Since 2018, Autostraddle’s TV Team has hosted what we previously called the Autostraddle Gay Emmys. The name, a cheeky queering of the Primetime Emmy Awards, reflected one of the core goals of the project, which was to recognize, celebrate, and evaluate television shows, episodes, writers, makers, and performers who might otherwise be overlooked by a mainstream institution like the Emmys. This year, we head into the project with the same goal but a fresh, new name that really solidifies the awards as ours. Welcome to the Autostraddle TV Awards.
These awards are meant to celebrate the best of television — through a lens of LGBTQ+ representation. To merely feature a gay character no longer feels like enough. We want complex, meaningful, varied queer storylines across genres, narratives, and themes. We approach voting for these awards from two vantage points: the overall quality of the show as well as the quality of the queer and/or trans stories told within. Some of the shows nominated by the Primetime Emmy Awards this year overlap with some of the shows below — many do not. For example, while the Emmys remain very enthusiastic for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, several members of our TV Team have been disappointed by the way the show skirts around Susie’s sexuality. We put queer and trans characters and stories first with these awards, and within the extremely patriarchal and heteronormative machine of Hollywood, that matters.
How it Works: For the past couple weeks, the knowledgeable and passionate queer critics who make up our TV Team have collaborated on a lengthy process to determine the year’s nominees in each of our Autostraddle TV Awards categories. We have 21 whole categories, and while there is some overlap with the Emmys, we also feature our own original categories that celebrate LGBTQ+ achievements — including awards specifically for out performers — as well as awards for other parts of the television landscape that don’t often get love from mainstream awards systems, like genre television. We took a massive list of potential nominees and voted to narrow that down to just six nominees per category — with two exceptions. Due to the fact that after two rounds of voting there were still ties for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series, those categories feature a seventh bonus nominee. The team was genuinely split, so it felt the most accurately reflective of our opinions to go with this slight rule change!
Now, it’s your turn to help us pick the winners. Individual Autostraddle readers can vote once in each category. Your votes will be combined with the TV Team’s final votes to choose the winners.
There are also three fan-favorite categories that YOU get to decide completely yourselves! Those categories are Fan Favorite Couples, Fan Favorite Out Queer Actor, and Fan Favorite Character.
We follow the same rules as the Emmys as far as timeline, which means the shows must have aired between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022 in order to be eligible. (Yes, that means we have to wait until 2023 to nominate A League of Their Own!) While the show’s full season does not need to have aired during that range, most of its episodes must have aired.
Here is your official ballot!
Voting is now open and will close on Wednesday, August 31 at 5p.m. EST. The winners will be announced on September 7.
AND THE NOMINEES FOR THE 2022 AUTOSTRADDLE TV AWARDS ARE…
Outstanding Drama Series
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Station Eleven (HBO Max)
The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime)
Euphoria (HBO Max)
Killing Eve (AMC)
Gentleman Jack (HBO Max)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Sort Of (HBO Max)
Hacks (HBO Max)
We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO Max)
Sex Education (Netflix)
Dickinson (Apple TV)
Reservation Dogs (FX)
Outstanding Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series
The 4400 (CW)
Batwoman (CW)
Naomi (CW)
Astrid & Lilly Save the World (SYFY)
Supergirl (CW)
Riverdale (CW)
Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series
Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa Turner, Yellowjackets
Tawny Cypress as Taissa Turner, Yellowjackets
Suranne Jones as Anne Lister, Gentleman Jack
Zendaya as Rue Bennett, Euphoria
Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Euphoria
Jodie Comer as Villanelle, Killing Eve
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, Killing Eve
Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Drama Series
Sepideh Moafi as Gigi Ghorbani, The L Word: Generation Q
Jordan Hull as Angelica Porter-Kennard, The L Word: Generation Q
Liv Hewson as Van Palmer, Yellowjackets
Sherry Cola as Alice Kwan, Good Trouble
Julianna Margulies as Laura Peterson, The Morning Show
Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Stranger Things
Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Comedy Series
Mae Martin as Mae, Feel Good
Alia Shawkat as Dory Sief, Search Party
Jonica T. Gibbs as Hattie, Twenties
Bilal Baig as Sabi Mehboob, Sort Of
Hannah Marie Einbinder as Ava Daniels, Hacks
Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson, Dickinson
Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Comedy Series
Dua Saleh as Cal Bowman, Sex Education
Sophina Brown as Ida B., Twenties
Ashley Nicole Black as various, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Ashly Burch as Rachel, Mythic Quest
Ella Hunt as Sue Gilbert, Dickinson
Rebekah Murrell as Cam, In My Skin
Outstanding Lead Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Sci-Fi Series
Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Batwoman
Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Peacemaker
Taylor Hickson as Raelle Collar, Motherland: Fort Salem
Jes Macallan as Ava Sharpe, Legends of Tomorrow
Kaci Walfall as Naomi McDuffie, Naomi
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Supergirl
Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor Playing an LGBTQ+ Character in a Sci-Fi Series
Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, Batwoman
Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya, Batwoman
Tig Notaro as Commander Jett Reno, Star Trek: Discovery
Ireon Roach as Keisha Taylor, 4400
Kausar Mohammed as Soraya Khoury, 4400
Azie Tesfai as Kelly Olsen, Supergirl
Outstanding Performance by a Straight Actress in a Straight Role
Danielle Deadwyler as Miranda Carroll, Station Eleven
Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, Hacks
Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, Abbott Elementary
Melanie Lynskey as Shauna Sadecki, Yellowjackets
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, Abbott Elementary
Natasha Lyonne as Nadia Vulvokov, Russian Doll
Outstanding Cis Male Character
Himesh Patel as Jeevan Chaudhary, Station Eleven
Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Abbott Elementary
Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso
Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, Ted Lasso
Taika Waititi as Blackbeard, Our Flag Means Death
Steven Krueger as Ben Scott, Yellowjackets
Santana Lopez Legacy Award For Outstanding Queer Teen Character
Jordan Hull as Angelica Porter-Kennard, The L Word: Generation Q
Hailey Kilgore as Laverne “Jukebox” Ganner, Raising Kanan
Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa Turner, Yellowjackets
Liv Hewson as Van Palmer, Yellowjackets
Alycia Pascual-Peña as Aisha Garcia, Saved By the Bell
Kaci Walfall as Naomi McDuffie, Naomi
Best Episode with LGBTQ+ Themes
The 4400 Episode 104, “Harlem’s Renaissance”
Hacks Episode 204, “The Captain’s Wife”
Sex Education Episode 306, “Episode 6”
Sort Of Episode 105, “Sort of a Party”
Dickinson Episode 308, “This Was a Poet”
Batwoman Episode 311, “Broken Toys”
Outstanding Performance by an Out LGBTQ+ Actor in a Comedy
Megan Stalter as Kayla, Hacks
Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan, Reservation Dogs
Bilal Baig as Sabi Mehboob, Sort Of
Abby McEnany as Abby, Work in Progress
Ella Hunt as Sue Gilbert, Dickinson
Ashley Nicole Black as various, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Outstanding Performance by an LGBTQ+ Actor in a Drama
E.R Fightmaster as Dr. Kai Bartley, Grey’s Anatomy
Jasmin Savoy Brown as Taissa Turner, Yellowjackets
Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Euphoria
Rosanny Zayas as Sophie Suarez, The L Word: Generation Q
Sherry Cola as Alice Kwan, Good Trouble
Juani Feliz as Isabela Benitez-Santiago, Harlem
Outstanding LGBTQ+ Actor in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Batwoman
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Supergirl
Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Riverdale
Nicole Maines as Nia Nal, Supergirl
Ireon Roach as Keisha Taylor, The 4400
Kausar Mohammed as Soraya Khoury, The 4400
Outstanding LGBTQ+ Director / Writer / Showrunner
Photo credits top, L to R: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images // Robin Roemer // Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for ReedPOP. Photo credits bottom, L to R: Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage // Amy Sussman/Getty Images // Sonia Recchia/Getty Images
Lena Waithe, Twenties
Mae Martin, Feel Good
B Nichols, Abbott Elementary
Abby McEnany, Work in Progress
Dana Terrace, The Owl House
Bilal Baig, Sort Of
Most Groundbreaking Representation
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Sort Of (HBO Max)
The 4400 (CW)
In My Skin (BBC)
Reservation Dogs (FX)
We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
Outstanding Animated Series
The Owl House (Disney Channel)
Pinecone & Pony (Apple TV)
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (Netflix)
Blue’s Clues (Nickelodeon)
Rugrats (Nickelodeon)
Arcane (Netflix)
Outstanding Hairstyling for an LGBTQ+ Character
ER Fightmaster as Dr. Kai Bartley, Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, Killing Eve
Rosanny Zayas as Sophie Suarez, The L Word: Generation Q
Sepideh Moafi as Gigi Ghorbani, The L Word: Generation Q
Vanessa Williams as Pippa Pascal, The L Word: Generation Q
Sara Ramirez as Che Diaz, And Just Like That…
Outstanding Costume Design for a Show With LGBTQ+ Characters
The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime)
Killing Eve (AMC)
And Just Like That… (HBO Max)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO Max)
To vote in the above categories as well as the THREE SPECIAL FAN FAVORITE CATEGORIES*, go forth and:
VOTE IN THE AUTOSTRADDLE TV AWARDS 2022!!!
*When voting in the fan favorite categories, please keep the eligibility guidelines in mind and only nominate couples/characters/actors who appeared in shows that aired between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. Otherwise your vote will be wasted!
Nothing from The Wilds, huh?
Came here to ask that too, super bummed!
Everything else was spot on!
Yeah, agreed. I know the boys additions pretty much killed the show but the girls deserve their credit. They were the heart of that show and it feels like autostraddle just totally ignored them, much like the show did this season.
Mia Healey is an LGBTQ+ actor and the character of Toni is an indigenous queer character. Both Shelby and Toni are beloved characters.
WOW. I’m going to have to spend some serious time thinking about these categories because they are STACKED.
Will I spend more time on my Autostraddle TV Awards 2022 ballot than my state primary ballot? Very possibly.
I can’t believe Vico Ortiz isn’t on here for OFMD! Will have to vote extra hard for them in the fan favorites 🤞
Was coming to the comments to say the same!
oh this is going to be so hard! like it is every year but this year i think i watched more of the nominees proportionally
also love the name change! own your brand, AS
Oi boa noite tudo bom aqui procurando quer Kelly olesn
Kelly olesn and Alex Danvers esposas precisa com filha esma supergirl
These were some of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make. But anywhere I could vote for Jim or Vico Ortiz, I did.
Honestly kind of disappointed that Dead End Paranormal Park didn’t make the animated category. One lead is trans and gay, another lead is autistic (and in the comics, also queer), another lead is a possessed talking dog? That’s queer content baby.
These awards always make me feel woefully ignorant of contemporary queer TV but I always vote in the categories where I’ve actually watched at least two of the shows! I’m looking forward to voting in ALOTO next year!
Same. I just don’t have a lot of time to watch television.
This is very exciting, but the Animated Series category was especially tough because Arcane and Owl House are both in my favorites in general for this year, but they’re so fundamentally different it feels impossible to compare them.
Thank you for including Station Eleven! Possibly my favorite tv experience of all time.
How in the world do you not have Legends of Tomorrow in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy poll? A show that had one of the most long lasting and healthy portrayal of a wlw relationship? Yet you have a few that shouldn’t even be on that list with how their queer women were treated.
I have to agree.
We have things that are not that positive such as Euphoria but the positive representation gets forgotten.
I guess each person has their own criteria, but I wish the little media that does positive representation would be more recognized even if less famous.
Omg the Fan Favorites section killed me 😭 TOO MANY GOOD ONES TO CHOOOOOSE!!!
The ballots are so pretty
Thank you!!
Fun times!! Always great to participate in these.
Even if we all have our different favs, one thing I take from here is that there are a few tv shows i still have to watch.
Love Iman Vellani, but Ms. Marvel was only released this June, wasn’t it? So after the cutoff.
Russian Doll S2 was released in April however, so maybe that nomination spot should go to Natasha Lyonne instead.
Oh wow, great catch! We are fixing this right now! Sometimes mine and Carmen’s love of Marvel women causes cognitive chaos! Thank you for the heads up. :)
Why is Meagan Tandy listed as a supporting/guest actress for Batwoman? She has the second biggest role on the entire show. I mean, you’ve got Chyler and Jes in the lead actress category despite the fact that neither is THE lead on Supergirl/Legends.
Thank you all for giving my girls Sophie Suarez & Rosanny Zayas their props!
Yes, Dickinson getting the recognition it deserves! It’s been woefully absent on most other awards.