A striking gap is opening between the success of LGBTQ-led television and the number of queer characters appearing on screen. GLAAD’s latest US TV report counts 369 LGBTQ characters, down from 489 the previous season. The contrast matters for viewers, and for an industry weighing what audiences want against what gets made.
Essential takeaways
- Fewer characters: GLAAD counted 369 LGBTQ characters in US scripted television for 2025–2026, nearly 25 per cent fewer than the previous season.
- Representation has narrowed: Characters of colour made up 44 per cent of the total, while the transgender-character count fell from 33 to seven.
- A notable exception: GLAAD says non-binary characters increased by 33 per cent, even as representation declined across most groups.
- Hit shows still draw attention: Heated Rivalry has become a prominent example of an LGBTQ-led series finding an audience.
- Gen Z figures need context: A survey cited in the original report found high cinema attendance among Gen Z, but other research gives a less upbeat picture.
A hit series, and a shrinking TV tally
There’s an obvious tension in this year’s television figures: LGBTQ-led stories can become cultural talking points, yet the overall number of LGBTQ characters is falling. GLAAD counted 369 across US scripted television for the season running from June 2025 to May 2026, down from 489 in the previous report.
Heated Rivalry has brought fresh attention to queer romance, while Pluribus and Stranger Things are also named among series drawing interest. But one high-profile success can’t, on its own, tell us how broadly LGBTQ people are being represented across television.
What GLAAD’s report actually counts
GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report tracks scripted television across broadcast, cable and selected streaming services in the US. Its president says the latest count is lower by 120 characters, a drop that exceeds the reduction in US-produced television premieres over the same period.
That comparison is a useful reminder that the fall isn’t simply a matter of fewer shows being released. The figures point to a sharper contraction in LGBTQ characters, though a count alone can’t capture the quality or prominence of each role.
The sharpest fall is in transgender characters
The change is especially stark for transgender representation: GLAAD counted seven transgender characters, down from 33 in the previous season. None of the seven is expected to return in the next TV season, according to GLAAD.
Characters of colour made up 44 per cent of the total, compared with 50 per cent previously, which GLAAD describes as the lowest share since 2018. There was one exception to the broader decline: non-binary characters increased by 33 per cent.
Streaming carries much of the weight
Streaming accounted for about three-quarters of the LGBTQ characters tracked by GLAAD, and it also saw the largest numerical loss. Cable and broadcast reached their lowest LGBTQ character totals in more than a decade, according to Them.
That makes the streaming figures especially worth watching. A popular show can create a vivid moment of visibility, but the wider picture depends on what platforms keep commissioning, renew and bring back.
Gen Z interest is real, but the numbers need care
The lead report points to Gen Z’s interest in LGBTQ representation as a reason the decline is hard to square with audience demand. GLAAD’s president, Kate Ellis, argues that cutting LGBTQ stories despite that interest is poor business strategy.
There’s a caveat, though: cinema attendance isn’t the same as television viewing. The Atlantic notes that a Fandango survey found 87 per cent of Gen Z respondents had watched a film in a cinema in the previous year, but the survey included many people who had already been to the cinema. Other research cited by the magazine paints a less conclusive picture, so that statistic shouldn’t be treated as proof of what Gen Z wants from television.
A hit is encouraging, but breadth matters
The success of Heated Rivalry shows how strongly a single series can enter public conversation. Yet GLAAD’s figures suggest that visibility in a breakout hit and representation across the wider TV landscape are different things.
For viewers, the practical question is less whether one queer show is popular and more whether LGBTQ characters keep appearing across platforms, genres and seasons. That’s where the next report will offer a clearer sense of whether this year’s contraction was a dip or part of a longer pattern.
A standout series can open the conversation; keeping more stories on screen is what sustains it.
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