5 best LGBTQ shows to watch during Pride month

June is here, and you know what that means- it's time to crank up the volume on queer joy, drama, and unapologetic storytelling. Pride Month isn't just about rainbow flags and glitter, though we love those too; it’s about celebrating voices that have always deserved the spotlight. What better way to honor that than by diving into shows that center LGBTQ+ characters not as sidekicks, but as the messy, magical main event?

From modern love stories to classic, fierce rebellions, these five shows serve heart, humor, and a whole lot of authenticity. Whether you're out and proud or still figuring it all out, there’s something here for everyone. Grab your snacks, curl up, and let’s get into the stories that you can binge-watch as you dial your rainbows all the way up this Pride Month!

Dickinson

If you thought poetry was all dusty books and sad quills, Dickinson is here to smash that stereotype with a corset and a wink. This Apple TV+ gem reimagines Emily Dickinson not as a stiff historical figure, but as a chaotic queer icon with a rebellious streak, a killer wardrobe, and a burning love for Sue- her best friend, muse, and not-so-secret soulmate. Think 1800s meets Gen Z, complete with modern slang, pop music, and the kind of deadpan humor that has no business working this well, but totally does.

The show is a whole vibe, but during Pride Month? It's a revolution. It's bold, weird, tender, and totally unafraid to explore Emily’s queerness in ways that feel both timeless and wildly now. Hailee Steinfeld delivers a performance that’s magnetic, messy, and painfully relatable for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit into the world they were born into.

If Pride Month is about celebrating freedom, love, and living out loud, Dickinson fits right in, lace and all. So light a candle (or your sapphic yearning), hit play, and let Emily Dickinson whisper poetic chaos into your queer little soul. Honestly? Pride Month just got a lot more poetic.

Available on: Apple TV

Heartstopper

If there’s one show that feels like a warm hug wrapped in pastel lighting and soft smiles, it’s Heartstopper. Based on Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novels, this series is the ultimate serotonin booster, full of gentle queer love, awkward teen moments, and that dizzy, heart-thudding magic of first crushes. Charlie and Nick’s story isn’t about trauma or tragedy. It’s about discovery, kindness, and falling in love without apology. And during Pride Month? That kind of storytelling hits a different level.

The show gives space to multiple LGBTQ+ identities, friendships that feel real, and the slow unraveling of internalized fears in a way that’s healing to watch. In a world that often asks queer people to shrink themselves, Heartstopper says: take up space. Smile big. Kiss the boy. And while you’re at it, watch this during Pride Month, and then rewatch it, because it’s basically a comfort blanket. So get cozy, get emotional, and let your heart do the stopping. Oh, and P.S., the show is getting its own movie real soon, so make sure to catch up on the show before you sit down for the hour-long finale.

Available on: Netflix

The L Word

Watching The L Word during Pride Month is basically a rite of passage. It’s got that old-school grit mixed with raw emotion, wrapped in low-rise jeans and chaotic energy. Before sapphics were soft-launching relationships on Instagram stories, The L Word was out here giving us full-blown lesbian chaos on-screen- back in 2004, no less. This show kicked the closet door open and laid down the pathway for so many queer romances that came later on. From love and betrayal to identity and existential crises in coffee shops, The L Word made sure queer women weren’t just seen, they were impossible to ignore. And yes, it still slaps during Pride Month.

Set in early 2000s Los Angeles, The L Word follows a group of queer women whose lives intertwine in the most dramatic, delicious ways. There’s art, politics, questionable decisions, passionate scenes, and the absolute fever dream that are all the characters. It’s messy. It’s magnetic. It’s lesbian culture, period.

The show has also gone on to release a sequel called The L Word: Generation Q, if you're looking for something that's more modern. But if you want something more intense than soft romance and a little more on the dramatic side, then this is it. The L Word walked so modern sapphics could run- and Pride Month just isn’t complete without it.

Available on: Prime Video

Queer as Folk

Before streaming services got cute with pastels and soft boys, Queer as Folk exploded onto screens in 1999, shaking up the late ‘90s/early 2000s with a bold, gritty, and gloriously messy portrayal of queer life. Set in the UK (and later rebooted in the US), this show didn’t just push boundaries, it bulldozed them. During an era when LGBTQ+ characters were rare side notes, Queer as Folk made them the whole plot. And yes, it’s the perfect Pride Month material.

This series follows a tight-knit group of gay men and a few lesbians navigating love, intimacy, heartbreak, and identity with zero filter. It’s raunchy, real, and ridiculously ahead of its time. No hand-holding. No sanitizing. Just raw, complicated lives unfolding in smoky clubs and dim apartments.

Watching Queer as Folk during Pride Month feels like paying homage. It’s the show that dared to be loud when the world begged for silence. So if you want something more electric than your average rainbow-wrapped binge, fire this one up. Celebrating Pride Month isn’t just about joy, it’s also about remembering the chaos and courage that got us here.

Available on: Prime Video

Feel Good

Feel Good is that perfect mix of awkward, hilarious, and heartbreaking that makes you want to laugh through the tears and maybe ugly-cry a little too. Mae Martin’s semi-autobiographical show is all about messy queerness, mental health, and the wild ride of figuring yourself out, usually while making a total fool of yourself. It’s raw, honest, and way too real, which makes it a Pride Month must-watch.

Set in a world that’s anything but simple, Feel Good dives headfirst into queer love with Mae and George’s on-again, off-again romance. The show unpacks addiction, anxiety, and all those confusing moments, with humor and heart, which is exactly what Pride Month is about: embracing the messy, beautiful chaos of being you.