Have you ever watched several seasons of a TV show you don’t particularly like just because said show happens to have one lesbian in it? Are you sick of watching the few lesbian characters we have on TV get killed off one after the other? Are you completely dissatisfied with the current state of lesbian representation on TV?
Naomi right before she dies of cancer (Skins)
Lexa, another dead lesbian (The 100)
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then maybe it’s time to watch a web series instead. The internet has given people who typically aren’t represented in mainstream media an opportunity to create our own content and share it directly with the viewers. As a result, lesbians are as abundant in web series as they are scarce on TV. For your viewing pleasure, I have compiled a short list of web series that have lesbian characters in them:
DYKE CENTRAL
‘Dyke Central’ is an Oakland-based dramedy that centers around 30-something butch best friends and roommates Alex and Gin. The pilot episode sees Alex and Gin scrambling to find a new roommate to ensure that Jackie, Alex’s girlfriend, doesn’t move into Dyke Central, while Bay Area newcomer Fabiana sets out to discover the real Oakland.
SIDETRACK
Sidetrack follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in New York City.
LAVENDER COLLECTIVE
Lavender Collective is a comedic web series that focuses on a group of lesbians who meet up once a week to talk about everything from their experiences with lesbophobia to whether or not lesbians should stay friends with their exes.
F TO 7TH
F TO 7TH is a comedy about Ingrid and her descent into pre-middle age. Judgmental as ever, Ingrid struggles to find herself in a world where sexuality and gender have left her old-fashioned lesbianism behind.
[Edit: Trigger warnings for male nudity in the 3rd episode of season 2, and jokes about molestation in the 4th episode of said season]
INTO GIRLS
INTO GIRLS is a lesbian web series which covers everything from figuring out if the woman you’re hanging out with is into you to dealing with a crush on your straight best friend.
April 12, 2016 at 8:06 am
*gets fuzzy feelings while watching Lavender Collective*
…is this what straight people feel like when they watch tv…?
June 8, 2016 at 7:44 pm
Have you watched Season 2 of F to 7th? The entire thing is about Ingrid trying to be straight, including a really gross pegging scene with a man and a disturbing conversation with a young girl telling her that her that she isn’t really gay and should go on a date with a boy… it was seriously just painful and not entertaining lesbian media.
But what is *WAY* more horrifying in Season 2 is the use of molestation as a comedic plot device. The episode titled “oh d*ddy” was made in extremely bad taste, building up to lines that I guess are supposed to be funny (!!!????!!!) of the father telling Ingrid “honey, I wish I had molested you” and more bullshit that I really can’t stomach typing out. So fucking not ok, so fucking triggering.
June 8, 2016 at 10:45 pm
Hi. Thanks for reading the article and voicing your concerns. I saw the 2nd season when it came out two years ago and had forgotten a good portion of the plot by the time I wrote this. Your comment led me to do a quick rewatch of some of the clips.
I agree that the “oh daddy” episode was incredibly inappropriate and it missed the mark in its attempt to make light of a very serious issue so I have edited this post to include trigger warnings about that as well as the male nudity in episode 3.
However, I think that one of the main points of the season was to portray a lesbian with staggering levels of internalized homophobia as she worked through her issues in an uncomfortable and somewhat humorous way. Throughout the show, it is painfully clear that she is in no way attracted to men. Hence the awkward date and fully-clothed “sex” with a man who she dumped right afterwards.
I hope you enjoyed the four other shows that were listed. Thanks again for reading.
-Ashley