Now that it's June, it's officially Pride month, and sadly, with stay-at-home orders still in place, the prospects of any significant Pride parades are bleak.
We may have to celebrate in other ways in an attempt to fill the void. Why not catch up on some of these hidden gems?
Here is our list of LGBTQ storylines that surprised us. Don't forget to add them to your watchlist so you can make sure to cover all your bases in queer TV knowledge.
Continue reading at your own risk as the list contains spoilers if you aren't up-to-date on these shows.
Edie's Late Life Change on Almost Family
Almost Family is a wacky show that sort of feels like a silly and predictable teen drama, but then it throws some fast and hard curveballs.
Edie's the typical later-in-life queer bloomer, and although she may not have gone through the discovery period in the most morally sound way, she's working hard to find herself.
She has the career, a new husband, and the ultimate life, but things are thrown into disarray when she discovers that she has fallen for the prosecuting attorney on the case against her father.
Edie can't seem to make up her mind between what feels right and what feels good, but she'll get there.
Bisexual Awareness on Awkwafina is Nora From Queens
Nora Lum, best known as Awkwafina, shares a semi-autobiographical retelling of her life growing up in New York through this new comedy.
Her character Nora Lim, casually comes out as bisexual through the clever line, "They should have called it 'bi-school,' cause I was bisexual as f*ck back then."
As the show is more of a focus on the struggles of adulthood rather than her love life, there's no love story to follow. So if you're looking for an LGBTQ love story, look elsewhere.
It's the casualness of the line rather than her character having a substantial coming-out moment that makes it a pleasant and sweet surprise.
From Friends to More on Diary of a Future President
Diary of A Future President is an innocent show about the first female Latina president recounting her childhood and her road to the presidency.
Bobby, her brother, is at the turning point of becoming a teenager and figuring out his role in society.
It's a slow progression, but Bobby figures out that his fondness for his friend Liam goes beyond more than just friendly feelings.
It is an essential portrayal of a young boy going through the steps of figuring out his sexual identity. So many times, sexuality coming-of-age plotlines are female-dominated.
Teddy's Bisexuality on Grey's Anatomy
Teddy's not Grey's Anatomy's first queer character, but she was the most surprising.
Grey's Anatomy Season 16 Episode 19 revealed that Teddy had an ex-lover named Allison who died in 9/11. It came out of left field, but there was some squealing involved.
The fact that she named her daughter after the love of her life and will never love Owen or Koracick as much as she loved Allison revealed so much about Teddy's character.
It always seemed like she had a secret hiding in the depths of her past, and this bombshell couldn't have been any better.
More Than a Straight-Girl Crush on I Am Not Okay With This
If you're a fan of The End of the Fxxcking World, you'll be struck by this show, too.
Set in the same universe, I Am Not Okay With This follows the story of Sydney, a high schooler who's discovering new powers alongside trying to navigate existing feelings for her best friend, Dina.
After Sydney kissed Dina, Dina immediately pulled back, and it seemed like the all too typical straight girl crush, but to our pleasant surprise, Dina requited the romantic feelings.
Here's hoping the second season furthers the storyline because Dina and Sydney are an adorable pairing.
The Kiss on Killing Eve
This one may come as no surprise, as the premise of the show surrounds the rising tension between the two main leads Villanelle and Eve.
However, Killing Eve Season 3 Episode 3 finally gave us what we had all been hoping for -- the big and anticipated kiss that should've happened seasons ago.
There would've been a lot of anger had the showrunners been toying with our emotions and not given us a resolution to the building tension.
This final season finished with a mutual fondness between the two women, and we're interested to see if it continues advancing romantically.
Mia's Mysterious Past on Little Fires Everywhere
Hulu's limited series featuring two powerhouses, Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon, shared the story of two women and the relatable triumphs and tribulations of motherhood.
Separated by race, economic classes, and seemingly completely different viewpoints on life, the women begin to see their lives intertwine more than they'd care to admit.
Mia's mysterious past is finally resolved on Little Fires Everywhere Season 1 Episode 6. If you've read the books, you might have been surprised to see the pivotal changes made to Mia's sexuality.
In the books, it's implied that Mia's asexual, however, the TV adaption chose to stray away and shift Mia's mentor, Pauline, into her love interest. It's a critical portrayal of a black queer love story.
Coming Out on Never Have I Ever
An amazing show reminiscent of Jane the Virgin, Never Have I Ever shines the spotlight on an Indian family and their emotional healing after the recent death of their patriarch.
Fabiola, one of Devi's best friends, quietly goes along with the trios' goal of attaining popularity by securing boyfriends.
It's not until she begins to talk to boys that she realizes she fancies one of the girls in her class instead.
Her positive coming-out experience may not be realistic of everyone's experience, but it makes for a happy and positive moment for her character, and we're all here for it.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Delivers on Run
If you're in love with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her writing, you must add HBO's Run to your list.
She co-collaborated to create yet another dark comedic romance, and this one won't disappoint.
And the best part is that she has a small role where she portrays Laurel, a lone taxidermist from the middle of a secluded forest.
Laurel begins sleeping with the police officer who initially questions her about a murder, adding yet another queer theme alongside her other hit series Killing Eve.
The Gay Bully Trope on Sex Education
This one may have been a bit more obvious, as the gay bully trope has been used many times before, but Adam's characterization beautifully shared the painful arc of acceptance.
The writers showcased the intimate and sweet scenes between Adam and Eric and flipped our initial hatred of Adam to that of understanding and sympathy.
Hopefully, Sex Education Season 3 will expand on his journey and his budding relationship with Eric.
Sex Education does not hold back in its portrayal of diverse relationships.
Dex's Bisexuality on Stumptown
Cobie Smulders plays Dex, a badass army vet turned private investigator, in this recent ABC release.
Dex flips the typical male PI paradigm on its head as she shows the world that a woman can be just as successful and just as messy.
Her struggling love life, gambling debt, and PTSD shape her hardened, yet enigmatic personality.
The writers successfully integrated her bisexuality into the storyline, and Dex's casual correction of her ex's pronouns from "he" to "she" portrays this flawlessly.
It seems TV shows are starting to take a casual approach to identify a character's sexuality, allowing for the overused tropes and overdone storylines to fall by the wayside.
While there remains a generous amount of coming-out stories that can positively resonate with viewers.
We'd love it if you commented down below with any of your thoughts! Were you also surprised by any of these? Which shows did we miss?
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