Where We Are On TV Report 2022 – 2023

This year, GLAAD counted 659 series regulars set to appear on scripted primetime broadcast series for the 2022-2023 season. Of those, 70 (10.6 percent) are LGBTQ. This is a decrease of 22 characters and 1.3 percent from last year. There are an additional 31 LGBTQ recurring characters counted, bringing the total to 101 LGBTQ characters on broadcast, an overall decrease of 40 characters from the previous year.

On primetime scripted cable, GLAAD counted 86 regular LGBTQ characters and 53 LGBTQ recurring characters, bringing the total to 139 LGBTQ characters. That is an increase of one character from the previous year’s total.

On the streaming services Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+ and Peacock, GLAAD counted 239 series regular LGBTQ characters and 117 LGBTQ recurring characters, bringing the total to 356 LGBTQ characters. That is a decrease of two characters from the previous year’s report.

Eight characters (1.3 percent of all LGBTQ characters) were counted as living with HIV.

Of the 596 LGBTQ characters found across all platforms, there were 32 transgender characters counted in this report (5.4 percent of all LGBTQ characters). Of those, there were 16 trans women, 11 trans men, and five trans nonbinary characters.

Of the 596 LGBTQ characters, 149 (25 percent) are bisexual+, a decrease of four percent from last year’s study. This group is made up of 39 men, 104 women, and six nonbinary characters.

Over half of all LGBTQ characters across platforms were people of color (POC), with 304 out of 596 (51 percent of all LGBTQ characters) being POC.

There were 27 LGBTQ characters (4.5 percent of all LGBTQ characters) in this report counted with a disability.

Of the 596 LGBTQ characters, 175 (29 percent) will not be returning due to series cancellations, endings, miniseries/anthology format, or a character dying or leaving the show. Of those, 140 characters won’t return due specifically to series cancellations or otherwise ending.