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‘Pretty Little Liars’

Although two of Pretty Little Liars’ main characters were on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, Maya St. Germain (Bianca Lawson) shook up Rosewood as its only openly bisexual, Black resident. And despite the show’s cancellation, seeing this shown in the season one finale will forever remain a beautiful moment in LGBTQ+ TV history.

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Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019)

This series, which is among Netflix’s most widely viewed original productions, made waves for the way it centered the stories of LGBTQ women of color.

"We understand how to break down a script and how characters work. It's humbling to know that people are seeing themselves in Syed and in Jamal and Anthony.”

'Frankly, It Deserves The Issa Rae Treatment'

Coleman tells The Reckoning that he knew the show “was going to be special, but I didn’t know it was going to give this,” after spotting fellow Black queer artist Tituss Burgess at the season one wrap party and receiving social media shout-outs from “Noah’s Arc” alum Darryl Stephens and singer Durand Bernarr.

And we wanted to create a series where Black men were given the room to do that.”

Following the overwhelming praise for the premiere of the pilot episode, it was clear that Dawson and Lee were on their way towards creating an authentic scripted portrayal of Black queer life filled with nuance, great writing, cinematography, and the essential but often missing ingredient from other web series—incredible acting.

Enter Andrew Coleman, Lamont Walker II, and Chandler Bryant, who, if spotted on the street today, would most likely hear their characters' names called before their own—Anthony, Syed, and Jamal—each with their own unique story about how they became the face of the runaway hit series as openly queer and nonbinary actors who are now the vessel for Black queer representation that they also needed.

Anthony, Syed And Jamal

“I have to be part of this.

I see us having a run similar to “Insecure” or “Girlfriends,” or anything that lasts long and snags all the awards. We didn't have any sort of donations or money. I will get you guys coffee. Your favorites could help guide others to discover their next binge-worthy series.

Here Are Our Picks for the TV Shows With the Best Black, Queer Portrayals

Television has undoubtedly come a long way in representing Black and queer people in society.

Though it only lasted for three seasons, many LGBTQ+ people saw themselves for the first time through characters like Blanca (M.J. “We both had three characters, a group of friends, mine was [in their] early twenties, his were on the later side of their twenties. That's my living room. They were adopting and raising children, they were dealing with difficult in-laws, and they were trying to find humor in everyday life.

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Glamorous (2023)

Another show that was canceled too soon, Glamorous can best be described as the queer Devil Wears Prada, as it follows the enthusiastic but often messy Marco (Miss Benny), who lands a job as an assistant for the tough beauty mogul Madolyn Addison (Kim Cattrall).

Knowing that it exists. I think that’s really special,” Bryant says.

“Representation matters. And, I just say more than anything, we're storytellers, and in any medium, we can tell a story we will, to the best of our ability.”

“Ellis and I were looking around and not seeing a representation of Black men that we felt was whole and complete.

I literally sent the [Instagram] Live to Ellis. Once fans discovered she identifies as a lesbian, her sexuality doesn’t define her in the series, which Nafessa said she appreciated.

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“I’m just really grateful to tell the story for young lesbians — and Black lesbians in particular — who don’t really see themselves on TV,” she told Entertainment Weekly in January 2018.