It’s truly been the best of times and the worst of times for lesbian pop culture in 2024. While we’ve dominated the conversation when it comes to sports and music, queer television representation this year wasn’t quite the romp in the hay or the magnificently diverse field of wildflowers it has been in the past. There was no single unifying show that captivated the community with buzz, but also, we did get Chappell Roan and the Women’s National Basketball Association, and that’s a lot, you know?

Last year’s strike delayed development across the industry, and massive budget cuts reduced production, particularly for queer-centric programming. But there’s still plenty to watch, and plenty to celebrate. Every year, the Autostraddle TV team votes through a convoluted scoring system for shows that shined by being really good (and having queer female and/or trans characters) or telling really good, important queer stories.

Truly, the way votes shook out this year was unexpected. This was the first year Grey’s Anatomy earned enough votes to make the list, and likewise for Station 19 and NCIS: Hawa’ii. Shows with strong showings in prior years, like Heartstopper, Bad Sisters, Vigil, and Sex Lives of College Girls, didn’t rank at all. But what’s beautiful is how this list makes room for different shows serving different purposes and filling different parts of our hearts, each succeeding or failing by their own metrics, for their own reasons. Overall our votes were more scattered, with only six (6) seasons of television that over half of the TV Team actually saw in their entirety, compared to 25 last year and 15 the year before. There was simply less LGBTQ+ television to choose from this year, too — in 2023 I reported that we had about 40-60 less shows to vote on this year than we typically did, and this year we were down another 25.

We had some real gems though! The weird, edgy delight of Fantasmas and the thoroughly queer and entirely fresh ensembles of Somebody Somewhere and Sort Of. Prestige and mostly well-executed limited series like Under the Bridge, Baby Reindeer, True Detective: Night Country and Expats. Tense mysteries with understated lesbian characters like Bodkin and Sunny. The biggest bone the MCU has ever thrown our community with Agatha All Along. A pitch-perfect season of Hacks.

2024 was also a big year for the “surprise this is way gayer than you thought it was gonna be!” show. So many pulled me in with the promise of a particular potential queer character and held me there with even more gayness than I’d anticipated, but often at such a moment in the show’s plot that there was no way to write about it without giving everybody spoilers, like Apples Never Fall, Tell Me Lies, Adoration, No Good Deed, Expats and The Decameron. 

Comparing our list to this aggregated look at what Metacritic critics across major media publications are celebrating, we overlap with Baby Reindeer, Somebody Somewhere, Fantasmas, Hacks, What We Do in the Shadows, Arcane, We Are Lady Parts, Abbott Elementary and Agatha All Along. True Detective: Night Country and Evil are queer-women-inclusive shows celebrated widely elsewhere that didn’t rank for us — and I suspect the latter may be an oversight, something more of us should’ve checked out, but didn’t.

I’ll be sharing my own personal list of top shows in my AF+ newsletter, What the Gays Are Watching, that goes out today! And now here is what the TV team saw and liked the most in this year of our foresaken gods, 2024.

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25. The Real Housewives of New York (tie)

Season 15 // Peacock
Not yet renewed or cancelled

Last year: Not eligible, we opened up the field to reality shows for the first time in 2024

The queer content in the first season of the rebooted Real Housewives of New York was on the lighter side, especially since Jenna Lyons was a bit of a hesitant new Housewife. But now in its second season, RHONY is really dyking up Bravo with not just a more candid and vulnerable Jenna but also the addition of Racquel Chevremont and her extremely hot partner Mel, who isn’t a full-time Housewife but should be!!!! Racquel and Mel talk and act like queer people who feel familiar to me, which so rarely happens in the ultra wealthy world of Bravo. On a series that has often been queer coded in its exploration of homosocial spaces, obsessive friendships between women, and supposedly platonic arcs that track like relationships and breakups, having actual queer women present certainly adds a layer! —Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

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25. Grey’s Anatomy (tie)

Seasons 20 + 21 // ABC
Renewed

Last Year: Didn’t rank

I’ll say this for Grey’s Anatomy, while some of their “disaster of the week” storylines often require viewers to suspend their disbelief, there’s a good reason the live tweeting hashtag was “GreysGays”; queerness has become as commonplace as craniotomies on this show. The first half of this season focused heavily on Levi and his chaplain, but my focus was on the sapphic friends-to-lovers situationship between Mika and Jules. Despite knowing it wouldn’t last (Midori Francis would be leaving the show), I couldn’t help but get invested in these two in large part due to the palpable chemistry between Adelaide and Midori. The moments shared between them were sweet, soft, sexy, emotional, and devastating. It’s clear that they cared deeply for each other and while I’m sad we won’t get to see what these two could have been, I’m glad we had them for a little while.  —Nic

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24. Station 19

Season 7 // ABC
Cancelled

Last Year: Didn’t rank

It’s hard not to let Station 19‘s seventh season feel a bit tainted, both by the show’s impromptu cancellation (#stillmad) and the way motherhood became the totality of Maya and Carina’s story. But upon rewatch, two things stand out: first, the happiness that the couple finds in the show’s finale feels completely earned. Maya and Carina have been through it — from Maya grappling with her father’s abuse to the death of Carina’s brother to their separation — and have done the work to come out the other side. The path was, at times, gut-wrenching…Carina’s mournful wails in the shower, Maya’s chilling threats from her hospital bed…but they made it. Their happiness has been hard fought and it is deserved.

The second thing that stands out is that the chemistry between Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato remains palpable. I’d want to be mad at the couple for making every conversation about motherhood but then Carina would blindfold Maya or kiss along her abdomen and it was enough to make me forget what I was mad about. From their first meeting at Joe’s to their reunion after the wildfires, their chemistry persists unabated. It was glorious to behold. — Natalie

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23. From

Season 3 // MGM+
Renewed

Last Year: Didn’t rank

The queer characters in From admittedly didn’t get a chance to really shine in the third season, but there was A LOT going on, to be fair; not a lot of romance in general was happening, what with all the supernatural shenanigans. But, our girls remain an integral part of the community, being the only medical staff this hodgepodge town of stranded strangers has. Overall, this show continues to be exciting and mysterious and luckily, it’s not the end of the story. — Valerie Anne

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22. Wreck

Season 2 // Hulu
Not Yet Renewed or Cancelled

Last Year: Didn’t rank

I wasn’t sure Wreck could sustain its premise beyond its super tight first season, but alas, it proved me wrong! The series only got queerer and sharper in its skewering of the ultra wealthy in season two, and queer friendship remained a central theme. It’s a really fun and original example of queer horror that’s queer beyond its characters’ labels. Heteropatriarchy and capitalism are the ultimate Big Bad in our world and in the world of Wreck. — Kayla 

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21. Mary & George

Limited Series // Starz

While other period pieces modernize with pop music and other anachronisms — to various success — this seemingly modest series instead leans into timeless faithfuls: sex and violence. This is a delicious show that’s thrilling and gay. But it’s also smarter than a lot of similar shows that posture intelligence. It’s sharp in its portrayal of people who want POWER but don’t necessarily want to LEAD. Longtime straight gay favorite Julianne Moore and new straight gay favorite Nicholas Galitzine are both so fun to watch and the whole thing is a scrumptious dessert with just enough bite. — Drew Gregory

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20. NCIS: Hawaii

Season 3 // CBS
Cancelled

Last Year: Didn’t rank

Early in NCIS: Hawai’i‘s final season, Kate and Lucy find themselves undercover as newlyweds at a lush resort. The episodes bears all the hallmarks of your standard procedural — investigating clues, trailing suspects, and impromptu run-ins with the assailant — but the heart of the episode still rests on this couple. Kate and Lucy are equal parts adorable, delightful and, particularly when they duck inside an office to avoid being discovered, hot.

The episode does what NCIS: Hawai’i has done since its inception: weaving the personal in with the professional. As they track down the killer, we learn more about who they are as people and how they relate to each other as a couple. It’s not unusual to see a queer character on a procedural but NCIS: Hawai’i was in a class of its own when it came to showcasing their stories. I’m remiss that we won’t get to see Lucy make amends with her estranged family or Kate step out in her own Grace Kelly-esque wedding gown but what we got was pretty special.

The show’s legacy — Kate and Lucy’s legacy — is that it set a new bar when it comes to this genre and its portrayal of queer relationships; I hope future shows strive to meet it. — Natalie

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19. No Good Deed

Season One // Netflix

No Good Deed is a true bi-genre series, harnessing comedy and thriller elements with matched success in its unfurling narrative that hinges on the sale of a house full of secrets. With a stellar ensemble cast — including Abbi Jacobson and Poppy Liu as a married lesbian couple, Kate Moennig doing a perfect Shane redux, and Linda Cardellini playing a queer and conniving slutty housewife — it delights and disturbs. It’s a modern day parable warning against lying to your partner. And unlike a lot of other thrillers, it doesn’t really try to trick viewers. Liz Feldman is at it again with really great grief storytelling, No Good Deed successfully taking up the mantle of Dead To Me. — Kayla 

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18. Fifteen-Love 

Season One // AMC+
Not renewed or cancelled

I can only hope that Fifteen-Love will somehow be picked up by a streamer (other than AMC+ where it already lives but hasn’t caught on) one day and have a second chance at being a hit. This is my new Dare Me!!! It’s actually quite similar to that show in a lot of ways, both portraying young women in competitive sports and the abuse in that realm. They’re also similar in that NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE WATCHED THEM. Fifteen-Love is one of the best pieces of art about systemic abuse in sports I’ve seen, and the performances are fantastic throughout, especially from newcomer Ella Lily Hyland. — Kayla 

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17. Baby Reindeer

Limited Series // Netflix

One of the year’s biggest swings and most unexpected revelations, Baby Reindeer was a story that took its time while also proceeding at a brisk pace. It asked questions about trauma and romance and mental health and shame and sexuality, even when those questions were left unanswered. — Riese

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16. Under the Bridge

Limited Series // Hulu

While imperfect, Under the Bridge is still a masterclass in how to do true crime with respect for the victims and without unnecessary respect for the police. Lily Gladstone’s performance as Cam Betland earned her two Autostraddle TV Awards, a role that saw her seduce Riley Keough in a bar bathroom but also undergo a transformation that tugged her away from the family of cops that raised her and towards something more like home. Queer showrunner Quinn Shephard’s adaptation of Rebecca Godfrey’s non-fiction book by the same name adds a queer element to the narrative and is also less concerned with scandal or mystery than it is with empathy and curiosity, telling a haunting story about cruelty and desire and the aching compromises and mistakes we make trying to fit in to a place that won’t make space for us. — Riese

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15. Abbott Elementary

Seasons 3 + 4 // ABC
Renewed

Last Year: Didn’t have a queer woman regular/recurring character and thus wasn’t yet eligible

There’s a weird thing that happens when shows get popular. Far too often, they lose sight of the very thing that made them popular in the first place. Storylines get weird (thanks, usually, to a rotating door of writers), episodes are inundated with guest stars, and all of a sudden, this show that you fell in love with is a shell of its former self. That is not the case with Abbott Elementary.

It never gets distracted by the bevy of guest stars clamoring to be part of its cast, nor has it allowed Janine and Gregory’s relationship to swallow the show (as other shows often do after a prolonged “will they/won’t they” moment). Characters are given space to grow and develop — all the characters but Ava, most notably — without feeling disconnected from the characters we first fell in love with. Four seasons in, Abbott remains as committed to its identity as it ever was.

And, of course, part of that identity is just being fuckin’ hilarious. Episodes of Abbott Elementary are guaranteed to make you break out into a raucous laughter at least once an episode. — Natalie

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14. Land of Women

Season One // Apple TV
Not renewed or cancelled

Maybe it’s no surprise that I’d love a show that cast Carmen Maura as a trans teenager’s loving grandma. But I was still surprised by just how well this sweet romp of a series handled its queer and trans storyline. It allowed a trans girl’s lesbianism to hold equal weight to her gender and portrayed bureaucracy as a more sinister form of transphobia than oft-portrayed bigotry. I’m more focused on great trans art than great representation these days, but it’s still a thrill to see well done stories I’ve never seen before. Especially in a show for families and especially in a show this fun! – Drew

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13. Girls5Eva

Season Three // Netflix
Cancelled

Last Season: Didn’t rank

The jokes in Girls5Eva are so layered — from visual gags to bit characters to wordplay to more traditional punchline setups — that it’s one that rewards rewatches. I find something new to laugh about every time. That’s certainly true for this fantastic third season, which features some of my favorite songs since the first. — Kayla

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12. Orphan Black: Echoes

Season One // AMC+
Cancelled

Orphan Black is one of my all-time favorite shows, and nothing could ever replicate it, but the thing about Orphan Black: Echoes is that it didn’t try. It had some character overlap, and some similar themes, but it stands on its own. Plus, instead of turning cloned DNA into embryos, they cloned a whole person whose brain was already formed, making for an interesting study on how a person might have changed (or not) depending on their memories and environment. What was especially fun is that the person they cloned was queer, so all the different versions of her running around were queer too, and the show made a point to show us that without a doubt. Baby, she was born that way. I’ll be forever sad this show wasn’t given a shot at a second season, because I think there was so much more to explore there. (And the potential for more queer characters.) — Valerie 

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11. Heartbreak High

Season Two // Netflix
Renewed

Last Season: #15 in 2022.

Everything Heartbreak High did well in season one is done even better and with more maximalist humor in season two. Every character gets complex and compelling arcs, the ensemble as a whole even stronger in this sophomore season. The humor is in-your-face, and the queer storytelling is varied and anything but mainstream, some characters even electing to create a home together when their given families prove unstable. If you like teen dramas, here’s one that delivers on a lot of levels. — Kayla

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10. Fantasmas

Season One // Max
Not yet renewed or cancelled

For years, TV was where I looked to see the most audacious, complex, and entertaining art. That era is over but it seems Julio Torres didn’t get the memo. Fantasmas isn’t just a great show — it’s the kind of great show that feels wholly its own. Torres is one of our best Aquarius artists, someone who is able to translate his unique way of seeing the world into art that feels relatable to anyone struggling through the day-to-day nonsense of modern life. It’s rare that the funniest show of the year and the most beautifully crafted show of the year are the same but Fantasmas showed the comic possibilities of true art. – Drew

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9. What We Do In the Shadows

Season Six // Hulu
Final Season

Last Year: Didn’t rank

It’s time at last to say farewell to the horniest and queerest vampire show on television. In its final season, What We Do in the Shadows plays to all its strengths: raunchy and downright disgusting humor, absurdity, and surprisingly emotional character arcs where you least expect them. Harvey Guillén’s Guillermo has steadily become one of my favorite queer characters on television, and he has had a fantastic final chapter. — Kayla

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8. Expats

Limited Series // Prime Video

I understand why a patient series about guilt and grief didn’t catch on with the general public. In fact, I didn’t watch it myself until months after its release. But I’m here to say: It’s worth it. Lulu Wang’s portrait of three foreign women living in Hong Kong is the best kind of limited series. It’s a precise and contained work that’s still given the room to make its characters and its world come alive. Ji-young Yoo, Nicole Kidman, and Sarayu Blue are remarkable and the series as a whole is worthy of their many talents. —Drew

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7. Arcane

Season 2 // Netflix
Final Season

Last Season: Didn’t rank

It’s not often that a show manages to do almost everything right, including its representation of queerness and non-whiteness. Arcane is that rare show. (I say “almost everything” because I have some Notes™ about Ambessa but that’s not why we’re here.) The enemies-to-lovers relationship between Vi and Caitlyn was charged yet playful in that way when you give someone a seemingly pejorative nickname (aka “Cupcake”) that ends up being the thing that makes them blush. Romantic relationships were never the point of Arcane, but they highlighted the very real stakes present among political and class warfare. I never felt like one aspect of the show took away from the other. And, let us not forget the incredibly hot sex scene between CaitVi; everyone say “thank you Fortiche!” —Nic

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6. We Are Lady Parts

Season 2 // Peacock
Not yet renewed or cancelled

Last Season: Ranked #17 in 2021.

At the end of We Are Lady Parts‘ first series, the band was getting its first taste of popularity and its trappings. Zarina’s profile of them in Yellow Tongue Magazine earns the group a bevy of new fans along with a swath of outspoken haters. Ultimately, the good outweighs the bad and the girls persist, hustling to make enough money, from gigs and appearances, to finance their demo. With their dreams closer than they’ve ever been, Saira, Amina, Bisma, Ayesha and Momtaz are forced to ask themselves how much they’ll sacrifice to achieve them. How much compromise is too much to get on the stage at Glastonbury?

We Are Lady Parts excels in its second series, in part because we get to spend more time with each of the bandmates. We get to know Ayesha and what it’s like for her to navigate an increasingly expanding world as someone who is, seemingly, out to her fans — who, naturally, think that she’s in a relationship with Saira — while also keeping her sexuality a secret from her family. The resolution isn’t as clean or satisfying as some might like but it feels real and emblematic of what makes We Are Lady Parts great. — Natalie

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5. Hazbin Hotel

Season One // Prime Video
Renewed

It would have been so easy for an adult cartoon about hell to lean into the whole “homosexuality is a sin” deal Christians are always whining about. But in a show with biblically accurate angels, Lucifer himself, and other Bible-related characters, the sapphic characters aren’t “sinners” at all, and the queer men are there for other crimes they committed, not for being queer. The princess of hell and her fallen angel girlfriend make the most of being in hell, and work together to try to find a way to help their friends ascend – and sing about it along the way. The show is hilarious, emotional, wacky, fun, and jam-packed with incredible voice acting and singing talent. — Valerie 

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4. Somebody Somewhere

Season 3 (Finale) // Max
Cancelled

Last Year: Didn’t rank

Over three seasons, this story ostensibly focused on a straight woman (Bridgett Everett’s big-hearted, self-effacing Sam) turned into one of the most touching, authentic and joyful portrayals of queer life ever to grace our television screens, challenging the city-centerism of gay media with characters who find chosen family and love and belonging in Manhattan, Kansas. The heart of the show is my favorite type of love story — the ones that blossom between friends. Sam and Joel don’t date (Joel is gay, and definitely not Sam’s type), but they do fall in love. They are each other’s people, and the sweetness of this bond is contagious. Drag king legend Murray Hill’s performance as agriculture professor and party bus enthusiast Fred Rococo is transcendent. I bravely declined to check this show out for three years, and then binged the entire series in a week. I laughed, I cried, I was wrong to wait so long. If you have, I challenge you to change that today. – Riese

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3. Agatha All Along

Season One // Disney+
Not renewed or cancelled

Witches are gay. I don’t make the rules. Despite that “fact”, when Aubrey Plaza talked about Agatha All Along being the gayest MCU project ever, 1) the bar was the floor and 2) I was loath to get my hopes up because of aforementioned #1. I needn’t have worried though because they delivered tenfold in the form of multiple queer main characters and a central romantic relationship between Agatha and Death herself, Rio Vidal. Jac knew what she was doing when she (in her words) deployed Aubrey Plaza. The chemistry between her and Kathryn Hahn was electric from the jump. We felt their history in their gazes, and in their words, and in their touches. But the show wasn’t about to leave anything up to interpretation, so they went all in on naming Agathario as exes and even had Agatha refer to herself as “not straight.” BE STILL MY MCU LOVING HEART! How I’ve dreamed of this! (Now, do Valkyrie, you cowards!! Ahem.) My one and only note for this season was that I wished we could have gotten more of Agatha and Rio’s love story. Perhaps a story to be told in a yet-to-be-announced-but-i’m-hopeful-about season 2?? – Nic

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2. Sort Of

Season 3 // Max
Final Season

Last Season: Ranked #7 in 2022.

“Everything in the galaxy is one thing becoming another thing, and everyone is constantly growing into another version of themselves, into another and another,” Olympia opines in the first season of Sort Of, offering a clear articulation of the world and of this show. “We’re all in transition. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”

The final season of Sort Of captures the entire canvas in that constant state of growth. Sabi grows into a person who can prioritize themselves and their needs. 7ven grows a bit more selfless and learns to make space for others. Sabi’s mother, Raffo, and her sister, Aqsa eschew the norms that have restricted their movements for their entire lives. There’s beauty in the world that Sort Of creates, not just for these individual displays of growth, but also for how those moments inspire those around to keep growing. For each of them, for all of us, transitioning is the most natural thing in the world. — Natalie

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1. Hacks

Season 3 // Max
Renewed

Last Season: Ranked #3 in 2022.

The most recent season finale of Hacks is one of the best season finales since Mad Men — and honestly hits some similar beats to those iconic finales. The power plays between Ava and Deborah come to a head, with Ava maneuvering in ways that reveal just how good of a mentor Deborah has been over the years. This season was at its best in the super intimate moments between the central pair, the “lost in the woods” bottle episode a standout in particular. And, of course, we got lots of good gay moments throughout the season, including dommy evil conservative Christina Hendricks. — Kayla