Read Time: 6 min.
TV
May 28, 2024
In celebration of Pride Month, Optimum honors those who have fought for liberation and made remarkable triumphs for the LGBTQ+ community. Through this list of both classic and new stories, we hope we can all learn about the important sacrifices made for inclusion.
We recognize that film and television are powerful mediums, where representation of people both on and off screens are important. For this reason, we would like to take some time to recognize means of entertainment made by and/or featuring the LGBTQ+ community.
You can celebrate Pride Month from your couch at home with your loved ones and favorite snacks. From comedy to documentaries to romance and more, the following list of must-watch films and series is a great place to start this June.
23 Bros (STARZ)
Two men with commitment problems attempt a relationship. Legal Disclaimer: Starz® and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC.
22 The Christmas Setup (Lifetime)
The Christmas Setup follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his brother Aiden (Chad Connell) and his mom Kate (Fran Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (Blake Lee), Hugo's high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick's attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate's Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.
21 Tangerine (VOD)
A transgender sex worker frantically tracks down her cheating pimp-boyfriend through the streets of LA on Christmas eve. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor. HD Version.
20 Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero (MAX)
Spanning 60 days of the 2022-23 "Long Live Montero" tour, this documentary delves beneath the surface of Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X.
19 Milk (VOD)
Harvey Milk is an activist and a politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the U.S. The following year, Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone were assassinated. Sean Penn, Josh Brolin. HD Version.
18 Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (Lifetime)
Based on a harrowing true story, when 15-year-old Alex (Addison Holley) revealed she was gay to her devout Mormon parents, they feared so deeply for her soul that they took her from their Southern California home and placed her against her will in a conversion therapy home in Utah. Trapped for eight months with strangers (Sarah Booth and Ian Lake), Alex faced horrible punishments and beatings that were intended to cure her hom*osexuality. After realizing she would have to submit to their rules in order to survive, Alex was eventually allowed to attend school, where she became friends with a boy that was the president of the gay-straight alliance. He helped Alex get in touch with an attorney, who later helped orchestrate her escape.
17 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (STARZ)
Spanning 60 days of the 2022-23 "Long Live Montero" tour, this documentary delves beneath the surface of Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X. Mexican teenagers Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana explore their friendship while struggling with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality and family relationships in 1987 El Paso, Texas. Legal Disclaimer: Starz® and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC.
16 The L Word (Paramount+ with Showtime)
The hottest show known to womankind, with all the shake ups, break ups, hang ups and hook ups that made The L Word a household name. Beautiful women, megastar guests and nonstop drama in a town where anything can happen.
15 Minx (STARZ)
In 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women. Legal Disclaimer: Starz® and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC.
14 Pariah (VOD)
WhA stunningly effective portrait of a young Brooklyn girl whose conservative black family cause her to bury her emerging sexual identity as a lesbian. Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker. HD Version.
13 The Chi (Paramount+ with Showtime)
From Emmy® winner Lena Waithe, The Chi is a timely coming-of-age drama series centered on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption.
12 We're Here (MAX)
Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale spread love and connection across small-town America through the art of drag.
11 Mary & George (STARZ)
"Mary & George is an audacious historical psychodrama about a treacherous mother and son who schemed, seduced and killed to conquer the Court of England and the bed of King James I. Legal Disclaimer:Starz® and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. "
10 Prayers for Bobby (Lifetime)
Golden Globe® winner Sigourney Weaver makes her television movie debut portraying Mary Griffith, a profoundly religious wife and mother who begins to question her faith after the suicide of her beloved gay son and ultimately becomes an advocate for gay rights. Based on a true story.
9 Yellowjackets (Paramount+ with Showtime)
Wildly talented high school girls' soccer players descend into savage clans after their plane crashes in the remote northern wilderness. Twenty-five years later, they discover that what began in the wild is far from over.
8 Interview with the Vampire S2 (AMC Networks)
JThe timeless saga of love, betrayal, and the burden of immortality continues. Louis delves further into his interview, chronicling his ambitious escape with Claudia after their calculated murder of Lestat. The journey to rebuild their lives leads them to post-war Paris, where they uncover forgotten secrets while being lured into a mysterious vampire coven.
7 Gaga Chromatica Ball (MAX)
Filmed live in LA, this immersive experience sees the Queen of Pop perform iconic tracks for an audience of over 50,000 Little Monsters.
6 Couples Therapy (Paramount+ with Showtime)
Couples Therapy unlocks a hidden world: other people's relationships. Far from reality-show caricatures, this is true documentary filmmaking that brings viewers into the authentic and visceral experience of weekly therapy with four couples.
5 P-Valley (STARZ)
CWhen darkness descends upon Chucalissa, errybody and they mama must fight tooth and talon to survive. Legal Disclaimer: Starz® and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Visit starz.com for airdates/times. P-Valley ©2022 Lions Gate Television Inc. All rights reserved.
4 Moonlight (VOD)
A moving, transcendent, award-winning look at 3 defining chapters in the life of Chiron, a young man growing up in Miami. Mahershala Ali, Alex Hibbert.HD Version.
3 Fellow Travelers (Paramount + with Showtime)
CFellow Travelers follows the decades-long chronicle of the risky, volatile and steamy relationship between the charismatic and ambitious Hawk (Matt Bomer) and the pious and idealistic Tim (Jonathan Bailey), two political staffers who fall in love at the height of the 1950s Lavender Scare.
2 Brokeback Mountain (VOD)
Brokeback Mountain. The story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger. HD Version.
1 Hacks (MAX)
To salvage her waning career, Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance is forced to team up with an entitled, outcast television writer.
