2022 was a year. There were so many cancellations, The CW died and there’s fear networks think queer content is too risky to produce. But we’re a resilient people and have always carved out content for ourselves to love. Here is a list of Team LezWatch’s 2022 Favorite Queer Things!
Carmel, Database Editor and Contributing Writer
- Javicia Leslie’s Autostraddle TV Awards Acceptance Speech
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Javicia Leslie is a genuinely lovely human being and this speech made me tear up.
- Jessica Sutton Shipping Talder
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The final season of Motherland: Fort Salem aired this year and Jessica Sutton was captain at the helm of the Talder ship. It was a delight.
- First Kill
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It was a cute romp with a small budget and a dream. I wish they had gotten a larger budget and more episodes to really dive into Calliope’s family more. I also wish they had chosen literally any other song as the theme. I think Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis did great and it’s clear they had fun making it.
Tracy Levesque, Co-Founder / Co-Editor in Chief
- Wildmoore
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It pains me to write about Batwoman, it’s cancellation is such a devastating loss of diverse quality queer content. But Wildmoore happened in 2022 and it should be celebrated.
Ugh, I miss them so much 😢.
- Human Resources
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Human Resources is a spinoff centering around the emotional support creatures from Big Mouth and the human clients they serve. I’m a fan of Big Mouth and its teen humor so I gave it a try and I was happily surprised by its abundance of queer content. At the heart of the season was the ongoing story about experienced Love Bug Sonya Poinsettia (voiced by Pamela Adlon) getting fired for falling in love with one of her clients, Claudia the Doula (voiced by Janelle Monae).
It was a heart-wrenching beautiful story.
Who knew a show with animated talking penises could make you feel emotional?
- President Ellen Coming Out on For All Mankind
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I love For All Mankind. I am wearing my For All Mankind sweatshirt as I write this.
It tells an alternate history of the US if a few things went differently with the space race. One thing was having a woman president, Ellen Wilson — former astronaut and closeted lesbian married to a gay man. When Larry her husband is under threat of being outed, Ellen is moved to come out to the world.
I was proud of the show for going there!
- Carmen Moyo Finally Revealed as Gay on The Good Fight
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Why they waited until halfway through the final season to do this I don’t know, but I rejoiced.
Nikki T, Staff Writer and Database Editor
- Avatrice/Warrior Nun
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Do you know that feeling when you fall so hard for a show that you’re convinced that you’ll never fall like that again? I get that feeling a lot until a new show comes along and gets me again. This year, it was Warrior Nun. As a self-identified queer TV scrooge, I never even dreamt that Ava would be queer in season two. But then, we got a whole season built around the slow burn of Ava and Beatrice! Be still my beating heart.
- A League of Their Own
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I MEAN… what do I even say. This show is literally a blessing on this earth and if it doesn’t get renewed for another season then I will show up to Amazon headquarters with a baseball bat and a Lupe-like attitude.
- NCIS: Hawaii
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If you had told 2021 me that I would fall in love with a cop show in 2022, I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet, here I am, a full blown Lucy/Whistler stan.
- High School
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I wish I could have told my teenage self that one day the world would be a place where Tegan and Sara, of all people, would have a TV show made about their lives. What a dream! The show was cute and warm and real and made me feel all the high school things.
- First Kill
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Listen, I know this show was campy, but I have always believed that us queers deserved more vampire content and it was finally delivered. I thought the two leads were cute and I enjoyed the star-crossed premise. But Netflix, as usual, had to go and ruin all our fun yet again. I hope it somehow leads to more campy queer horror content in the future!
Laura Markus, Database Editor
- Queer Youth – Heartstopper and First Kill specifically
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These two shows were like a breath of fresh air. The characters and the actors in these were fantastic to watch and get to know, giving me hope for a better future for queer representation, not focused in pure heartbreak, not shoved into one type of box, transcending genres and stereotypes galore. Sadly, we all know that First Kill was cut down before its time, but the livelihood of the fandom speaks volumes to hopeful show up for other shows like this to come.
And Heartstopper will hopefully never stop warming our hearts any time soon.
- Stupid Dumb Firefighter Shows – 9-1-1: Lone Star
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Yes, I know, I also mentioned Station 19 last year, but their storylines have gone back to being ridiculous and frustrating to watch. Maya has BPD, but I don’t like how they’re portraying it. Travis, hater of politics, is now running for mayor, and Vic and Warren barely get to do much of anything. It hasn’t been fun lately. I want to go back to having fun.
On the other hand, you have 9-1-1: Lone Star which has been very fun! Last year I asked them to add a sapphic character, either Marjan or Nancy, and while nothing is going on for Marjan in that department, we got a confirmation of bi Nancy! On top of that, Paul is still amazing (and him and Marjan are the ultimate goals), and TK and Carlos continue to blossom into a great relationship, culminating in (hopefully) a wedding this season. There’s still too much Rob Lowe nonsense, and I hope to see more nice things from Judd, Grace, and Tommy, but I didn’t expect to continue having this much of a great time with this angsty, silly, family.
- The Owl House, and its beyond
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The one, singular episode of our owl show we received this year was truly incredible, showcasing that the programme definitely still has plenty more to give. Luz and Amity are incredible, Luz’s mother being the ultimate ally, and I love what’s happening with the other characters. I truly cannot wait to see how this series wraps up, and hopefully, this proves that children are capable, and deserving, of quality television with positive, diverse representations all around. I don’t want to let go of Lumity and their friends, though.
- The future, being more FUN – Reboot and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
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I’ve long since enjoyed my hearty sitcoms over the brooding dramas as of late, and these two were complete surprises for me this year. As a Rachel Bloom fan, I absolutely love what she gave to Reboot, as anxious, repressed, Jewish lesbian Hannah. I want to see more of this show, and I REALLY hope that we do.
Meanwhile, HSMTMTS shocked me in other ways by having a full, realistic coming out experience for the character of Ashlyn, introducing a new regular Maddox, who grew on me as the season went on, all the while developing the cast really, really well. And all of this didn’t even take place within the walls of East High! The new, camp setting really worked for me, and it looks like we are returning to the school next season, and I’m really excited to see what happens with Ashlyn and Big Red, and to see if Maddox throws a wrench into anything.
I want more shows that are just unafraid to be fun. Unique. Out there. Take more risks, as Mika has pointed out in an article a few days ago. I would also like to ask for more time and energy to be able to watch more things. I have so many shows and movies and video games that are begging for my attention. I just want to see queer media done right!
It was a long, and quite often grating year, but here’s hoping that 2023 is a more fruitful (gay pun intended) time for us all. Best wishes, and warmest regards.
Those were our 2022 Favorite Queer Things. What were yours? Let us know in the comments!
