It’s a slim Emmy year after last year’s strikes, but our hearts go on, just like in the movie about the boat. How has the LGBTQIA+ community fared this fine year? Let’s discuss.

Outstanding Comedy Series:

Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Palm Royale
Reservation Dogs
What We Do in the Shadows

What a fine assortment of nominees aside from Palm Royale which I personally thought was a massive waste of incredible talent! The Bear stars out queer actor Ayo Edebiri. The queer, Indigenous creative team behind Reservation Dogs includes writer Tommy Pico and actor/writer/director Devery Jacobs. Hacks is both super-gay as a show and stuffed with gays, from lead Hannah Einbinder (whose character is also bisexual) to characters played by queer actors Megan Stalter and Poppy Liu. Abbott Elementary‘s had a gay lead from the start, introduced a minor lesbian character this season, and has our very own local favorite Brittani Nichols on its writing and production team. What We Do in the Shadows is centered on a group of pansexual vampires. Queer filmmaker Jamie Babbit is an Executive Producer of Only Murders in the Building.

Outstanding Drama Series

The Crown
Fallout
The Gilded Age
The Morning Show
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Shogun
Slow Horses
3 Body Problem

This category is straight as fuck but does include The Morning Show, whose lesbian storylines both giveth and taketh away. I think there was a non-binary character in Fallout for like five minutes.

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Baby Reindeer
Fargo
Lessons in Chemistry
Ripley
True Detective: Night Country

We turned out big-time here — first of all, Baby Reindeer, about a bisexual comic, his stalker (played by queer actress Jessica Gunning) and his on-again-off-again girlfriend, played by trans actress Nava Mau. Ripley is based on The Talented Mr. Ripley, based on a gay book (The Talented Mr Ripley) by a gay author (Patricia Highsmith). There’s a gay male character in Lessons in Chemistry. Drew’s favorite show True Detective: Night Country stars queer, Two-Spirit actor Kali Reis and lesbian actor Jodie Foster. Jodie’s character has a queer daughter.

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Traitors
The Voice

Everything here includes gay people because we are real and we love to compete! From The Traitors, hosted by bisexual icon Alan Cumming with queer contestants including Peppermint and Parvati Shallow to RuPaul’s Drag Race literally being about gay people to Kristen Kish‘s arms on Top Chef, we are all over this.

Outstanding Talk Series

The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

We will be rooting for Seth Meyers who has always rooted for us.

Outstanding Television Movie

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Quiz Lady
Red, White & Royal Blue
Scoop
Unfrosted

First of all, Unfrosted is the worst movie I have ever seen, but I did enjoy Scoop (starring bisexual goddess Gillian Anderson). Second of all, congratulations to gay royals fan-fic TV movie Red, White & Royal Blue, based on a book by queer author Casey McQuiston that I fucking adored! Also nobody told me that it was Mr. Monk’s last case! WHAT WILL HE DO NOW????

Okay now for a brief sprint through the actress categories!

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson — Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri — The Bear
Selena Gomez — Only Murders in the Building
Maya Rudolph — Loot
Jean Smart — Hacks
Kristen Wiig — Palm Royale

Ayo Edebiri is queer and Selena Gomez’s character is bisexual.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston — The Morning Show
Carrie Coon — The Gilded Age
Maya Erskine — Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Anna Sawai — Shōgun
Imelda Staunton — The Crown
Reese Witherspoon — The Morning Show

Reese Witherspoon’s character is gay. What if I was like “Jennifer Aniston is gay.” My head would explode. (She’s not, don’t @ me)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jodie Foster — True Detective: Night Country
Brie Larson — Lessons in Chemistry
Juno Temple — Fargo
Sofía Vergara — Griselda
Naomi Watts — Feud: Capote vs. The Swans

Jodie Foster is gay and Sofia Vergara’s character is bisexual.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Carol Burnett — Palm Royale
Liza Colón-Zayas — The Bear
Hannah Einbinder — Hacks
Janelle James — Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph — Abbott Elementary
Meryl Streep — Only Murders in the Building

Hannah Einbinder is bisexual and so is her character.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski — The Gilded Age
Nicole Beharie — The Morning Show
Elizabeth Debicki — The Crown
Greta Lee — The Morning Show
Lesley Manville — The Crown
Karen Pittman — The Morning Show
Holland Taylor — The Morning Show

Holland Taylor is gay.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Dakota Fanning — Ripley
Lily Gladstone — Under the Bridge
Jessica Gunning — Baby Reindeer
Aja Naomi King — Lessons in Chemistry
Diane Lane — Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
Nava Mau — Baby Reindeer
Kali Reis — True Detective: Night Country

Lily Gladstone is queer and so is their character in Under the Bridge. Jessica Gunning is queer and Nava Mau is trans. Kali Reis is Two-Spirit and queer.

Other gay tidbits of note:

• Fellow Travelers, a gay historical thriller about the decades-long gay romance between two men who first met at the height of McCarthyism’s gay witch hunts in the 1950s, was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. So were Baby Reindeer and Ripley.
• Girls5Eva, which stars lesbian comic Paula Pell, earned a nod for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, as did Hacks, Abbott Elementary, The Other Two, The Bear, and an episode of What We Do in the Shadows called “Pride Parade.”
• Queer actress Sarah Paulson got nominated for Drama Guest Actress for Mr and Mrs Smith,
• Lesbian chef Kristen Kish was nominated for Host for a Reality/Competition Program, as were queers Alan Cumming (The Tratiors) and RuPaul Charles (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
• Girls State, about a program for young aspiring politicians, including a very cool queer aspirant, was nominated for Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
• Da’Vine Joy Randolph was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her queer role in Only Murders on the Building.
• Stephanie Allyne was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series for Tig Notaro’s Hello Again.

Anyhow, I am really looking forward to another year of the Autostraddle TV Awards, in which we pay attention to so many queer shows and actors that were overlooked!

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