Sometimes what you want is a sexy queer show for adults and with adult characters — think Heated Rivalry, Queer as Folk, and The L Word — but other times you may want to travel back in time and revisit simpler time, filled with crushes, teen angst, and young love.
Don’t get us wrong, LGBTQ+ shows set during high school can still be dramatic and messy, feature life and death scenarios (or at least ones that feel that way when your a teenager), and show audiences steamy scenes, but they also tend to be more fun and hopeful than their grown-up counterparts.
So while waking up back in high school may be your worst nightmare (bullies could be brutal), it can be be nice to spend time with characters who are still idealistic, aren't weighed down by adult responsibilities, and have their whole futures in front of them.
From shows that made television history to ones that warmed our hearts, these are the best queer high school shows, ranked by the very scientific method of how much they mean to us.
10. Love, Victor
Love, Victor
Hulu
Following the success of Love, Simon, this television continuation features high schooler Victor, played by the hunky Michael Cimino, following in Simon's footsteps and coming out, finding himself in love triangles in his quest for romance, all while messaging Simon for advice. Love, Victor is a sweet rom-com that tries to grapple with slightly more serious topics than the original film while still being light and sweet.
Where to watch: Hulu
9. Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High
Netflix
Netflix’s reboot of the Australian series Heartbreak High, which originally aired in 1994, was incredibly queer-inclusive. The show follows the students and teachers at Hartley High as they navigate teen romance, high school drama, racial tensions and sexual awakenings. The series was so queer that it even featured a barely SFW scene where teens Malakai (Thomas Weatherall) and Rowan (Sam Rechner) squirted sunscreen all over each other before pornographically rubbing it in.
Where to watch: Netflix
8. Euphoria
Euphoria
HBO
A lot could be said about the way creator Sam Levinson portrays teens and their sex lives in Euphoria, but one of the things the show gets right is it’s LGBTQ+ representation and how much more fluid Gen Z is with their sexuality and gender identity than previous generations. Euphoria centers around Rue (Zendaya) a queer woman in a toxic, codependent, on-again off-again relationship with Jules, a transgender character played by trans actress Hunter Schafer.
Where to watch: HBO Max
7. Degrassi
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Nickelodeon
The Degrassi franchise has been gracing our screens since the show’s first iteration came out in the 1980s, and even then, while there weren’t any queer cast members, one of the main character’s brothers came out as gay in the third season. Since then, Degrassi: Next Generation featured multiple LGBTQ+ characters, including Marco, the shows first openly gay character and Paige, the first bisexual character. And when Netflix continued the franchise with Degrassi: Next Class, LGBTQ+ characters became a staple of the show and included the franchise’s first nonbinary character played by Jamie Bloch.
Where to watch: PlutoTV
6. Young Royals
Young Royals
Netflix
Young Royals is a steamy Swedish romance set in a boarding school where Prince Wilhelm (Edwin Ryding) falls for fellow student Simon (Omar Rudberg). The yearning, sexual tension, and chemistry between the two leads was so palpable during the show that rumors persisted for years that the two stars were dating in real life.
Where to watch: Netflix
5. Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
CW
While Dawson’s Creek was largely a show about heterosexual teens with giant vocabularies and a penchant for messy romances, the show also changed American television forever with a single queer kiss. In the year 2000, the angsty teen drama made history when gay heartthrob Jack McPhee (who dated Katie Holmes' Joey before coming out) shared a passionate, if short, kiss with Ethan (Adam Kaufman). This raw and vulnerable moment was the very first romantic kiss between two men in primetime network television history, paving the way for the gay romances that came after it.
4. My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
ABC
At a time when gay characters were almost nonexistent on TV, My So-Called Life broke the mold by featuring a gay main character. Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, played by Wilson Cruz, made history as the first openly gay teen character on American television. This quintessentially '90s show may have only been on air for a single season but it had an outsized impact on American pop culture, in part because it didn’t shy away from showing Ricky facing homophobia, abuse from his uncle, and homelessness after being kicked out for being gay.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video.
3. Heartstopper
Heartstopper
Netflix
Adapted from a series of coming-of-age graphic novels written by Alice Oseman and set in a British high school, Heartstopper followed the love story between Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke). Not only did the show and finale movie not shy away from gay sex as the main characters got older, but their whole friend group was filled with queer characters, including transgender teen Elle, played by trans actress Yasmin Finney.
Where to watch: Netflix
2. Glee
Brittany and Santana; Blaine and Kurt in Glee.
Fox
Ryan Murphy’s breakout hit show Glee followed the talented students in a high school Glee club and featured gay characters as part of the main cast, something that was still unusual back in 2009. Fans got to watch Kurt be open about his sexuality, struggle to be accepted by his dad, and start dating his boyfriend Blaine, and then in the show’s third season, Santana and Brittany came out and started a long-running relationship. There were some ups and downs along the way, but the show ultimately gave fans a happily ever after when both couples ended up walking down the aisle.
Where to watch: Hulu
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
UPN
Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed Buffy Summers and her crew of misfits as they navigated messy high school drama while also trying to keep vampires from destroying their home town of Sunnydale. The show featured the first sapphic relationship between two series regulars in U.S. television history, and fans went wild when Willow and Tara finally shared their first onscreen kiss in the show’s fifth season.
Where to watch: Hulu
