Gay/Lesbian Web Series

Listed alphabetically and continually updated. Annotations ongoing. Last updated 2/3.

This is a list of original web series — most of them “scripted” — focused on gay and lesbian stories and characters. Please email suggestions of series to ajean (at) asc (dot) upenn (dot) edu. If you are a series creator for one of the shows below and would like to be interviewed for Televisual or some of the other blogs I write for, please email as well. I owe an enormous debt to AfterEllen (thanks for linking to this blog!), and particularly Sarah Warn, who did a fantastic job of curating and promoting lesbian-oriented series.

The blog Deep Dish also does a great job of finding new series. Queerty occasionally covers them as well, and One More Lesbian regularly distributes them.

Notable series, or personal favorites, are starred.**

16th and 8th, http://www.16thand8th.com

Soap about a Midwestern boy who arrives in Chelsea; sexscapades, with a hot diverse cast, ensues. (Awaiting premiere).

3Way, http://www.3waytv.tv

A comedy series about a divorcee, her gay friend, her gay friend’s girlfriend, and her gay friend’s ex-girlfriend living in one house. See also the show within a show LadyCops.

The Adventures of Nat and Meg, via AfterEllen

Apples, http://apples.sc10.co.uk/engver

Angry Old Man and Gay Teenage Runaway, http://atom.com

Via Atom: “One of them is Mad, one of them is Gay. Neither thinks the other was born that way.” With Lonny Ross (30 Rock) and Fred Melamed.

**Anyone But Me, http://anyonebutmeseries.com

This popular web series explores the relationship of two teenage girls after one must move out of New York. It features a diverse cast, lush cinematography and strong story lines.

Life at sixteen is fraught and fertile for drama,” said writer Susan Miller, a veteran of The L Word and thirtysomething, who wrote the show with director Tina Cesa Ward. “Anyone But Me shines a light on identity – coming to terms with who we are as gays, African Americans, women, and citizens of the world.” Winner of Webby, Streamy and WGA awards.

For my interview with the creators, click here.

Ave 43, http://www.youtube.com/user/JustinTanner1964

**The Battery’s Down, http://www.thebatterysdown.com

For musical theater fans, a series from creator Jake Wilson about “a young actor’s struggle to make it big in the Big Apple.” Lead is straight, but should be of interest to gays. With a bevy of appearances by Allison Janney, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matthew Morrison, Cheyenne Jackson, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and more Broadway and Hollywood faves.

**BJ Fletcher: Private Eye, http://www.bjfletcherprivateeye.com

A popular Canadian detective web series now attempting to make the transition to television. “B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye is a distinctly new and unique production bringing to life strong female characters with the right balance of action, comedy, and diversity” — website.

The Boys Who Brunch, http://youtube.com/tbwbrunch

**Brooklyn is for Lovers, http://bi4l.tv

A self-described “sex comedy served up in wwweb-tastic portions,” this series explores a diverse — lebisan, gay male, black and white — cast of “five loosely connected young people in Brooklyn, NY.” It partakes in the kind of hipsterburg aesthetic of The Burg, but with more sex, and Young American Bodies, but with more funny. For more information, visit Tubefilter.

Bulk, http://www.bulktheseries.com

A “raw, sexy, dramatic” web series about the bear community in New York City.

Cat on the Prowl, http://www.myspace.com/catdaviscomedy

The Cavanaughs, http://www.the-cavanaughs.com

The Chadwick Journals, http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDLChronicles

A prequel to here! TV’s DL Chronicles, from the creators of the show: “The Chadwick Journals is a four part web mini-series which centers on The DL Chronicle‘s narrator, Chadwick Williams, in the beginning of his research into men who lead double lives. Fueled by a hidden painful past, Chadwick interviews various men who have answered his classified ads and takes us on a deeper journey into the DL, as he tries to right his past.”

Cherry Bomb, http://www.myspace.com/cherrybombtv

**Chloe, http://jimhansenfilms.com

A hilarious satire of Chloë Sevigny.

Christopher Street TV, http://www.christopherstreettv.com

Christopher Street, created by Dwight Allen O’Neal, explores black gay men as urban performers.

**Chico’s Angels, http://www.chicosangels.com

Charlie’s Angels spoof. In Drag. Hilarious.

Cowgirl Up, http://www.onemorelesbian.com/tag/cowgirl-up

“The webseries focuses on an exclusive Women Only dude ranch in the La Quinta desert area of Southern California. Women from all over the country leave their lives, relationships and jobs behind, to put on their cowboy boots and hats for a weekend of ranch life and friendly competition.” From the producers of 3Way, TV series South of Nowhere and Wave Babes.

Empire, http://empiretheseries.com

**DramaQueenz, http://dramaqueenztheseries.com

Drama Queenz, which is about three gay men trying to make it as actors and singers, is just one of several shows aimed at the underserved black gay and lesbian markets online. After the cancellation of television’s marquee gay and lesbian shows over the years—Queer As Folk, The L Word and Noah’s Arc, the only all-black show—Web producers have moved in to fill the gap.

“I didn’t want to wait around for somebody to greenlight my dream,” said Drama Queenz creator, director and writer Dane Joseph, who funds the series out of his pocket. “It’s not a show about being gay or being black. Our show is more about our travails and trying to make it.”

For more on Drama Queenz, see my post.

**Duder, http://www.duder.com

Via Popsucker: “Created by gay writer Matt Kirsch (who also plays a lead role in the show), Duder follows the lives of a group of affable young New Yorkers. Clearly drawing influences from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Duder’s neurotic tomfoolery is intensely funny and its characters are authentic and likable.” Plus AfterElton likes it!

See story on the series and my interview with creator Matthew Kirsch here.

Emma Stahl, http://emmastahl.de

A sleek, well-photographed action/drama about Emma Stahl, a lesbian “special agent for the European police unit EuForce,” which fights organized crime in Europe. The series is crowdfunding the expensive-looking production. In German with English subtitles.

Fagney & Gaycey, http://www.channel101.com

A spoof on, obviously, Cagney & Lacey, this web series follows two effeminate cops as they patrols the city streets, comically and ineffectually. It’s really hilarious!

Far Out, http://www.farouttv.co.uk

Feed, via AfterEllen

Friends and Benefits, http://www.friendsandbenefits.tv

Via Samesame: Written and produced by young filmmaker Christopher Kam, Friends and Benefits sees newly-dumped 21-year-old uni student Ben enter the spooky world of internet dating. Luckily, the handsome but naïve singleton has his three best friends, Calvin, Max and Sophie to help him through his online adventures.

**Gay’s Anatomy, http://www.gays-anatomy.com

Gay’s Anatomy parodies a group of young would-be urologists straight of out med school — UTexas, Berkeley and Harvard — as they involve themselves in increasingly ridiculous and awkward sexual situations. It takes the relationship drama of Grey’s Anatomy and turns it into camp, while using The Office‘s documentary style to relay its zany humor as organically as possible. See my interview with the creators here.

Gay Top Gun, http://www.youtube.com/whiplashpictures

This riff of the Tom Cruise flick Top Gun is a comedy about a post-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” school for gay pilots.

GayTown, http://www.hulu.com/gaytown

**GayXample, http://www.gayxample.net

A humorous Barcelona-set Spanish-language soap (subtitled in nine languages) about a group of gay, lesbian and straight people dealing with personal and professional struggles. The series begins when the main character’s nephew arrives to the city for the first time only to discover his uncle is gay.

Get Out! Of the Closet!, http://www.funnyordie.com/zenfilm

A mock reality show about a duo who stage “interventions” aimed at getting closeted people to accept their presumed homosexuality. Well-produced and very funny!

**Girltrash!, http://www.girltrashonline.com

A popular lesbian web series with alums from Quarterlife and The L Word following the exploits of a group of bad-girls/small time criminals.

Girl/Girl Scene, http://www.girlgirlscene.com

Gregory Way TV (creator: Tom Gregory), http://www.koldcast.tv/show/gregory-way

H.A.!, http://www.youtube.com/hatheseries

“This satiric series centers around a conflicted young man who joins HA (Homosexuals Anonymous), a program to help Christian men and women overcome the gay lifestyle. Bruce Vilanch and Scott Nevins co-star.” – From Deep Dish.

**Half-Share (creator: Sean Hanley), http://www.half-share.com

Set in Fire Island, a recently single young man encounters a zany group of friends played by a very funny team of actors, including Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty), Jack Plotnick (Lovespring International), and Sam Pancake (Lovespring, Pretty, Will & Grace).

Homewrecker Houseboy, http://www.homewreckerhouseboy.com

This campy gay soap opera is a self-professed guilty pleasure. It has lots of episodes and a second season is reportedly coming soon!

**Husbands (creator: Jane Espenson), http://husbandstheseries.com

Via: “Husbands…tells the story of a high-profile, newlywed gay couple. Cheeks stars as an out actor who has married a freshly-out professional football player, played by Hemeon.” Highly recommended.

For my interview with producer Jane Espenson, click here.

Hustling, http://www.youtube.com/slacause

A porn star/escort tries to move on from his chosen profession.

I Love Dick!, http://www.brianpelletier.com

“A retro-style sitcom in the style of I Love Lucy…Dick and Mickey are a young couple just trying to make their way in 1950s Los Angeles.” – From the website.

**In Between Men (creator: Quincy Morris), http://inbetweenmen.com

Via press release: “The sexy new dramedy series follows four friends who are living in New York City “in between” a gay world, whose clichés they don’t relate to, and a straight world they don’t belong to. The stories follow four successful, professional men through their wild adventures, racy storylines, the joys and pains, all underscored by the pulse of New York City.” Cast includes Michelle Clunie (Queer as Folk) and Chase Coleman (Boardwalk Empire); attracted interest from TV networks.

See my interview with the creator and first two episodes here.

**In Their Room (creator: Travis Mathews): http://www.intheirroom.com

In Their Room, published on Vimeo, is a voyeuristic, erotic docu-series about a group of hairy/smooth, twinky/bearish gay men in San Francisco. While technically reality-based, the series is aesthetic enough to fit into my list.

“With In Their Room, I understood that getting into the rooms and minds of these guys was a privilege. It also objectifies them and makes them that much more vulnerable as they take clothes off while revealing intimate parts of their lives. The viewer is seeing, or seeing into, something that is usually private, it’s inherently voyeuristic,” Mathews told Televisual.

See my interview with the creator here.

**In the Loop, http://www.youtube.com/intheloopseries

A reality web series focusing on the romantic adventures and friendships of three funny, bitchy gay men.

InSight (The Seer, Rise of the Seer), http://www.riseoftheseer.com, http://watchtheseer.com

In the Moment, http://www.inthemoment.tv

Produced by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, In the Moment follows a diverse group of LA gays as they navigate sex and relationships, with particular attention to issues of safe sex, monogamy and HIV/AIDS.

**It Gets Betterish, (creators: Eliot Glazer and Brent Sullivan), http://www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterish

Satirical web series where two men in New York have various misadventures. The series lovingly spoofs the mainstreaming of urban gay culture.

For my interview with the creators, click here.

**Jack in a Box (creator: Michael Cyril Creighton), http://www.jackinaboxsite.com

Jack is a theatre queen who works in the ticket booth of a theater. Office-like hilarity ensues with cameos from stars like Queer as Folk’s Randy Harrison!

Jezza and the Belles, http://www.jezaandthebelles.com

Joni and Susanna, http://www.thewb.com/shows/joni-and-susanna

The Legend of Sprada, http://www.spradasuperstar.com

Campy drag series about Sprada, who is trying to make it in America.

Lizzy the Lezzy, http://www.lizzythelezzy.com

Lovers and Friends Show, http://www.insyteproductions.com/The_Lovers_%26_Friends_Show

Melody Set Me Free (creator: Kalup Linzy), http://www.youtube.com/kklinzy

Artist Kalup Linzy’s videos meld the conventions of soap opera, melodrama, black theater, queer camp and performance into amusing narratives. With cameos from artists like Wardell Milan and scholar Frank Leon Roberts.

NYC Glitters, http://www.nycglitters.com

Old Dogs, New Tricks, http://www.olddogsnewtrickstheseries.com

Series about gay men over 40. Via Deep Dish: “Old Dogs & New Tricks, which will premiere its pilot episode on July 30, explores the friendship and tribulations of four diverse and successful West Hollywood men, who have all reached that certain age defined as “middle”: Talent agent Nathan (Leon Acord); Brad (Curt Bonnem), a one-hit wonder from the late ’80s; Muscles (Jeffrey Patrick Olson), a hunky personal trainer; and Ross (David Pevsner), a former TV star.”

**Out with Dad (creator: Jason Leaver), http://www.outwithdad.com

Per the website: “Here we have a look into the life of a teenage girl along with her single father. The two share a close relationship. Rose is coming of age, coming out of the closet, and hoping to avoid having a spotlight put on her life. Her dad, Nathan, is struggling to help. Maybe he’s even pushing her out? Exploring themes of love and orientation, Out With Dad is a tender look at growing up regardless of your age, experience, or sexuality.” Nominated for several Indie Soap Awards.

Plan V, http://www.planvlaserie.com.ar

**Pretty (creator: Steve Silverman), http://www.prettytheseries.com

Campy series about the world of beauty pageants. Deep Dish, who named it the best comedy web series of 2010, says: “This wonderful new mockumentary web series is reminiscent of director Christopher Guest’s best films, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show – and that is high praise indeed. But instead of community theater and dog shows, writer and director Steve Silverman is poking fun at child beauty pageants with a wicked and sharp sense of humor.”

The Pride and Pretense of Eirik, http://jimhansenfilms.com

Jeffery Self stars in this set of shorts he wrote about a pretentious, superficial gay man.

Pro Gay Wrestling, http://progaywrestling.com

QueersLand, http://www.youtube.com/QueersLand

Via AfterEllen: “…the best thing to happen to queer Australian viewing since Lana and Sky pashed, no — wait — since Donna and Sunny! OK, maybe ever.”

**The Real Girl’s Guide to Everything Else, http://therealgirlsguide.com

Released February 2010, The Real Girl’s Guide to Everything Else focuses on a Lebanese-American political journalist who is compelled to write a Sex and the City-like chick lit book, and so goes undercover as a “shoe-obsessed, Cosmo-drinking straight girl.” With its multi-ethnic cast, “the project was kind of our answer to all the mainstream chick-lit and chick-flicks about rich white women whose main connection to each other is bonding over unavailable men and shopping,” the creators say. Episodes air weekly on Friday through February and March.

For my interview with the creators, click here.

**Sassy Gay Friend, http://www.youtube.com/show/sassygayfriend

This skit-turned-series follows “sassy gay friend”as he travels through time and space advising women on how to handle their lives, with a little help from MiO.

Secrets, http://secretstheseries.com

Seeking Simone, http://www.seekingsimone.com

The Slope, https://theslopeshow.wordpress.com

An irreverent comedy about an occasionally “homophobic, superficial” lesbian couple living in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Spin the Bottle, http://www.youtube.com/spinthebottletv

Six friends grapple with life and love in this comedy.

That’s What She Said, http://twssonline.com

An Asian-American lesbian series. Via AfterEllen: “That’s What She Said is a new web series about five friends navigating the lesbian scene in Los Angeles. Nic has just moved to the city from the Midwest. She moves in with Rae, a butch with promiscuous friend named Baby, a Casanova-type named Shin and straight bestie Leslie.”

Th3m! (creator: Tye Green), http://www.watchth3m.com

Says AfterEllen: “Th3m is a good example of indie media – and of an independent media maker — forging a new path. The project, a TV pilot that works as a short film and as a web series, plays out a bit like something akin to less glossy, more inclusive version of The L Word or Lovers and Friends. The story of several friends (most of them African American) living, loving and working through their issues, it’s a sexy, lo-fi production that serves to introduce the world to filmmaker Tye Green.”

Time Travelling Lesbian, http://www.funnyordie.com/rebeccadrysdale/videos

**Two Jasperjohns (creator: Vincet Lopez), http://twojasperjohns.com

Arty New York comedy about the brothers Jasperjohns (that’s their last name). Peculiar in the style of Louie or Wilfred, but with more sass and bite.

For my interview with the creator, click here.

The Variants, http://www.thevariants.com

A comedic take at the workings of a local comic bookstore. Says the Dallas Voice: “Neal was inspired by ‘The Guild,’ a failed TV pilot about online gamers that became a successful Web series. On ‘The Variants,’ Neal plays Richard, a gay store owner dealing with his sourpuss clerk Barry (employee Barry Fuhrman), forlorn hetero Joe (Joe Cucinotti) and aspiring actress Keli (Keli Wolf).”

Venice, http://www.venicetheseries.com

Guiding Light alum Crystal Chappell, who played a lesbian on the now-canceled classic soap opera, spawned this series, very loosely inspired by her popular character on the show. “The show will feature Ms. Chappell as a single, gay career woman, and follow other fictional inhabitants of Venice Beach, in Los Angeles. Her leading lady on ‘Guiding Light,’ [Jessica] Leccia, has agreed to join the cast without pay.” For the rest of The New York Times story on the series and its origins, click here.

We Have to Stop Now, http://wehavetostopnow.tv