Big news! This month is not nearly as bad as the last several months! Things are picking up! There are more lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer women and/or trans characters on our television set in October than there have been in prior months — but we’re still suffering from the same overall lack of shows that truly center queer community and characters. And there is a startling lack of queer-specific spooky content, which is devastating after last October brought us the gloriously gay The Fall of the House of Usher.
Anyhow, let’s get into the small plates we’re looking at for October!
What To Watch On Netflix in October 2024
Heartstopper
Heartstopper: Season Three // October 2
In Heartstopper’s final season, our beloved wholesone queer teens will be “getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.” Graphic novel Alice Oseman says Season Three is going to “feel very different” and tackle topics like mental health. You can watch the first three minutes of the season here, right now.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft: Season One // October 10
There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in a certain corner of the internet about whether or not the queer subtext in Netflix’s new animated Lara Croft: Tomb Raider series will become text or remain subtext or not be there at all. One thing is for sure: we will find out on October 10th.
The Lincoln Lawyer: Season Three // October 17th
Jazz Raycole returns as (lesbian) client-turned employee Izzy in the third season of The Lincoln Lawyer, based on the fifth book of the Lincoln Lawyer series. There was also a Lincoln Lawyer movie. It’s a show about a lawyer who’s not like those other lawyers. This specific lawyer drives a Lincoln!!!
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: Season Two // October 18
Six years after the events at Camp Cretaceous (celebrated by us for the queer relationship between Yasmina “Yaz” Fadoula and Sammy Gutierrez), Season Two finds the Nublar Five stowed away on a dino-filled cargo ship with a destination unknown aiming to learn who’s after them, thus setting themselves on a collision course with a dark force.
More LGBTQ+-Inclusive TV + Film coming to Netflix in October:
- Yellowjackets: Season One – October 1
- Scream (2022) – October 11
- Detroiters: Seasons 1-2 – October 15
- All-American: Homecoming: Season 3 – October 15
Peacock’s LGBTQ+ October Content
The Real Housewives of New York City
The Real Housewives of New York City: Season 15 Premiere // October 1 // Bravo
streams next day on Peacock
Bless us, everyone — lesbian fashion icon Jenna Lyons is returning for another season of this riotous catastrophe, and they’re adding another out lesbian, Racquel Chevremont. Her tagline is “Just like a painting, you’ll need a couple of looks to figure me out.”
Every Body (2023) // October 18th
Three interseex people share their stories of moving from a life dominated by shame, secrecy, and non-consensual surgeries into thriving adulthoods: River Gallo (they/them), political consultant Alicia Roth Weigel (she/they), and Ph.D. student Sean Saifa Wall (he/him). Additionally, the documentary features “a stranger-than-fiction case of medical abuse, featuring exclusive footage from the NBC News archives, which helps explain the modern-day treatment of intersex people.”
The Irrational: Season Two Premiere // October 8 // NBC
streams next day on Peacock
Beloved ally Jesse Martin stars in this series as Alex Mercer, a renowned behavioral scientist offering his specialized insight to various cases. Travina Springer plays his lesbian sister, Kylie Mercer.
Anatomy of Lies: Docuseries Premiere // October 15 // Peacock
My friends, there are times that arise in our brief and precious lives on this planet that feel like real gifts from the heaven, and this docuseries is one of those moments for me, because they’re making a docuseries about Elisabeth Finch, the gay Grey’s Anatomy writer who lied about having cancer.
Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ TV Shows
The Legend of Vox Machina
The Legend of Vox Machina: Season Three Premiere // October 3 // Prime Video
Valerie adores this adult animated series, in which “bisexual badassery” abounded in its Second Season. Apparently Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction will spread like wildfire while the Cinder King hunts down Vox Machina, inspiring our loveable band of misfits to rise above their demons and try to save everybody.
Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? // October 16th // Prime Video
Hosted by Travis Kelce, this game show’s “celebrity classmates” include queer actor Lilly Singh and queer comic Nicole Byer.
HBO Max’s Gay LGBTQ+ October
Velma: This Halloween Needs To Be More Special // October 3
Somehow this consistently critically panned adult animated series keeps on trucking while everything else in the world gets cancelled! In this Halloween special, Velma’s friends are searching for a dark spellbook while hoping to evade the wrath of a vengeful spirit. But Velma and her crew will have to face their fears if they wanna make it out of the annual Sexy Halloween party alive.
Have I Got News For You // October 6 // CNN/Max
Queer comic Amber Ruffin is one of the three co-hosts of this program that “serves up a smart take on the news of the week” by guiding guests “through comic games and panels that test their knowledge of current events.”
Louder: The Soundtrack of Change (2024) // October 17
Produced by Selena Gomez and Stacey Abrams, this documentary promises a journey across generations, eras and genres, witnessing the female musical icons who’ve empowered us in our fight for equality! An empowering invitation for all of us to lift our voices!!! Kathleen Hanna, Melissa Etheridge and J Wortham are amongst the humans promised to appear in the program.
Somebody Somewhere: Season Three Premiere // October 27
Heather said this series is “maybe the best middle age queer woman series I’ve ever seen. And one of the best series about middle age women, full stop.” Lead character and aspiring singer Sam (Bridgett Everett) is not queer, but she’s returned to her small Kansas hometown after the death of her (lesbian) sister and is now immersed into the local queer community. In Season Three of this charming show we are promised “growth against all odds.” Trans drag king superstar Murray Hill also stars.
Hulu’s LGBTQ Content For October 2024
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan & Sara
It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023) // October 1 // Hulu
Kayla reported that this queer Christmas slasher is fun but falls short of slay.
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan & Sara (2024) / October 18th // Hulu
Another documentary about compulsive liars for me to watch this month — this one gets into fans’ parasocial relationships with celebrities and their expectations therein, following the story of a fan who began impersonating Tegan online, building friendships and sexual relationships with fans, many of whom thought they were talking to Tegan herself due to their overall accessibility to fans and community orientation.
What We Do In the Shadows: Season Six Premiere // October 21 // Hulu
3 episodes debut on FX on 10/21, then one episode weekly thereafter, with eps landing on Hulu the day after they air.
This critically acclaimed show is consistently referred to as one of the gayest shows on television, because all the vampires are pansexual and they’re always doing gay things. In its final season, Guillermo will be re-evaluating his life after briefly going vampire and Nadja will find a joy as an “’80s working girl.”
Paramount+ Gay October 2024
Abby McEnany in “Tracker” // Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Tracker: Season Two Premiere // October 13 // CBS
Streams next day on Paramount+
We did not think Abby McEnany’s next gig after Work in Progress would be CBS’s #1 hit show Tracker but indeed it is, and we love that for her! In Tracker, lone-wolf survivalist Colter uses his tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve mysteries and Abby plays one of his handlers/agents, Velma. In Season One, she worked remotely alongside her wife, Teddi (Robin Weigart), who won’t be returning to the program — but McEnany told TV Insider the season is full of fun stuff, including Velma spending more in-person time with other characters.
The Equalizer: Season 5 Premiere // October 18 // CBS
Streams next day on Paramount+
Queen Latifah stars in this series as Robyn, a single Mom who uses her special detective skills to help people with nowhere else to turn, inspired by the Denzel Washington movies. Lorraine Toussaint plays bisexual character Viola Marsette, known as “Aunt Vee” to Robyn.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 5 Premiere // October 24 // Paramount+
In its final season, the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos will be contending with “space potholes, an Orion war, furious Klingons, diplomatic catastrophes, murder mysteries and scariest of all: their own career aspirations.” Tawny Newsome voices pansexual Starfleet officer Beckett Mariner.
Special Ops: Lioness: Season Two Premiere // October 27 // Paramount+
Last year, Lioness was a surprisingly popular series amongst various lesbians who stumbled upon it, due to a captivating storyline between Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira) and Aaliyah Amrohi (Stephanie Nur), the daughter of a suspected terrorism financier. The character of Cruz is returning, but we’re not sure if she’s gonna be lesbianing this season yet! What we do know is that “Joe, Kaitlyn, and Byron enlist a new Lioness operative to infiltrate a previously unknown threat.”
LGBTQ+ movies coming to Paramount+ on October 1:
- Jennifer’s Body (2009)
- Set it Off: Director’s Cut (1996)
- The Hours (2002)
- Wild Things (1998)
