11 best queer YA shows like ‘Heartstopper’ with authentic LGBTQ+ representation (2024)

Creator: Darío Madrona, Carlos Montero

Cast: María Pedraza, Itzan Escamilla, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Álvaro Rico, Arón Piper, Omar Ayuso, Miguel Bernardeau, Mina El Hammani

IMDb rating: 7.2/10

Synopsis: Three friends from working-class backgrounds, Samuel (Escamilla), Nadia (El Hammani) and Christian (Herrán), find themselves enrolled in the prestigious Las Encinas boarding school after their previous institution was destroyed. The stark contrast between the affluent students and those with little to lose ignites a perfect storm that leads to a mysterious murder.

About the show: The scandalous Spanish teen drama has introduced audiences to some of TV’s most cherished and suave gay characters, including Omar (played by Ayuso), Ander (played by Piper), Patrick (played by Ríos), Mencia (played by Cariddi) and Rebeka (played by Salas). As one of Netflix’s top-performing original series, it achieved remarkable global success, leading to its renewal for a second season just 12 days after its debut. Elitéhas enjoyed a successful run, spanning eight seasons.

However, compared to the warm and fuzzy Heartstopper, Elité is full of cynical emotions and more drama. The show has underlying themes of jealousy, revenge, resentment, sexual attraction and LGBTQ+ relationships.

Watch Elité here on Netflix

Creator: Jenny Han

Cast: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, Rachel Blanchard

IMDb rating: 7.3/10

Synopsis: Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Tung), on the brink of her 16 birthday, reconnects with family friend Susannah Fisher (Blanchard) and her two sons, Jeremiah (Jeremiah) and Conrad (Briney). This sets the stage for a love triangle that explores the journey of first love, the pain of first heartbreak, and the enchanting experience of a summer filled with romantic relationships involving the two brothers.

About the show: The Summer I Turned Pretty is based on show creator and author Jenny Han’s novel trilogy of the same name. The series has been renewed for a third season, consisting of 11 episodes scheduled for release in 2025. About the queer representation in the show Skye, Conrad and Jeremiah’s cousin plays a nonbinary character struggling with her gender identity in the show, and Jeremiah’s character in the novel has been written as bisexual.

Watch The Summer I Turned Pretty here on Prime Video

Creator: Clea DuVall, Sara Quin, Tegan Quin

Cast: Railey Gilliland, Seazynn Gilliland, Amanda Fix, Cobie Smulders, Olivia Rouyre

IMDb rating: 7.7/10

Synopsis: Twin sisters and musicians Tegan (Railey) and Sara Quin (Seazynn) navigate their teenage years in Calgary during the grungy ’90s. The different adventures during their high school experiences and the ups and downs of their relationships with friends and family shape the beginnings of their music careers.

About the show: This series chronicles the early lives of Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara who are both openly gay and is based on their New York Times best-selling autobiography of the same name. This Freevee comedy-drama presents a heartfelt and artistic portrayal of queer stories and gay women in the 1990s, complemented by a fantastic 90s alt-rock soundtrack.

Watch High School here on Prime Video

Creator: Lang Fisher, Mindy Kaling

Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Darren Barnet, Jaren Lewison, Lee Rodriguez, Richa Moorjani

IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Synopsis: Devi Vishwakumar (Ramakrishnan), a teenager residing in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, narrates her high school journey over four years as she copes with her father’s death, awkwardly navigates her romantic interests and embarks on a quest for self-discovery.

About the show: One of the best LGBTQ TV shows, Never Have I Ever is loosely inspired by showrunner Mindy Kaling‘s own childhood. Also, the storyline involving Devi experiencing temporary paralysis due to the shock and grief from her father’s passing is based on a true event from the life of the brother of co-creator Lang Fisher. While the central narrative focuses on the heterosexual Devi and her Indian-American family, one of her close friends begins to explore same-sex attraction, highlighting a gay character in the narrative.

Watch Never Have I Ever here on Netflix

Creator: Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger

Cast: Michael Cimino, Rachel Hilson, Anthony Turpel, Bebe Wood, Mason Gooding, George Sear, Nick Robinson

IMDb rating: 8.0/10

Synopsis: Victor Salazar (Cimino), a newcomer at Creekwood High School, embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He confronts various challenges at home, adapts to a new environment and grapples with his sexual orientation. When the weight of these issues becomes overwhelming, he seeks guidance from Simon Spier (Robinson) to help him navigate the complexities of high school life.

About the show: The Hulu series is a spin-off of Greg Berlanti’s film Love, Simon (2018). Over the course of its three seasons, the show has received acclaim for its authentic representation of LGBTQ+ characters and Latino culture, as well as for its uplifting tone for queer stories.

Watch Love, Victor here on Hulu

Creator: Lisa Ambjörn, Lars Beckung, Camilla Holter

Cast: Edvin Ryding, Omar Rudberg, Malte Gårdinger, Frida Argento, Nikita Uggla

IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Synopsis: Prince Wilhelm (Ryding) navigates the challenges of life at his elite boarding school, Hillerska, where following his heart proves to be more difficult than he expected. As the heir to the Swedish throne, he finds himself falling for his classmate Simon (Rudberg) in this captivating Netflix teen drama.

About the show: This series is a delightful blend of teenage angst and romance with plenty of dramatic twists. Like Nick Nelson (Connor) in Heartstopper, Wilhelm isn’t sure if he’s ready to come out of the closet yet, but his relationship with Simon may influence that. As a royal, he is also stuck between love and duty in the show. Young Royals has received critical acclaim for its stunning cinematography, the age-appropriate casting of the gay couple and other actors, and its authentic portrayal of issues like drug addiction, young love, the social class divide, eating disorders and mental health.

Watch Young Royals here on Netflix

Creator: Laurie Nunn

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee-Lou Wood, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Sterling, Tanya Reynolds, Patricia Allison

IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Synopsis: Socially awkward Otis Milburn (Butterfield) might not be the most experienced when it comes to romance, but he has a unique advantage: his mom, Jean (Anderson), is a sex therapist. His openly gay best friend, Eric (Gatwa) is at the same time navigating the challenges of balancing his Ghanaian-Nigerian heritage with his identity as a gay man. When Otis’ peers discover his unusual home life and his bond with Eric, he decides to share intimate advice to boost his popularity. He partners with the clever and rebellious Maeve Wiley (Mackey) to create a secret sex therapy clinic to help their classmates.

About the show: The fourth and final season of Sex Educationpremiered in September 2023, wrapping up this beloved British comedy series. Since its debut in 2019, the series has captivated audiences with its portrayal of awkward, sexually curious teenagers, including a diverse array of cherished queer people. The final season particularly focuses on Cal (played by Dua Saleh), a non-binary character dealing with the complexities of the healthcare system. Creator Laurie Nunn aimed to shed light on the struggles faced by young trans individuals in the UK, especially regarding access to affirmative healthcare in this season.

The queer show has become one of Netflix’s most acclaimed queer series, with its first season achieving over 40 million streams in just the first month after its release.

Watch Sex Education here on Netflix

Creator: Robia Rashid

Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Keir Gilchrist, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Amy Okunda, Michael Rapaport, Fivel Stewart

IMDb rating: 8.2/10

Synopsis: Sam Gardner (Gilchrist), an 18-year-old on the autistic spectrum, is on a journey to find love and independence. As he navigates his humorous yet heartfelt path of self-discovery, his family, especially his mum Elsa (Leigh) and sister Casey (Lundy-Paine), are also facing their own challenges, all while pondering the big question: what does it really mean to be normal?

About the show: Atypical received high praise for Keir Gilchrist’s standout role as Sam, a teenager on the spectrum obsessed with Antarctica and penguins. While it faced some backlash initially for not featuring enough autistic talent, the series made strides in its later seasons by bringing in autistic writers and actors to authentically represent the community’s experiences.

Watch Atypical here on Netflix

Creator: Sam Levinson

Cast: Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Maude Apatow, Sydney Sweeney, Algee Smith, Barbie Ferreira

IMDb rating: 8.3/10

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a recovering drug addict recently discharged from rehabilitation, has no intention of maintaining her sobriety. Surrounding Rue are several peers: Jules Vaughn (Schafer), a transgender girl in search of her queer identity who recently moved to the town following her parents’ divorce; Nate Jacobs (Elordi), a high school athlete whose anger issues conceal deeper sexual insecurities; Chris McKay (Smith), a football star grappling with the challenges of transitioning from high school to college; Cassie Howard (Sweeney), who is haunted by her past sexual assault; and Kat Hernandez (Ferreira), a self-conscious teenager navigating her sexual exploration. As these young teens strive to understand their futures, the series addresses the complexities of teenage life, characterised by substance-fuelled parties and the anxieties of everyday existence, with both empathy and honesty.

About the show: This American version of the Israeli show of the same name lacks the innocence shown in queer characters in Heartstopper. It rather deals with more serious teen issues like addiction and substance abuse as opposed to romance. The series draws inspiration from creator Sam Levinson’s real-life experience with substance abuse, addiction and rehab. The makers have renewed the show for season 3, but the production will begin only in January 2025. A release date for season 3 is yet to be confirmed.

Watch Euphoria here on JioCinema

Creator: Jeo Soori

Cast: Park Seoham, Park Jae-chan, Kim No-Jin, Jae Chan, Ji-Oh Song

IMDb rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis: Chu Sang Woo (Jae-chan), a computer science major, is the definition of a stickler for rules. When he finds himself teamed up with a group of slackers on a liberal arts project, he decides to take a stand and remove their names from the final presentation. Little did he know, this decision would lead him to cross paths with Jang Jae Young (Seoham), the campus heartthrob from the design department, who seems to have it all — talent, charm, a great family and a solid social life — except for one major hurdle: Sang-woo. What unfolds when a meticulous engineer and a free-spirited artist are forced to collaborate?

About the show: Semantic Error, inspired by the popular Korean webtoon, explores the evolving relationship between two completely different university students as they navigate a project together. Its first season debuted online in early 2022 and quickly became a fan favourite in South Korea’s BL drama scene. The series consists of just eight episodes, each around 25 minutes long, making it a perfect binge-watch for BL enthusiasts.

Watch Semantic Error here on Just Watch

Creator: Lisa McGee

Cast: Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn

IMDb rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis: Five teenagers, Erin Quinn (Jackson), her cousin Orla (Harland), their friend Clare (Coughlan), Michelle (O’Donnell) and the latter’s English cousin James (Llewellyn) navigate their teenage years and personal exploits in Northern Ireland’s town Derry in the early 1990s. They all attend Our Lady Immaculate College, a fictional girls’ Catholic secondary school where things are always going out of order, courtesy of these five teens. The gang frequently find themselves in sticky situations amid the times’ political unrest and cultural divides.

About the show: The television show centres around a fictional Catholic secondary school for girls, inspired by the real Thornhill College, where the creator, Lisa McGee, herself was a student. Coughlan’s character presents a sincere and authentic representation of queer women in television. While the narratives of Derry Girls are fictional, the series often alludes to significant historical events related to the Troubles and the Northern Ireland peace process, such as the 1994 announcement of the IRA ceasefire, the then President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton’s visit to Northern Ireland in 1995, and the 1998 Good Friday referendum. The series has garnered widespread critical acclaim, receiving numerous awards, including the International Emmy Award for Best Comedy in 2023 and a BAFTA TV Award in 2023 for Best Writer, awarded to Lisa McGee, for her work on the comedy series.

Watch Derry Girls on Netflix