15 queer TV characters and actors 2026 audiences could not ignore
Queer TV characters and actors brought a run of milestones in 2026, from a major franchise’s first central queer romance to rare aroace representation and queer-disabled casting in mainstream series. Here are the characters, and actors, who broke new ground, plus the reactions that followed.
Hunter Schafer: Blade Runner 2099 puts Cora in charge
Hunter Schafer appears as Cora in the Prime Video limited series Blade Runner 2099 in November 2026, in her first television role as a lead. Schafer summed Cora up with a stark tease: “I smile maybe twice,” setting the tone for a character built on restraint rather than easy charm.
Ruaridh Mollica: VisionQuest introduces Tommy Maximoff as bisexual
Ruaridh Mollica played Tommy Maximoff (Speed) in Disney+ series VisionQuest in 2026, a character canonically bisexual in Marvel comics. Mollica, who is bisexual, said he knew Tommy was bisexual while auditioning, adding: “As a bisexual actor, I think Disney did a great job at casting me.”
Alan Cumming: Tip Toe’s Leo rules a Gay Village bar
Alan Cumming played Leo, the owner of Spit & Polish in Manchester’s Gay Village, in Channel 4’s five-part series Tip Toe in 2026. The story follows Leo and his next-door neighbour Clive, played by David Morrissey, as tensions escalate into a deadly feud rooted in proximity and pride.
Shakeel Kimotho: Tip Toe’s Hanna brings trans nightlife into focus
Shakeel Kimotho played Hanna in Russell T Davies’ thriller Tip Toe in 2026, in a television debut. Hanna is a trans woman of Kenyan and Indian descent moving through Manchester’s queer nightlife scene, in a series framed around shifting realities facing Britain’s LGBTQ+ communities.
Half Man casts Jamie Bell as Niall
Jamie Bell played Niall in the six-part psychological drama miniseries Half Man, created by Richard Gadd and co-produced and broadcast by the BBC and HBO. The series premiered on 23 April 2026 on HBO, then on 28 April 2026 on BBC One, with a BBC iPlayer release on 24 April 2026.
Big Mistakes gives Dan Levy a secret romance
Dan Levy played Pastor Nicky Dardano in Netflix comedy series Big Mistakes in 2026, as a pastor at Glenview Community Church. Nicky dates his boyfriend Tareq, played by Jacob Gutierrez, in secret to avoid alienating his congregation, even as he is out as gay.
Tobie Donovan: Heartstopper’s Isaac Henderson names being aroace
Tobie Donovan played Isaac Henderson in Netflix’s Heartstopper, with his 2026 storyline explicitly identifying Isaac as asexual and aromantic. Isaac was created for the TV adaptation rather than Alice Oseman’s original webcomic, and he realises he is “aroace”, meaning little to no sexual or romantic attraction.
Taylor Dearden: The Pitt’s Dr. Mel King is read as asexual
Taylor Dearden played Dr. Mel King in medical drama series The Pitt, and in 2026 interviews said she has “always seen [Mel] as asexual”. Dearden described Mel as someone who wants companionship and friendship, with romance “not important to her”, even as fans have shipped her with Dr. Langdon, played by Patrick Ball.
Jordan Aaron Hall: A Different World sequel introduces Amir Rodale
Jordan Aaron Hall played Amir Rodale in Netflix’s A Different World sequel series in 2026. The sequel introduced its first out gay Hillman student, expanding the show’s campus world with a character whose identity is stated clearly rather than left as subtext.
Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza: Bridgerton’s Francesca and Michaela take centre stage
Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza play Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling in Bridgerton Season 5, announced in May 2026 as the franchise’s first season to centre a queer love story. Netflix has set the season to premiere in 2027 and confirmed it will follow Francesca and Michaela’s romance.
Harrison Cone and Christian Weissmann: The Bold and the Beautiful makes soap history
Harrison Cone and Christian Weissmann play Deke Sharpe and Remy Pryce in The Bold and the Beautiful, introduced as the soap’s first gay male couple in September 2025. The storyline included the show’s first-ever male same-sex kiss, following earlier milestones including a lesbian couple in 2012 and a regular trans character in 2015.
Major Curda: Avatar: Seven Havens makes Jae’s romance explicit
Major Curda played Jae in Avatar: Seven Havens in 2026, a character shown to have a boyfriend named Datu, played by Topher Ngo. The series begins by introducing a gay character early in the story, making his relationship part of the world-building from the start.
Saheli Khan: Avatar: Seven Havens casts an amputee young Avatar
Saheli Khan played Pavi in Avatar: Seven Havens in 2026, a young Avatar character who is an amputee and uses a prosthetic leg. The series treats disability as part of Pavi’s character without it defining her entirely, with her disability neither ignored nor made her whole identity.
I Kissed A Girl contestants call it “history”
I Kissed A Girl Season 2, began in June 2026, with contestants including Elisha, Kayleigh and Pippa. Kayleigh called it “the biggest privilege in the world, representation wise”, while Elisha said: “It’s literally history, what we’re doing.” Sadly the show went on to be cancelled by the BBC.
All’s Fair rewrites a role for Nyle DiMarco
Nyle DiMarco appeared in All’s Fair Season 2 in 2026 in a role rewritten for him as a deaf character. The casting matched DiMarco, a deaf actor who is also sexually fluid, keeping authenticity central to how the role was shaped on screen.
