Even though the coronavirus lockdown means that we cannot all go out on pride parades to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community during the Pride Month, we can watch some shows with endearing storylines that represent the community. From tear-jerking coming out scenes to characters powerfully breaking multiple regressive sterotypes, these shows have it all.
Check out some of the best shows to stream on Netflix during the lockdown:
Brooklyn 99
This hilarious sitcom created by Parks and Recreation fame Michael Schur and Dan Goor tells the story of a team of detectives from the 99th police precinct in New York, who navigate dangerous criminals and hilarious situations together. Known to be one of the most diverse shows in television at the moment, the show has not one but two lead characters from the LGBTQIA+ community. The show starts with the new police captain Raymond Holt taking command of the precinct. There is an immediate friction between him and lead character Jake Peralta, who refuses to take the former seriously. As the episode progresses we find out that Holt is such a stickler for rules because he has been discriminated by the New York Police Department for being a gay black man all his life, and has finally got his first command. As the show progresses we see a heartwarming yet extremely unique couple in the form of Raymond Holt and his husband Kevin Cozner.
This is not the only queer storyline in the show. As the reserved detective Rosa Diaz comes out as bi-sexual, the entire team tries to fill in her family's shoes as her parents cannot accept her sexual orientation. The best thing about Brooklyn 99? Even when it is discussing sensitive issues like sexuality and race, it never lets you forget that it is half-hour network comedy show.
Schitt's Creek
This Canadian show, created by Dan Levy and seasoned film and TV actor Eugene Levy, tells the story of a rich family that moves into a shoddy town they bought as a joke after they get cheated off of all their wealth. Right from the first glance you know it is a good show because it pairs Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, who have collaborated in multiple projects together in the last 40 years. Two icons of comedy aside, Schitt's Creek is a heartwarming tale of four people finally becoming a family on the face of adversity.
The LGBTQIA+ storyline comes from creator Dan Levy's character David, who after a one night stand explains pansexuality to his friend Stevie by using a bottle of wine as a metaphor. "I like the wine and not the label," he says. The show also is a "no homophobia zone," according to Levy. In many interviews, he has explained how the makers have intentionally left out the adversities and struggles of queer people to show the society what it should be, if everyone is to be loved and accepted regardless of their gender and sexuality.
Sex Education
Fairly considered to be a revolutionary British comedy, Sex Education is a coming of age series created by Laurie Nunn. It is a story of the students of Moordale high-school, with a central character named Otis Milburn, the son of a sex therapist, who provides sex-ed to his classmates for money. Just like Brooklyn 99, the cast of Sex Education is extremely diverse. It also has multiple LGBTQIA+ storylines in the form of teens who are discovering themselves. Hence the metaphorical rainbow at the beginning of this description.
However, the best storyline is given to the most interesting character, Otis' best friend Eric Effiong, who is a gay black teen with a personality as colourful as his outfits. Lines like "Wash Your Hands, You Dirty Pig," which has had new relevance since the coronavirus outbreak, has come from him. He is unabashedly authentic and never shies away from expressing himself.
How To Get Away With Murder
This crime thriller created by Pete Nowalk for legendary TV writer Shonda Rhymes' Shondaland, is exactly what the title suggests, people getting away with murder. The students of a high profile defense attorney Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) find themselves in a murky situation as they accidentally murder someone close to her. Told in a non-linear format, the show sees a group of individuals getting tangled in a web of lies, deception and more murders.
Here too, there are two major LGBTQIA+ storylines, but we will only discuss one because the other has a major spoiler. Connor Walsh, a cocky law student first meets the nerdy Oliver Hampton to literally use him for information. But in a true crime-drama fashion, this meet cute blossoms into a beautiful relationsip.
Bojack Horseman
This complex animated show created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg about a humanoid horse with severe mental health issues deserves a place in this list due to a very specific reason. The show features an asexual character in the form of Todd Chavez, played by Aaron Paul. As the asexual community still struggles to find fair representation on screen, this show has become a source of comfort to many.
Bojack Horseman is a "has been" 90s sitcom star, who now lives his life in a sprawling LA mansion indulging in drugs, sex, alcohol and self loathing. He lives with Todd Chavez, a scrub who came to his house in a party and just never left. Todd Chavez's journey from a good-for-nothing slacker to a person who searches for a real companionship in an already saturated community, is endearing.
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