While often considered to be the realm of children’s programming, gay animation has long been at the forefront of telling complex, adult, and often queer stories with shows like Sailor Moon. In recent years, things have only gotten better. Series like The Owl House have given animated life to bi awakenings, and even SpongeBob SquarePants has come out. It’s no wonder that the LGBTQ+ family can’t get enough of the medium.
From sapphic supervillains and gay super spies, to coming-of-age queer witches and MLM space defenders, these are the animated shows that PRIDE just can’t help but be drawn to forever.
All series descriptions are courtesy of their respective studios and networks.
53. 'Super Drags'
Synopsis: Three gay co-workers at a department store lead double lives as superhero drag queens, fighting crime and other forces like an evil drag queen and a conservative politician.
Why we love it: The series boasts an all-star Drag Race cast including Trixie Mattel, Shangela, Ginger Minj, and Willam Belli.
Where to watch: Netflix
52. 'Castlevania'
Synopsis: A vampire hunter fights to save a besieged city from an army of otherworldly creatures controlled by Dracula.
Why we love it: Lead vamp Alucard’s surprise coming out (by way of a ménage à trois) gave the series the queer bite we’d been craving.
Where to watch: Netflix
51. 'Chicago Party Aunt'
Synopsis: Chicago Party Aunt is a half-hour animated comedy that follows Diane Dunbrowski, AKA The Chicago Party Aunt, as she stays true to her mantra “If life gives you lemons, turn that shit into Mike’s Hard Lemonade.”
Why we love it: The series is about a young queer guy going to stay with his aunt and party it up in Chicago, and in the process learn to love himself for who he is. Honestly, what’s not to love here?
Where to watch: Netflix
50. 'Star vs. the Forces of Evil'
Synopsis: Star Butterfly arrives on Earth to live with the Diazes, a Mexican-American family. She continues to battle villains throughout the universe and high school, mainly to protect her extremely powerful wand, an object that still confuses her.
Why we love it: This series is the epitome of starting off silly and turning it to a deeper story about tolerance, acceptance, and anticolonialism. Yes, you read that right. And it’s sweetly queer-inclusive.
Where to watch: Disney+ or Hulu
49. 'Invincible'
Synopsis: An adult animated series based on the Skybound/Image comic about a teenager whose father is the most powerful superhero on the planet.
Why we love it: Andrew Rannells voices the lead character Mark Grayson’s best friend, William. That would be enough on its own, but it also features the talents of our forever crush Zachary Quinto.
Where to watch: Prime Video
48. 'Onyx Equinox'
Synopsis: A young Aztec boy is saved from death by the gods and chosen to act as humanity’s champion, forced to discard his apathy toward his fellow man and prove humanity’s potential in a fight that spans across fantastical-yet-authentic Mesoamerican cultures.
Why we love it: Ancient Mesoamerican queerness abounds in this very excellent and very adult anime.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
47. 'High Guardian Spice'
Synopsis: Four fierce girls train to become great heroes at High Guardian Academy, where they form allegiances, uncover betrayals, and discover their true identities while preparing to protect the world from an ominous unknown threat.
Why we love it: This series created by Raye Rodriguez, a Cuban-American trans man, is a joy and populated with queer characters throughout.
Where to watch: Crunchyroll
46. 'Twelve Forever'
Synopsis: Reggie’s dream is to be a kid forever. Her dream is so powerful that it creates its own fantasy world of perpetual youth.
Why we love it: Reggie never wants to grow up, in part because it means she’s going to have to come to terms with all those confusing feelings she has about her classmate Conelly.
Where to watch: Netflix
45. 'Voltron: Legendary Defender'
Synopsis: Five teenagers become the last line of defense for the galaxy in an intergalactic battle against the evil alien force led by King Zarkon.
Why we love it: This remake of the ‘80s classic was modernized in our favorite way by making one of the leads, Shiro, gay.
Where to watch: Netflix
44. 'Baymax!'
Synopsis: Baymax! returns to the fantastical city of San Fransokyo where the affable, inflatable, inimitable healthcare companion robot, Baymax (voice of Scott Adsit) sets out to do what he does best: help others.
Why we love it: Disney has often (and fairly) gotten grief for including blink-and-you’ll-miss-it queer moments, then patting itself on the back for its inclusivity. But with Baymax! it finally isn’t holding back — the queerness takes unapologetic center stage.
Where to watch: Disney+
43. 'Adventure Beast'
Synopsis: A brave zoologist, his spunky niece, and anxious assistant explore the world while saving wild beasts in this adult animated educational-comedy series.
Why we love it: The episode “We Live on a Queer Planet” is a must-see.
Where to watch: Netflix
42. 'Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'
Synopsis: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur follows genius Lunella Lafayette as she teams up with a giant red dinosaur to protect New York City from all sorts of wild threats.
Why we love it: This animated Marvel show has a fantastic cast, including a lot of queer faves among the guest stars who step into the recording studio for an episode or two. Best of all, it's just casually queer without making a big deal out of things.
Where to watch: Disney+
41. 'Helluva Boss'
Synopsis: In Hell, imp Blitzø runs an assassin business targeting the world of the living, using a spell book borrowed from a prince of Hell. With employees Moxxie, Millie, and Loona, they attempt to survive each other while keeping the business afloat.
Why we love it: Because it has queer demons who make us laugh. ‘Nuff said.
Where to watch: YouTube
40. 'The Great North'
Synopsis: Following the adventures of the Tobin family, as single dad Beef tries to keep his kids close.
Why we love it: Ham Toobin is out and proud and his family loves and accepts him for who he is. It’s simple, it’s sweet, and we can’t get enough of it.
Where to watch: Hulu
39. 'Velma'
Synopsis: After teenage outcast Velma Dinkley is accused of killing a popular classmate, she has just 24 hours to find the real murderer. There’s only one problem: Velma has sworn off solving mysteries — forever.
Why we love it: Velma is officially out and proud canonically and this series does nothing to change that. It makes the world around Velma even more queer by making Daphne bisexual as well.
Where to watch: Max38. 'Magical Girl Friendship Squad'
Synopsis: Two girls are chosen by a red panda to save the universe by using newfound magical powers.
Why we love it: Both the plot and the friendship at the center of this series are magical.
Where to watch: currently unavailable
37. 'Disenchantment'
Synopsis: Princess Tiabeanie, “Bean”, is annoyed at her imminent arranged marriage to Prince Merkimer. Then she meets Luci, a demon, and Elfo, an elf, and things get rather exciting, and dangerous.
Why we love it: Not only does the show boast a crew of lovable weirdos and outsiders, but Bean is queer — and romances a mermaid.
Where to watch: Netflix
36. 'Danger & Eggs'
Synopsis: In this fast-paced original animated comedy, teal-haired D.D. Danger and her best friend Phillip plan out another amazing day but get distracted with a challenge to conquer the world’s weirdest abandoned water slide.
Why we love it: It's packed with queer and trans characters, voiced by queer and trans actors, plus it was co-created by a trans woman.
Where to watch: Prime Video
35. 'Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous'
Synopsis: Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. But when dinosaurs wreak havoc across the island, the campers are stranded.
Why we love it: The slow-burning and oh-so-sweet queer romance between Yaz and Sammy made us roar with happiness.
Where to watch: Netflix
34. 'The Legend of Vox Machina'
Synopsis: They’re rowdy, they’re ragtag, they’re misfits turned mercenaries for hire. Vox Machina is more interested in easy money and cheap ale than actually protecting the realm. But when the kingdom is threatened by evil, this boisterous crew realizes that they are the only ones capable of restoring justice. What began as a simple payday is now the origin story behind Exandria’s newest heroes.
Why we love it: Thanks to plenty of behind-the-scenes queer talent, this series, which began as a group of friends playing Dungeous & Dragons, features several queer characters and beloved queer celebrity guest stars like Stephanie Beatriz who plays as Lady Kima of Vord, a lesbian halfling paladin.
Where to watch: Prime Video
33. 'Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'
Synopsis: In this animated update of the cartoon classic, Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and their pals solve spooky mysteries in a hamlet bedeviled by supernatural bedlam.
Why we love it: We all know that Velma is canonically queer now, but this series is where it all began! While the show begins with her chasing Shaggy around trying to get their relationship on track, by the end she realizes that perhaps the reason that love connection panned out was because her heart lies elsewhere — with a girl named Hot Dog Water. Yes, you read that right.
Where to watch: Netflix or Max
32. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'
Synopsis: After meeting the woman of his dreams, a musician finds himself contending with an army of her exes.
Why we love it: Scott Pilgrim has endured in several forms over the years, but this reimagining of the world—voiced by all the actors from the live-action cult classic—gives bisexual icon Ramona Flowers a bigger role.
Where to watch: Netflix
31. 'Star Trek: Prodigy'
Synopsis: A group of teenagers steal a derelict Starfleet vessel and use it to explore the galaxy.
Why we love it: This series continues the franchise’s legacy of inclucivity in its lead character, Gwyn, who is nonbinary.
Where to watch: Netflix
30. 'The Dragon Prince'
Synopsis: Two human princes forge an unlikely bond with the elfin assassin sent to kill them, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands.
Why we love it: Heroic lesbian queens in love.
Where to watch: Netflix
29. 'Summer Camp Island'
Synopsis: Created by British animator and illustrator Julia Pott, the series follows the adventures of Oscar and his best friend, Hedgehog, who have just been dropped off at their first summer camp. Away from their parents, the two quickly learn that Summer Camp Island is not a normal summer camp: the counselors are witches, horses become unicorns, and monsters live under the bed. Not all camps offer the opportunity to swim with a talking shark in the swimming pool, crawl under the bed into a different universe, or make friends with the moon, but Oscar and Hedgehog do their best to navigate the mysteries and wonders of this magical place and make their stay worthwhile.
Why we love it: This adorable and delightfully bizarre series features multiple queer and gender non-conforming characters throughout. These include some gay, married royal space puppies. Hey, we said the show was bizarre!
Where to watch: Spectrum28. 'Little Demon'
Synopsis: Thirteen years after being impregnated by Satan, a reluctant mother, Laura, and her Antichrist daughter, Chrissy, attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware, but are constantly thwarted by monstrous forces, including El Diablo himself, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.
Why we love it: While many of the animated shows we love are fun for the whole family, this one is strictly for grown folks. Transgressive and extremely violent, this hilarious series features a stellar cast including Danny DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Lennon Parham, and Michael Shannon. But its character Laura Feinberg, mother to the titular little demon, earns this spot on our list. Not only is she queer; she’s voiced by bisexual queen Aubrey Plaza.
Where to watch: Apple TV+27. 'The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'
Synopsis: The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder picks up the story of its central character, Penny Proud, and her iconic family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). By Penny’s side is her loyal crew: Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez, Zoey Howzer, Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, and Michael Collins.
Why we love it: When the revival of the popular series returned, it was as promised as “louder and prouder.: Michael Collins, now voiced by EJ Johnson, is out, proud, and fabulous. The show featured Barry Leibovitz-Jenkins (voiced by Zachary Quinto) and his husband Randall (Billy Porter).
Where to watch: Disney+
26. 'Craig of the Creek'
Synopsis: Craig of the Creek follows a young boy, Craig, and his two friends, Kelsey and JP, as they go on adventures within a world of untamed, kid-dominated wilderness in the creek.
Why we love it: In a show that’s all about the imagination, Craig of the Creek keeps it real when it comes to inclusivity and representation of queer and nonbinary characters.
Where to watch: Cartoon Network, Hulu, Disney+, or Max
25. 'DuckTales'
Synopsis: Huey, Dewey, and Louie, along with Mrs. Beakley’s granddaughter, Webby, discover long-kept family secrets from Scrooge’s epic past, sending the family on escapades around the world!
Why we love it: This adorable reboot of the classic avian adventure story was modernized in several ways, including by stepping up its queer representation. In the third season, Webby gets a new best Violet who’s being raised by two gay dads.
Where to watch: Disney+
24. 'Solar Opposites'
Synopsis: A family of aliens moves to Middle America, where they debate whether life is better there or on their home planet.
Why we love it: Two of its leads, Korvo and Terry, weren’t initially a couple, but over the course of two seasons that’s exactly what they’ve become.
Where to watch: Hulu or Disney+
23. 'Hazbin Hotel'
Synopsis: The daughter of Lucifer opens a rehabilitation hotel that offers a group of misfit demons a chance at redemption.
Why we love it: We need more LGBTQ+ rep across the spectrum — including characters that are messy and awful and likely literally belong in hell.
Where to watch: Prime Video
22. 'The Hollow'
Synopsis: Three teen strangers awaken in a dangerous world and try to make sense of what connection they have to each other as they attempt to make it out alive.
Why we love it: Adam is out proud right from the start.
Where to watch: Netflix
21. 'Arcane'
Synopsis: Set in utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions — and the power that will tear them apart.
Why we love it: Arcane, which just became the first streaming series to win an animated Emmy, also won hearts with its romance between Vi and Caitlyn.
Where to watch: Netflix
20. 'Q-Force'
Synopsis: A handsome secret agent and his team of LGBTQ superspies embark on extraordinary adventures.
Why we love it: We’re still not over this cancellation, Netflix! But fortunately we got one full season of this super-queer and hilarious show.
Where to watch: Netflix
19. 'Human Resources'
Synopsis: Lovebugs, Hormone Monsters, and a parade of other creatures juggle romance, workplace drama, and their human clients’ needs in this Big Mouth spinoff.
Why we love it: Nonbinary actor Brandon Kyle Goodman’s turn as the queer Lovebug was enought to make us tune in. But all the laughs make it easy to stay, too.
Where to watch: Netflix
18. 'Tuca & Bertie'
Synopsis: Tuca & Bertie is an animated comedy series about the friendship between two 30-year-old bird women who live in the same apartment building: Tuca (Tiffany Haddish), a cocky, care-free toucan, and Bertie (Ali Wong), an anxious, daydreaming songbird.
Why we love it: Not only is Tuca an out and proud bisexual, but the show is just so intrinsically queer. It’s odd and lovely and totally embracing of weirdness and otherness, and rejects the confines of “normalcy.” Plus, it’s just so funny.
Where to watch: Max or Netflix
17. 'Young Justice'
Synopsis: DC’s young superheroes come of age, balancing truth and justice against the secrets and lies of various villains and allies.
Why we love it: While the first couple of seasons, which aired on broadcast television, shied away from introducing queerness into the plot, once it made the move to Max the show was able to bring several LGBTQ+ characters into the fold.
Where to watch: Max
16. 'Dragon Age: Absolution'
Synopsis: When a heist against the most powerful man in Tevinter goes south, an elven mercenary named Miriam (Kimberly Brooks) is forced into a desperate fight for survival. Now, to save herself and her friends, Miriam will have to confront the tragic past she’s spent a lifetime trying to escape.
Why we love it: Like the game series that inspired it, this fantasy series is just so very queer. Miriam and Hira’s complicated romantic history is the lesbian chaos we crave. And don’t get us started on Roland and Lacklon.
Where to watch: Netflix
15. 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'
Synopsis: The support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, have to keep up with their duties, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.
Why we love it: Like the latest generation of Star Trek shows, queer representation is all over this series. One of the leads, Beckett Mariner, is bisexual.
Where to watch: Paramount+
14. 'OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes'
Synopsis: An enthusiastic young boy earns a job at a hero supply store and trains to become the “Greatest Hero Ever.”
Why we love it: Enid and Red Scare’s romance was more than just OK.
Where to watch: Hulu
13. 'The Venture Bros.'
Synopsis: The bizarre escapades of pseudo-heroic scientist Dr. Rusty Venture, his competent, high-strung bodyguard, and his two overenthusiastic sons.
Why we love it: This show is just so, so gay in every way, in every frame. Also Dr. Girlfriend is a style icon.
Where to watch: Netflix
12. 'Big Mouth'
Synopsis: Teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty.
Why we love it: Puberty, whether you’re gay or straight, can be an awkward horror show, and no series better demonstrates that than Big Mouth. While the show hasn’t always been perfect in its representation, it gets all the credit for effort and for the inclusivity of multiple queer characters experiencing the pleasures — but mostly pains — of those awkward wonder years.
Where to watch: Netflix
11. 'Infinity Train'
Synopsis: Tulip Owens is a 13-year-old girl who aspires to become a computer game programmer but finds herself trapped on a train one day and is looking for a way out. She meets a robot called One-One, which consists of two spherical robots containing contrasting personalities that can combine into the shape of a basketball. Together they search the train, meeting a cast of strange characters along the way and hoping to find clues that will help Tulip find her way home.
Why we love it: While this show doesn’t have any textually gay characters, subtextually it’s queer AF. And it was done so intentionally. The creators have expressed their frustrations about the powers that be not allowing them to take their queer and trans representation as far as they would have liked to, but it doesn’t take any work at all to see the exact kinds of LGBTQ+ stories they were telling here.
Where to watch: YouTube
10. 'Adventure Time'
Synopsis: A 12-year-old boy and his best friend, a wise 28-year-old dog with magical powers, go on a series of surreal adventures with each other in a remote future.
Why we love it: It was a long, long wait for Princess Bubblegum and Marceline to confirm their romance but the minute we saw PB sniff that old T-shirt every queer person knew what was up.
9. 'Dead End: Paranormal Park'
Synopsis: Two teens and a talking pug team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.
Why we love it: Based on the award-winning comic by Hamish Steele Deadendia, this series is a prime example of the magic that happens when you let queer folks tell queer stories.
Where to watch: Netflix
8. 'The Legend of Korra'
Synopsis: Avatar Korra fights to keep Republic City safe from the evil forces of both the physical and spiritual worlds.
Why we love it: Korrasami, aka Korra and Asami, is the bisexual representation we crave and deserve. While the series may have made fans wait until the literal last minutes of its four season runtime to confirm these two were a thing, the slow build to that moment made it feel earned.
Where to watch: Netflix or Paramount+
7. 'SpongeBob SquarePants'
Synopsis: The misadventures of a talking sea sponge who works at a fast food restaurant, attends a boating school, and lives in an underwater pineapple.
Why we love it: SpongeBob has always been gay in our hearts. I mean he, Patrick, and their little kiddo Gary are pretty much queer fam goals. Then in 2020 SpongeBob came out of the (sea) closet and is now canonically queer.
Where to watch: Prime Video or Paramount+
6. 'Harley Quinn'
Synopsis: The series focuses on a single Harley Quinn, who sets off to make it on her own in Gotham City.
Why we love it: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy’s happy ending (not that it’s over; the show has already been renewed for a fourth season) was a slow build and so earned. Take note world: This is how you do a chaotic queer love story.
Where to watch: Max
5. 'The Owl House'
Synopsis: Accidentally sent to the world of the Boiling Isles before a trip to summer camp, a teenage human named Luz longs to become a witch, with the rebellious Eda and pint-sized demon King at her aid.
Why we love it: Speaking of shows that earned their romance, Luz and Amity’s journey from enemies, to besties, to more, is one of the sweetest in animation history.
Where to watch: Disney+
4. 'Steven Universe'
Synopsis: A team of intergalactic warriors fights to protect the Earth, but the combination of three highly trained beings and one quirky young boy leaves the team struggling to overcome the dangerous scenarios that are put in front of them.
Why we love it: Steven Universe is easily one of the queerest and most delightful cartoons to ever grace the airwaves. The world would be a better place if more people watched and absorbed the world view of love and acceptance weaved into the very DNA of this show.
3. 'Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts'
Synopsis: The young adult animated series follows a girl named Kipo Oak who’s searching for her father after being forced to flee from her burrow, and must explore the post-apocalyptic surface world ruled by mutated animals to find him.
Why we love it: While we celebrate all-inclusive cartoons, oftentimes they save the big queer reveal for the finale (or close to it). Not so with Kipo, which introduced both her friend Benson and his sexuality right from the jump. His coming out scene is handled sweetly, as is his romance with Troy.
Where to watch: Netflix
2. 'Sailor Moon'
Synopsis: A group of schoolgirls discovers they are incarnations of super-powered alien princesses and use their abilities to defend the earth.
Why we love it: The original English dub infamously tried to remove the queerness from this series by making Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus cousins instead of the lovers they so obviously aways were — but queer ’90s kids weren’t fooled. And that’s just the beginning; the series was packed with queer and genderqueer characters and thankfully the uncensored version, now on Hulu, has restored it to its proper queer place in animated canon.
Where to watch: Hulu
1. 'She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'
Synopsis: She-Ra, Princess of Power, leads a rebellion to free her land of Etheria from the monstrous invaders, the Horde.
Why we love it: Has there ever been a gayer, more inclusive cartoon than She-Ra and the Princesses of Power? The series was created by trans artist ND Stevenson and it shows. The show explores queer love, queer struggle, and ultimately queer joy. Adora and Catra share one of the most epic love stories set to screen and they’re surrounded by a literal rainbow of compelling unapologetically queer and trans characters. We only wish there were more seasons.
Where to watch: Netflix