Top 10 Gay Themed Series of 2023

2023 featured many series with gay content. This list highlights our favorites from the year that included storylines for prominent queer male main characters. 

Honorable Mentions: Bodies (Netflix), Glamorous (Netflix)

The Lake (Prime)
The comedy returned for its second season with leading man Justin (Jordan Gavaris) and his love Riley (Travis Nelson) deciding to be spontaneous and get married, only for things to go awry, leading to a major fire at the seaside community's famed Boathouse. With his romance in shambles, Justin looked to focus on solving the arson mystery and repairing things with Riley, while continuing to support his teen daughter Billie, who found herself exploring a new side of her own sexuality, thanks to a love triangle with new boy Forrest and his cousin Ivy. Sadly, the series was recently cancelled. 

Our Flag Means Death (HBO)
Based on the adventures of 18th century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), the series returned for its second season as Stede was unable to leave behind his love for Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). Season 2 found the heartbroken Blackbeard turning to raids to console himself, while his crew plotted their revenge. Both men were ultimately banished and forced to find their way back to their true callings. Stede would find infamy as he embraced piracy while Blackbeard would work to regain the trust of his crew, all while working through their romantic turmoil. 

Juice (BBC)
The farcical freshman comedy from Britain was the brainchild of its creator and star, comedian Mawaan Rizwan. He starred as Jamma, a young man on a never-ending quest for attention as he dealt with his chaotic family dynamics, while fumbling his way through romance with his boyfriend Guy (Russell Tovey). The six-episode first season packs in slapstick comedy, entertaining musical numbers, and a surreal environment, while balancing heart and tackling prejudice as Jamma fights to keep his love intact, not realizing that his lack of appreciation for what he has may ruin it all.

Moonshine (CBC Television)
Season 3 of the Canadian family comedy put some major focus on Finley-Cullen family member Sammy (Alexander Nunez). After spending the first season as a supportive confidante to his large adopted family, Sammy discovered his adopted brother Ryan was actually his birth father in Season 2, making him a blood relative within the Finley-Cullen clan. Season 3 explored Sammy even more, bringing in a male love interest Wes (J.D. Martin), a real estate developer building a nearby luxury resort that threatened to put the Finley-Cullen's camp grounds business to an end. Sammy was thrust into the forefront of the storyline as his family went to war with Wes, putting him squarely in the middle of the conflict.

Chucky (Syfy/USA Network)
Season 3 of the Syfy/USA Network horror series continued the exploits of the titular killer doll, as his quest for blood led him to Washington, D.C. The series' leading humans, Jake (Zackary Arthur) and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson) continued to navigate their coming-of-age journey, while attempting to track down Chucky. The duo looked to take their teen romance to the next level, though they were interrupted at every turn, forced to switch their focus to infiltrating the White House after learning of Chucky's new targets. Chucky remains one of American basic cable's only series with top-billed gay characters. NOTE: The second half of Season 3 is set to premiere in 2024.

SkyMed (CBC Television)
Season 2 of the Canadian first responder drama expanded its crew of pilots and medics, causing new challenges for returning couple, Tristan (Kheon Clarke) and Nowak (Thomas Elms) whose personal and working relationship led to them making the hasty decision to become roommates in the crew house to make way for the new arrivals. They also experienced some major trust issues when Reese (Ryan Ali) was revealed as a new member of the squad. His friendship with Nowak, and one-time kiss with Tristan, led to immediate drama as Tristan struggled to tell Nowak about the kiss, which ultimately led to Nowak having major insecurities about their relationship.

 

911: Lone Star (FOX)
Season 4 of the first responder drama kept the show's gay couple T.K. (Ronen Rubenstein) and Carlos (Rafael Silva) at the forefront of the drama. They started the season on a high note, with their engagement, which forced Carlos to track down his secret wife, a longtime friend he attempted to help through her addiction struggles through a name-only marriage. When she went missing, Carlos worked overtime to find her, leading him to be held captive. With Carlos on the brink of death, T.K. raced to help rescue him. With things settled, and their wedding on the horizon, Carlos was again struck by tragedy when his father was gunned down, leading him on a vendetta to expose a conspiracy within the Texas Rangers. With T.K and his father Owen pulling him back from the edge of losing everything, Carlos committed to going through with the wedding, despite his loss. Carlos & T.K.'s wedding was the focal point of the season finale.

 

The Other Two (HBO)
Moving to HBO for their third and final season, the titular sibling duo of Brooke & Cary (Drew Tarver) continued to seek personal stardom, while their mother and younger brother had it continue to fall into their laps without effort. Cary found some success with his movie finally being released, and it wasn't long before the bit of notoriety went to his head, leading to several pitfalls. He also explored a new romance with fellow actor Lucas (Fin Argus), only to find that Lucas' method acting extended to his personal life, limiting Cary's opportunities to consummate their romance as Lucas racked up angsty gay roles. He was also thrown into major conflict with his best friend Curtis (Brandon Scott Jones), as Cary's jealousy over Curtis' acting success led to a blow-up.

Heartstopper (Netflix)
Capitalizing on a succesful first season, leading men Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) were back to navigate more coming-of-age challenges. With their romance solidified, they embarked on new adventures, with a class trip to Paris, and Nick reached the decision to go public with their relationship and his bisexuality. Charlie struggled with his confidence in their romance and revealed his struggles with an eating disorder. Nick looked to bring them even closer, as he offered his support for his boyfriend. In addition to the show's lesbian and trans stories, Season 2 also featured a queer storyline for Charlie's friend Isaac (Tobie Donovan) who discovered his asexuality after exploring a bit of romance with his classmate James (Bradley Riches), and it wasn't just the teens seeking romance, as their supportive teacher Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade) found sparks flying with new teacher Mr. Farouk (Nima Taleghani) while on the Paris trip.

Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
The critically-acclaimed limited series was the easy choice for favorite gay themed series of 2023 as it took audiences by storm with its gripping tale of the secret romance between Hawk (Matt Bomer) and Tim (Jonathan Bailey), two men working in the state department in the 1950's as a war waged between the U.S. government and homosexuality. With a love spanning decades, they dealt with the homophobia of the times and the rise of HIV and AIDS, leading them to fateful decisions that would ultimately impact their futures. The series also told a parallel story of romance between Hawk's friend Marcus (Jelani Alladin) and drag performer Frankie (Noah J. Ricketts), showcasing the differences between the pairings as they navigated their challenges over decades of social change.