The Best LGBTQ Shows on Netflix Right Now (May 2022)

Merlí: Sapere Aude (2019): Spiciest Spanish Teen Romantic Dramadey

As Pol Rubio (Carlos Cuevas) goes off to college in Barcelona, his relationships with his family, teachers, and boyfriend Bruno (David Solans) start to change, for better or for worse.

Merlí: Sapere Aude is a spin-off of the Spanish teen drama Merlí. The second season just wrapped up on Spanish television, but Netflix only has the first season for now.

Elite (2018): For People Who Love Gloriously Trashy Soaps

This Spanish drama about three friends from working-class families who land spots in a prestigious private school was praised by critics when it first aired in 2018 for both its racy, trashy soap opera aesthetic and its handling of social issues like wealth inequality, privilege, and sexuality. Give this a shot if you're looking for a fun, if excessive, teen drama.

Queer Eye (2018): The Emmy-Winning Reality Show Reboot

The original Queer Eye went off the air about a decade ago, but Netflix has rebooted the reality-TV series. An all-new Fab Five travel the U.S. giving makeovers and general life advice to others. They often visit people with differing viewpoints, adding a layer of social commentary on top of the amazing style transformations. Now in its fifth season, it won a 2021 Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program.

Young Royals (2021): A Swedish Teen Drama With Good Queer Representation

This Swedish import tells the story of fictional Prince Wilhelm, the troubled heir to the throne, who's forced to go to an elite boarding school filled with other wealthy teens. While there, he forms a close connection with a fellow student named Simon. The series showcases many of the troubles teens face today, all while offering thoughtful queer representation and a theme of discovering your own identity that many can relate to.

GameBoys: Level Up Edition (2021)—Finding Love During a Pandemic Isn't Easy

Based on a popular Filipino web series, Gameboys is about two teens, Cairo and Gavreel, who engage in an online romance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cairo is a video game live streamer who loses to an admirer, Gavreel. When Cairo suggests a rematch, Gavreel asks for a date. While Cairo is hesitant, the two form a bond. Teen relationships are tough, but they're even tougher when they're online and during a global crisis. Whether or not the teens can make it work provides most of the drama in the series' first season.

The Andy Warhol Diaries (2022): Trippiest Modern Art Documentary

In this docuseries, Andy Warhol (Bill Irwin) shares the story of his life and career. Whether you're a fan of his work or going in blind, The Andy Warhol Diaries is an audiovisual trip of epic proportions.

Based on Warhol's real-life diaries, this series is a loving tribute to the enigmatic artist. It paints an intentionally incomplete picture of a man whose legacy still resonates.

Raising Dion (2019): A Supernatural Story of Maternal Love

Dion (Ja'Siah Young) is a gifted little boy, but his mother Nicole (Alisha Wainwright) is rightfully worried about the world discovering his special secret.

Raising Dion is a family-friendly show with LGBT supporting characters. Based on a comic book, this show is recommended for all fans of the supernatural.

Halston (2021): A Gorgeous Look at '70s Fashion

This limited series dives into the life and career of American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick. Known as just "Halston," he rose to international fame in the 1970s thanks to his minimalist designs. One of his most iconic creations is the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband's presidential inauguration in 1961. Fashion fans will enjoy this peek into the '70s and '80s fashion industry, while everyone else will enjoy the gorgeous visuals and fun performances from Ewan McGregor and Krysta Rodriguez, who play Halston and actress Liza Minelli.

Rebelde (2022): The Iconic Telenovela Gets a Reboot

The first Rebelde telenovela was a phenomenon that launched the pop group RBD. It caused some controversy in 2007 when band member and actor Christian Chávez came out as gay. Now, Netflix hopes to create a new generation of young stars with its 2022 reboot. The show focuses on a group of students who dream of making it in music. They compete in their school's Battle of the Bands with hopes that a win will turn them into stars.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018): One of the Most Inclusive Animated Shows Around

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the classic 1980s cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power, a spin-off of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is also one of the most inclusive animated series in recent memory. It follows Princess Adora and her royal friends as they join a rebellion against the evil, world-conquering Horde. The main antagonist is Catra, Adora's frequent frenemy and, later, romantic interest. Their relationship over the show's five seasons is the series' emotional core. The solid storytelling and flashy visuals are also a treat.

No Time for Shame (2021): A Small Show About a Big Personality

Santiago Artemis is an Argentinian fashion designer with a large personality. Driven, flamboyant, and gregarious, he creates custom clothing for celebrities and the runways. This reality-TV show documents his hectic, globe-trotting lifestyle as he deals with clients, his love life, and his therapist. Your enjoyment of this show will largely depend on how tolerant you are of oversized egos.

Feel Good (2020): A Relatable Show About Love and Addiction

Feel Good is a charming, if sometimes uncomfortable, British comedy/drama about a comedian and recovering addict named Mae (Mae Martin) and her relationship with a repressed woman named George (Charlotte Ritchie). Mae struggles with her sobriety while George struggles with coming out to her friends and family. Critics call the show "authentic," "bingeable," and "relatable."

Love Alarm (2019): A Popular Korean Drama About the Perils of Love and Social Media

Love Alarm is a Korean comedy/drama about a phone app that alerts people if someone in their vicinity likes them and the relationship chaos that ensues. In between all the romantic entanglements is a show that turns a critical eye toward social media and its impact on our mental health. It also features a subplot about a boy who reveals his feelings for another boy via the app, and it handles this narrative tastefully, which is unusual in a Korean drama. While homosexuality is legal in South Korea, it's still socially taboo and many LGBTQ people face discrimination in the country, making Love Alarm's handling of the issue a welcome change from the genre's usual depictions of gay people.

The House of Flowers (2018): For Fans of Telenovelas

The House of Flowers is a black comedy about a Mexican family, the de la Moras, who owns a prestigious flower shop and a cabaret. When the family patriarch's mistress airs all of their dirty laundries before committing suicide, he's thrown in prison, while the rest of the de la Moras struggle to restore their reputations and finances. The show has several LGBTQ characters and plotlines that deal with homophobia and transphobia, and it's been praised for both its dark humor and its addictive soapy format.

Grand Army (2020): A Sincere Portrait of Gen Zers

Grand Army is a teen drama that focuses on the lives of five high school students as they struggle with issues of sex, race, politics, and more. These problems are discussed by a talented cast of young actors, including Amir Bageria who plays Sid, a Harvard-bound swimmer and the son of Indian immigrants struggling with his sexuality. While the show might be a little too gritty for some viewers, it's often sincere in how it portrays Gen Z life.

Pose (2018): Best Gender-Nonconforming Ballroom Drama

Pose is a series about the Black and Latino LGBTQ ballroom culture of the 1980s and '90s. Blanca Rodriguez (Mj Rodriguez) is an HIV-positive trans woman who decides to form her own House, the community's term for a group of dancers, and she quickly finds herself with a new family. The show is a glossy soap opera that also manages to be emotionally affecting as it deals with issues like money, gender, politics, race, and sexuality. Plus, it features an award-winning performance from Billy Porter as a ballroom emcee turned AIDS activist named Pray Tell.

Schitt’s Creek (2015): Best Ground-Breaking Gay Comedy

Schitt’s Creek follows the hilarious misadventures of a rich family who suddenly find themselves out of pocket and are forced to move to a small rural town called, well, Schitt’s Creek. The series features a variety of now-iconic characters skillfully played by perfectly cast actors, but the standout star is the openly-gay series creator, Daniel Levy, who plays the pansexual son, David Rose.

His city character being forced to live in the middle of nowhere makes for numerous laugh-out-loud, fish-out-of-water scenarios, but the show also manages to explore him with sensitivity and earnestness that’s both endearing and relatable. While David does experience a relationship with a female character in its first season, [Spoiler alert!] it’s his romance with a closeted gay man in its third that really breaks new ground and quickly proves itself to be one of the best representations of a male same-sex relationship on TV that easily puts other LGBT shows to shame.

Special (2019): An Honest Portrayal of Being Both Gay and Disabled

Based on Ryan O'Connell's memoir I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, Special is about a gay man named Ryan who lives with cerebral palsy. Like the book, the show is honest, funny, and self-aware. O'Connell stars as himself in the Netflix series, for which he also serves as executive producer and writer, and it's getting a second season in the near future.

Grace and Frankie (2015): Best Depiction of an Older Gay Couple

Grace and Frankie is a show about two women in their 70s who move in together when their husbands reveal they're gay and in a 20-year relationship. Sure, that premise sounds like a pure sitcom cliché. But there are a lot of things to like in this Netflix comedy, and one is the portrayal of Sol (Sam Waterston) and Robert's (Martin Sheen) relationship.

The idea that Sol and Robert want to live openly gay and get married is very relatable, but their happiness comes at their wives' expense, and the show's first season doesn't shy from that. Waterston and Sheen are iconic actors and they make their characters' relationship–with themselves and their ex-wives–believable and complex.

Untold: Caitlyn Jenner (2021)—A Fresh Look at an LGBTQ Sports Icon

This film is part of a five-episode docuseries about the wide world of sports. Caitlyn Jenner earned acclaim after breaking records and winning decathlon gold in the 1976 Olympics. But, the pursuit of athletic excellence and national stardom stood in between her and her true identity. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and home videos, Untold: Caitlyn Jenner seeks to provide a clear-eyed look at Jenner's life.

My Unorthodox Life (2021): A Reality Series With a Unique Perspective

Julia Haart is the CEO of Elite World Group, a company that represents talent across the entertainment, fashion, and culture industries. She's also a former Orthodox Jew. This new reality-TV series follows her and her family as they navigate work, dating, and more.