[version=25 June 2001]
For several years now I have been trying to compile a list of television programs that have included gay/lesbian/bisexual characters as a part of their regular (or semi-regular) casts. Many shows have `dealt' with sexual orientation in a single episode or story line, but just how many have included gay, lesbian or bisexual characters on a regular (or recurring) basis? This is the list I have. My intention is to keep the list to network and widely-syndicated entertainment shows in the English language.
To be listed a character should have appeared in at least three episodes and be explicitly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. Effeminate (but not gay) male characters, manish (but not lesbian) female characters, and gender shifting science fiction characters are generally not listed. For the purposes of this list, a character is described as `recurring' if he or she has appeared in at least three (3) episodes.
If you can recall any other shows, or can correct errors or omissions in this list, please e-mail to: dawwpg@shaw.ca
The latest version of this list is always available on the World Wide Web at the URL: http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-characters.html
Characters by decade of debut: 1961-1970 (1 character documented), 1971-1980 (59 characters documented), 1981-1990 (89 characters documented), 1991-2000 (338 characters documented), 2001-present (1048 characters documented to date).
A: Absolutely Fabulous, Action, After Henry, After the Beep, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agony Again, Agony, The Aliens, All In The Family, All My Children (1983), All My Children (1995-2004), All My Children (2006-present), All That Glitters, Allen Gregory, 'Allo, 'Allo, Amazing Race, American Crime, American Dad, An American Family, American High, American Idol, American Journal, And the Beat Goes On, Angels, Anger Management, Animal Kingdom, Anything But Love, Archer, Are You Being Served? Again!, Are You Being Served?, Arrow, As If (UK), As If (USA), As the World Turns (1988-1989), As the World Turns (2005-2010), At Home With the Braithwaites, Attachments, Australia's Perfect Couple, Awkward.,
B: Babylon 5, Backstrom, Bad Girls, Ball Four, Banana, Bare Essence, Barney Miller, Batman, Beane's of Boston, Beautiful People, Bedtime, Beggars & Choosers, Being Erica, Being Mary Jane, Bette, Between the Lines, Beverly Hills 90210, Big Brother (Australia), Big Brother (UK, 2000), Big Brother (UK 2001-present), Big Brother (USA), Big Love, The Biggest Loser, The Bill, Black Sails, Blackpool, The Bob Newhart Show, The Bold and the Beautiful, The Book Group, The Book of Daniel, The Borgias, Boston Public, The Box, Boy Meets Boy, Brass, Breakers, The Brian Benben Show, Brideshead Revisited, The Brittas Empire, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Brookside (1985-1990), Brookside (1991-2003), Brothers & Sisters, Brothers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bump!, Burnside, By Appointment With Dr. Keith, Byker Grove,
C: Cagney and Lacey, Californication, Camp, Caprica, The Carrie Diaries, Casualty (1996-2000), Casualty (2007-present), Chasing Life, Check It Out, Chicago Fire, Chicago Hope, Chozen, Chris & John to the Rescue!, The Chris & John Show, Chris & John's Road Trip, City Life, The City (Canada), The City (US), The Class, The Cleveland Show, The Closer, CodCo, The Comeback, Commander In Chief, Cop Rock, The Corner Bar, Coronation Street (1998-present), Coronation Street (2003-present), Courthouse, Coverguy, Crapston Villas, SE69, Crashing, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Crew, Crossroads, Crumbs, Cucumber, Cuffs, Cutters, Cybill,
D: Daddy's Girls, Dallas, Dalziel & Pascoe, Dance Academy, Dante's Cove, Dark Angel, Dawson's Creek, Days of Our Lives (1977), Days of Our Lives (2011-present), Dead of Summer, Deadwood, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Desperate Housewives, Dexter, Dig, Dirt, Dirty Sexy Money, Do Not Disturb, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor Who, Doctors, Dominion, Donald Strachey Mysteries, Don't Ask, Don't Trust the B**** In Apartment 23, Don't Wait Up, A Double Shot At Love, Downton Abby, Drawn Together, Dream On, Drop the Dead Donkey, DTLA, Dynasty,
E: EastEnders (1986-1989), EastEnders (1991-2000), EastEnders (2001-present), The Education of Max Bickford, Eldorado, 11 Cameras, Ellen, Emily Owens, M.D., Emmerdale (1993-2000), Emmerdale (2004-present), Empire, E.N.G., Entourage, ER (1995-2001), ER (2005-2009), Everwood, Eye Candy, Eyes,
F: F Troop, Fair City, Fairy Tale, Faking It, Fame, Family Affairs, Fear the Walking Dead, Felicity, Fingersmith, Fired Up, First Comes Love, First Years, Flash Forward, The Flash, Flipping Out, The Following, Footballers' Wive$, Forgive Me, The Fosters, Four Kings, 413 Hope St., Friends, The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, Further Tales of the City,
G: Game of Thrones, GCB, Gems, General Hospital: Night Shift, General Hospital (1994-1998), General Hospital (2005-2006, 2012-present), Gigantic, Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie, Girlfriends, The Girl's Guide to Depravity, Girls, Glee, Glue, Go Girls, Go On, Godiva's, Golden Girls, The Good Wife, Gossip Girl, Gotham, G.P., Grace And Favour, Graceland, The Graham Norton Effect, The Graham Norton Show, Grange Hill, Grantchester, Greek, Grey's Anatomy, Grosse Pointe, G-Spot, Guiding Light (1995-1997), Guiding Light (2009-present),
H: Hail To the Chief, Half & Half, Happily Divorced, Happy Endings, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Hardy Boys, The Haves and the Have Nots, He Shoots He Scores, Head Over Heals, Heading Out, HeartBeat, Heartbreak High, Hearts Afire, Hex, High Society, Hill Street Blues, Hit & Miss, Hit the Floor, Holby City, Hollyoaks: In the City, Hollyoaks (1995-2000), Hollyoaks (2006-present), Hollywood Beat, Hollywood Squares, Homicide: Life on the Street, Hooperman, Hope and Gloria, Hot l Baltimore, Hotel Babylon, House Husbands, How I Met Your Mother, How To Get Away With Murder, Howard's Way,
I: I Now Pronounce You..., Ice Blues, Impastor, In Living Color, In Sickness and Health, In the Big House, In the City, In the Flesh, In the Life, In Treatment, Isidingo, It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, It Takes a Worried Man, It's All Relative, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia,
J: Jacob and Joshua: Nemesis Rising, Jawbreaker, The Jewel In the Crown, John Callahan's Quads, The John Laroquette Show,
K: Keeping Up Appearances, The Kids In the Hall: Death Comes to Town, The Kids In the Hall, Kingdom, Kings, Kink, Kiss Me Guido,
L: The L Word, The L.A. Complex, L.A. Law, The Lair, The Larry Sanders Show, Last Tango In Halifax, Law & Order, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Liberty Street, Linc's, Lipstick Jungle, Little Britain, Live Shot, Living in Captivity, Locker Room, The Lofters, London Spy, The Lone Ranger, The Long Firm, Looking, Love Monkey, Love, Sidney, Lovespring International, Lush Life,
M: Mad About You, Mad Men, Madison, The Magicians, Major Crimes, Malibu Country, Mapp & Lucia, Marry Me, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Masters of Sex, The McCarthys, Me and Frankie Z, Melrose Place (1992-1999), Melrose Place (2009-present), Men In Trees, Mercy, Metrosexuality, Mickey Mouse Club, Mile High, The Millers, Mission Hill, Modern Family, The Mole, Moral Orel, More Tales of the City, Mr. Robot, Mrs. Brown's Boys, Murder One, Murdoch Mysteries, Muscle, My Fabulous Gay Wedding, My Family, My Mad Fat Diary, My Name Is Earl, My So-Called Life, Mystery Girls,
N: Naked Josh, Naked News Daily Male, The Nancy Walker Show, Nash Bridges, Nashville, NCIS, Necessary Roughness, Neighbours (1994-1996), Neighbours (2004-2005, 2010-present), The New Normal, The Night Shift, 90210, Nip/Tuck, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, No Heroics, Noah's Arc, Normal, Ohio, Northern Exposure, Number 96, Nurse Jackie, NY Graham Norton, NYPD Blue,
O: The O.C., The Office, Offspring, Oh Grow Up, Olympus, On the Other Hand, Death, Once Upon a Time, One Big Happy, 1 Girl 5 Gays, The 100, One Life To Live (1992-1993, 1997-1998), One Life To Live (2004-2005, 2009-2010), One Tree Hill, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, The Originals, Orphan Black, Our Hero, Out Of Practice, Outland, Oz,
P: Pacific Drive, Pan Am, Paradise Falls, Partners (2012), Partners (2014-present), Party Girl, Party of Five, Passions, Peanuts, Penmarric, Penny Dreadful, A Place to Call Home, The Playboy Club, Playing the Field, Please Like Me, Political Animals, Popular, Porridge, A Portrait of a Marriage, The Practice, Pretty Little Liars, Prisoner: Cellblock H, Privileged, Profiler, Project Runway, Public Morals, Pursuit of Happiness, Push,
Q: Quads, Quantico, Queer As Folk 2, Queer As Folk (UK), Queer As Folk (US), Queer Eye For the Straight Guy,
R: Raising the Bar, Raw FM, Raw, Read Out!, The Real O'Neals, The Real World (1992-2000), The Real World (2002-present), Reaper, Red Band Society, Relativity, renegadepress.com, Reno 911!, Rescue Me, Revelations, Revenge, Rhona, Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, Ripper Street, River City, Riverdale, The Roads to Freedom, Robson Arms, Roc, Roseanne, Rosewood, The Royals, Rubicon, Rude Awakenings,
S: St. Elsewhere, Santa Barbara, Sara, The Sarah Silverman Program, Saturday Night Live (2008-2013), Saturday Night Live (Also Rans), Saving Hope, Scandal, Schitt's Creek, Scream Queens, Sean Saves the World, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Secret Life of Us, Seed, Seinfeld, Sesame Street, Sex & Violence, Sex and the City, Shades of Blue, Shameless (UK), Shameless (USA), The Shield, $#*! My Dad Says, Shock to the System, Shortland Street (1992-2000), Shortland Street (2006-present), A Shot At Love, Shout, The Simpsons, Sinchronicity, Sirens (UK), Sirens (USA), Sisters, 6Degrees, Six Feet Under, Skins, The Slap, Sleeper Cell, Smash, Snips, So Graham Norton, So NoTORIous, Soap, SoGayTV, Some of My Best Friends, Sons and Daughters, Sophie, The Sopranos, Sordid Lives: The Series, South of Nowhere, South Park, Southland, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Spartacus: Vengeance, Spartacus: War of the Damned, Spartacus, Spin and Marty, Spin City, Spun Out, Spyder Games, Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Starved, The State Within, Steven and Chris, Strike Back, Suburgatory, Suddenly Susan, Sugar Rush, The Super Adventure Team, Survivor (2000), Survivor (2001-present), Sweat,
T: Taggart, Tales of the City, Teen Wolf, Telenovela, Tenko, Terry and Julian, These Arms of Mine, These Friends of Mine, Third Man Out, 30 Rock, Thirtysomething, This Life, This Life, Three's Company, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Tinsel Town, To Play the King, Together, Too Close to Home, Torchwood, Total Security, The Tracey Ullman Show, Train 48, Trauma, True Blood, True Detective, The Tudors, 24, Two and a Half Men, Tyrant,
U: U8TV: The Lofters, Ugly Betty, Undateable, Under the Dome, Undercover Princes, UnderCovers, Undressed (1999-2000), Undressed (2001-2002), Unhappily Ever After, The United States of Tara,
V: V Graham Norton, The Vampire Diaries, Veronica Mars, Veronica's Closet, A Very Peculiar Practice, Vicious, The View, Viva Blackpool, Viva Laughlin,
W: The Walking Dead, The War At Home, Warehouse 13, Wasteland, Water Rats, Waterloo Road, Weeds, White Collar, Whitney, Who Wants To Be A Superhero, Will & Grace, Winners & Losers, The Wire, Wizards vs. Aliens, Women In Prison, World Without End,
Y: You, Me and the Apocalypse, You Rang, M'Lord?, Young & Hungry, The Young and the Restless,
An American version of the show (NBC, 1980-1981 and more of a sitcom) was much tamer and did not include any gay characters.
The Corner Bar (sitcom) ABC 1972-1973
Are You Being Served? (sitcom) BBC 1972-1984
An American Family (cinema-verite documentary) PBS 1973, HBO 1983
It Ain't Half Hot, Mum (sitcom) BBC 1974-1982
Porridge (prison sitcom) BBC 1974-1978
Hot l Baltimore (sitcom) ABC 1975
Barney Miller (police sitcom) ABC 1975-1982
All In The Family (sitcom) CBS 1971-1979
The Bob Newhart Show (sitcom) CBS 1972-1978
The Box (serial drama) TEN 1974-1977
Ball Four (sitcom) CBS 1976
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (sitcom) Syndication 1976-1977
The Nancy Walker Show (situation comedy) ABC 1976
Snips (sitcom) Syndicated "late 1970s"
Soap (serial sitcom) ABC 1977-1981
All That Glitters (sitcom) Syndicated 1977
Angels (hospital drama[?]) BBC 1976-1982
Agony (serial sitcom) LWT for ITV 1979-1981
Prisoner: Cellblock H (serial prison drama) TEN 1979-1986
Penmarric (serial drama) BBC 1979
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (espionage miniseries) BBC 1979
Together (serial drama) Southern Television for ITV 1980-1981
Component Last Change: 1961-1970: Wednesday, 05-Sep-2012 16:06:53 CDT, 1971-1980: Thursday, 24-Nov-2011 11:09:44 CST, 1981-1990: Thursday, 17-Nov-2022 19:29:30 CST, 1991-2000: Wednesday, 12-Feb-2014 16:45:42 CST, 2001-present: Saturday, 10-Sep-2016 22:56:13 CDT, Networks: Friday, 16-Feb-2007 14:01:32 CST, Show Index: Saturday, 10-Sep-2016 22:54:20 CDT.