The Best Netflix Lesbian Shows and Movies Available To Watch Now

In recent years with representation becoming more and more prevalent and relevant, show producers have had less and less reason to exclude groups which once did not have the chance to see themselves represented in media.

LGBT rights especially have progressed massively in the past few decades and this has lead to more and more shows and movies featuring characters part of this umbrella. 

When shows especially start to have an ensemble cast of a certain size, it becomes questionable when none of the characters are not straight, so we have started to see more and more side characters start to be more representative of the real world.

But what has been especially astounding is how many shows and movies we now have which feature LGBT+ protagonists and characters like this are now having a spotlight put on them.

Part of this umbrella is lesbian characters and while representation of lesbians in media has not always been perfect, it has been improving in quality and quantity especially in recent years.

There have been narratives in media surrounding lesbians for a long time but only in recent history have they become more frequent and high quality, and now we actually have a choice in shows and movies we get to watch featuring these characters instead of having to settle for the only representation available.

One streaming service which has always been ahead of mainstream media when it comes to LGBT+ representation is Netflix and while some shows seem to get cancelled before they can reach their prime.

The amount of high quality lesbian narratives available in their TV shows and movies are definitely above average. 

However, with Netflix having a rotating catalog of content and sometimes content can be quite hard to find with the sheer amount available.

This is why this guide has been put together to highlight some of the best lesbian representation which has been put out by Netflix and is available for you to watch right now.

So if you are craving some good representation and want to ensure that there will be something you like, keep reading to see what you want to watch next.

It is also worth noting that not all the TV shows and movies which are on this list feature a lesbian main character, and a lot of the stories feature prominent lesbian side characters, or lesbian subplots.

However, because of the quality of the representation they have still been included as they are definitely worth your time even if the story is not entirely focused on lesbian characters.

None of the entries in this list are ordered or ranked, so do not take their order of listing as any denotation of quality. 

Lesbian TV Shows On Netflix

Since TV shows tend to have a longer runtime than most movies, they have a lot more time for subplots and a lot more time for extended character development.

This is why there tends to be significantly more lesbian and LGBT+ representation in general in TV shows over movies.

These TV shows may not feature a lesbian protagonist, but if this is the case they will at least have a prominent lesbian side character.

Feel Good

If you want a romance TV show with a refreshing vibe and a lesbian romance being the focal point, you have to watch Feel Good on Netflix as soon as you can!

This is a comedy drama which is centered around the romance of George and Mae, and it takes place in London.

The story follows stand-up comedian and recovering addict Mae who runs into George who is a seriously repressed middle class woman who is visiting the club which Mae is performing in. 

Due to the differences between the two, their burgeoning relationship runs into some hurdles, but this is what makes it so fun and interesting to watch.

This series is easy to binge and if you want something heartwarming you have to watch Feel Good. And if this does not convince you Lisa Kudrow plays Mae’s mother, so there is really no excuse to miss it!

Atypical

This series follows an 18 year old called Sam Gardner and follow his relationship with his Autism in a coming of age narrative.

One of the main characters in the show aside from Sam is his younger sister called Casey who his very important to the overall narrative.

Her lesbianism starts to become relevant to the narrative when she gets a scholarship to enter a prep school in the second season where she ends up meeting Izzie and while their relationship starts off as a rivalry, they soon become friends, and by the third season, they are in an adorable relationship.

If you like slow burning enemies to relationship storylines, this side narrative in Atypical is definitely worth your time!

Wynonna Earp

Different from the aforementioned coming of age narrative, Wynonna Earp stands out as a Western horror with supernatural elements which features demons.

But more surprising than this is good representation of a healthy long term lesbian relationship. This is between two of the main character who feature in the series being Waverly Earp and her partner Sheriff Nicole Haught.

This central relationship has led to this series growing a massive lesbian following, and unlike a lot of shows featuring lesbian relationships in the spotlight, it has not been cancelled yet and is now up to 4 seasons!

Dead To Me

If you love dark comedies, Dead To Me is perfect as it follows the friendship which grows between Jen and Judy who meet in a therapy group after Jen’s husband passes.

Their friendship is incredibly interesting and what drives the show forwards, but in a twist, Judy one of the lead characters, meets Michelle who she eventually gets into a romantic relationship with and this becomes a central aspect of the show.

If you like seeing lesbian relationships normalized in TV shows where this may not be the central focus and love dark comedies, Dead To Me is a great choice!

Supergirl

If you love superhero media but are tired at the lack of LGBT+ representation, Supergirl fixes this issue following the titular character from the DC Comics series.

Supergirl is Superman’s cousin and like him is one of the few remaining Kryptonians. Supergirl has a human sister called Alex, and she is an agent part of a group called the DEO and throughout the series she comes out as a lesbian and in the second season she begins a relationship with detective Maggie.

This ship has become incredibly popular and all the scenes they share are incredibly fun to watch!

Legends Of Tomorrow

This is a spin off show about established bisexual Sara Lance and in the show she travels through both time and space doing all of this with her girlfriend who is Ava Sharpe, the director of the Time Bureau.

This pairing is incredibly satisfying to watch and seeing their unique relationship blossom and be explored under such interesting circumstances is fun to watch. If you love the character of Sara Lance, this is a great series to watch!

Mindhunter

If you love psychological thrillers, Mindhunter is the show for you as it follows the FBI’s criminal profiling department.

One of the lead characters is Anna Torv, and she is played by Wendy Carr, she is an openly lesbian psychologist, and she has a particular interest in interviewing serial killers who have been imprisoned with the hopes of working out what is going on inside their minds.

While we do not get to see much representation of her lesbianism in the first season, by the second she enters a relationship with a bartender called Kay making a very interesting and well represented subplot which explores the lead character’s sexuality.

Never Have I Ever

For a completely different series from the previous, Never Have I Ever centers around Devi who is a 15 year old who lives in California and after having an awful freshman year she wants to return to school and upgrade her social status.

However, there are many obstacles stopping this from being an easy task like her family and friends.

An interesting side plot is with one of her friends called Fabiola who throughout her narrative comes out and then eventually gets into a relationship with another girl.

This coming out narrative is super fun to watch, and the narrative overall is very satisfying and fun to binge.

Orange Is The New Black

When it comes to lesbian TV shows on Netflix, most people think of Orange Is The New Black, but there are still some people who have not watched this prison drama.

There are prominent lesbian relationships featured between characters like Piper and Alex, and there are a litany of LGBT+ characters represented to make the complex narratives told incredibly fun and interesting to follow.

All 7 seasons of this show are a joy to watch and is an experience everyone looking for good lesbian representation should watch!

Wentworth

If you have finished OITNB and are looking for something to fill that void, Wentworth is an Australian lesbian drama with some darker themes as well if that is what you are into.

There is not the most consistent level of queer representation, however, there will always be queer women present and at the front of the action.

This show follows a complex and multi-faceted drama as women try to survive their way through prison life.

The Fosters

This show follows Stef and Lena who are foster parents and lesbians, and they foster a wide variety of children being with some biological children as well.

This show follows the highs and lows of raising children and all the troubles and triumphs that can come with having a large family, being same sex parents, and everything else which comes with starting a family.

This is a refreshing show if you want a more mature look at an established relationship instead of a burgeoning romance or coming out which is what many of these shows tend to focus on.

Jane The Virgin

Jane The Virgin is a pretty long drama comedy which has a unique visual flair and a visually appealing setting to match.

If you do not know of the show already, it follows a virgin, Jane, who accidentally becomes inseminated and pregnant during a visit to her gynecologist.

While Jane herself is not a lesbian and instead finds herself in a dramatic love triangle, the doctor who made the mistake of accidentally inseminating her is.

She has a fair few telenovela style love affairs and becomes a primary character.

There is also another strong lesbian relationship which starts later in the show’s fourth season when lead character Petra grows attracted to new character Rosario.

Sense8

This is a sci fi series original to Netflix and it is from the same creators who created both The Matrix and Babylon 5.

The hook of this series is that it follows the lives of 8 different people as they suddenly become able to telepathically experience each others unique lives.

With these 8 characters we see many unique interactions and characters with primary characters being a bi racial lesbian coupling which features a trans woman called Nomi and her partner Amanita.

Seeing a well represented combination of the trans and lesbian experience is incredibly rare and this show does it with an interesting narrative as well!

I Am Not Okay With This

This is a teen Netflix series which follows a character called Sydney who is learning to navigate high schoola after moving into a new town.

During this time she starts to become attracted to her friend Dina. All while this is happening she is also discovering that she has telekentic powers.

This grounded emotional relationship paired with supernatural elements makes for a very unique story which is fun to experience and well worth the watch!

The Haunting Of Bly Manor

While this show is definitely a horror, and you should not watch it if you do not like that kind of thing, it also features a strong lesbian love story with ghosts being prominently featured as well.

The central character Dani has been hired as an au pair for Bly Manor and as this happens she begins to see haunting apparitions all around the estate.

All while this is happening, she grows a strong friendship and then eventual romance with Bly Manor’s gardener Jamie. If you love well written horror and lesbian pairings, this show is perfect for you!

Ratched

This is another series featured on Netflix which is an impactful drama which is set in 1947 and stars an asylum nurse called Mildred Ratched.

The show follows her arrival in California where she is looking to be employed at a psychiatric hospital where she can hold unsettling and unnerving experiments on her patients.

During this she maintains a perfect image attempting to look like a perfect nurse, all the while harboring dark and disturbing secrets.

Lesbian Movies On Netflix

Since movies tend to have an aim towards a wider audience, studios have been less willing to include lesbian and LGBT+ representation in general in movies.

However, this does not mean that it is not visible at all, and there are a variety of great movies available to watch which feature prominent lesbian representation.

All the movies on this list are available on Netflix and are worth watching if you want good lesbian representation.

The Half Of It

This adorable coming of age movie shows shy girl Ellie agreeing to help a more popular jock character write love letters to his love interest.

However, this inevitably evolves into Ellie having a crush on the girl which she is writing the letters to and has to work out what to do when she starts to feel conflicted.

This movie is super refreshing as well as heartwarming and if you want a cute movie to watch, this movie is a great choice!

A Secret Love

For something completely different from the previous entry, A Secret Love is a documentary which talks over the love story which has been going on for over 70 years between Pat Henscel and Terry Donahue who began their relationship all the way back in the 40s but of course had to keep this a secret from their friends and their family.

For anyone who has had to hide their relationships, this forbidden love documentary is incredibly touching.

Carol

This movie follows the relationship between a young photographer called Therese who is played by Rooney Mara, starting to develop into a more intimate relationship with Carol played by Cate Blanchett, who is older all with the backdrop of New York in the 50s.

There is incredible depth between the two and the relationship grows increasingly more complicated when Carol decides she will have to divorce her husband.

This is a direct adaption from the novel by Patricia Highsmith called the Prince of Salt. If you want a nostalgic lesbian love story, Carol is a great choice!

Tig

This is another documentary which follow the stand up comedian called Tig Notaro who is famous for her dead-pan sense of humor.

In the documentary Tig begins to open up about her romantic relationship with Stephanie Allynne who is an actress.

This documentary covers some very sensitive topics going over the issues with having a child, her mother dying, and her cancer diagnosis.

Duck Butter

This movie follows 2 younger women played by Laia Costa and Alia Shawkat as they meet in a club and begin to bond over the mutual dishonesty they have both experienced in their previous relationships and how this has hurt them.

After bonding over this the pair propose an experiment where they will spend the next 24 hours spending all their time with each other and in this time they will have to be completely honest with each other and not lie about anything.

As you can expect as a viewer, this does not go as originally planned and chaos ensues. If you like heartwarming romances, this is a great movie to watch!

The Feels

This features Constance Wu before her starring role in Crazy Rich Asians as she plays character Andi in this comedy indie movie which surrounds a lesbian bachelorette celebration.

While this celebration is taking place one of the two brides confesses that she has never actually had an orgasm much to the surprise of everyone there, especially her fiancée.

This comedy is a great feel good movie centering lesbian characters!

Catfight

If you love Sandra Oh and you have never watched this movie, you are severely missing out.

This movie stars two friends who met in college and are now living very different lives from each other and finally reunite at an upscale cocktail party.

The two characters Veronica (Sandra Oh) has turned into a much more entitled woman, loving wine and is the wife of a very successful businessman while her old friend Ashley and her lover Lisa are struggling as artists who are unable to make ends meet.

As these 2 women reconnect everything that was buried under the surface comes to a head as the two women confront each other over every misgiving between them.

The way the story goes after this will surprise any viewer and is an interesting story to watch.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (How I Felt When I Saw That Girl)

This is an Indian coming of age romantic comedy drama, and it centers a younger Punjabi woman called Sweety Chaundry who has a family who wants to marry her off, but as this happens an aspiring playwright also begins to court her.

While this is all happening, little does anyone know that Sweety is hiding that the person she is actually in love with is a woman. This rom com is incredibly heartwarming and worth your time!

Let It Snow

This is a rom com that takes place at Christmas as the title suggests, and it follows the stories of a group of teenagers who live in a small town.

In this small town on Christmas Eve, a snowstorm hits and the unexpected group of high schoolers are brought together in unexpected ways as friendships and love begin to collide.

Of course one of the narratives featured in this movie centers around an adorable lesbian relationship between two of the central characters.

If you are tired of the same old Christmas movies and want something fresh, you have to watch Let It Snow!

The Prom

This movie follows a group of Broadway stars who are currently unlucky visiting a small town in Indiana where they help a teen be able to attend prom alongside her girlfriend.

This movie is also a musical so if you love those, you should love this movie too. This is an incredibly heartwarming story featuring both coming of age and coming out stories.

The star studded cast also makes this movie an easy sell to watch with friends and family.

I Care A Lot

A completely different atmosphere from the previous entry. I Care A Lot is about a legal guardian who is usually appointed by the court who frauds her clients who are older and then traps them in her care.

This story follows her baggage with her former lover and partner in crime as they need to make it out alive from their past coming to chase them. This thriller is quite tragic but definitely worth a watch!

Anne+: The Film

This is a movie based off a web series fittingly called Anne+ which has quite a strong following. This Dutch series follows Anne as she works through life and her relationship with past lovers while working out what she wants to do with herself.

This movie is incredibly well acted as well as following a heartfelt storyline with a protagonist who you want to root for!

Takeaway

Hopefully this list has given you some inspiration on what you want to watch next.

All the entries on this list have a good quality of lesbian representation, so if you are tired of seeing stereotypical or harmful portrayals of lesbians on screen, hopefully this list can provide you with some palate cleansers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJDmY3UJBxE