The Best TV Series About Lesbian Characters You Need to Watch Now
Many people have gotten into lesbian TV shows for various reasons, like being fans of Naomi Watts, Taylor Schilling, She Ra, and more. More than a few Netflix reboots and new TV shows have been released because of that.
Queer people praise the likes of the L Word, some TV series’ on Prime Video, and more. Whether you’re interested in sci-fi, horror, or other genres, plenty of lesbian TV shows could catch your interest. Let’s dive into the best TV series’ where lesbian couples actually get some screen time.
Popular Lesbian TV Shows
The L Word
The L Word (also called the Real L Word) is a groundbreaking series that helped define lesbian representation on television in the early 2000s. Set in Los Angeles, it follows a close-knit group of queer women navigating love, careers, friendships, and identity. You’ll even find two women or more you’ll like.
Orange is the New Black
This Netflix hit introduced mainstream audiences to a diverse range of lesbian and queer characters. Set in a women’s prison, the show blends dark comedy with emotional drama and sharp social commentary. Relationships between women are complex, flawed, and deeply human. Ruby Rose is also a great addition to the TV show.
Gentleman Jack
Based on the real-life diaries of Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack is a bold historical drama centred on a proudly masculine lesbian protagonist. Set in 19th-century England, it explores love, ambition, and societal constraints with wit and intelligence.
Killing Eve
Killing Eve is a stylish psychological thriller built around an obsessive, queer-coded cat-and-mouse relationship. The tension between Eve and assassin Villanelle drives the series and keeps it relentlessly compelling. The two women make this one of the better TV shows to go for.
Grey’s Anatomy
While not exclusively a lesbian-focused show, Grey’s Anatomy has featured several important lesbian characters over its long run. Callie Torres and Arizona Robbins became one of TV’s most recognisable queer couples. The TV series has entertained at least three generations of people.
Hunting Wives
Hunting Wives leans into scandal, secrecy, and small-town power dynamics. Lesbian desire plays a central role in the show’s tension and intrigue. Relationships are portrayed as intense and often dangerous.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror isn’t a lesbian series, but it has delivered some of the most memorable queer episodes on modern TV. The sci-fi show is a great watch with your best friend or as a lesbian couple. It might be the best sci-fi show to watch as a lesbian couple.
Netflix Original LGBTQ Inclusive TV Shows
Sex Education
Sex Education is celebrated for its inclusive, sex-positive approach to storytelling. Lesbian and queer female characters are given depth, agency, and meaningful arcs. It’s one of the funnier shows to watch with lesbian characters.
Feel Good
Created by Mae Martin, Feel Good is an intimate comedy-drama about love, addiction, and self-discovery. The series focuses on a messy, deeply relatable lesbian relationship. Mae Martin’s lesbian TV show is worth watching.
Everything Now
Everything Now explores recovery, identity, and teenage life through a queer lens. Lesbian and bisexual characters are central to the story rather than side plots.
Warrior Nun
Warrior Nun blends supernatural action with slow-burn lesbian romance. The lesbian relationship between Ava and Beatrice became a fan favourite thanks to its emotional depth.
Hill House
While primarily a horror series, Hill House includes meaningful queer representation. Theo Crain is a complex lesbian character whose emotional journey is central to the story.
College Girls and Young Adult Shows
Grown-ish
Grown-ish explores adulthood, identity, and ambition through a diverse group of young characters. Lesbian and queer storylines are woven naturally into the show’s broader themes.
The Sex Lives of College Girls
This sharp comedy focuses on four college roommates navigating sex, friendships, and identity. Lesbian storylines are prominent and handled with humour and nuance.
First Kill
First Kill combines teen romance with supernatural chaos. At its heart is a lesbian love story between a vampire and a monster hunter. The show leans into camp while still taking its emotional beats seriously.
HBO Max Exclusive Shows
Euphoria
Euphoria presents queerness as fluid, complicated, and deeply personal. Jules remains one of the most talked-about queer characters of recent television. Lesbian desire and identity are explored alongside trauma and self-expression. It also features mental illness among the main characters from the first season, best friends getting romantic, and more. It’s a breath of fresh air because of that.
Sort of
Sort Of centres on identity, belonging, and chosen family. While not strictly a lesbian TV show, it offers rich queer representation and storytelling.
Generation
Generation is a bold, messy teen drama that places queer characters front and centre. Lesbian and bisexual identities are treated as normal parts of teenage life.
Horror and Supernatural Shows
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy helped pave the way for queer representation on genre TV. Willow’s coming-out storyline was groundbreaking at the time. While the titular vampire hunter isn’t a lesbian, the friend group includes queer people and queer content. The third season is especially good and the main characters are great.
The Haunting of Bly Manor
This gothic horror series delivers a devastating lesbian love story. Dani and Jamie’s relationship is tender, tragic, and unforgettable. The main characters (and other characters) make this one of the better TV shows to go for.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets combines survival horror with complex queer relationships. Lesbian desire is portrayed as intense, messy, and sometimes terrifying.
Real L Word: Generation Q, and Other Sequels?
The L Word: Generation Q
This sequel revisits the original cast while introducing a new generation of queer women. It reflects how lesbian culture and conversations have evolved. Like Real L Word, this features lesbian and queer characters, a focus on sex lives and a queer love story or two.
Tales of the City
The reboot of Tales of the City celebrates queer community across generations. Lesbian characters are given warmth, humour, and emotional depth. It’s a modern lesbian TV show where the main characters are accessible.
Queer as Folk
The modern reboot expands representation beyond its original focus. Lesbian and queer female main characters are part of a broader LGBTQ+ ensemble.
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena became legendary for its lesbian subtext between the main characters. The bond between Xena and Gabrielle shaped early queer fandoms. While never explicitly stated, the romance was undeniable, even if they seem best friends.
New and Upcoming Shows
Everything Now
This coming-of-age drama captures modern queer youth with honesty and sensitivity. Lesbian storylines are integral rather than tokenistic. The show speaks directly to a new generation of viewers.
Deadloch
Deadloch is a dark crime comedy with strong lesbian representation. Its queer characters are flawed, funny, and central to the plot. The show balances mystery with sharp social commentary.
A League of Their Own
This reimagining brings queer history to the forefront. Lesbian relationships are openly explored rather than implied. The show blends sports, politics, and romance with care. This TV series has a lot to like.
The Buccaneers
The Buccaneers offers a queer twist on period drama conventions. Lesbian subplots add depth and tension to the lavish setting. The show blends modern sensibilities with historical aesthetics. While one season could stand out over others, this TV series is a good watch.
Will a Lesbian Couple Enjoy These?
There are plenty of TV series’ out there where the main characters are a lesbian couple, single lesbian, queer, or even a trans woman and teenage girls interested in young women. Before you turn into a very queer show, however, it’s worth making sure it’s worth it.
You’ll enjoy many of these TV series for more than a few reasons. This includes the fact they’ve lesbian main characters, explorations of gender identity and queer love, a few girls you can crush on, and more. You could be hooked from one season because of that.
They’ll offer other reasons, too. They could be set in World War II, show what it’s like living in San Francisco, people with their own identities, and more.
Can Non-Lesbians Watch a Lesbian Series and Enjoy It?
This leads naturally to whether non-lesbians will think these lesbian TV shows are worth watching. They definitely are, regardless of your interests. The main characters in most of these TV shows are quite interesting, and the entire plot doesn’t revolve around a lesbian relationship.
Instead, many lesbian TV shows have an out lesbian as part of the main characters, and there’ll be a lot more to it. There’ll be tragic deaths, a lesbian affair, a few girls who happen to be lesbian, and more. They’re primarily shows with queer main characters you’ll love.
Taimi & Other Platforms That’ll Help
It’s natural to want to share these movies with someone special or to be able to talk about them with others. Thankfully, doing this doesn’t have to be too hard. If you don’t already have someone special in your life, Taimi is a great option.
Not only is it a great dating app, but it offers more than a few extra resources, too. Discussion boards and similar features could all be great for talking about and discovering new sapphic movies, so there’s no reason not to sign up for Taimi.
Summing it Up
Whether you’re in a lesbian couple or not, plenty of TV series’ could stand out. From the L Word: Generation Q to a few other shows on Prime Video, HBO Max, and elsewhere, you’ll find lesbian TV shows you like. They feature queer main characters, teenage girls that remind you of yourself, trans women, lesbian couples, and more.
One season or TV series could stand out more than others for various reasons. Whether you’re from a Cuban American family or Northern Ireland, a black woman interested in Emily Dickinson and Jean Smart, or rewatching the first season of a TV series you watched with your ex-girlfriend, a few are worth a watch.
Some of these TV shows only have one season why others have seven seasons, but you could be hooked from the first episode, whether you’re watching First Kill, the L Word, Lip Service, or anything else.
