situation to accommodate any guests, there is at least one guest who does prefer the company of women. In the final season, Tessa Thompson brings her Big Queer Energy to the screen, and queer couple Frankie “C” and Odina kick some ass and take some names. Canon queers aside, seeing real life queer people be endlessly badass on screen is always a win in my book.

43. Harlan Coben’s Shelter (2023)

Starring: Abby Corrigan, Constance Zimmer, Missi Pyle, Alexa Mareka
Watch on Prime Video

At its core, this show is about some teens who are trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Ashley Kent. One of those teens, Ema, is indeed a queer little emo girl who has a crush on the popular girl Whitney, and all of these teens have mysteries of their own to unfold. However, this show also gave us a bonus queer storyline with the adults, as Hannah and Shira rekindle a high school romance. Sadly, this show was canceled after one season, but what a gift Constance Zimmer and Missy Pyle were while they lasted

42. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Jameela Jamil, Ginger Gonzaga, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Megan Thee Stallion
Watch on Disney+

If this show was being ranked on queer content alone, it would be a lot lower, but the truth is, even though the queer content is minimal, the show itself is a blast. Queer favorite Tatiana Maslany expertly plays Jennifer Walters (who is, of course, the titular She-Hulk), and her best friend and assistant Nikki being one of the first openly queer women in the Marvel cinematic universe. Granted, it’s a blink-and-you-miss it moment that reveals that fact, but Nikki remains a delight throughout the series. Plus, bisexual actress Jameela Jamil plays one of the season’s main villains with over-the-top, delightful exuberance.

41. Astrid & Lilly Save the World (2022)

Starring: Samantha Aucoin, Jana Morrison, Olivier Renaud, Julia Doyle, Christina Orjalo
Watch on Tubi

This campy sci-fi darling centers around two best friends who are bullied for being fat and weird, but who find out that actually they are really good at fighting aliens and saving the world. They reclaim an insult slung at them and become the Pudge Patrol, battling the monster of the week together, often having to save the very popular kids who once terrorized them, becoming an unlikely squad of superheroes. In a truly fanfic-ian turn of fate, Lilly ends up in a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers relationship with queen bee Candace. The show is equal parts hilarious practical effects, adorable antics, and touching moments of friendship, identity, and found family.

40. The Umbrella Academy (2019 – Present)

Starring: Elliot Page, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Mary J. Blige, Britne Oldford
Watch on Netflix

In the third season of The Umbrella Academy, Elliot Page’s character comes out as a trans man, telling his siblings that Viktor is who he’s always been. He says his relationship with Sissy in the second season opened his eyes to living outside the box and living his truth. His brothers accept him immediately, and his sister loves her “tiny badass brother.” It’s a relatively small part of a very complicated plot and that, in itself, is pretty sweet. They all have bigger things to worry about – like time travel, and reality folding in on itself, and their respective powers – than the gender or sexuality of their siblings. They have to find a way to work together to keep each other safe.

39. Killjoys (2015 – 2019)

Starring: Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore, Luke Macfarlane, Mayko Nguyen, Kelly McCormack

Buy on Prime Video

Killjoys is a story about a found family of bounty hunters… in space! Dutch, played by Hannah John-Kamen, is a bounty hunter in space who goes on missions with her two best boys, Johnny and D’av. She sparks up a flirtation with Delle Seyah-Kendry, and when the writers saw those sparks, they created a whole separate character also played by Hannah John-Kamen just so they could put them together without breaking up Dutch and D’av. Okay fine so probably that’s not exactly how it played out but it worked out for the best because Aneela, an alternate timeline version of Dutch, (kind of, it’s complicated) and Kendry were perfect murder queens, both of them complicated almost-villains who did the right thing when it came down to it, and got their own happy ending.

38. Riverdale (2017 – 2023)

Starring: Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Vanessa Morgan
Watch on Netflix

Riverdale is a rare entry onto this list, because despite being in its 4th season the first time around, it didn’t qualify since it wasn’t a sci-fi or fantasy show. Just a regular teen drama! Okay fine, not regular but not supernatural. And while not yet supernatural, it was gay, with Cheryl and Toni falling in and out of love a few times. Now, between its sixth and seventh seasons, the show does qualify, because somewhere along the line we discovered Rivervale, a twisted reflection of Riverdale where magic is real and even more absurd storylines are possible. But no matter what dimension she’s in, lesbian icon Cheryl Blossom continues to reign supreme, eventually discovering her witchy bloodline and ascending to her final form. And in the end, Riverdale continued to double down on its queerness, a gift to anyone who watched all 7 seasons.

37. Warehouse 13 (2009 – 2014)

Starring: Joanne Kelly, Jaime Murray, Allison Scagliotti, Genelle Williams, Saul Rubinek
Buy on Prime Video

A niche nerd fave, Warehouse 13 is a show that marches to the beat of its own drum. It mixes history and mythology with humor, mystery and shenanigans like it pulled themes from a nerd’s toybox. We enter into this wacky world by way of Myka Bering, assigned to protect this warehouse of artifacts, and eventually meet literary legend H.G. Wells, and in this universe, the H stands for Helena. Myka and H.G. enter a flirtationship that ultimately ends in my own personal heartbreak soundtracked by Ellie Goulding, but we all know the truth, and also H.G., at least, was explicitly and undeniably the queer hero we deserve.

36. Once Upon a Time (2011 – 2018)

Starring: Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Meghan Ory, Jamie Chung, Rose Reynolds
Watch on Hulu

My very first gig for writing about queer TV was recapping Once Upon a Time, and I wrote about that show for so long with only subtext, shouting about Swan Queen, begging for them to just commit to Mulan and Aurora, finally throwing in the towel when we finally got a very special Ruby and Dorothy episode, assuming that was the best it was going to get (and believe me, it was great.) So imagine my surprise when a few seasons later, Robin and Alice embark on a very sweet fairytale romance. Like their ancestors before them, they find their way to each other in Storybrooke and in the fairytale realm where they were Margot and Tilly, because love is magic.

35. Motherland: Fort Salem (2020 – 2022)

Starring: Taylor Hickson, Amalia Holm, Demetria McKinney, Jessica Sutton, Ashley Nicole Williams
Buy on Prime Video

In an imagined world where witches are real and are drafted into the military, an unlikely trio is forced to learn to be a cohesive unit. One of those witches is Raelle Collar, a lesbian and healer, who eventually meets necromancy witch Scylla Ramshorn, and the two embark on a tumultuous adventure full of steamy moments, broken trust, daring rescues, and the quest for a happily drever after. There are other shippable characters along the way, like her unit-mate Tally and their general, Alder, as well as Tally and non-binary officer M, played by non-binary actor Ess Hödlmoser.

34. The Other Black Girl (2023)

Starring: Sinclair Daniel, Ashleigh Murray, Brittany Adebumola, Garcelle Beauvais, Bellamy Young
Watch on Hulu

An unusual entry I know, but you watch this whole season and come back here and tell me to my face there wasn’t something supernatural going on. Sinclair Daniel and Ashleigh Murray shine in this twisted tale, based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris. This show has everything: humor, heart, mystery, thrills, chills, a queer best friend for the record books, Bellamy Young, and so much more, all while touching on the all-too-important topic of racism in corporate America.

33. Poker Face (2023 – present)

Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Hong Chau, Benjamin Bratt, Adrien Brody, Stephanie Hsu
Watch on Peacock

We have back-to-back shows I know will get an eyebrow raise but even though she’s the only one in this universe to have one (that we know of), Charlie Cale has a superpower. She is not just really good at reading people, she has the ability to automatically and always detect when people are lying. She doesn’t even have to be trying. Charlie gets caught up in some trouble and ends up traveling across the country to get out of it, solving crimes along the way. The crime-of-the-week style of storytelling gives the show a lot of opportunity to sprinkle in epic guest stars, like Clea Duvall, Chloë Sevigny, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jameela Jamil, Cherry Jones, Rowan Blanchard, and more.

32. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 – 2020)

Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Jaz Sinclair, Tati Gabrielle, Lachlan Watson, Lucy Davis
Watch on Netflix

Oh hey more queer witches, can you even believe it? This Riverdale-universe’s twisted take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch boasts queerness at every turn, including but not limited to Prudence Night and her coven of “sisters” who are definitely not related by blood which you can tell from all the orgies. Hail Satan. One of Sabrina’s best friends, Theo, also goes on a trans coming out journey of his own and is played by genderqueer and pansexual actor Lachlan Watson.

31. Charmed (2018 – 2022)

Starring: Melonie Diaz, Madeleine Mantock, Sarah Jeffery, Lucy Barrett, Poppy Drayton
Watch on Netflix

A lot of people, myself included, were originally unsure about the idea of completely rebooting a beloved franchise that went off-air frankly not all that long ago, but now that it’s happening, I can confidently say that while it is definitely a reboot, it is not a rip-off, and is well worth watching. It has elements of the original while still being totally and utterly unique, and so, so much gayer. Middle sister Mel is a lesbian witch who has a myriad of love interests over the course of the show, plus there’s Abigael, the saucy demon who prefers threesomes and once bedded two Susans at once, probably just because she could. The final season introduced trans witch Josefina Reyes played by trans actress Mareya Salazar, as well as a fourth sister, Kaela, who is a queer witch played by queer actress Lucy Barrett and is, frankly, a downright delight.

30. Stranger Things (2015 – Present)

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, Natalia Dyer, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke
Watch on Netflix

I’ve loved Stranger Things from the get-go, because superpowered kids are my jam, as are themes of friendship above all, which is really what the heart of this show is. Sure there is also a mysterious mirror realm called the Upside Down and horrible monsters and evil scientists, but at the end of the day, it’s about a little girl raised in captivity learning what it means to be a friend, and then doing everything in her power (and whew does she have a lot of it) to save those new friendships. The first season featured Barb, who maybe wasn’t canon queer but we sure did see a lot of ourselves in the way she felt about her best friend Nancy (I feel like Ingrid Michaelson’s song Best Friend on her album Stranger Songs makes it canon enough for me; plus the actress is bisexual.) The third season, however, had one of the sweetest coming out speeches I’ve seen in a while, where the snarky, brassy Robin tells teen dream Steve Harrington that their storyline wasn’t going where he thought it was, and she wasn’t actually into him; she was into the girls who are into him. It was a rare quiet moment in an action-packed show and it sure packed a punch to my heart. And the fourth season seamlessly incorporated Robin onto the team, and even gave her a little crush (besides Nancy, of course).

29. Battlestar Galactica (2004 – 2009)

Starring: Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Lucy Lawless
Buy on Prime Video

Despite all three of its resident queer characters being not long for this universe, it has risen to the Top 20 by being BELOVED by three members of the TV team, who all gave it a perfect 10 (plus there were other non-10 votes.) Maybe it’s part subconscious conditioning, since actors from The L Word were also on this show, or maybe it was just the mere fact that queer characters were part of this space opera at all. All I know is that we, as a people, seem to love us some Cylons and their love affairs.

28. Star Trek (Discovery, Deep Space Nine, Picard, Strange New Worlds) (1993 – Present)

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Hurd, Jeri Ryan, Jess Bush, Tig Notaro
Watch on Paramount+

Instead of having the Star Trek universe take up multiple slots on this list, I merged them into one entry like I did with the American Horror Story anthology. I placed them all here in slot 28 because that’s the highest slot one of them (Discovery) landed, but all four of these Star Trek series (Discovery, Deep Space Nine, Picard, and Strange New Worlds) ended up in the Top 100 (in that order.) They all share a theme of what Riese and Kayla called Hot Women in Space. And includes Captain Philippa Georgiou’s mirror universe counterpart being bisexual; lesbian Starfleet officer Jett Reno, played by real life lesbian Tig Notaro; a heartbreaking forbidden love story for Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn, Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd as duo Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker; bisexual Nurse Chapel, non-binary Doctor Aspen, and IRL queer Broadway superstar Celia Rose Gooding; and more!

27. Person of Interest (2011 – 2016)

Starring: Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi, Taraji P. Henson, Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson
Watch on Prime Video

This futuristic crime drama features the legendary Root and Shaw, who have one of my favorite dynamics: peppy optimist and grumpy pessimist. They also have a dash of enemies-to-lovers, and maybe even tol/smol energy going on. Their pairing was a shining example of showrunners following the chemistry; they play off each other so well and balance each other’s demeanors and overall are a damn delight to watch, in part because they are expertly played by fan favorites Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi.

26. True Blood (2008 – 2014)

Starring: Anna Paquin, Rutina Wesley, Jessica Tuck, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Lucy Griffiths
Watch on Hulu

Vampires are here on this list trying to give witches a run for their money re: queer representation, with True Blood boasting seven queer women over the course of their 80 episodes. Including but not limited to Vampire Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq, played by Evan Rachel Wood Bisexual, and power couple Pam Swynford De Beaufort and Tara Thornton. Unfortunately some of aforementioned queer vampires ended up on the list of dead lesbians, but their legacy lives on, as does that of this very vampy show, which also had lesbian writer/director Angela Robinson in the writers room.

25. The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

Starring: Kate Siegel, T’Nia Miller, Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell, Willa Fitzgerald
Watch on Netflix

It’s no surprise to me that Mike Flanagan’s latest number got itself instantly into the top 25. In The Fall of the House of Usher, literally everyone is gay. Okay maybe not literally, but it sure felt that way. An amalgamation of dozens of Edgar Allen Poe poems and stories, the show details the story of the Usher family, which is made up of a bisexual matriarch, at least four queer children and their queer partners (and/or dalliances), all a mysterious queer woman played by Carla Gugino who has touched all of their lives in some way. It’s a hauntingly beautiful tale, with plenty of villains to root for.

24. Xena: Warrior Princess (1995 – 2001)

Starring: Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Hudson Leick, Adrienne Wilkinson, Alexandra Tydings
Watch on Prime Video

When I was talking to my dad on the phone about making this list, I told him I was worried people wouldn’t like that I included this show on this list. And despite the fact that we have never talked about this before, about the subtext of Xena and Gabrielle, really about the show much at all since we watched it together when I was young, he said he understood why I did. He said, “You could see it in the way they looked at and talked to each other. And the way Xena always went out of her way to make sure Gabrielle stayed alive.” He also mentioned the hot tub, but my point is, that if my dad can see it, it’s not just us spewing rainbows where there aren’t any. I always use the “Dad Test” to say that if your queer story is so subtle that my dad didn’t pick up on it, it doesn’t count, but I think the opposite is true too. If your subtext is so loud my dad thought it was canon, it’s canon. Sorry/not sorry. Xena and Gabrielle’s story is an epic love story, and if it was made in 2005 or 2015 instead of 1995, they would have kissed even more than they already did. And they kissed a lot.

23. First Kill (2022)

Starring: Sarah Catherine Hook, Imani Lewis, Elizabeth Mitchell, Aubin Wise, Gracie Dzienny
Watch on Netflix

If you like vampires, clandestine romance, cheesy special effects, and Elizabeth Mitchell, this is the show for you. Vampire teen Juliette Fairmont meets Monster Hunter Calliope Burns at a high school party, and sparks fly immediately. But, of course, when they find out about each other’s families, tensions rise and they have to choose between the life they were born into and their undeniable connection. With two blonde bombshells who have played multiple queer favorite characters Gracie Dzienny and Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliette’s sister and mother, respectively, and queer artist MK xyz as Cal’s ex, there really is something for everyone in this show’s too-short run.

22. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel
Watch on Netflix

And here we are, with yet another Mike Flanagan joint (though still not the last) and arguably the gayest one. The Haunting of Bly Manor is the story of an American woman, Dani, who is hired to nanny British children and falls in love with a snarky gardener named Jamie. Dani is haunted by her past, by heterosexuality, and by literal ghosts, but she leans on Dani as an escape from all of that in this (pardon the expression) hauntingly beautiful lesbian love story. Plus, in a very special flashback episode, we get a black-and-white appearance by noted bisexual Kate Siegel.

21. 4400 (2021 – 2022)

Starring: Ireon Roach, TL Thompson, Brittany Adebumola, Joseph David-Jones, Autumn Best
Watch on Apple TV+

A reboot of the 2004 television series, The 4400, this sadly-short-lived show was a fresh new take on the original. The titular 4400 people who all appeared one day in modern-day Detroit were all people who had disappeared over the past century, and they all arrived not knowing how they got there, and with a dash of supernatural ability. A few of those 4400, and the people they meet, are queer, nonbinary, and/or trans, and people who had to be closeted in the past get to go to Pride parades in the present, all while trying to figure out why the heck they got beamed to the 2020s, and if their stay is a visit or a rehoming.

20. Jessica Jones (2015 – 2019)

Starring: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Tennant, Eka Darville
Watch on Disney+

Marvel’s movie universe queers are still just shy of bursting out of that closet door, but the Marvel TV universe is riddled with gays who are living, loving, laughing, breathing…etc. Jessica Jones, superstrong super-smartass with trauma for days but a big heart buried deep under that leather jacket, has an ally (most of the time) in lesbian lawyer Jeri Hogarth. While her story is not always happy, she is a compelling, complex character who survives til the bitter end of the series. In Season 3, trans actress Aneesh Sheth also plays Jessica’s no-nonsense, take-no-bullshit assistant Gillian.

19. Lost Girl (2010 – 2014)

Starring: Anna Silk, Zoie Palmer, Ksenia Solo, Rachel Skarsten, Kris Holden-Ried
Watch on The CW

Lost Girl‘s Bo Dennis was the bisexual succubus who encouraged us weekly to live the lives we choose. Sex was her gift and her curse, her weapon and her energy source, and yet somehow the show still wove deep, meaningful love stories into the show. With human doctor Lauren Lewis, queer Valkyrie Tamsin, and, in a platonic way, with her best friend Kenzie. And those weren’t even all the queer characters. It was a queer, queer world of light and dark fae, of life and death and afterlife, and of the kind family that isn’t born, but built.

18. Willow (2022 – 2023)

Starring: Erin Kellyman, Ruby Cruz, Warwick Davis, Ellie Bamber, Tony Revolori
Not Available to Stream or Buy or Ever Watch Again *cries forever*

Willow comes in hot with the queer stuff of dreams. These dreamy things include but are not limited to: a lady knight who has sworn to protect her princess, said princess being a sword-wielder herself, a grumpy traveler seeing through them pretending that they’re just best friends, and truth plums forcing them to finally confront those feelings. Aforementioned lesbian knight, Jade, is played by IRL lesbian Erin Kellyman, and her queer princess, Kit, is played by IRL queer actress Ruby Cruz. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after one season and removed from Disney+ so all we have are our memories of this magical tale.

17. Black Mirror (2015 – Present)

Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mackenzie Davis, Georgina Campbell, Zazie Beetz, Kate Mara
Watch on Netflix

Every episode of Black Mirror is its own mini psychological thriller, often projecting into imagined futures a possibility for how advancing technology could go so, so horribly wrong in human hands. Most episodes end with something harrowing and dark, and when the Netflix screen goes dark and you see your own horrified expression staring back at you, you suddenly understand the title of the show. There are a rare few exceptions to this rule, one of which is the beloved San Junipero episode, where Yorkie and Kelly are two women who find each other in the most unlikely of (digital) places. The end of this episode is also a little harrowing, if I’m being honest, but it has more of a hopeful note to it than the episodes usually do, despite it being the gayest episode, which is honestly a blessing.

16. The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Starring: Kate Siegel, Mckenna Grace, Victoria Pedretti, Violet McGraw, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Reaser
Watch on Netflix

I’ve always loved horror movies and thrillers and ghost stories, but none so much as I love The Haunting of Hill House and spooky lesbian empath Theo Crain. Played by bisexual actress Kate Siegel, Theo is a whipsmart badass, a child psychologist as an adult and a quiet but bookish kid. She’s a loyal, loving sister to her four siblings, despite trying to give off the air that she doesn’t give a single fuck. The truth is, she cares so much it literally hurts her, despite the gloves she wears to try to keep her empath powers at bay.

15. Black Lightning (2018 – 2021)

Starring: Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, Cress Williams, Christine Adams, Chantal Thuy
Watch on Netflix

Arriving just when we needed her most, Black lesbian superhero Anissa Pierce boomed her way onto the scene as Thunder, daughter of legendary Black Lightning. She navigates family dynamics and girlfriends (and one night stands) while also trying to navigate her powers, her activism, and the various mysteries afoot in Freeland. And while they never got quite as much screentime as we would have wanted, we loved every minute we did get with our hero Anissa and her shapeshifting girlfriend, Grace.

14. Station Eleven (2021 – 2022)

Starring: Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, Nabhaan Rizwan, Lori Petty
Watch on Max

This miniseries is a rare gem in a lot of ways, beginning with the fact that it’s an adaptation of a book that is as good as its source material. Starring Mackenzie Davis as our queer heroine, Kirsten Raymonde, a comic book nerd and thespian with a strong spirit and a kind heart. (PS. This officially qualifies Davis for the “Rule of Three” – she has played queer thrice now (Black Mirror, Happiest Season, and Station Eleven) which means she is officially assumed queer until she states otherwise. And I love this for us.) Davis gives a stunning performance in Station Eleven, which is a poignant post-apocalyptic tale that hits a little close to home in a mid-pandemic world and is a stunning exploration of human connection in disconnected times.

13. Legends of Tomorrow (2016 – 2022)

Starring: Caity Lotz, Jes Macallan, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Tala Ashe, Lisseth Chavez
Watch on Netflix

In the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, most of us were there because we followed bisexual blonde bombshell and buttkicker Sara Lance over from Arrow. But instead there was a man we’d never met at the helm of the timeship, and despite Sara having the best storylines (including but not limited to the time she made out with Betty McRae), he still seemed to be the focal point. But then the show did the right thing. The risky thing, but the right thing. They pivoted. Seeing that Sara was the reason people were showing up week after week, they gave ol’ Rip Hunter the boot and put Sara in the Captain seat. They had her lead the Legends away from the dark grumbly undertones of its parent show and into uncharted wacky waters, and everyone was better for it. Sara Lance has the best character arcs and the most growth in the entire Arrowverse – eh hem, sorry, Beeboverse – and, after a few seasons of sleeping her way through the centuries, she now has one of the longest, most healthy relationships with Ava Sharpe. Plus, in the final season, we find out that one of the Legends, Spooner, is asexual! The show as a whole is a hard sell on paper, I know, but trust me when I say that this show is packed full of humor and heart, and will give you all of the big, gay, found family feels you could ask for.

12. Russian Doll (2019 – 2022)

Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, Elizabeth Ashley, Charlie Barnett, Chloë Sevigny
Watch on Netflix

Including this show might get a bit of an eyebrow raise, but it’s a frackin’ time loop, man! What’s more sci-fi than that? In fact, I’d guess that close to half of these shows have a time loop episode of their own, so of course I would include a show whose entire concept is a repeating birthday. Natasha Lyonne (already beloved in the queer canon for But I’m a Cheerleader and Orange is the New Black) somehow made hearing the same song every few minutes and the endless chorus of “Sweet birthday baby!” seem palatable as she rushed through her days and died a thousand times. It would have been easy to forget about us on a show that didn’t linger too long on all that many people, but Lizzy and Madonna were there to represent us again and again and again and again.

11. Paper Girls (2022)

Starring: Camryn Jones, Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky, Fina Strazza, Adina Porter
Watch on Prime Video

It’s bittersweet that Paper Girls held fast to their Top 10 spot, because it is only one season long, canceled too soon. But the one season we did get is an amazing story about four teenagers who accidentally time travel to the future and encounter their grown-up selves. One of the teenagers, KJ, is surprised (but also not surprised) to find her adult self happily canoodling with her college girlfriend, and has to wrestle with the fact that the big gay feelings she has been fighting off in her own lil gay body won’t go away with time, and also face the fact that there might be a world where she can be both gay…and happy.

10. Supergirl (2015 – 2021)

Starring: Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Nicole Maines, Azie Tesfai, Katie McGrath
Watch on Netflix

When Supergirl moved from CBS to The CW, one of the first things it did was give Alex Danvers a girlfriend. Whether that was always the plan or a mandate from what was, at the time, the queerest network is anyone’s guess, but either way we’re glad it happened. Alex met Maggie Sawyer, came out, had her heart shattered to nine billion pieces, and learned to love again by way of a brand new Guardian, Kelly Olsen, all while standing by the side of her sister with alien superpowers (aka Kara Danvers aka Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl). And if we’re being honest, as invested as I always am in Alex’s romantic storylines and general happiness as a lesbian, the truest love story for me will always be the sisterly love between Alex and Kara. Their bond has been their lighthouse in the storm more times than I could count, and I would watch Alex help Kara remember to pull the sunlight from the darkness for the rest of my life. And an extra special shout out to trans actress Nicole Maines and her amazing portrayal of trans superhero Nia Nal aka Dreamer; she is a darling and an amazing addition to the Superfriends.

9. Wynonna Earp (2016 – 2021)

Starring: Melanie Scrofano, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Katherine Barrell, Tim Rozon, Varun Saranga
Watch on Netflix

With traces of Buffy and Lost Girl in its veins, but a truly unique show at its core, Wynonna Earp is about an unlikely hero and her unlikely crew. Wynonna’s sister Waverly is an optimist, sweet, genius bisexual angel, and the love of Waverly’s life Nicole is the loyal, strong, lesbian sheriff, with stories and relationships and mysteries of her own. The show has queer characters, queer actors, and queer writers, and even though a Canadian Western about the heir to Wyatt Earp’s demon-hunting curse who falls in and out of (and in) love with THE Doc Holliday isn’t going to be EVERYONE’S jam, it sure as hell is mine.

8. The Last of Us (2023 – present)

Starring: Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Anna Torv, Merle Dandridge, Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid
Watch on Max

The Last of Us is the highest of the new shows added this year, rocketing into the top ten right out of the gate. It’s no surprise really, with a queer teen girl protagonist from a long-beloved video game franchise. Ellie lives in a world where a fungal epidemic has left most humans infected and hungry for human flesh. She travels across the country with her reluctant protector Joel, and together they learn how to ensure and survive. Played by the charming non-binary actor Bella Ramsey, Ellie is positive representation in a subgenre not often riddled with queer people, and, if the games are anything to go by, her story will only get gayer in Season 2.

7. Sense8 (2015 – 2017)

Starring: Jamie Clayton, Freema Agyeman, Bae Doona, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton
Watch on Netflix

Groundbreaking for a billion reasons, and beloved for a billion more, it’s no surprise Sense8‘s Nomi and Amanita made it so high on this list. First, we have trans actress Jamie Clayton playing the trans character Nomi Marks, which should be a given but unfortunately it’s not, so it’s worth mentioning. On top of that, Nomi is a trans lesbian who has delightful and stunning sex scenes with her girlfriend Amanita, as well as the mental orgies she has with her cluster, aka the people she has a psychic connection with from all around the world. Amanita is an amazing girlfriend despite the very strange goings-on of the series, and the two all but ride off into the sunset together in the end.

6. Marvel’s Runaways (2017 – 2019)

Starring: Virginia Gardner, Lyrica Okano, Ariela Barer, Allegra Acosta, Rhenzy Feliz
Buy on Prime Video

In another instance of Marvel’s TV shows out-striding its cinematic universe re: queer representation, Runaways has featured one of the sweetest teenage romances on television since Season 1. Lesbian rainbow alien Karolina Dean and bisexual goth witch Nico Minoru have been trying to balance their light and dark for years, finding strength and hope and truth in each other.

5. The Good Place (2017 – 2020)

Starring: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto
Watch on Netflix

The Good Place is not typically categorized as sci-fi and/or fantasy, but I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that a show that is set in the afterlife and features AIs and demons and butthole spiders doesn’t belong on this list! It’s a great show, and the protagonist, Eleanor, is undoubtedly a bisexual woman, so I think we deserve to claim this show as ours. Plus, Janet lives outside the gender binary and even though she is also not human, her giving language, importance, and precedent for correcting someone misnaming/labeling/gendering you to an audience that might not otherwise have been exposed to it is something unique.

4. Dickinson (2019 – 2021)

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Hunt, Jane Krakowski, Anna Baryshnikov, Ayo Edebiri
Watch on Apple TV+

I once again ask you to hear me out. I know Dickinson is an unusual inclusion on this list, but tell me that it’s not a fantasy show when there are talking bees, visits from Death himself (who looks a lot like Wiz Khalifa), powers of invisibility, and even a dash of time travel. Even if you take all those things out of the equation, chalking them up to Emily’s overactive imagination, but the concept alone, with modernized vocabulary and music, and liberties taken with her story could be considered fantasy. It’s a stunning show that brings the queerness historians tried to bury back out into the spotlight, centering Emily and Sue’s love for one another that burned bright and true despite being a time that didn’t allow them to be properly together in the way that they wished. Still, we can fantasize about how it was, all while enjoying Emily Dickinson’s incredibly gay poetry.

3. Batwoman (2019 – 2022)

Starring: Javicia Leslie, Meagan Tandy, Rachel Skarsten, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson
Watch on Max

Batwoman flew onto the scene with a huge legacy to uphold but with the broad gay shoulders to do it. When a historically gay character makes their way to TV, you never know quite how it’s going to pan out, but Batwoman continued to defy expectations and double-down on its gayness over and over again. It’s so refreshing and exciting to have a lesbian in the titular role, and even though her queerness isn’t the only part of her story, it is a real, huge part of her, because that’s how it is for all of us. After publishing this list the first time in January 2020, a lot of changes befell Batwoman; including but not limiting the queerness factor getting cranked up. Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane left the scene, and Javicia Leslie took over the show as Ryan Wilder, kicking up a romance with Meagan Tandy’s Sophie Moore. Later seasons also vindicated Gotham’s Renee Montoya by casting Victoria Cartagena to reprise her role, but this time giving her a girlfriend in Bridget Regan’s Poison Ivy. It more than earned its Top 3 spot.

2. Orphan Black (2013 – 2017)

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Tatiana Maslany, Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Evelyne Brochu
Watch on AMC Plus

It makes sense to me that Orphan Black has held tight to its runner-up position since 2022. Not everyone (on our TV Team or in the general population of queer TV lovers) is into sci-fi/fantasy, but despite being about a woman seeing someone with her face jump onto the train tracks only to discover there are LOTS of people with her face, Orphan Black was genre-bending and made it seem more like secret science than science fiction; it almost convinced you that there really could be human clones running around out there, giving it more universal appeal than some of the other shows on this list. It did dip a little into the hyper-surreal, with Kira’s healing abilities and all, but anything that seemed unbelievable as far as lore went was outshined by Tatiana Maslany’s brilliant performance as an endless number of Leda clones, including but not limited to queer, quirky, brilliant scientist Cosima Niehaus. Her girlfriend, Delphine Cormier, was a charming, bisexual French woman, and together they defied the people who sought to bring them down, the universe trying to keep them apart, and the Bury Your Gays trope. Plus, though not explored particularly deeply in the show, Sarah Manning is bisexual, so that’s amazing. Brilliantly feminist and endlessly brilliant, it warms my heart to its core that this show made its way so high on the list.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Amber Benson, Eliza Dushku
Watch on Hulu

It feels right that Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains on top of this list. Not too many shows have been at the top of mind or on the tip of tongues for over 20 years nonstop, but Buffy sure has. Even now, there are still new people coming to the show for the first time because of podcasts, comics, novels and conventions that are about or inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though imperfect looking back, a lot of the humor, relationships, metaphors, and themes still hold up to this day; and even those that don’t hold up are fun to dissect and talk about. There’s subtext in Buffy and Faith, there are touching coming out stories in Willow, there is a hilarious love/hate relationship with Kennedy; plus a ton of guest stars over the years that are either queer in real life or went on to play queer later. Hell there’s even a whole song that’s an allegory for sapphic sex. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an important touchstone in queer culture, and Willow and Tara will be held up as legends for decades to come.

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