While temperatures have been soaring outdoors, we've been at home, on the lookout for the best streaming LGBTQ+ content. We're back with five shows with lesbian characters that deserve your time. Whether you like YA stories, horror, or dark comedy, here's a list with a little something for everyone.
Five Sapphic Shows That You Should Be Watching
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Aug 15, 2022 1:55 PM ET
'Paper Girls'
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If you like YA drama, complex female friendships, time travel, and 1980s nostalgia, Paper Girls should be at the top of your watchlist. The show is based on the hit comic series of the same name, written by Brian K. Vaughn. The series remains decently faithful to the original storyline, but the characters are vividly brought to life by impressive performances. Reviews have been largely positive, and comparisons to Stranger Things are abundant from critics and fans. Science fiction may drive the plot, but the heart of the story is in the friendship that develops between the girls as they each find out what the future has in store for them. There is a constant tension between expectation and reality as they navigate disappointment, mortality, and sexuality.
Fina Strazza gives an emotionally mature performance as a 12-year-old girl grappling with her attraction to other girls. When she meets up with her future self, she realizes she is gay. Strazza's nuanced approach to the role helps elevate this show into worthy of all ages.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
'Yellowjackets'
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Since Yellowjackets debuted in November of 2021, it has developed a devoted, cultlike fan base that utilizes social media to share memes and theories. Fans of Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis have flocked to the show, but one newcomer stands out among cast members. Jasmin Savoy Brown, a queer actress with a handful of credits to her name, has garnered positive reviews for her role as Taissa Turner.
The show isn't for the faint-hearted. This thriller centers on the members of a girls' soccer team who were stranded together in the wilderness and resort to cannibalism. The timeline switches between the present day and the 1990s, so you can find another healthy dose of nostalgia here too, as well as thoughtful presentations of trauma.
Taissa isn't the show's only LGBTQ+ character, but she certainly is the most compelling.
Where to watch: Showtime
'Harlem'
Looking for a smart, funny show about the complexities of queer Black women? Harlem might be for you. This series follows four friends who meet while studying at New York University and remain close friends after graduation. They live in Harlem, juggling relationships, careers, and evolving friendships.
Jerrie Johnson, whose first hit was the FreeForm show, Good Trouble, stars as Tye. Both the actress and her character are lesbian. As Johnson points out, the show aims to redefine tired tropes by "expanding the vision of what is possible for a queer Black woman". Her performance on the show as a career-driven tech industry executive is refreshing and unique.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
'Dead To Me'
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini team up in this dark comedy about murder, motherhood, forgiveness, and the power of female friendships. Applegate plays a chronically enraged real estate agent whose husband is killed in a hit-and-run by Cardellini's character and James Marsden's character. When Cardellini ends up moving in with Applegate, sparks fly, bodies pile up, and humor abounds.
Cardellini plays a bisexual character, although much attention is given to her relationships with women. She is both charming and calculating in her role as Judy. Her onscreen chemistry with Natalie Morales is palpable and at times awkwardly funny. Cardellini's close friendship with Applegate also plays heavily on sapphic themes. Get ready for a new season sometime this year by catching up on the first two seasons.
Where to watch: Netflix
'Four More Shots Please'
This comedy-drama follows four millennial friends living in Mumbai. The groundbreaking show has been compared to Sex and The City, although differences abound. The four women go through expected struggles with work, sex, and friendship. The show is Amazon's first Indian original show with all female leads, and it has proved to be a hit.
The show's bisexual character, played by Bani J, is a free-spirited professional woman whose relationships are explored with a sensitive and funny eye. Tune in for the first two seasons and then wait excitedly for that third season to drop.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime