35 Behind-The-Scenes Photos Of Lesbian Characters From Your Favorite TV Shows

Let’s check out some of the ladies behind-the-scenes of our favorite lesbian, bisexual, queer and otherwise-identified teevee characters.

1. Orange Is The New Black (Netflix, 2013-)

Taryn Manning (Pennsatucky), Laura Prepon (Alex) and Taylor Schilling (Piper)

trapped

 

2. Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 2009 -)

Shay Mitchell (Emily) & Lindsey Shaw (Paige)

lindsey shaw & shay mitchell

lindsey shaw & shay mitchell

 

3. Skins (e4, 2007-2012)

Lily Loveless (Naomi) and Kathryn Prescott (Emily)
skins-lily-and-emily

 

4. Lip Service (BBC Three, 2010-2012)

Laura Fraser (Cat), Heather Peace (Sam), Fiona Button (Tess) and Ruta Gedmintas (Frankie)
lip-service-castoramo

 

5. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 2005-)

Sara Ramirez (Callie) and Jessica Capshaw (Arizona)
arizona-callie

 

6. Degrassi: The Next Generation (The N, 2001-)

Annie Clark (Fiona) and Cristine Prosperi (Imogen)
fiona-imogen

 

7. The Fosters (ABC Family, 2013-)

Sherri Saum (Lena), Teri Polo (Stef) and Cierra Ramirez (Mariana)

scriptreading-fosters

 

8. The L Word (Showtime, 2004-2009)

Janina Gavankar (Papi), Leisha Hailey (Alice), Kate Moennig (Shane), Rachel Shelly (Helena), Pam Grier (Kit), Laurel Holloman (Tina) and Mia Kirshner (Jenny)

basketball-scene

 

9. Glee (Fox, 2009 – )

Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana)

naya-heather

 

10. True Blood (HBO, 2008-)

Kristin Bauer Van Straten (Pam)
kristin-bauer-emmy-magazine

 

11. Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-)

Brooke Vincent (Sophie) and Sacha Parkinson (Sian)

sophie-sian

 

12. Lost Girl (Showcase Canada, 2010-) 

Ksenia Solo (Kenzi) and Anna Silk (Bo) (We couldn’t find an on-set photo of Bo & Lauren, sorry!)

cutest

 

13. Skins (e4, 2007-2012)

Megan Prescott (Katie), Lily Loveless (Naomi), Kathryn Prescott (Emily) and Kaya Scodelario (Effy)

Skins-Cast-S4-Behind-The-Scenes-skins-8036121-700-525

 

14. Bomb Girls (GlobalTV, 2012-2013)

Jodi Balflour (Gladys), Ali Liebert (Betty), Rosie O’Donnell and Meg Tilly (Lorna)

bomb-girls-bts

 

15. South of Nowhere (The N, 2005-2008)

Gabrielle Christian (Spencer), Mandy Musgrave (Ashley), Eileen Boylan (Kyla) and Valeriy Oritz (Madison)

south-of-nowhere-2

 

16. American Horror Story (FX, 2011-)

Sarah Paulson (Lana) and Lizzie Brochere (Grace)

sarah-paulson-on-set

 

17. Orange is the New Black (Netflix, 2013-)

Uzo Aduba (Suzanne), Samira Wiley (Poussey), writer Jenji Kohan and Danielle Brooks (Taystee)

uzo-poussey

 

18. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Alyson Hannigan (Willow), writer Joss Whedon, Amber Benson (Tara)

buffybts

 

19. The O.C. (Fox, 2003-2007)

Olivia Wilde (Alex) with Mischa Barton (Marissa)

olivia_wilde_05

 

20. Lip Service (BBC Three, 2010-2012)

Lorraine Burroughs (Fin) and Ruta Gedmintas (Frankie)

21. The L Word (Showtime, 2004-2009)

Leisha Hailey (Alice), Kate Moennig (Shane), Rose Rollins (Tasha) and Mia Kirshner (Jenny)

leisha-tasha

 

22. Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 2009 -)

Shay Mitchell (Emily) & Lindsey Shaw (Paige)

via-shaymitchelldaily

 

23. True Blood (HBO, 2008-)

Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton)
rutina-instagram

 

24. Degrassi: The Next Generation (The N, 2001-)

Lauren Collins (Paige Michalchuck) and Deanna Casaluce (Alex)
alex-and-paige-bts

 

25. The Good Wife (2009-)

Alan Cumming (Eli Gold) with Archie Panjabi (Kalinda)
good-wife

 

26. Glee (Fox, 2009 – )

Naya Rivera (Santana) and Demi Lovato

naya-demi

 

27. Lip Service (BBC Three, 2010-2012)

Heather Peace (Sam) and Anna Skellern (Lexy)

heather-andl-lexy

 

28. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Alyson Hannigan (Willow) with her stunt doubles
alyson-hannigan-and-body-doubles

 

29. The L Word (Showtime, 2004-2009)

Jennifer Beals (Bette) and Laurel Holloman (Tina)

S6special_

 

30. Orange is the New Black (Netflix, 2013-)

ointb-instagram

 

31. The Fosters (ABC Family, 2013-)

Sherri Saum (Lena)
the-fosters-action-via-facebook

 

32. Lost Girl (Showcase Canada, 2010-) 

Anna Silk (Bo) and Rachel Skarsten (Tasmin)

anna-silk

 

33. Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, 2009 -)

Shay Mitchell (Emily) & Ashley Benson (Hannah)

shay-and-hannah

 

34. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 2005-)

Sara Ramirez (Callie) and Jessica Capshaw (Arizona)

callie-arizona

 

35. Ellen (ABC, 1994-1998)

The cast of “The Puppy Episode,” including Laura Dern and Ellen DeGeneres, checking out the final product.

ellen

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Riese

Riese is the 43-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3266 articles for us.

63 Comments

  1. Omfg, that picture of Sherri Saum FINALLY made me realise that I recognise her from Sunset Beach, most magisterial soap of all time, where she played the innocent victim to a love rival who got a voodoo lady to curse her with a skin disease that resembled having rice krispies stuck to her arm.

    Thank you Riese, these pictures are all great. But nothing beats a voodoo revelation.

  2. Also, would it be possible to have a post/support group to discuss how terrible yet weirdly compelling South of Nowhere was?

    • carly and i used to recap that show! it was good at first, but then it was terrible. once upon a time it blew my little mind, i’d never seen two girly teenage lesbians openly in a relationship on television before, i was like, omg, i can do this

      • It was my first exposure to teenage lesbians since Buffy and it was wonderful. It made me feel okay.

      • I may or may not have immediately googled this and proceeded to read through a few episode recaps instead of doing my latin homework. (Getting to the first and second season recaps are going to be rough but it’s worth it.)

    • South of Nowhere was way before it’s time and will probably never get the credit it deserves because of the network it was on. A network that no longer even exists. South of Nowhere predates the gay/lesbian teens on Glee and Pretty Little Liars but so many people outside of our little community have no idea it was ever even a thing.

      • i know! it breaks my heart! i’d actually never seen a high school storyline that didn’t ultimately involve a terrible breakup after four episodes or one of them getting a boyfriend because they can’t handle being gay. like high school lesbian couples never stayed together, i’d never seen a multi-season arc. it was way ahead of its time for sure. i feel like the n was a template not unlike what abc family has become.

  5. Not to be that person, but I’m going to be that person. I think several of these characters are bisexual, not lesbian.

    PS. Some of these pictures are better than the show. Love it.

    • yeah i know — but when it comes to headlines, our choice of words is motivated 100% by SEO. i feel like we all know that many of these characters are bisexual or otherwise-identified, regardless of the headline.

      • Y’all should write a post about bisexual erasure in SEO. Or really, how SEO reflects and feeds our cultural tendency to put everyone in black and white categories.

        I feel like it could be both hilarious and terrible. I mean, I’d read it.

        • As someone who makes money writing SEO stuff (and feels guilty about it), I’d be rather interested in this article.

        • Ooo I totally want to read that article.

          I don’t directly do SEO but I have to consult with SEO type people, and have to pay attention to it. I would love to read such an article.

    • Hey, just out of interest, were you protesting to bisexual characters being labelled as lesbians because you identify as bi and didn’t want to be ignored/lumped in, or because you didn’t want bisexuals included in a ‘lesbian’ gallery?

      • as a bisexual-identified person I took her comment to mean it’s a shame bisexuals are always lumped in/erased by the term “lesbian”, not anti-bisexual in a lesbian space. But obviously, that’s just my impression.

        and Emily I think that would be a FANTASTIC post!

        • Same here. I know the writers/editors have their reasons, but it gets frustrating after a while. I feel the same way when people use “gay” as a shorthand for the entire LGBTQ community, which happens all the time. Gay and Lesbian are not umbrella terms! When they are used that way it erases the fact that bi/pan and trans* individuals have different sets of issues which are not actually addressed by focusing purely on “gay rights.”

          *I should note that I found this article super cute otherwise :). It’s no big deal, just a pattern that I think deserves attention. I know Autostraddle does it’s best to be inclusive.

  6. Speaking of Lauren Collins, is anybody watching her as the new host of 1 Girl 5 Gays on Logo/MTVCanada? I think she’s fun and clearly has a lot of gay friends. She doesn’t seem at all uncomfortable with some of the sexually explicit questions she has to ask them. There is going to be an all new cast next season so it will be interesting to see how she gels with the new guys.

    I wish their was a lesbian equivalent of that show or that they at least do a few “lesbian special episodes” next season, like they did last year.

    • I’ve only watched the lesbian/co-ed specials. I really would like a female cast version of the show. Or maybe some of the lesbian youtube personnel can do it!

    • I was really excited when they had the lesbian episodes but was pretty disappointed in the response from people watching. I saw many fans on 1G5G social media comment about how they wanted the boys back because it was more interesting and they didn’t like having lesbians. I don’t know if anyone else felt the same way I did, but finally there was some lesbian visibility on tv and then straight viewers opinion’s overrode that visibility.

      • I agree. I used to check their FB regularly and their was nothing but complaints about the lesbian episodes well before they even aired. The majority of 1G5G fans also seem to be young straight girls and I wonder if that had anything to do with them not wanting the lesbians on. For example, their live shows are overwhelmingly filled with young girls in the audience. I love the show but I have always felt a little discomfort with the fanbase, which I feel a lot of the time fetishizes these gay men the way slash fans do on Tumblr. It’s really disturbing to me.

  7. 21. I love Kate Moennig because duh, I’m a lesbian. HOWEVER, I AM DISTURBED TO LOVE HER MORE IN HEELS.

  8. I don’t think that the second L Word picture is labelled correctly. Looks like Leisha, Mia, Kate, and Rose (Tasha). I don’t see Laurel or Pam anywhere…unless they’re hiding under Kate’s ridiculous dress.

    • Yes yes yes this.

      I mean, Shay definitely falls into the category of My Type every day of the year, but Lindsey?? DAMN WHY ARE YOU SO HOT BEHIND THE SCENES…because I don’t see it on screen.

  18. 1. This made me realize how much I miss Tess from Lip service
    2. Ugh that pik of Kate Moneeig in a dress and heels. My do I love me some gender fluid girls!

  19. Also: in the L word dress pik, Tasha’s legs look sexy as fuck and why is Alice the only one wearing UGGS and not heels? A woman after my own heart.

  20. BO AND TAMSIN FOREVER.

    Comment brought to you by someone who just binge-watched all 3 seasons a week ago.

  21. I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Kathryn Prescott and Lily Loveless yet. Hellooo? Did you guys watch Skins? Do you realise that their storyline is the most perfect representation of a girl-girl relationship to ever grace our tv screens? Do you see how adorable their faces are?

    NAOMI AND FUCKING EMILY EVERYBODY

    (i have a lot of feelings about this)

  23. As a Jessica Capshaw Identified Human, I would like to thank you for picture #5. How eat-her-face-off-cute is she? Gahhh!

    Seriously – I realized I was gay when I saw her in a power suit in “The Practice” way back in 2002. Jamie Stringer… my gay awakening.

  24. Am I the only one dying over the Buffy pics? Possibly b/c behind-the-scenes pics from the pre-twitter/instagram era are more rare and I’ve never seen either of these before. The one of Alison, Joss, and Tara is so adorable, and Willow with her 3 stunt doubles is gr8. Ugh, I love that show so much.

    • My words exactly. I’m like a toddler “more! more!”
      Gah. I haven’t watched Grey’s Anatomy in a long time but that picture of Sara Ramirez warmed my heart. And that basketball L word picture is bringing back some awesome flashbacks of me at 20 watching lesbians making out for the first time on my computer screen.
      I love behind the scenes photos because when you watch characters who have some much on-screen chemistry there’s a part of you that wants to believe that the chemistry isn’t fake or accidental (like, please don’t tell me they hate each other in real life or something), so when you see that the people who portray the characters you love are actual friends off screen, well it’s wonderful.

  26. I’m just now realizing there’s a third season of Lost Girl… NETFLIX Y U LIE TO ME?? I’ve been missing out on so much :(

  28. They should maintain that because she’s reaaallllyyy hawt, she’s gone thru style evolution and that pic#2 look suits her I think. Hehehe :-3

    • orphan black presented a challenge because the actress who plays the gay character also plays all the other characters

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