Good Omens

Good Omens, based on the book of the same name written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, is a comedy mini-series about an angel and a demon who work together to try to prevent Armageddon. After the Fall, the angel Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant) are tasked to recruit human souls for their respective bosses in heaven and hell. However, it soon becomes clear that neither supernatural being is particularly good at or remotely interested in their jobs. Over the millennia, the angel and demon develop a love for humanity. The announcement that Armageddon is approaching presents a disruption to a comfortable life on Earth that neither of them is prepared to leave and they do their best to make sure it never comes to pass.

The show is frequently described by fans and its creators as a love story. The heart of Good Omens doesn’t lie in its plot but instead within the friendship portrayed between Aziraphale and Crowley. Though labels are never put on their relationship, the script doesn’t fail to make it clear that there is a strong bond of love and friendship between them. In other shows, this lack of labels has often fallen into the pitfall of “queerbaiting”, but in Good Omens this ambiguity allows the showrunners to provide visibility to under-represented queer and trans identities. Angels and demons in the Good Omens universe are sexless, genderless beings and Crowley is seen as changing between female-presenting and male-presenting through the years. Various other characters are also shown to be non-binary or otherwise unconforming to cisgender identities. By not explicitly labelling the gender identities and sexual orientation of the main characters, the show allows viewers who fall on the aromantic or asexual spectrums, or who have different gender identities, to see themselves represented on the small screen. 

Dickinson

Dickinson is a comedy depicting a fictionalized account of the adolescence of 19^th century American poet Emily Dickinson (played by Hailee Steinfeld). The series follows Emily’s fight against the restricting gender norms of her time and community as she aspires to be the world’s greatest poet. The show also chronicles Emily’s relationship with Susan Gilbert, her best friend and eventual sister-in-law. It has been suggested that Dickinson and Gilbert were in a romantic relationship and indeed, many of Dickinson’s poems were addressed to “Sue.” As with Good Omens, Dickinson opts not to label Emily’s sexuality, but it does not shy away from portraying an intimate relationship between Emily and Sue. While historical narratives often have a tendency to straight-wash queer personalities, Dickinson offers a different perspective on the poet’s life. 

Call My Agent!

Call My Agent!, or Dix Pour Cent (Ten Percent) in the original French, is a show about a top Paris talent agency. Created by former talent managers Dominique Besnehard and Fanny Herrero, the series revolves around the four agents working at talent agency ASK. The agents’ clients, all prominent French actors in real life, guest-star playing parodies of themselves. 

The show features a few queer characters, but the most prominent is the talent agent Andréa Martel, portrayed by Camille Cottin. Andréa’s sexuality is not a secret to her co-workers and is an established aspect of her character from the first episode. Refreshingly, the fact that Andréa is lesbian is treated neither as an obstacle for the character to overcome, nor as a shining example of diversity that deserves special attention. Her personal and professional struggles are given the same consideration as her straight counterparts. The relationship drama affecting each of the characters (and there’s a lot of it) is based on ordinary relationship tropes, never her sexuality. The show offers representation that steers focus away from the bigotry and conflict that LGBTQIA+ characters often face in mainstream media. While this reality is important to highlight, it is just as vital to have characters such as Andréa that serve no overt educational purpose in order to normalize queer and trans identities.