A round-up of some of the LGBTQIA onscreen rep yet to come out this year
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY FOCUS FEATURES
Attention fellow screen buffs! We’ve entered the last half of 2023 and there are lots of releases to look forward to. Whether you’re looking for romance, fantasy, drama or comedy, here’s our round-up of the most exciting TV shows and films that feature LGBTQIA characters and/or LGBTQIA actors set to come out this year.
Barbie | 21 July
Are you ready to paint the town pink? I know I can speak on behalf of everyone here at Team DIVA when I say that we shes, theys and gays are on the edge of our seats for this upcoming release. We’re obsessed. We can’t stop talking about it. No, like really. And we’re not alone. While it’s not confirmed whether there will be LGBTQIA storylines in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film, we’ve all been obsessing over the teasers and gay Twitter is convinced Barbie might just be gay. Whatever goes down, the casting of Alexandra Shipp, Hari Nef, Kate McKinnon and Scott Evans ensures there’s lots of queer rep to enjoy. And we all know this film is going to be wonderfully camp.
Heartstopper | 3 August
We can’t wait to say “Hi” to our favourites in the upcoming second season of Netflix’s queer AF teen drama. In this chapter of Heartstopper, Nick, Charlie and the gang head to Paris for a school trip. There will be tears, there will be joy, there will be love. And of course, we can’t wait to be reunited with “the school lesbians” and “best gal pals”, Tara and Darcy (AKA #Tarcy). Will Elle and Tao finally be able to confess their feelings for each other? I guess we’ll find out.
Psst… keep your eye out for some more Heartstopper goodness coming to DIVA HQ soon.
Red, White & Royal Blue | 11 August
Are you looking for your next favourite summer romcom? Prime Video’s upcoming adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue – a novel penned by queer and non-binary author Casey McQuiston – looks like it’s about to cement itself as just that. The enemies-to-lovers MLM romance follows rivals Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz, the latter just happens to be the son of the President of the USA. The onscreen chemistry these two leads share in the teasers alone is captivating. Oh, and The L Word fans, you won’t want to miss seeing Sarah Shahi (AKA Carmen!) as Zahra Bankston.
Bottoms | 25 August
This highly anticipated comedy is about “empowering women (the hot ones)”. It follows leads, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) who are trying to lose their virginity before graduating. Their masterplan? To start a high school fight club which is sure to allow them to meet girls and achieve their goal. It promises to be “the horniest, bloodiest high school movie of the 21st century” and we are SO ready to see it.
The Wheel Of Time | 1 September
How often do we get to see a WLW lead within fantasy? Especially high fantasy. The answer is: rarely. Which is why I gasped when spoiler: Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine was revealed to be just that. Season one was a huge success, and became Prime Video’s most-watched original series of 2021 and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the next instalment. We’ll be reunited with this epic world and characters shortly.
Sex Education | 21 September
While we’re excited to return to Moordale for season four of Sex Education, it’s also bittersweet as this will be the show’s final chapter. Of course, we’ll miss our fave WLW couple Ola and Lily as Patricia Allison and Tanya Reynolds will not be reprising their roles for this upcoming instalment. But we’re excited to get reunited with the rest of the cast (especially gay icon Gillian Anderson) and also meet some new faces, one of those being Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy. Have you watched the official teaser yet? It looks pretty gay.
Drive-Away Dolls | 22 September
I’m pretty sure this has the potential to be my favourite film of the year even though I know very little about it. Don’t ask, it’s just how my brain works. But c’mon, it’s a lesbian road trip. Beanie Feldstein – of one of my all-time favourite films, Booksmart, fame – is part of the cast as well as certified LGBTQIA ally, Pedro Pascal. Say less. I’ve already got my tickets booked.
Doctor Who | (TBC) November
Whovians around the world are preparing for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials. David Tennant will be reprising his role as The Timelord before passing the baton (or sonic screwdriver) to Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa. The last season of the quintessential British sci-fi program made waves when #Thasmin became canon. And last year, BBC Sounds released a spin-off drama podcast which was penned by Juno Dawson and cast Charlie Craggs, which was a huge win for the trans community. And of course, we’re counting down the days to see Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney join the franchise as Rose, adding more welcome trans representation to the world of Doctor Who.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes | 17 November
If you were looking forward to seeing more of Hunter Schafer in season three of Euphoria before it was postponed and/or cancelled, don’t fret. Hunter will be portraying Tigris Snow in the upcoming highly anticipated prequel to the Hunger Games franchise. This prequel takes place 64 years before the events fans of the franchise have come to know. And Tigris is the cousin of Coriolanus Snow. Bring on premiere night!
And a few honourable mentions which are still TBC
Bridgerton
At the time of writing, Netflix is yet to announce the release date for the third season of this hugely popular period drama. However, we have seen the first-look images and there’s speculation that we could have a December release date like previous seasons. Earlier this year, the Queen Charlotte spin-off series introduced us to a MLM romance, so perhaps this next instalment could introduce us to more LGBTQIA folk.
The Sex Lives Of College Girls
We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the theorised November release date for this beloved dramedy. However, we have mixed feelings. Since the first season premiered we’ve loved Reneé Rapp’s performance as Leighton Murray, and the different kind of lesbian coming-of-age story her character served up. However, earlier this month the star announced that she would be leaving the show. The Sex Lives Of College Girls won’t be the same, but we still can’t wait to see what awaits in this next chapter.
The Umbrella Academy
The fourth and final season of everyone’s fave apocalyptic supernatural show should hopefully come out this year. Over the course of the three seasons, it’s been wonderfully queer and the third instalment handled Viktor Hargreeve’s (Elliot Page) trans identity with compassion and care. We loved to see it. There’s no teasers or trailers yet and the time of writing, but if the previous seasons are anything to go by, this finale is guaranteed to be a wild ride.
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