Summary of Broadcast Findings

GLAAD counted 454 series regulars on 64 primetime scripted series on all five broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX, and NBC) for the 2023-24 season. Of those, 39 series regulars are LGBTQ. This is a decrease of 31 characters (44 percent) from last year’s 70 LGBTQ characters. There are also significantly fewer overall characters and shows, down from 659 characters (a 31 percent decrease) across 88 shows (a 27 percent decrease) counted in the 2022-23 season.
The percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on scripted primetime series on the five broadcast networks is 8.6 percent. This is a decrease of two percentage points from 10.6 percent in the last report, and the lowest this percentage has been since the 2017-18 season.
In addition to the 39 LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast, GLAAD counted an additional 25 recurring characters, down from last year’s 31 (a 19 percent decrease). This makes the total LGBTQ characters on broadcast 64, a significant decrease from last year’s 101 characters and less than half of the 2021-2022 season’s 141 LGBTQ characters.
Of these 64 LGBTQ characters, 35 (55 percent) are women, 27 (42 percent) are men, and two characters (three percent) are nonbinary.
After lesbian characters were the leading demographic in the 2021-2022 season, gay men are in the plurality for the second year running. Of the 64 LGBTQ characters, 24 (38 percent) are gay men, an increase of four percent but a decrease of ten characters from the previous report.
There are 20 lesbian characters counted on broadcast (31 percent), a decrease of 13 characters and two percentage points from the 2022-23 report.
Of the 64 LGBTQ characters, 12 (19 percent) are bisexual+. This is a decrease of seven percentage points and 14 characters. Of the bi+ characters, ten are women and two are men.
Five of the 64 LGBTQ characters (eight percent) are queer and do not use another label, an increase of four characters and seven percentage points.
There are three transgender characters counted (five percent of all LGBTQ characters), which is a decrease of four characters from last report and a drop of two percentage points. Of the trans characters, one is a bi+ woman, one is a straight man, and one is nonbinary with an undefined sexual orientation.
There are once again zero asexual characters on scripted primetime broadcast this year.
There are 31 characters of color (48 percent) counted among scripted series, a consistent percentage with last year, but a decrease of 17 characters.
Of all 64 LGBTQ characters counted, at the time of this report’s release, 13 characters (20 percent) will not return next year due to series cancellations or endings.

This is the second year in a row that the percentage of LGBTQ series regulars on broadcast has decreased. This year’s decrease, however, is far more dramatic, down a full two percentage points and the lowest this number has been in six years.

Percentage of LGBTQ Series Regulars on Broadcast Over Time

2015-2016

LGBTQ Percent 4%

2016-2017

LGBTQ Percent 4.8%

2017-2018

LGBTQ Percent 6.4%

2018-2019

LGBTQ Percent 8.8%

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.

Ranking of Broadcast Networks by LGBTQ Character Inclusion (percentage of LGBTQ series regulars of all series regulars)

There was a lack of new programming on broadcast compared to other years, given the late start of production due to the WGA and SAG strikes. However, there are still a few new series that feature LGBTQ characters, including a lesbian couple in CBS’s Tracker, a married gay man in NBC’s Found and the lead’s lesbian sister on The Irrational.

Broadcast is also weakening when it comes to the diversity of its LGBTQ characters. Though there is an equal percentage of LGBTQ characters of color compared to last year, that number falls far beneath the previous high of 58 percent in the 2021-2022 season. Further, broadcast counts only one character with a disability (Izzy Harris on NBC’s La Brea) and that show is now canceled. There was also a major decrease in transgender representation, with only three trans characters, less than half of the previous year’s study.

Sexual Orientations of LGBTQ Characters on Broadcast in 2023-2024

Total LGBTQ Characters on Primetime Scripted Series: 64

Gay: 24 (38%)
Lesbian: 20 (31%)
Bisexual+: 12 (19%)
Queer: 5 (8%)
Straight: 1 (2%)
Asexual: 0 (0%)
Sexual Orientation Undetermined: 2 (3%)

Gender Identity of Trans Characters on Broadcast

GLAAD’S RECOMMENDATIONS

In last year’s study, GLAAD urged broadcast networks to order series starring LGBTQ characters in leading roles and to include larger LGBTQ ensembles. As many new series could not come to fruition because of the strikes, this is still an action item for broadcast. It is essential to greenlight these series and to create meaningful and dynamic LGBTQ stories, or the audience for an already dwindling platform will drop further.

Additionally, only nine of the 36 series that included LGBTQ characters were comedies. Broadcast comedy has historically been a genre where LGBTQ stories thrive, from Will and Grace to Modern Family to Glee. The LGBTQ-inclusive comedies that are currently airing, such as ABC’s Abbott Elementary and CBS’s Ghosts, are some of the most successful broadcast shows on the air. Inclusion in this genre can bolster a network, as well as invite LGBTQ characters into family’s living rooms and shift the hearts and minds of America.

If new series are not ordered by the broadcast networks, the future looks even more dire. With inclusive series including Station 19, Run the Burbs, and La Brea ending, broadcast TV needs to step up if they want to remain relevant in a world where people continue to turn to other platforms.

Join GLAAD and take action for acceptance.

What's Hot

Where We Are on TV 2023-2024