GLAAD’s latest Where We Are on TV study counts 64 LGBTQ characters on primetime scripted cable, a sharp fall from the previous year. The report also challenges claims that cable has no transgender representation: its findings record two trans characters, alongside two non-binary characters. Here’s what the verified figures say, and why the distinction matters.
Essential Takeaways
- Cable’s total fell: GLAAD counted 64 LGBTQ characters on primetime scripted cable in 2024–25, down 13 from the previous study.
- FX and HBO led together: The two networks accounted for 35 characters, or 55 per cent of cable’s total.
- The gender breakdown is mixed: Cable had 33 men, 29 women and two non-binary characters.
- Trans characters were counted: GLAAD recorded two transgender characters on cable, not zero.
- The study has a defined scope: It covers scripted series seasons premiering between 1 June 2024 and 31 May 2025.
Cable representation has fallen sharply
The headline figure is stark: GLAAD counted 64 LGBTQ regular and recurring characters on primetime scripted cable in its 2024–25 study. That’s 13 fewer than in the previous edition, while the organisation’s broader observations say cable representation fell from 139 characters in 2022–23.
It’s a sizeable change in a relatively short period. GLAAD’s report tracks scripted seasons that premiered between 1 June 2024 and 31 May 2025, so its totals describe a specific research window rather than every show currently available to watch.
FX and HBO led as a pair
The report’s network comparison puts FX and HBO together at the top: their shows featured 35 LGBTQ characters, equal to 55 per cent of cable’s total. That’s a strong combined share, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a figure for HBO alone.
GLAAD’s published 2024–25 findings don’t verify the separate HBO and Starz totals in the supplied account. For readers comparing networks, the clearest confirmed takeaway is the combined FX-and-HBO figure, rather than an unsupported ranking of individual channels.
The gender figures offer a fuller picture
Cable was the only platform in GLAAD’s study with more LGBTQ men than women, although the gap was small: 33 men compared with 29 women. The report also counted two non-binary characters, correcting the supplied account’s claim that there was only one.
And the trans representation figure matters, too. The full report records two transgender characters on cable, not zero; that doesn’t erase wider concerns about representation, but it does mean the claim of no trans characters isn’t supported by this study.
Check the research window before comparing totals
The annual figures are easiest to misread when different editions or measures are mixed together. GLAAD’s 2024–25 study counts regular and recurring characters in scripted seasons that premiered during its stated research period, and its total of 64 covers cable specifically.
The wider report counted 489 LGBTQ characters across broadcast, cable and selected streaming services. That larger number gives useful context, but it shouldn’t be used as a cable-only total. When a network-by-network claim appears striking, checking the study year and whether it refers to one network or several can make all the difference.
The wider trend remains a concern
GLAAD’s observations describe a steep decline in cable representation over recent studies, while its report also notes that many characters across television may not return because of cancellations, series endings, limited-series formats or departures. Those factors help explain why one year’s count can shift, though they don’t make the longer-term trend less important.
Numbers can’t tell the whole story of how well characters are written or how much space they’re given. Still, a carefully scoped count is a useful starting point, especially when claims about who is represented don’t match the published findings.
The clearest reading is simple: cable’s total has dropped, but the verified report does count trans and non-binary characters.
Source Reference Map
Story idea inspired by: [1]
Sources by paragraph: