What’s New in Queer TV #8: Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence, The Runarounds, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, The Paper, Dish It Out
A maybe lesbian couple leading a dark cult, a cute coming-out teen drama story, NCIS serving side queer characters including lesbian romance, The paper brings back gay account Oscar from the office, a small glitter of queerness in cooking show Dish it out
Welcome to the weekly post where I discuss new additions to my 2025 queer streaming guide.
Aurelie Chazal
Disclaimer: All the shows listed below came out about one month ago because I've noticed that's how long it usually takes me to be able to confidently verify whether a show has queer representation. I'm not able to watch everything, but I'll only include shows that have proven queer characters as verified online through reputable sources.
Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence • Season 1
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈
Ruby Franke & Jodi Hildebrandt, who were convicted of torturing Ruby's kids, are rumored to have been in a romantic relationship, but it wasn't confirmed by either of them. I don't know how deep this particular show gets into it, but they definitely touch on the topic. It also seems to focus more on Jodi than the previous docu from Hulu.
My thoughts on it: I watched the other documentary on the topic from Hulu called "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke". It's a horrible story, and both Ruby and Jodi are terrible people. The Hulu docuseries focused mostly on Ruby and her family. This new documentary seems to focus more on Jodi, her culty therapy brand, and how she roped people into doing horrible things. Ruby and Jodi lived together and were awfully close. Some of the kids also mentioned they slept together and most likely were in a relationship. They haven't admitted to it as far as I know, and they're both extremely religious, which could explain why they are hiding it.
Others' thoughts on it:
Brittany Miller
The Runarounds • Season 1
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
It's a typical teen drama with a musical element. One of the characters, Amanda, realizes she is gay during the show. She is initially in a couple with Topher, but slowly comes out. One online source also mentions that one of the teens has two moms, but I couldn't find much about it.
My thoughts on it: It's not my typical type of show, but I'm curious about Amanda's character and journey. From the episode summaries and videos I found, she has a bit of a storyline around her coming out and self-acceptance of her sexuality. It's the type of shows I would have loved when I was younger and struggled with my identity. Although I'm not sure she has a ton of screentime.
Others' thoughts on it:
Abbey White
Aramide Tinubu
NCIS: Tony & Ziva • Season 1
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
This spin-off of NCIS features a few queer side characters and guest characters. Claudette and Sophie have a romance storyline. Dr. Lang is mentioned to have a partner, although I can't find much info about it. And there are background gay characters, like a couple at a retreat.
My thoughts on it: I remember watching the early seasons of the original NCIS, but I haven't followed the universe expansion at all. It might be fun to go back! I found a lot of videos of Claudette and Sophie. Their romance looks cute, and they're both women of color, which we rarely see.
Others' thoughts on it:
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The Paper • Season 1
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
Another spin-off! Oscar, our favorite gay accountant, is back, but I haven't found much about the other characters so far. It's on my watchlist, so expect an update soon.
My thoughts on it: I keep reading great reviews about the show. Not raving, but saying that it's a fun watch and has potential. Outside of gay Oscar, the cast also seems much more diverse than the original show. I'm personally curious to see if it'll have an equivalent of Michael's character. Don't come for me, but I hated Michael in the original show. I loved the rest of the characters, but Michael was just too close to corporate reality.
Others' thoughts on it:
Saloni Gajjar
Erik Kain
Dish It Out • Season 1
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈
Who doesn't love a comfy cooking show for those rainy fall days? It's not a queer revolution but one of the contestants, Frankie Grande is openly gay.
My thoughts on it: I like the concept of the mystery box, but it's probably more of a background watch than something I'd intentionally tune into. Let's be honest, people are definetely not watching this one for the queer representation unless they are Frankie Grande stans.
Others' thoughts on it:
Twitter joelkeller
