The Best LGBTQ Shows on Netflix Right Now (July 2021)

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.

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

Netflix is releasing the fourth season of Elite this month. 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.

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, itself a spin-off of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It's 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.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015): A Delightfully Weird Musical Comedy

In many ways, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a typical comedy about a quirky heroine who quits her job and moves across the U.S. to pursue an ex-boyfriend. But star Rachel Bloom is charming and she's backed by a robust cast of diverse and queer characters. Oh, and did we mention it's also a musical? If you're a fan of the delightfully weird, this show is worth binging.

Why Are You Like This (2021): Think of It As An Australian 'Broad City'

This Australian comedy turns a satirical eye toward early adulthood and performative politics. Mia, Penny, and Austin are best friends and roommates who struggle with employment, dating, and feelings of self-worth while driving everyone around them miserable with their weaponized wokeness. While it has a similar vibe to Broad City, it lacks a little of that show's self-awareness and the characters might become tiresome over time. But there are some good laughs and energy here.

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.

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."

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.

Bonding (2019): BFFs in an Unusual Line of Work

Bonding explores the friendship between a grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix and her gay BFF who becomes her assistant. The first season sees the pair deal with stage fright, telling their significant others about their work, and more.

Cable Girls (2017): A Soapy Period Piece Set in 1920s Spain

Cable Girls is a period piece set in 1920s Madrid. It chronicles the lives of four women who all work for the National Telephone Company. Each has their own reason for being there, and they form a close friendship as they navigate their personal and professional lives. It's worth watching if you're looking for a little soapy escapism.

Love Sick: The Series: Best Show Based on an Online Thai BL Novel

Love Sick: The Series is a Thai TV series that first aired in 2014. It's an adaptation of the online novel Love Sick: The Chaotic Lives of Blue Shorts Guys by INDRYTIMES and focuses on the lives of students attending an all-male college. At the center is Noh, president of the college's music club, and Phun, vice-president of the student council. The series is notable for beginning the so-called "Boys Love" boom in Thailand, a pop culture subgenre that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters.

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. While it arguably adds nothing new to the genre while discussing those problems, it's helped 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, David 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, 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.

Black Lightning (2018): Featuring TV's First Queer Superhero of Color

Based on the series from DC Comics, Black Lightning is about retired superhero Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), who's now working as a high-school principal. But, he suits up once again to save his daughters from trouble. He's back to crime-fighting as Black Lightning full-time soon after. Actress Nafessa Williams made television history playing the first queer superhero of color, Pierce's daughter Anissa. The show has received some acclaim during its four seasons for its portrayal of sexuality and race.

Grace and Frankie: 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.