This article was published on September 14th, 2021
The fall season is typically when most new shows debut and returning shows come back woth a vengeance. In 2021, there are many television and streaming shows that will feature LGBTQ+ performers, and from Netflix to NBC and every streamer and cable network in between, HomoCulturehas curated the ones to look out for that are going to whet your appetite for prime viewing this season.
American Horror Story/American Horror Stories
When does Ryan Murphy sleep? Because the iconic writer, producer, and director has not only returned with the fan favorite American Horror Story (now in season 10), but the show has also birthed American Horror StorIES, an anthology series that features some of his favorite performers in stand-alone episodes that give the genre a much-needed jolt in the arm.
The familiar faces are set to return, of course, including Murphy GOAT Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, and Frances Conroy, with StorIES boasting newer talent like Angelica Ross (from Pose), Cody Fern, and Cindy Crawford’s generically blessed doppelgaenger Kaia Gerber. The theme of season 10 is being billed as ‘Double Feature’, and Murphy, who is revered (and hated) for keeping plot points under wraps, assures viewers that they are in for a wild ride this fall. Grab the popcorn and prepare to scream!
Pose
Premiering earlier this year, the last season of Pose went out with a bang, makign the most of a season that was in limbo for many months due to the global pandemic and shooting the soon to be iconic ballroom sequences. The cast and creator Steven Canals have now gone on to other projects, but the show will forever be recognized as groundbreaking for its time and a love note to an era that defined American culture then and still today.
Élite
The sexy cast is back for a promised elevated season that takes the Spanish teen telenovela on a new path on Netflix. The new season will feature a primarily new cast and the characters will cross paths in dramatic fashion. Fans should get ready to delve into the complex world of Samuel, Ander, Rebecca, Omar, Guzmán, and Cayetana. Listo? Vamonos!!!
Euphoria
The show that had everyone talking with its premiere is returning with a grand ambitious return that follows up with Zendaya’s Ruby, who was struggling with a drug relapse towards the end of the last season. In season two, fans can expect the return of Hunter Schafer as breakthrough character Jules on the HBO hit series. Although there is no concrete date set for its return, the show has been penciled in for the latter half of 2021. The wait has been long enough and word on the virtual streets is that it will definitely be worth the wait.
Sex Education
Anything that Gillian Anderson is in we are inclined to consume en masse, and Sex Education is the show that gives us another side of the immensely talented actress, who is joined in a stellar cast that includes Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Patricia Allison, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Mimi Keene, Aimee Lou Wood, Chaneil Kular, Simone Ashley, Tanya Reynolds, Jemima Kirke, Dua Saleh, and Jason Isaacs.
In the latest season, the Netflix series has cast Jemima Kirke as a character called Hope, who replaces Michael Groff (Alistair Petrie) as Moordale’s new headmistress. Singer, songwriter and actor Dua Saleh has been cast to play Cal, a non-binary student who clashes with Hope, with Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs joining the Groff family as Peter Groff, the former headmaster’s older brother.
Generation
It didn’t take long for Steven Canals of Pose fame to return with another great show that celebrates and dives deep into an experience, and Generations, which returns on June 17th on HBO Max, gives viewers the high school experience in ways that have previously not been told. Fans of Euphoria will also particularly like the approach of this show and for older people, it is a chance to relive that time when there are far too many questions and never enough answers.
We’re Here
The unsccripted HBO series stars former RuPaul’s Drag Race alums Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka, and Shangela, with the upcoming seasons expanding on the first and promising to deliver a few surprises that are sure to become talking points for fans by the end of the year. The queer life gets blown up and expanded in season two and the viewers are here for it!
Feel Good
The show debuted to immense acclaim last year as it chronicled Mae Martin’s character and her battle with behaviors and romanticism as a part of her existence. The show was confirmed for a second season in 2020 and it will be the final one, returning with cast members Eve, Anthony Head, Marisha Wallace, Eleanor Matsuura and Jordan Stephens. Expect the show to delve even further into the topic of addiction and the universal experience that ties all of us together.
Batwoman
After setting the show on a new tone and new look last season, Javicia Leslie made her stamp on the part after becoming the first Black iteration of Batwoman, taking the baton from previous star Ruby Rose, who left the show under a cloud of speculation. As Ryan Wilder, the latest Batwoman has finally come into her own and in season three, the show is entering uncharttered territory that producers promise will be an amazing ride that no one could have seen coming.
It’s a Sin
This drama from Queer As Folk creator Russel T. Davies chronicles the lives of a group of friends growing up during the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1980s London. It stars Olly Alexander as Ritchie Tozer, an teen that leaves his small town for the big city to seek fame and success. Co-starringOmari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Lydia West, and Nathaniel Curtis, the HBO Max series is one of the most ambitious projects from the streamer to date and fans are in for an exciting ride when it returns this fall.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
Have we finally reached the point where we must relent and admit that it is RuPaul’s world and we all live in it? Drag queen domination continues on a global scale with the return of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, with judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton returning for the second season. This year’s star-studded coterie of guest judges include Dawn French, Gemma Collins, Jessie Ware, Jodie Harsh, Lorraine Kelly, Liz Hurley, Maya Jama, MNEK, Natalie Cassidy and Raven. What to expect this season? Drama, a tornado of madness, and enough sass for the entire United Kingdom. Come through!
Love, Victor
Confirmed for a second season even before the debut of the first, Love, Victor will address the cliffhanger everyone is talking about, with lead actor Michael Cimino offering this about the direction of the show in the future:
“I’d really like to see the dichotomy between the family and the struggles that the parents have,” he said. “I’m excited for the process of the second season, we’re all excited to expand our characters and that universe more, for sure.”
Conclusion
The upcoming season offers a slew of old favorites and new series that are bound to become fan favorites for an entirely new audience. The LGBTQ+ representation on television today is more impactful and insightful than ever before, and there is more on the horizon as the community continues to tell their stories to expansive audiences. Which shows are you looking forward to this fall? Let HomoCulture know in the comment section below!
