Goodbye, so long, farewell.
We’re constantly fighting for more diverse representation on television. That means characters of different sexual orientations, gender identities, races, and backgrounds, among other factors. With the rising conservative push of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Hollywood seems pretty scared right now to greenlight too many projects with overtly queer characters and/or storylines.
In the meantime, several existing LGBTQ-inclusive shows are ending in 2024 – either because their stories are actually coming to an end or because their network/streamer decided to cancel them. As we dip our toes into the waters of 2024 – a presidential election year! – let’s zoom out and take a look at the TV shows that are scheduled to end in the new year.
Scroll through to find out which TV shows with LGBTQ+ characters are ending or being canceled in 2024.
‘Élite’ (Season 8)
Élite gave us some of the hottest, wildest, and most entertaining LGBTQ+ storylines on Netflix. This has been a literal teenage soap opera featuring murders, betrayals, unlikely love stories, and characters suddenly coming back, among other tropes. If we’re keeping it really real, though, things got a little too wild and nonsensical in season seven, so it’s definitely for the best that Élite will end with season eight. We’ve loved this series for many years, but 2024 feels like the right time for Élite to wrap things up.
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (Season 6)
Just like the characters on FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, we ourselves aren’t quite ready to leave Staten Island yet. We always had a particular affinity for Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) in the series, and his character arc has only gotten better since he officially came out on the show. But here’s the tea: it’s been decided that WWDITS is ending with season six, so we’re ready to get our hearts stabbed as we say goodbye to our favorite cuckoo vampires.
‘Young Royals’ (Season 3)
Would we love 10 more seasons of Young Royals? Yes. Would it make sense for the premise of Young Royals if this Netflix show continued for many more seasons? Probably not. Though it’s bittersweet to think about it, Young Royals is ending with season three, and it’s probably for the best so that we can get a wonderful happily-ever-after for Prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) and Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg).
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ (Season 5)
All Star Trek stans fell in love with same-sex couple Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) on Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery. While it’s true that this franchise has always been widely diverse and inclusive by every single measure, we developed a special kind of love for these wonderful partners played by Rapp and Wilson. Well, we’re gonna have to cope with the fact that Star Trek: Discovery is officially ending with its fifth season.
‘The Umbrella Academy’ (Season 4)
The Umbrella Academy was always queer-inclusive. But as actor Elliot Page came out as a trans man, the Netflix series took a step further and turned his character into a male person, reflecting Page’s real-life transition. We’re actually really sad that The Umbrella Academy is already sending with season four, but we can’t be mad at a TV show that knows when is the right time to wrap things up.
‘Andor’ (Season 2)
We’re completely obsessed with Star Wars, but this franchise isn’t well-known for having a wide array of LGBTQ+ characters. To be fair, though, Stars Wars rarely touches on themes like love, romance, sex, sexuality, and gender identity… well, with the exception of Anakin and Padmé’s love story in the prequel trilogy. Shockingly, Disney+’s Andor – largely hailed as the first Star Wars project made for adults – did introduce two queer characters to the canon: Cinta (Varada Sethu) and Faye (Vel Sartha), who are in a relationship. The second season of Andor is expected to be its last, and plans have been for that final cycle to come out in 2024.
‘Big Mouth’ (Season 8)
Exploring all facets of sexuality is the entire point of Netflix’s adult, animated series Big Mouth, so it’s no surprise that several LGBTQ+ characters and storylines have come up throughout seven seasons. Now, Big Mouth is gearing up to conclude its run in 2024 with season eight.
‘Outlander’ (Season 8)
Even though Outlander isn’t inherently queer, it has featured a few queer characters and themes over the years. Some of those characters even became fan-favorites among the fandom. Alas, the Starz series is wrapping things up with season eight, which is set to air in 2024.
‘You’ (Season 5)
Netflix’s You, a series developed by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, featured several LGBTQ+ characters, storylines, and actors throughout its first four seasons. Now, the story of Joe a.k.a. Will a.k.a. Jonathan (Penn Badgley) is finally coming to an end with a fifth and final season set for 2024.
‘Stranger Things’ (Season 5)
It wasn’t until season four that Stranger Things revealed something that was pretty clear for some time: Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is, indeed, gay. This was a huge moment for queer fans of Stranger Things, and even more so when Schnapp himself came out as well. While this is a massive hit series for Netflix, the Duffer Brothers have already announced that season five, planned for 2024, will be the end of Stranger Things.