By Ifan Llewelyn
The world seems to be in the violent throes of a fantasy mania, with every excruciating detail of the HBO series hurling Twitter into a speculative meltdown.
Remember when talk of dungeons and dragons were the hallmark of a single 40-something living in his mother’s attic? Well NOT anymore. It’s now perfectly acceptable for discussions of a frozen zombie king and whoever the hell that Mia Farrow-looking woman is to be the talk of the office.
Sure, there was some gay sex a few seasons back, but from what we can see, it’s now become an orgy of miserable breaded guys running through snow, and Gwendoline Christie’s become the only character we’d consider sleeping with.
Whatever happened to the days of everyone gathering around the TV to see how high Joan Collin’s shoulder pads would be in this week’s Dynasty? Whatever happened to Carrie Bradshaw running around Manhattan with a cigarette in one hand and her Manolos in the other? The Cosmopolitans are out and suckling on a giant’s breast milk is in (or so we read on Twitter).
It’s time to chuck out the dreary and give your life a fat injection of something glitteringly gay. Here are the queer TV shows you should be watching:
Gentleman Jack (2019)
Yes, it is that cray cray lady from Doctor Foster and Corrie. Her name’s Suranne Jones, and she’s back on our telly with another BBC drama, only this time it’s 1832 and she’s a gender non-conforming badass tearing up West Yorkshire. Based on the true story of Anne Lister, she kicks ass as the landowner and diarist who is often pegged as the first “modern lesbian”. It premiered state-side on the 22nd of April but is soon to hit televisions across Britain as it takes to BBC One this month.
Bonding (2019)
We LOVE a punny title, and this one takes the cake. You may have seen it pop up on your Netflix and you’re not quite sure to take the dive in or not. We’re here to tell you it’s well worth the watch. A nerdy ginger gay is enlisted by his high school dominatrix bestie to be her assistant. CAMP! It’s quite short, and doesn’t really go anywhere, but that doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable romp full of colourful characters.
Lindsey Lohan’s Beach Club (2019) 
Right, HEAR US OUT! You may think “Er, bitch just because something has Lindsay Lohan in it doesn’t mean it’s queer!” but this reality tv show is all set in her Mykonos beach club, possibly the gayest place on earth after Disneyland. Lohan is the grande dame of the joint, flying in to shout at her staff for no apparent reason, leaving her sassy ‘creative director’ Panos Spentzos to pick up the pieces. Spentzos is the “cutthroat businessman who doesn’t let emotions get in the way of the bottom line.” Werk, queen. Their staff are carbon-copy LA types, with chiselled abs and caramel skin so it makes for easy viewing.
Élite (2018)
Imagine if Skins were Spanish, and instead of fighting angst they were up against a murder investigation. We know that foreign language programs are a bit more of an effort since you spend most of it reading the bottom of the screen, but are you going to choose now to start complaining about staring at that bottom? NO. Elite is the story of three working-class friends who gain scholarships to an elite school. There is a real understanding of coming out which doesn’t have that sickly-sweet Love, Simon feel to it as it is explored through the two closeted teens who find each other, and slowly come to accept their feelings for each other.
Killing Eve (2018)
If you have yet to check out Killing Eve‘s first season, where the HELL have you been!? The brain-child of English crumpet and voice of the collective millennial consciousness Phoebe Waller-Bridge, it’s the accomplished stylish half-American older cousin of Fleabag. It’s the story of MI5 officer Eve Polastri who becomes obsessed with voguish assassin Villanelle during an investigation that’s teaming with sexual tension. It’s back for a second season which is currently airing in the US because FUCK YOU BRITISH AUDIENCES, and won’t be on our screens until the end of May at the earliest.
Sex Education (2019)
It’s crazy to think that this hit Netflix only a few months ago, it already feels like an established program. The series about a British secondary school that is stylised like a 1980s American high-school frustrated a bunch of people, but do you really want to be staring at a purpose-built concrete disaster full of miserable kids in George at Asda uniforms? HELL NO! It’s like if Grange Hill and The Goonies had a kid that actually turned out to be quite attractive. It’s majorly queer inclusive, even if it does have that secretly gay school bully trope (guys, some homophobic bullies are just assholes), and has pretty honest discussions about sex and sexuality. Plus Gillian Anderson serves up sex-positive fairy godmother vibes in bucketfuls.
The post Queer TV Shows to watch instead of Game of Thrones appeared first on QX Magazine.