Where We Are on TV 2023-2024

A fraction of this decrease can be attributed to the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild strikes halting production. As a result, inclusive shows such as FOX’s 9-1-1: Lone Star and The CW’s All American: Homecoming will not return until after this research period ends. Additionally, several new series were delayed until next season. However, this downward trend was emerging long before the strikes. Many shows that included LGBTQ ensembles or protagonists were canceled or concluded in the last year, such as ABC’s The Rookie: Feds, The CW’s Gotham Knights, Riverdale, and Roswell, New Mexico, and NBC’s New Amsterdam, among others. New inclusive programming has not been ordered to replace these canceled series, thus overall LGBTQ inclusion is suffering.

In fact, there is not a single series currently on broadcast that has an LGBTQ character as the sole protagonist. While LGBTQ ensembles thrive on shows such as ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and the recently canceled Station 19, lead LGBTQ characters are lacking. Over the past few years, series with both LGBTQ leading characters and LGBTQ ensembles were warmly received by fans, such as The CW’s Batwoman and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and ABC’s The Rookie: Feds, yet, once again, no programming has been ordered to replace them. 

As for the individual networks, ABC has the highest percentage of LGBTQ series regulars at 15 percent, a 2.6 percentage point increase from last season. This is due to strong ensembles on Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, as well as picking up popular procedural drama 9-1-1 after it was canceled by FOX. There are also standout LGBTQ characters in ensemble comedies Abbott Elementary and Not Dead Yet.

There is a large gap between ABC’s 15 percent and the next highest percentage of series regulars, which is CBS at 9.2 percent. This is an increase of three percentage points from the previous season. CBS, which has regularly placed last, sees this increase due to including several queer women on its procedurals, including a lesbian fan favorite couple on NCIS Hawai’i, as well as Tracker, FBI: Most Wanted, NCIS, The Equalizer, and more. On NBC, 7.3 percent of series regulars are LGBTQ, which is an increase from last year’s 5.6 percent. This is due to characters on Found, The Irrational, Quantum Leap, and more. 

The CW has decreased its percentage dramatically from 14.8 percent in the 2022-2023 season to 6.3 percent in the 2023-2024 season. This is the first time in seven years that The CW did not have the highest percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast. This was expected, given that after Nexstar purchased The CW in 2022, nearly all original programming was canceled, and the company intended to cut costs and appeal to an older demographic, thus shuttering many shows featuring young LGBTQ people. Now, two years after this purchase, the effects are clear, as The CW’s inclusion and relevancy have both dropped significantly. The majority of LGBTQ characters are now on Canadian imports to The CW, including Family Law, Run the Burbs, and The Sullivan Sisters.

The network with the lowest percentage of LGBTQ series regulars is FOX at 5.2 percent, a major decrease from last year’s 13.2 percent. A large part of this can be attributed to the cancellation of 9-1-1, which was picked up by ABC, and that 9-1-1: Lone Star, which includes a diverse LGBTQ cast, will not air its next season until fall of 2024. Inclusive series on FOX this season include Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Animal Control, and The Great North.