22 TV Shows With Trans Men Characters Played by Trans Actors

We love to see positive trans representation!

As trans representation picks up, we're seeing more stories about different kinds of trans people. Thankfully, that includes trans mascs and trans men. These trans actors are changing the way people view trans men, and making it so that people who never saw themselves represented get to finally do that.

Still, most of these roles have been played by just a handful of trans actors, with Elliot Fletcher, Ian Alexander, Theo Germaine, and Brian Michael Smith each appearing multiple times on this list. Hopefully, we'll soon see a wider range of trans actors getting these roles!

Here are 12 TV shows with trans actors playing trans men characters:

'9-1-1: Lone Star'

Fox's huge hit drama 9-1-1: Lone Star features Brian Michael Smith as dreamy firefighter Paul Strickland. He became the first out Black trans man cast in a series regular role on network television when he got the job.

Streaming on Hulu

'Faking It'

Elliot Fletcher played Noah, a love interest for gay character Shane on MTV's Faking It.

Available to rent on YouTube

'The Fosters'

The Fosters featured not one, but two trans guys in their character lineup. One named Cole (played by Tom Phelan), a trans boy in a group home for troubled girls, and one named Aaron (played by Elliot Fletcher), a law student who dated main character Callie.

Streaming on Hulu

'Good Girls'

In the third season of NBC's Good Girls, Annie's (Mae Whitman) oldest child comes out as a boy and says he wants to go by the name Ben. He is played by trans child actor Isaiah Stannard.

Streaming on Netflix

'The L Word: Generation Q'

Leo Sheng plays Micah, a young therapist and one of the main cast members on this update of the classic queer show. Brian Michael Smith also appeared in the first season.

Available to purchase on YouTube

'Queen Sugar'

Brian Michael Smith came out as trans while playing this character, Toine Wilkins, a police officer and high school friend of the show's main character.

Streaming on Hulu

'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'

Nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson plays Theo Putnam on this Netflix show, a good friend of Sabrina's who comes out as a trans boy partially through the show.

Streaming on Netflix

'Star Trek: Discovery'

Ian Alexander became the first trans actor playing a trans character in the Star Trek franchise when he joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery as Grey Tal, a Trill. Blu del Barrio also joined the cast as nonbinary crewmember Adira Tal. The two form a relationship.

Streaming on Paramount+

'The OA'

Ian Alexander got his start on Netflix's The OA as Buck Vu, a trans character who was based partially on Alexander's real experiences.

Streaming on Netflix

'The Politician'

Theo Germaine was a breakout star as James Sullivan, Payton (Ben Platt)'s campaign manager and advisor on The Politician.

Streaming on Netflix

'Work in Progress'

Theo Germaine also starred in the first season of Work in Progress as Chris, a 22-year-old barista and trans man who dates the main character, Abby.

Available to buy on Prime Video

'Shameless'

Elliot Fletcher joined Shameless in the seventh season as Trevor, a trans man who works with homeless LGBTQ+ teens, and in the eighth season, became a recurring cast member as he entered a relationship with Ian Gallagher.

Streaming on Netflix

'Y: The Last Man'

When it was adapted from comics into a TV show, Y: The Last Man addressed trans men in a real way. One character was Sam Jordan, played by Elliot Fletcher. Sam is the best friend of Hero Brown, and after everyone with a Y chromosome dies, the two try to survive together.

Not available to stream in the U.S.

'Grey's Anatomy'

In seasons 14-16 of Grey's Anatomy, Alex Blue Davis played Dr. Casey Parker, a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The long-running medical drama has had several trans characters – some played by trans actors and some played by cis actors – but Casey is the series's longest-lasting trans character.

Streaming on Hulu

'KAOS'

This short-lived mythological comedy was about three modern humans realizing they are connected to the gods of the Greek pantheon. One of these humans is Caeneus, a trans man played by Misia Butler, who was raised with the Amazonians and then killed by them. After he is brought back from the dead, he realizes he is part of a powerful prophecy.

Streaming on Netflix

'Dead End: Paranormal Park'

This Netflix animated series lasted for two seasons and followed Barney, a teenage trans boy voiced by Zach Barack. Along with his friend Norma, Barney gets a job as a security guard at a theme park where the haunted house attraction is all too real.

Streaming on Netflix

'Umbrella Academy'

When Elliot Page, one of the stars of this Netflix series about a family of superheroes, transitioned in real life, writers for the show changed his character, Viktor, to be a trans man and incorporated his coming out into the character.

Streaming on Netflix

'Party of Five'

On this Freeform reboot of the classic drama series, Garcia played Matthew, an undocumented trans man who runs away from home and becomes friends with two of the members of the main family.

Streaming on Freeform

'Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin'

In this reboot of Pretty Little Liars, Jordan Gonzalez played Ash Romero, a trans high school student. He is in a relationship with Mouse, one of the titular Liars. The original Pretty Little Liars featured the trans girl character Charlotte DiLaurentis, who was played by a cis woman.

Streaming on HBO Max

'A League of Their Own'

This short-lived but critically praised and fan-favorite show, based on the film of the same name, featured a trans man named Bertie Hart, played by Lea Robinson. Bertie is the estranged uncle of baseball player Max Chapman, and when Max comes out as a lesbian, Bertie helps welcome her into the queer community.

Streaming on Prime Video

'Gotham Knights'

In this DC comics-based series, Cullen Row is a young trans man played by Tyler DiChiara. The series follows a group of teens in Gotham City who are accused of murdering Bruce Wayne and must solve the case and clear their names.

Streaming on HBO Max

'Tom Swift'

This CW spin-off of Nancy Drew follows the adventures of Tom Swift, a young, billionaire inventor. Marquise Vilsón played Isaac Vega, Tom's trans and pansexual bodyguard, and a main character on the show.

Streaming on HBO Max