I'm glad there are shows streaming now that have primary LGBTQ+ storylines and main characters. Programs like Our Flag Means Death, Dickinson, and Fire Island are specifically presented as queer — often highlighted in a streaming service's LGBTQ+ section — which can be helpful.
However, I'm even more grateful to stumble upon a queer character in a show that's not exactly packaged as "gay" or dripping with rainbow graphics. When I watched season three of Stranger Things, I wasn't expecting to meet Robin Buckley, an ice-cream-scooping teen lesbian played by Maya Hakwe. The surprise element makes finding those characters more meaningful, like the time I realized the two cowboys in front of me in a rural grocery store were husbands.
So here's a roundup of a few queer characters in currently streaming comedies:
Shot in a mockumentary style, Abbott Elementary follows teachers in an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school. One of those teachers is Jacob, a dorky young White guy whose heart is in a decent place yet whose face-palmy comments reveal he often tries too hard to prove to Black coworkers that he truly understands racism (when no White queer really can). He's long-winded and cringe, yet also admits when he's wrong and readily changes.
In one sweet scene, Jacob bonds with older teacher Barbara over their shared attraction to actor Sidney Poitier. Jacob's gayness isn't a taboo subject. He casually mentions his boyfriend Zach, who we later meet and find out he rambles as much as Jacob. The way both partners gently remind each other to focus on "the task at hand" is cute and believable. It helps that Abbott has real queer writers in its writers' room.
MANDY MATTHEWS IN WELCOME TO FLATCH (FOX/HULU)
Another new mock doc, Welcome to Flatch, stars nonbinary actor Holmes as Kelly Mallet, a Midwestern gal in the fictitious small town of Flatch, Ohio. Kelly and her cousin Shrub form an energetic-yet-delusional duo whose hilarious physical comedy and pithy comments ("Showbiz!," "She's nimble.") seem improvised.
Though Kelly's sexuality hasn't yet come up in season one, Flatch delivers rural queer representation with Mandy 'Big Mandy' Matthews, a character with many layers (beyond her literal flannel and leather jackets). Multi-talented Mandy (insult comedian, singer) is confident and tough yet also has a soft side. Describing her ideal partner, Mandy tells the camera that her type plays it cool, has some meat on their bones, and most importantly, "owns zero cardigans if they're a woman, lots of cardigans if they're a man."
Relatable content! As a bi woman, phrases like "love is love" and "I just fall for the person" don't quite ring true for me. My queerness not only shapes how I express desire and intimacy but also influences which qualities I'm attracted to in different genders: I tend to fall for loud women, shy guys, and nonbinary eyeliner and/or bowties. Mandy would understand.
CLARE DEVLIN IN DERRY GIRLS (CHANNEL 4/NETFLIX)
To be a lesbian in an all-girls Catholic school could be a dreamy gay scenario or a nightmare. For studious, anxious Clare Devlin of Derry Girls — a coming-of-age series set in 1990s Northern Ireland — she's able to come out as a "wee lesbian" in that plaid-skirt environment because of the loyal support of her close friends, boy-crazy as they are. Though Clare's pal Erin at first responds insensitively, there's no major queer shaming or shunning of Clare. While the third (and final) season of Derry Girls hasn't hit Netflix in the U.S. yet, Tumblr tells me there's a first kiss in store for Clare. Good for her! ♦