Out
The 10 queerest Ryan Murphy shows, ranked
By Ariel Messman-Rucker
August 8, 2026
Ryan Murphy has become so prolific that he tends to miss as much as he hits. However in queer Ryan Murphy shows he focuses on LGBTQ+ characters and frequently hires queer actors to star.
Murphy has become a somewhat controversial figure.
He is praised for his slick and infinitely watched series.
Moreover, queer Ryan Murphy shows lean into sensationalizing real people and events.
Over the years, Murphy has broken new ground and made history.
Additionally, he has entertained viewers who were desperate for more queer representation on TV.
Love him or hate him, he’s almost single-handedly keeping queer Hollywood booked and busy.
His shows have many LGBTQ+ characters and plotlines.
He doesn’t shy away from showing gay sex on screen.
Additionally, the trans characters on Pose showcase Murphy’s range. They span Hollywood divas feuding and the camp of Scream Queens, giving us all the queerness you could ask for.
10. Scream Queens
Scream Queens may have only two seasons.
It left a strong impression on fans who still love it.
However, it isn’t as queer Ryan Murphy shows as his other programs.
It’s full of campy acting and aesthetics that satirize slasher tropes.
9. American Horror Story
American Horror Story has been on the air since 2011.
Additionally, there have been LGBTQ+ characters and actors like Sarah Paulson, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, and Cheyenne Jackson on show.
Moreover, from campy witches to Evan Peters’s sex with a male servant, the show has no shortage of queerness.
8. The Politician
The main character, played by out actor Ben Platt, kisses David Corenswet in the very first episode.
Additionally, need we say more?
Not only did it feature gay favorites Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Bette Midler.
The Politician was campy and full of LGBTQ+ characters, handled so casually that it felt revolutionary.
7. Hollywood
Gay actor Jim Parsons stars in Hollywood, featuring not only Golden Age gay faves like Vivien Leigh and Tallulah Bankhead and closeted actor Rock Hudson, but also male sex workers played by David Corenswet and out actor Jeremy Pope, and plenty of raunchy sex scenes at Tinseltown’s infamous gay pool parties.
6. The New Normal
The New Normal was loosely based on Murphy’s own experience of using a surrogate to start his family. Starring gay actor Andrew Rannells, the sitcom features a gay couple using a single mom as their surrogate, whose brassy bigoted mother played by Ellen Barkin follows her to Los Angeles to stir up trouble.
5. The Shards
The first season of The Shards isn’t over yet, but it’s already proving to be one of Murphy’s queerest shows. The Shards is adapted from gay author Bret Easton Ellis‘ book of the same name, with a main character loosely based on himself, who has secret hookups with his male classmates. The series is not only full of queer characters and songs by Troye Sivan, but the ‘80s fashion, set design, and hair all feel decidedly gay, as does casting ‘80s heartthrob nepo babies Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s daughter) and Homer Gere (Richard Gere’s son).
4. Feud
Another of Murphy’s anthology series, the first season of Feud chronicled the infamous battle between What Ever Happened to Baby Jane co-stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, two actresses beloved and revered by the gay community. The second season focused on famous gay author Truman Capote and the coterie of glamorous socialites he befriended and then betrayed by exposing their secrets in a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives. The show had everything: diva worship, characters arrested for gay cruising, and hot gossip.
3. Mid-Century Modern
Like a number of Ryan Murphy shows, this sitcom dubbed the “gay Golden Girls” was sadly canceled after a single season. But while we had it, Mid-Century Modern followed three gay friends who decided to live out their golden years together in Palm Springs and starred gay actors Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, and Nathan Lee Graham.
2. Glee
It was a time when most mainstream teen shows focused solely on straight romance.
Glee had a diverse ensemble cast full of LGBTQ+ characters.
However, the show may have leaned into stereotypes at times.
It also gave viewers the sweet love story between Kurt and Blaine, and a sapphic romance between Santana and Brittany.
1. Pose
Pose may not have been a ratings hit.
However, it was a boon to LGBTQ+ representation on TV.
Starring mostly Black and brown trans and nonbinary actors and focusing on ballroom culture, Pose made history.
It cast the highest number of transgender series regulars ever for a scripted television show.
Additionally, it starred MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross.
Queer legends like Our Lady J, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Hector Xtravaganz worked on the show behind the scenes.
