HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN

Although we’re still mourning the loss of various shows that were cancelled last year – Fate: The Winx Saga, The L Word: Generation Q and Gossip Girl, to name a few – 2023 was trailblazing in its small-screen representation of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Rachel Weisz played unhinged queer gynaecologists in the salacious, gender-swapped remake of Dead Ringers, post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us had viewers blubbering with Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman’s love story and Jonathan Bailey slobbered on Matt Bomer’s toes in Fellow Travelers. An iconic year, really.

This year looks to be extremely gay, also: Ncuti Gatwa makes history as the first person of the LGBTQIA+ experience to play the titular Doctor Who, Nicholas Galitzine of Red, White & Royal Blue fame seduces King James in Sky Atlantic’s spicy period drama Mary & George and camp icon Dannii Minogue returns as Cupid for I Kissed a Boy’s queer female spin-off.

From all of the above to returning juggernauts like Heartstopper, Young Royals and Interview with the Vampire, see below for the most exciting LGBTQIA+ shows to come in 2024.

Agatha: Darkhold Diaries (miniseries)

Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, Joe Locke, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Debra Jo Rupp, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Emma Caulfield Ford

Later this year, Kathryn Hahn is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as her insidious musical villain from WandaVision, Agatha Harkness, in her own miniseries subtitled Darkhold Diaries. Expect more dark magic, camp musical numbers and, with the inclusion of Joe Locke (Heartstopper) and Aubrey Plaza (Happiest Season), a bit of limp-wrist action. It has been long-rumoured that Locke will play Wiccan, Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) son – and Marvel’s most prominent gay character – and that newcomer Miles Gutierrez-Riley has been cast as his boyfriend Hulkling. Nothing has been confirmed, but we’re fully expecting this series to be one of Marvel’s most rainbow-hued projects to date.

Doctor Who (season 14)

Cast: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Aneurin Barnard, Jemma Redgrave, Anita Dobson, Michelle Greenidge, Jinkx Monsoon, Jonathan Groff, Yasmin Finney, Indira Varma, Bonnie Langford, Lenny Rush

Following his praised debut as the 15th Doctor in BBC’s Christmas special, Sex Education alum Ncuti Gatwa will return as the Time-Lord for a brand new adventure this May. Casting suggests that this will be one of the queerest instalments for the series, with Jinkx Monsoon (Drag Race) confirmed to play a “major antagonistic role”, Jonathan Groff (Looking) as a “key” new character and Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) reprising her role as Rose Noble. In 2023, Gatwa also publicly came out as queer, making history in the process as the first actor of the LGBTQIA+ experience to play the titular character. A rainbow Tardis is necessary.