Last fall, a spokesperson for the Pentagon attacked the hit series Boots, calling it “woke garbage.” It was one example of the overreach that is creating a chilling effect across the entertainment industry. Just a few weeks later, GLAAD’s most recent Where We Are on TV study showed that over 40% of the LGBTQ characters tracked in the study would not be returning.
Audiences, however, are pushing back on this narrative.
In the past year, LGBTQ-inclusive series like “Heated Rivalry,” “Stranger Things,” “Yellowjackets,” “The Gilded Age” and many more have been among the most watched and talked-about series on television. These titles are creating cultural buzz and driving viewers, retention and revenue while telling nuanced and diverse queer stories.
Audiences have interest, and companies dependent on subscriber growth are not paying close enough attention. This disconnect is a costly one.
GLAAD and MRI-Simmons data shows over half of LGBTQ Americans and 3 in 10 non-LGBTQ people, (84 million Americans combined) actually say they are more likely to watch a TV show if at least one of the characters is LGBTQ.
The GLAAD Media Awards nominees this year prove that great LGBTQ stories can deliver on all fronts – critical acclaim, significant cultural conversation and undeniable audience favorites.
In the U.S., the romance-sport series “Heated Rivalry” made headlines as the top-rated non-animated acquired series on HBO Max since the service’s launch, and was in the Top 5 among all HBO Max scripted debuts in 2025. “Heated Rivalry” is also the most-watched original series ever on Crave in Canada. The series was also the second most in-demand show globally since its premiere, reaching 95 times the average series demand globally. The fifth episode was even voted IMDb’s highest rated TV episode of 2025.
“Heated Rivalry” is not the only new LGBTQ-inclusive show to see huge success. Apple TV’s sci-fi hit “Pluribus,” with lead lesbian character Carol Sturka, was hailed as the streamer’s “biggest series to date” and successfully drove new viewership with a 36% increase in engagement in December 2025 compared
to the previous year.
Netflix’s military dramedy “Boots” doubled its viewership in its first two weeks, claiming a spot as the second most-popular English series on the platform before its cancellation. Netflix’s newest What We Watched report showed it racked up over 30 million views from its October launch through year-end, outperforming several titles that were renewed.
“Heated Rivalry,” “Pluribus” and “Boots” were all nominees in the New Series category at this year’s 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which streamed March 21 on Hulu. In fact, a supermajority of the nominees in the category are Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences are tuning in to LGBTQ stories across genres, with 91% of the nominees, including “Overcompensating,” “I Love LA,” “The Hunting Wives” and “The Four Seasons,” making it to the Top 5 most viewed shows on their respective platforms in the U.S., per FlixPatrol data.
LGBTQ people are also highly trusted tastemakers. MRI-Simmons research shows LGBTQ adults are 38% more likely to be influential in TV and 34% more likely to be influential in conversations around film than the general population.
The impact of our stories extends beyond the TV screen, demonstrating a reliable revenue stream across other verticals. LGBTQ stories cultivate engaged fandoms and are a growth engine for music, video games and even audiobooks.
Quite simply — money is being left on the table when networks, streamers and studios don’t meaningfully and authentically include LGBTQ stories.
In addition to breaking viewership records for Netflix, the final season of “Stranger Things” spawned success across industries. Per Netflix reporting, “Stranger Things” superfans have invested in the franchise’s wider storytelling to the tune of a reported 3.16 million copies of related books, comics and other publishing products sold in the U.S. For instance, fan-favorite lesbian Robin Buckley got her own dedicated novel “Rebel Robin” in 2021, along with a scripted fiction companion podcast, “Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins.”
The audio industry is benefitting, too — needledrops from “Heated Rivalry” and “Stranger Things” saw jaw-dropping jumps in streaming:
- Harrison’s remix of t.A.T.u’s “All the Things She Said” from “Heated Rivalry’s fourth episode jumped 139,000% in global streams on Spotify, with the original track seeing a 135% increase. Audiobook streams on Spotify jumped 1,500% in the 10 weeks leading up to the season finale.
- “Stranger Things” tracks saw significant increases particularly among Gen Z listeners globally, including “Purple Rain” (1,341%), “Upside Down” (1,250%), “I Think We’re Alone Now” (880%) and “When Doves Cry” (576%).
Further demonstrating franchise value, HBO’s “The Last of Us” has over 90 million total viewers since the end of its first season and inspired four million new players to try the source material games. Amazon’s animated musical comedy “Hazbin Hotel” saw original songs charting on Spotify and Apple. The series also received a Guinness World Record as “the most popular animated TV show in the world in 2024-25,” with Parrot Analytics’ data reporting demand for the series was 74 times greater than that of the average TV show.
Plus, according to Gallup, nearly 10% of all Americans are LGBTQ and 23% of Gen Z is LGBTQ. Ipsos reports similar percentages globally.
Audiences are already investing in content, franchises, merchandise and experiences from brands that include LGBTQ stories. These audiences want nuanced, diverse, authentic LGBTQ stories and are proving with their eyes and their wallets that these stories are a sound investment.
The 37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are now streaming on Hulu.
