Beyond the UK and US: 10 must-watch non-English LGBTQ+ shows – from Élite to The Summer Hikaru Died

From Pose and Heartstopper to Queer as Folk and My So-Called Life, queer storytelling has gone from strength to strength on the small screen. Often less restricted than their cinematic counterparts, shows like this have helped countless LGBTQ+ people watching at home with stories that reflect the actual realities of life as a queer person.

But what if that reality isn’t based in the UK or US? Beyond those borders lie plenty more queer stories worth watching, even if they might not be as high-profile, internationally speaking. Don’t let that hold you back though. Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing shows.

Here’s a few to get you started.

Skam

A decade before Heated Rivalry took the world by surprise, a small Norwegian drama named Skam became a full-blown phenomenon. While each season revolved around a different teen, the show’s treatment of important issues resonated regardless, ranging from eating disorders to sexual assault and queerness. Fans created their own subtitles where none were available, and 10 international adaptations followed in various countries around the world. Think Skins but Norwegian.

Skam is currently unavailable to watch online.

The Boyfriend

Japan’s first same-sex dating program is a far gentler affair than reality TV fans might be used to, and the show is all the better for it. Watching participants bond in the green room and work together in their own coffee truck is just joyous to watch, although some of the conversations don’t shy away from what it’s like to be gay in Japan. Your heart will melt quicker than the snow outside.

Watch The Boyfriend on Netflix.

Élite

Every generation deserves a trashy teen show and the same is true for every country too. Spain was lucky then to host what turned out to be one of the trashiest and one of the best (which just so happened to last longer than almost any other Netflix show to date). Élite wasn’t just sexy and sassy and all kinds of silly. It was also gay as hell, giving countless Spanish and international viewers alike the queer awakening of their salacious dreams.

Watch Elite on Netflix.

Veneno

Before Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo won the best director award at Cannes for The Black Ball, Spain’s famed exes won us over with Veneno, which tells the extraordinary true story of trans singer Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez. Beyond her remarkable journey, the show also did what so few others would by casting multiple actors to play “La Veneno” across various stages of her life and transition. The result is bold and mesmerising and larger than life, much like Rodriguez was herself.

Veneno is currently unavailable to watch online.

Revenged Love

If you want to get into the BL (Boys Love) wave that’s taken the whole world by storm, I’d suggest trying Revenged Love, which is about to become your brand new obsession. This story of a guy who ends up falling for the man he’s pretending to seduce for, you guessed it, revenge, made international stars out of its two leads last year. The chemistry Zi Yu and Tian Xu Ning share is the kind that could spawn a thousand fan fictions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it already has.

Watch Revenged Love on Rakuten Viki and GagaOOLala.

Young Royals

Two years before a prince dared date a lowly commoner (of sorts) in Red, White & Royal Blue, Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Edvin Ryding) got the hots for student Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg) in a Swedish teen drama called Young Royals. Despite those royal trappings, the show actually portrayed teenage life with some much-needed authenticity, as it did with the gay romance at its heart. May their love story reign forever.

Watch Young Royals on Netflix.

Cable Girls

LGBTQ+ people don’t just exist in every country. They’ve existed in every period of history too, even if that history is all-too-often erased. That’s just one of many reasons why the Spanish period drama Cable Girls is so powerful to watch. Beyond its addictive, over-the-top melodrama, Netflix’s first Spanish original also resonates thanks to its warm portrayal of transness, bisexuality and polyamory at a point in time when many would deny these experiences ever existed.

Watch Cable Girls on Netflix.

Love in the Big City

So it turns out queer titles in the Korean mainstream are like UK buses. You’ll go what feels like years without one and then two will come at once (with the same name, no less!). In 2024, Sang Young Park’s book Love in the Big City was adapted into a film and a TV show. While the former broke new ground in cinemas, it was the latter that really captured the story’s essence, charting the story of a gay man named Go Young (Nam Yoon-su) who navigates love and an HIV diagnosis in Seoul.

Watch Love in the Big City on Rakuten Viki.

The Summer Hikaru Died

It’s easy to see why coming out and coming-of-age stories dominate LGBTQ+ storytelling, but what if you’re just in love with your dead best friend who was secretly taken over by an eldritch horror that’s descended from the mountains around your idyllic Japanese village? That’s the basis of The Summer Hikaru Died, last year’s sleeper anime hit based on Ryohei Takeshita’s manga of the same name. It’s creepy, of course, but it’s also unique and monstrous and even beautiful.

Watch The Summer Hikaru Died on Netflix.

The Secret of the River

Netflix’s Mexican original The Secret of the River isn’t just another story of unlikely friendship that blossoms into something more. Yes, Erik and Manuel do grow close, even more so after they’re bonded by a dangerous secret, but what makes this show stand apart is the inclusion of Muxes, a recognised third-gender identity in indigenous Zapotec culture. Throw in hottie Diego Calva as an adult version of Erik and you’ve got yourself an intriguing story that puts queer resilience front and centre.

Watch The Secret of the River on Netflix.

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