In 2024, the unfortunate trend continued: TV is getting less gay. But that made the shows we did get — the ends of some faves, the beginnings of others — feel even more special. Since 2016, our TV Team has compiled a list of our favorite TV characters (see: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016) and this year our list shows the vast spectrum of queer stories still on our screens. From complex portraits of everyday queers to Marvel witches to a collection of soap opera gays, this year still had plenty of people we loved to watch.

Sabi, Sort Of

Throughout its three seasons, Sort Of accomplished a rare TV miracle with the character Sabi. They changed so much year by year, episode by episode, and yet stayed consistently the same. They changed the way regular people change. We make huge leaps forward with a consistent inner core pulsing onward. The era of this sort of queer slice-of-life show has come to a close, but at least it ended with some of its strongest examples. I feel so grateful to have witnessed this small window into this one monumental period of Sabi’s life. As the show ends with Sabi entering their next chapter, it’s clear they will continue to change and continue to stay exactly the same. — Drew

Ava, Hacks

Still abrasive on top and plagued by inadequacy underneath, Ava’s evolution in this season of Hacks — somehow even better than its previous two also excellent seasons — was a joy to witness. From her thwarted sex scene with Christina Hendricks to the most epic final two minutes in the history of television, Ava will always be here to remind us that progress is not always linear. — Riese

Mercy, Expats

Nicole Kidman brought the star power, but Ji-young Yoo’s Mercy was the heart of this show. Her mistake is the catalyst of its tragic events and the ways she tries to move forward as a fucked up 20-something are its most interesting. She’s more aloof than some of the other characters, but that’s just a defense mechanism. The depth of feeling beneath her dissociation is fascinating to observe. — Drew

Cameron Betland, Under the Bridge

It’s difficult to deny how hot Lily Gladstone is in this role — her white t-shirt, her ponytail, hunched over the table, beer in hand, experiencing deep emotional turmoil. The way she nudges at Rebecca, and pulls away from her. Gladstone read a lot of character breakdowns of Indigenous cops with skepticism, but chose to take this one on for its “opportunity to indict law enforcement and to indict that power dynamic” of “what happens when “a woman who largely is denied having power [is put] in such a role.” And we are so glad that she did. — Riese

Charlie (and Vaggie), Hazbin Hotel

It’s been a long time since I connected with a character like I connected with Charlie. Determined to remain optimistic in the face of literal hell, fighting to see the best in people, truly believing that some people deserve a second chance. I’m a sucker for media that shows us that having hope isn’t a weakness, but in fact can be the thing that makes you strong. I also love her ability to welcome people into her heart and her found family, I especially love that Charlie isn’t just a one-note hype-machine either, she has her breakdowns, her quietly sad moments, and her sweet moments with Vaggie. I love her, and I love the way Erika Henningsen voices her. — Valerie Anne

If you told me in January that the top song on my Spotify Wrapped 2024 would be “Happy Day in Hell” from Hazbin Hotel, well I probably would have believed you. I’m going to cheat a little bit on this one because the one-two punch of Charlie (daughter of Lucifer) and Vaggie (fallen angel) is what endeared me to Hazbin Hotel from the moment I saw the premiere. Not only are Charlie and Vaggie canonical girlfriends, but they’re the most delightful Grumpy/Sunshine animated duo I’ve seen in awhile. They complement each other perfectly while also maintaining their individuality. I love that they were already together when the show started and even though they had their ups and downs, their love for each other was always at the forefront. They’re just so cute and I love them so much! — Nic

Mary Villiers, Mary & George

I’d watch Julianne Moore stare at a wall, so, of course, I’d watch her play a lesbian Lady Macbeth using her hot son as a pawn in her quest for power. She’s manipulating every situation, and yet her status as a social underdog makes her easy to root for. She’s not “good” but she is very hot and oh so delicious to watch. — Drew

Justine Pearce, Fifteen-Love

My most passionate contribution to year-end content at Autostraddle is to yell at people for not having watched Fifteen-Love, hands down the most underrated queer series of the year!!!!! Its protagonist Justine is a former pro tennis player whose career was upended by an injury, but the real story behind that injury is much more harrowing. Justine is a brash bisexual who doesn’t at all fit anyone’s idea of the “perfect survivor” or of a victim, and that’s the point. Surviving can look like so many things. — Kayla

Agatha Harkness, Agatha All Along

“If you want straight answers, ask a straight lady!” An actual quote by an actual queer character on an actual Disney+/Marvel Television show in 2024, CAN YOU BELIEVE?! I fell in love with Agatha Harkness the moment she graced our screens in Wandavision, so with Agatha All Along becoming my latest hyperfixation this fall there should be no surprise that Agatha tops my list of favorite queer characters. At the time I’m writing this, Kathryn Hahn was just nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance AS SHE SHOULD BE because she portrays Agatha’s complexity so beautifully. Sure she’s hilarious and quippy with Ariana-as-Galinda levels of comedic timing, but some of Hahn’s best work comes in the quiet moments when Agatha’s back is to her companions and a range of emotions dances across her face. She’s my favorite kind of character: layers upon layers of softness and vulnerability hidden beneath the kind of hard exterior one can only build up over centuries. After her son died, Agatha’s hard shell grew thicker with every coven of witches she destroyed in the hopes of feeling something. Yet through all of this, parts of her remained soft thanks to, I have to assume, her relationship with Rio. (Don’t worry, I have more to say about that in a future roundup.) And speaking of her relationships, I loved watching Agatha embrace her coven throughout the season. She fronts like they’re simply a means to an end, when in actuality she sees and believes in each one of them. Agatha Harkness feels like such a gift and that’s down to Kathryn Hahn. I can only hope we get to see even more of her in the future. — Nic

Rio Vidal, Agatha All Along

Here’s the thing, I was going to write about Agatha, because she’s one of the most complex characters the Marvel universe has ever given us and Kathryn Hahn deserves an Emmy for this show and I love her so much, but the thing is, I already wrote quite a bit about Agatha, so I wanted instead to take this time to talk about Aubrey Plaza’s Rio. This character could have been written very one-note, either chaos personified, or cold and calculating. She had one job, and she was here to do it. End of story. But instead, both the writers and Aubrey infused her with so much life. She loves Agatha, and she regrets what had to be done. She can be chaotic, sure, and cackle with the best of them, but she also can be soft, and sweet, and loving. I love the idea that Death doesn’t always feel neutral about the job they do, that sometimes it affects her, that sometimes it breaks her heart. And I love that Rio was playing chess while she was watching the rest of the witches play charades. She delighted me at every turn, and I hope we see more of her in the MCU. — Valerie Anne

Eleanor, Orphan Black: Echoes

What’s fun about Eleanor is that Eleanor is kind of also Lucy and Jules. She is the conduit through which we’re asked to wonder, what makes a person who they are? How much is made up of their experiences and their memories, how much is biology. How much of our personality is hard-wired into us, how much is shaped and formed by our environment? It’s fascinating to watch Eleanor, Lucy, and Jules and see what similarities they have, and what differences. I also liked that while all three of them had different ideas about monogamy (one was into it, one was not, and one preferred consensual non-monogamy), all three were decidedly queer. Orphan Black looked at the amount of queerness in the original show and said “double it and give it to the next spinoff” and I love them for it. — Valerie Anne

Chastity, Rap Sh!t

Last year, we rolled out our 2023 picks for Favorite Characters before the end of Rap Sh!t‘s second (and final) season and before Jonica Booth delivered a tour de force performance in the finale. So, pardon me as I take this opportunity to sing Jonica Booth’s praises once more.

When we meet Shawna, Mia and Chastity on Rap Sh!t, all the girls are desperate in need of a win. Shawna’s been trying to break through as a rapper for a minute and Mia needs something to ensure that she and her daughter will be taken care of. Shawna and Mia desperately want this rap shit to work. Chastity, though…Chastity needs this rap shit to work in the worst possible way.

It’s easy to miss her desperation in the show’s first season. Chastity is an easy vehicle for comedic relief, whether it’s getting “Seduce & Scheme” played at the club or corralling her stable of sex workers while at a celebrity party. She’s the self-proclaimed, “Duke of Miami,” after all. But season two reveals what lies beneath the bravado. There are real life and death consequences to the path Chastity’s on and she’s desperate to find a way out. For a moment, Chastity thinks she’s finally found it — she’s got her way out — until it slips from her grasp. It’s heartbreaking to watch her realize that her hope has been stolen from her.

I’m remiss that we won’t get to see more of Jonica Booth as Chastity. Her evolution over the course of two seasons was, for me, the highlight of Rap Sh!t. — Natalie

The Gays of Our Lives

It’s been a challenging year…and during those times, I find myself craving television comfort food. Nothing too complicated, mind you: just something an opportunity to escape into a new world every now and again. That need for an escape compelled me to tune into a lot of new shows, including some in genres that I typically avoid, but again and again, I found myself delving into soaps. They didn’t just offer an escape, they offered me a chance to see myself…and, perhaps more importantly, they offered me a fix multiple times a week.

American soaps largely disappointed on the LGBT front in 2024, but I was able to tap into shows from abroad that offered me that serotonin boost on a regular basis. I’d spend time on Shortland Street, a New Zealand soap, and became enthralled with Phil and Harper (Jane Wils and Ria Vandervis). It’s rare that queer couples get to be electric like they were: their affair (Harper’s married to Phil’s boss, natch) burned like a white hot light before crashing spectacularly. It was delicious to watch (and when it wasn’t Shortland Street offered a bevy of other queer characters to keep me entertained).

I’d head to Albert Square on Eastenders and watch Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) try build a life with Eve Unwin (Heather Peace…yes, that Heather Peace) while keeping her abusive ex at bay and leading a yearlong murder coverup. And then, of course, there was Coronation Street, the British soap I’ve watched on and off for years…that finally fulfilled one of my great TV wishes by making Carla Connor (Alison King) embrace her bisexuality. I hadn’t felt as vindicated by a storyline since Petra came out on Jane the Virgin</em) (c’mon, Carla’s relationship with Michelle was just a little too intense to be purely platonic).

Are they perfect? Of course not, these are soaps…no one’s hands are clean. If you asked me on a different day, I’d be hard pressed to call them my favorite. But this year, soaps have sustained me in a way I couldn’t anticipate and that feels worth noting. — Natalie

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