New films feature gay superhero, Tammy Faye, and feel-good drag – Washington Blade
Even though the Age of Streaming has reshaped the television landscape in a way that makes the “New Fall TV Season” more or less a thing of the past, it still feels only natural to take a look at the new shows headed for our home screens each September. And since LGBTQ+ stories and characters are ever more abundant in the mix, that means there are plenty of upcoming offerings worth highlighting. In that spirit, here’s the Blade’s list of LGBTQ content included among the fresh programming making its debut over the next few months.
The Premise (Sept. 16):
This anthology series from FX, created and hosted by B.J. Novak, is a half-hour anthology series of character-driven episodes “about the times we live in.” Promising to “challenge our shared morality” as it “engages with the most relevant and meaningful issues of the modern era,” it blends comedy and drama as it tackles subjects like guns, identity, social justice, sex, capitalism, revenge, love, fame, social media, and butt plugs. It makes our list because one episode, written by Jia Tolentino and Novak, features a lesbian couple (Lola Kirke and Soko) whose relationship is threatened when one of them becomes obsessed with a negative online comment about her appearance. Still, the impressive list of actors appearing in the various episodes – including Lucas Hedges, Kaitlyn Dever, Jon Bernthal, Ben Platt, Tracee Ellis Ross, Daniel Dae Kim, Lola Kirke, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Soko, George Wallace, Jermaine Fowler, Ayo Edebiri, Boyd Holbrook, Eric Lange, Beau Bridges, and the late Ed Asner – makes it worth tuning in for the whole thing.
Sex Education (Sept. 17):
Returning to Netflix for its third season is this queer fan favorite from writer/creator Laurie Nunn about the misadventures of a backward English teen and his bad-girl secret crush as they run a covert sex counseling service at their strict-and-stuffy school. This season sees Otis (Asa Butterfield), while his REAL sex therapist mother (the delicious Gillian Anderson) prepares for the arrival of an unexpected mid-life baby, his gay best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) officially becomes a couple with former bully Adam (Conner Swindells), and a new head teacher (Jemima Kirke) tries to return the school to a pillar of excellence. Meanwhile, his lost voicemail to Maeve (Emma Mackey) still looms over their relationship. Other new cast members include Jason Isaacs, Indra Ové, and recording artist/songwriter Dua Saleh in their acting debut as a new nonbinary classmate.
The Big Leap (Sept. 20):
From Fox comes this Liz Heldens-created musical dramedy series based on a British reality show. A modern tale about “second chances, chasing your dreams and taking back what’s yours,” it revolves around a group of diverse, down-on-their-luck characters attempting to change their lives by participating in a potentially life-ruining reality dance show featuring a modern reimagining of “Swan Lake.” Several LGBTQ characters are in the mix. The cast includes Scott Foley (“Scandal”), Teri Polo (“Meet the Parents” franchise), Piper Perabo (“Covert Affairs,” “Coyote Ugly”), newcomer Simone Recasner, Ser’Darius Blain (“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”), Jon Rudnitsky (“Catch-22”), Raymond Cham Jr. (“Five Points”), Mallory Jansen (“Galavant”), Kevin Daniels (“Twelfth Night,” “Modern Family”) and Anna Grace Barlow (“The Goldbergs”).
Our Kind of People (Sept. 21)
Also from Fox is this large-looming new series from writer and executive producer Karin Gist (“Star,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) and executive producer Lee Daniels (“Empire,” “The United States Vs. Billie Holiday”), inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s provocative, critically acclaimed book, “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class.” Set in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, where the rich and powerful Black elite come to play, it follows a single mom determined to reclaim her family’s name with her revolutionary new haircare line for Black women. When a dark secret about her own mother’s past comes to light, her world is turned upside-down and the prestigious community is shaken forever. A soapy exploration of race and class in America that celebrates Black resilience and achievement, this one gives off serious “Dynasty” vibes, which would be more than enough to give it queer appeal even without the inclusion of several LGBTQ characters and storylines. Starring Yaya DaCosta (“Chicago Med,” “Whitney”), Morris Chestnut (THE RESIDENT), Joe Morton (“Scandal”), Nadine Ellis (“Let’s Stay Together”), Lance Gross (“Hawaii 5-0”), Rhyon Nicole Brown (“Empire”), Kyle Bary (“Ginny & Georgia”) and newcomer Alana Bright.
Dear White People (Sept. 22)
The fourth and final season of this popular queer-inclusive Netflix series, created by writer/producer/director Justin Simien and based on his own 2014 indie film of the same name, threw its fans a surprise by revealing the show’s last volume would be “an Afro-futuristic and ’90s-inspired musical event.” According to the official description, it is set “against the backdrop of senior year at Winchester as well as a not-so-distant, post-pandemic future,” and “finds our characters looking back at the most formative (and theatrical) year of their lives.” The series stars Logan Browning, Brandon P. Bell, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori, Ashley Blaine Featherson, and Marque Richardson.
Nuclear Family (Sept. 26)
HBO Max brings us this three-part docuseries, which follows filmmaker Ry Russo-Young as she turns the camera on her own past to explore “the extraordinary story of a first-generation lesbian family.” Born to two lesbian mothers through sperm donors in an era when the concept of a gay family was inconceivable to most, Russo-Young and her sister Cade had their childhood disrupted by an unexpected lawsuit attacking their family’s very right to exist. The resulting court battle ended in a landmark legal decision that would change the way gay families were perceived forever. The series not only explores the judicial conflict, but investigates the ambitions and desires of the two moms, the sperm donor, and all their allies and enemies, as it “proposes a way of understanding conflict that resonates with anyone who struggles with issues unresolved within their own families, their own lives, and in our broader world.”
Finally, in honor of LGBTQ History Month, the queer streaming network Revry is offering a slate of must-see LGBTQ-oriented documentaries throughout October. Highlights include: “Happy Birthday, Marsha,” about trans icon and activist Marsha P. Johnson; “Vintage: Families of Value,” a groundbreaking look at queer siblings in families of color; “49 Pulses,” an examination of the tragic mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub in 2016; “Light in the Water,” documenting the origins and life of West Hollywood Aquatics, the first openly gay masters swim team; “Call Me Troy,” about Metropolitan Community Church founder Reverend Troy Perry; and “Dykes, Camera, Action,” profiling the work of several pioneering lesbian filmmakers. In addition, they’re offering a fun collection of queer Halloween treats, including the short film “Magic H8 Ball,” in which a heartbroken nice guy burned by a cheating boyfriend risks his soul when he turns to a Magic 8 Ball for answers, and “Sinful,” a horror movie about a newlywed gay couple who commit a horrific crime and find themselves trapped in a mysterious house. Given the woeful shortage of queer Halloween programming, these titles alone make it worth signing up for the service.