What’s New in Queer TV #9: Seen & Heard, aka Charlie Sheen, The Girlfriend, Beauty in Black
Lesbian & trans representation in Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television, Charlie Sheen's gay sex experiences, A mom reviving an old lesbian flame in The Girlfriend, and a hidden gay romance in Beauty in Black
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.
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television • Season 1
HBO Max • Documentary about the Media • 🇺🇸 United States • Ended
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈
Type of queer representation: Lesbian, Trans Woman
The show features two openly queer women. Lena Waithe is a lesbian who has advocated for more representation for Black queer people, and Janet Mock is a trans woman and prominent activist for trans rights. She was also the first trans woman of color to write and direct for television.
My thoughts on it: I've had this show on my watchlist since I saw it came out. I know it's focused around Black representation but I'm hoping Lena and Janet also talk about their unique experiences being Black and queer. I can't wait to finally make time to watch it. Soon hopefully.
Others' thoughts on it:
Brittanee Black
Home
aka Charlie Sheen • Season 1
Netflix • Celebrity Documentary • 🇺🇸 United States • Ended
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
Type of queer representation: Bisexual Man (Charlie talks about sexual encounters with men and women)
Charlie Sheen talks about sexual encounters with men in the series. From what I gather, it's most drug-fueled and not much deeper than sex.
My thoughts on it: I don't have high hopes for this one. The gay part is probably just a small piece as part of a conversation around crazy alcohol and drug-fueled parties. Let's just say the reviews haven't been great. Just check the links below...
Others' thoughts on it:
Lucy Mangan
Alison Herman
The Girlfriend • Season 1
Prime Video • Psychological Family Drama • 🇺🇸 United States • Fate Unknown
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
Type of queer representation: Lesbian, Bisexual Woman, Lesbian Romance
The mom reveals to the girlfriend that she had a lesbian romance when she was younger. Later in the season, she reconnects with her lesbian lover, and they share a kiss and a night together before the lover realizes how insane the mom is. I don't say this often, but the queer romance was one of the least interesting and most poorly executed parts of the show.
My thoughts on it: This was a real mindfuck of a show. I had no idea what to trust by the end of it, and I loved it. Let's just say the lesbian relationship was extremely unnecessary and kind of the most boring part of the show. It wasn't bad queer representation, it was just a meh storyline that just took us away from the main plot. So watch the show but not for the lesbians 😄.
Others' thoughts on it:
Samantha
Beauty in Black • Season 2
Netflix • Soapy Family Drama • 🇺🇸 United States • Fate Unknown
Queer-o-meter: 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
Type of queer representation: Gay Men, Gay Romance
Season 2 of the show features a romance between two men: Charles and Varney. Charles, the younger Bellarie son, is in a secret relationship with Varney, the family’s lawyer. When Charles’ brother Roy finds out, he confronts them and tells the rest of the family. Charles struggles with fully embracing the relationship: there are moments of distance, miscommunication, and danger (including threats from family and external violence) that put their relationship under serious strain.
My thoughts on it: It sounds like your typical soap opera romance with lots of drama and hurdles for the two men to be together. There's probably a lot of inner struggles too around Charles' coming out. Probably not for me but I'd be super curious to hear from anyone who's watched it.
Others' thoughts on it:
Sourya Sur Roy
