A Timeline of (Nearly) Every LGBTQ Couple in TV History

I remember how exciting it was whenever a gay TV character A) existed, and B.) got into a relationship. My earliest memory was probably Doug and Clayton on The Golden Girls. Blanche's gay brother Clayton was back in town and getting married to a hot, mustachioed cop named Doug. Blanche, who had previously dealt with Clayton's coming out a few seasons prior, still had trouble wrapping her head around the whole gay thing. Naturally, she came around by the end of the episode, and Doug and Clayton presumably lived happily ever after. And I wondered what they did after they left Miami, what their life was like, if they were happy, if Blanche and the girls ever visited. It was as much and as real a relationship for me as if I had experienced it myself. I waited in front of my TV for other same-sex couples to validate the feelings I had but could not vocalize, to show me that it was possible to find love and be happy as a gay man. But they were few and far between.

Now, there are more LGBTQ couples on TV than I can keep track of—there are over 100 in this slideshow alone, and that's not even including British shows (I got tired). I was surprised, and more than a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of queer couplings, some I had never heard of from shows I had never watched. It was also incredibly heartening to see how far visibility has come and how varied, honest, and diverse depictions of LGBTQ couples have become.

Couples went from being platonic friends who rarely touched, let alone kissed one another, to fully realized people with passions and hurts that, rather importantly, had sex. Just like straight couples on TV have been doing since Lucy and Ricky pushed their beds together.

So what defines a couple? Well, if I knew that, I wouldn't be single. But in terms of this slideshow, a relationship means not an affair and more than just a hook-up (for so speaketh Beyoncé: ashes to ashes, dust to sidechicks). A one-off appearance is fine, just as long as it's established that the couple in question has been together before or will continue to be together after their appearance.

I'm sure I've missed some couples here and there, because there's just too much LGBTQ love on TV—who knew that could ever be a (bad) thing?—so let me know if I've omitted anyone in the comments below.

Click through the gallery for a definitive timeline of LGBTQ couples in TV history!

— Les Fabian Brathwaite

Jodie and Dennis, "Soap" (1977)

Steven and Luke, "Dynasty" (1984)

Clayton and Doug, "The Golden Girls" (1991)

Nancy and Marla, "Roseanne" (1992)

Nancy and Sharon, "Roseanne" (1994)

Susan and Carol, "Friends" (1994)

Leon and Scott, "Roseanne" (1995)

Ellen and Laurie, "Ellen" (1997)

Chuck and Geoffrey, "Strangers with Candy" (1999)

Willow and Tara, "Buffy" (2000)

Will and Matt, "Will and Grace" (2000)

David and Michael, "Queer as Folk" (2000)

Lindsay and Melanie, "Queer as Folk" (2000)

Jack and Ethan, "Dawson's Creek" (2000)

Justin and Brian, "Queer as Folk" (2000)

David and Keith, "Six Feet Under" (2001)

Jack and Tobey, "Dawson’s Creek" (2001)

Ted and Blake, "Queer as Folk" (2001)

Samantha and Maria, "Sex and the City" (2001)

Ethan and Justin, "Queer as Folk" (2002)

Stanford and Marcus, "Sex and the City" (2002)

Jack and David, "Dawson’s Creek" (2002)

Omar and Brandon, "The Wire" (2002)

Ben and Michael, "Queer as Folk" (2002)

Mr. Garrison and Mr. Slave, "South Park" (2002)

Jack and Doug, "Dawson’s Creek" (2003)

Ted and Emmett, "Queer as Folk" (2003)

Willow and Kennedy, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (2003)

Omar and Dante, "The Wire" (2003)

Bette and Tina, "The L Word" (2004)

Emmett and Drew, "Queer as Folk" (2004)

Jack and Stuart, "Will & Grace" (2004)

Will and Vince, "Will and Grace" (2004)

Jenny and Marina, "The L Word" (2004)

Dana and Alice, "The L Word" (2004)

Marco and Dylan, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (2004)

Marissa and Alex, "The OC" (2005)

Greg and Terry, "American Dad" (2005)

Alex and Trey, "Noah's Arc" (2005)

Chance and Eddie, "Noah's Arc" (2005)

Noah and Wade, "Noah's Arc" (2005)

Shane and Carmen, "The L Word" (2005)

Ricky and Junito, "Noah's Arc" (2005)

Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave, "South Park" (2005)

Oscar and Gil, "The Office" (2006)

Will and James, "Will and Grace" (2006)

Paige and Alex, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (2006)

Omar and Renaldo, "The Wire" (2006)

Kevin and Scotty, "Brothers and Sisters" (2006)

Tasha and Alice, "The L Word" (2007)

Brian and Steve, "The Sarah Silverman Program" (2007)

Kevin and Jason, "Brothers and Sisters" (2007)

Rick and Steve, "Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" (2007)

Calvin and Heath, "Greek" (2007)

Marc and Cliff, "Ugly Betty" (2007)

Eric and Jonathan, "Gossip Girl" (2008)

Callie and Arizona, "Grey’s Anatomy" (2009)

Marc and Troy, "Ugly Betty" (2009)

Mitch and Cam, "Modern Family" (2009)

April, Ben, and Derek, "Parks and Recreation" (2009)

Emily and Maya, "Pretty Little Liars" (2010)

Sam and Larry, "Caprica" (2010)

Adrianna and Gia, "90210" (2010)

Justin and Austin, "Ugly Betty" (2010)

Marshall and Lionel, "United States of Tara" (2010)

Lafayette and Jesus, "True Blood" (2010)

Kurt and Blaine, "Glee" (2011)

Marshall and Noah, "United States of Tara" (2011)

Patrick and Chad, "American Horror Story: Murder House" (2011)

Loras and Renly, "Game of Thrones" (2011)

James and Tom, "How I Met Your Mother" (2011)

Brittany and Santana, "Glee" (2011)

Max and Grant, "Happy Endings" (2012)

Agron and Nasir, "Spartacus: Vengeance" (2012)

Ian and Mickey, "Shameless" (2012)

Oscar and Robert, "The Office" (2012)

Cyrus and James, "Scandal" (2012)

Elijah and George, "Girls" (2012)

Paige and Emily, "Pretty Little Liars" (2012)

Tara and Pam, "True Blood" (2012)

Wendy and Lana, "American Horror Story: Asylum" (2012)

Bryan and David, "The New Normal" (2012)

Cosima and Delphine, "Orphan Black" (2013)

Adam and Kurt, "Glee" (2013)

Stef and Lena, "The Fosters" (2013)

Danny and Ethan, "Teen Wolf" (2013)

Piper and Alex, "Orange Is the New Black" (2013)

Nolan and Patrick, "Revenge" (2013)

Santana and Dani, "Glee" (2013)

Walt and Bennett, "The Carrie Diaries" (2013)

Nicky and Lorna, "Orange is the New Black" (2013)

Patrick and Richie, "Looking" (2014)

Agustín and Frank, "Looking" (2014)

Cheryl and Susan, "Good Luck Charlie" (2014)

Ray and Kevin, "Brooklyn 99" (2014)

Shane and Pablo, "Faking It" (2014)

Elijah and Pal, "Girls" (2014)

Alison and Emily, "Pretty Little Liars" (2014)

Jude and Zero, "Hit the Floor" (2014)

Brenna and Greer, "Chasing Life" (2014)

Betty and Helen, "Masters of Sex" (2014)

Sarah and Tammy, "Transparent" (2014)

Ali and Dale, "Transparent" (2014)

Luisa and Rose, "Jane the Virgin" (2014)

Connor and Oliver, "How to Get Away with Murder" (2014)

Cyrus and Michael, "Scandal" (2014)

Shane and Duke, "Faking It" (2014)

Amy and Reagan, "Faking It" (2014)

Clarke and Lexa, "The 100" (2014)

See more LGBTQ TV couples from 2014 to today here.

A Timeline of (Nearly) Every LGBTQ Couple in TV History

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