The L Word: Generation Q season 3 brough more of the drama and LGBTQ+ storylines that fans have already come to appreciate. Indeed, this Showtime series has already demonstrated a willingness to engage with fraught issues, while never losing sight of the fact that its key draw remains its characters.
While there are many things that are unique about this particular story, it joins a number of other prominent television series which focus either on members of the LGBTQ+ community or the bonds and relationships among women.
10 The L Word (2004-2009)
Stream On Showtime
Those who want to get a sense of where Generation Q comes from should definitely watch its parent series, The L Word. This is one of those series that was groundbreaking in the truest sense of the word. It gave visual representation to lesbians in a time in which they were largely excluded from the world of television.
In particular, the series was notable for the extent to which it involved LGBTQ+ people in its production. And, just as importantly, it also depicted sex between women in a way that was very different from the more exploitative fashion common elsewhere in popular culture.
9 Queer As Folk (2022)
Stream On Peacock
Even though it only lasted one season, the newest iteration of Queer as Folk was one of the best series on Peacock. Among other things, it involved a very diverse cast, which puts it very much in line with Generation Q, which also seeks to have a more representative set of voices at the table.
Of course, Queer as Folk didn’t shy away from sexual explicitness, but it always made sure that the sex was in service of the story rather than the other way around. As a result, it offered viewers a fascinating and complex portrait of LGBTQ+ life in the third decade of the 21st century.
8 Queer As Folk (1999-2005)
Stream On Showtime
Like many other shows focusing on the LGBTQ+ community, Generation Q is very much a product of its time. This is also true of the first American version of Queer as Folk, which depicted the lives and loves of its various LGBTQ+ characters at the end of the 20th century and into the 21st.
The series remains notable for the frankness with which it depicted sexuality. At the same time, it also didn’t shy away from weightier issues, and it demonstrated the many struggles that LGBTQ+ people faced and continue to face, from parental acceptance (or lack thereof) to hate crimes.
7 Heartstopper (2022-Present)
Stream On Netflix
Heartstopper has quickly established itself as one of the best series on Netflix. Focusing as it does on the burgeoning relationship between teenage boys Nick and Charlie, it is at once understated and deeply resonant, capturing both the joys and the pains of young love.
Like Generation Q, it gives the viewer characters that they can truly come to care about. And, what’s more, it is extraordinary for the degree to which it creates a rather utopian world. Though homophobia is still here, it doesn’t define the characters and their journey in the way that it might have in a television series from an earlier era.
6 First Kill (2022)
Stream On Netflix
Part of what makes Generation Q such a remarkable series is the way in which it explores the many facets of lesbian identity, in a world in which that is still very much a minority in mainstream television. Those who enjoy this aspect of the series will also enjoy First Kill.
Though it only lasted one season, this vampire series still makes for a fun watch. Among other things, it manages to bring together the romance and vampire plots quite effectively, and it gives viewers an updated, and more nuanced, version of the lesbian vampire trope.
5 Gentleman Jack (2019-2022)
Stream ON HBO Max
Generation Q, like many other series focused on LGBTQ+ people, is set in the present, but for those who enjoy the show and want to get a sense of what life was like for members of the community in previous periods of history. Gentleman Jack, for example, Anne Lister, who not only carries on a number of lesbian relationships but also manages to build a secure life for herself.
The series is rich in period detail, and it is anchored by great performances, including Suranne Jones as Lister. And, because it is based on her own diaries, there are moments when Lister herself calls attention to the narrative itself.
4 We Are Lady Parts (2021-Present)
Stream On Peacock
Generation Q has received significant praise for its willingness to embrace diversity, and a similar dynamic is at work in We Are Lady Parts, which focuses on a group of young Muslim women who decide to form a punk rock band. It is a very hilarious series that, nevertheless, manages to address some of the serious issues that face members of immigrant communities in the UK.
Above all, however, the series is a testament to the enduring power of television series that take female friendship as their subject. What’s more, it also shows the subtle but radical power that can emerge from representation.
3 Q-Force (2021)
Stream On Netflix
Q-Force is another of those series which, despite the fact that it lasted only one season, still managed to make an impression. Focusing on the (mis)adventures of a group of spies recruited and employed by the titular organization, it featured an embarrassment of riches when it came to its voice cast, which included the likes of Sean Hayes, Matt Rogers, and Wanda Sykes.
Though it leaned on stereotypes, it often did so in the interest of subverting them. More importantly, it allowed its characters to live unapologetic lives, free to be themselves without fear or judgment.
2 Sex Education (2019-Present)
Stream On Netflix
Few series have tackled sexuality in the frank way that Sex Education does, the hit series from Netflix. Though its main character is Otis, a young man who becomes a sex therapist to his classmates in high school, it subsequently starts to broaden its story, fully fleshing out its various characters.
Though it is at times uproariously funny, Sex Education is also very warm, touching, and emotional, and its inclusion of various LGBTQ+ characters makes it a good fit for fans of Generation Q. It reveals just how complicated, messy, and joyful the lives of young people can be, and it is anchored by terrific performances from both its older and younger cast.
1 Girls5Eva (2021-Present)
Stream On Peacock
In addition to its focus on the LGBTQ+ community, Generation Q is also notable for its emphasis on the power of female friendship. This is also a thematic interest of Girls5Eva, which follows the members of a girl band from the ‘90s after they decide to reunite in the present.
The series is one that never loses sight of the fact that it is supposed to make the audience laugh. At the same time, there is a warmth and a genuineness to its story, and there is a potent chemistry among the cast that makes them impossible not to love.