20 Fantastic Classic LGBTQ+ Couples on TV

While the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals on television has definitely increased over the past ten years, we can’t forget the humble beginnings. These couples weren’t as commonplace and were even more revered because of their rarity.

None of these couples are perfect, but they deserve a place on our list for trying and for molding television representation into what it is today. We wouldn’t have one without the other.

This list delves into the couples who started it all. Those classic 80s, 90s, and early 2000s couples that grabbed our attention and never let it go. If you want to see who made the list for all our current couples, check out our 36 Greatest LGBTQ+ Television Couples from the Past Ten Years.

Without further ado, here are our picks for 20 Fantastic Classic LGBTQ+ Television Couples, in no particular order. As always remember that there will be spoilers on some of these entries, tread carefully.

1. Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

If you were to ask any young adult female who their favorite couple from their childhood was, many would say Willow and Tara. That is because these two fiery females from Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to make a name for themselves on a strong ensemble show.

We first meet Willow as this quiet, meek character who takes to Buffy and helps her survive Sunnydale. Over time Buffy helps her to grow into her own and become a strong witch in her own right. Then she meets Tara.

Tara compliments and contradicts Willow in equal measure, the way any great couple should. Any time she felt Willow was losing sight of who she is she’d be the first to tell her. Their love was easy to see through their words as well as their actions.

Ultimately, Tara dies and as a result, Willow goes dark witch as she has never done before. Without Tara there to pull her back, Willow loses her way for quite some time.

2. Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones (Torchwood)

With the success of Doctor Who gaining traction in the mid-2000s, the creators decided to do a spin-off centering on a guest character from the Who-verse, Jack Harkness. With the spin-off, Torchwood, fans were able to see a sort of alien investigative unit working on the ground in Cardiff.

Jack Harkness continued to win the hearts of fans, but from the very first episode, another character caught many eyes as well, Ianto Jones.

The story of Jack and Ianto spans a total of 3 seasons and it is both beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. Ianto manages to bring a more caring side to a rough and brazen Jack, while Jack gives Ianto the confidence to stand on his own as a hero instead of a sidekick.

Jack has lived many lives over the lengthy time he’s been alive, but as he says to Ianto in Torchwood Season 2 Episode 3, “To The Last Man,” he wouldn’t trade the life he’s in now to return to his own home in his own time.

Much to the dismay of many fans, their love story was cut short in Torchwood Season 3, “Children of Earth”. They fight side by side against an unbeatable foe and Jack has to watch as Ianto dies. But it’s not without a beautiful final exchange between them.

Ianto Jones: A thousand years time? You won’t remember me.

Jack Harkness: Yes I will. I promise. I will.

3. Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor (Queer as Folk)

Arguably one of the more popular couples from Showtime’s Queer as Folk, Brian and Justin have stood the test of time. Though their story takes place in the 90s-early 2000s, it really has a universal feel to it.

Most likely the reason they are still a fan favorite even after all these years is the care and diligence put into making their story as accurate and human as possible. The writers never once glossed over the not so pretty parts about a relationship, instead choosing to show all aspects.

Brian and Justin showed us not only a coming of age story from Justin but, also a reconciliation with aging story from Brian. These two grew and changed in so many ways both together and apart.

What really sets them apart is their willingness to step aside if their presence was holding the other back. Ultimately, they could’ve stayed together, gotten married, sacrificed their futures, and end up miserable.

For these two, their final goodbyes are true to who they are and leave the opportunity open should they choose to see each other again in the future.

4. Michael Novotny and Ben Bruckner (Queer as Folk)

One of the great things about a show centered on LGBTQ+ relationships, of which there are many, is their willingness to not shy away from the more difficult topics. One of which is HIV/AIDS and relationships.

For that, Michael and Ben are a stand out example of when it goes right and works out. These two men know the danger their relationship poses, but they also know that their love for each other is greater than their fear.

Sure, when they first got together Michael was a bit nervous about dating a man with HIV, but Ben gently and compassionately helped him to better understand and reassured him of his attention to precautionary measures.

Queer as Folk mainstreamed conversations about HIV/AIDS and brought a broader understanding of the disease to the table. Something that few shows have done before or since.

Bonus: Who doesn’t love a good domestic gay relationship. Michael and Ben have that category down pat!

5. Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus (Queer as Folk)

Boy have these ladies been put through the wringer! They saw it all from love, marriage, raising a family, cheating, divorce, surviving a tragedy, and finding their way back to each other.

There is no wonder why this lesbian pairing is a popular staple on other LGBTQ+ individuals favorites list. They were an early depiction of the ins and outs of being a lesbian couple while also trying to manage individual lives and interests.

From the beginning they were a family, the pilot episode showing the birth of their son Gus, and from there they simply expanded and flourished throughout the seasons.

With Lindsay’s more motherly, down to earth, loving tones, and Melanie’s brash, Jewish, opinionated, sarcastic nature they made a beautifully balanced relationship that bordered on volatile at times. Plus, the show managed to explore Lindsay’s bisexuality in ways that were often too real for comfort.

6. Leon Carp and Scott (Roseanne)

As a couple of the 90s, Roseanne‘s Leon and Scott were ahead of their time. They depicted the older generation LGBTQ+ demographic in a time when much of our representation was young and vivacious.

Leon knew Scott when they were much younger but, hadn’t seen him in years. Then Scott shows up in Lanford looking for Leon in the hopes of rekindling what they once had.

Their relationship is a subtle reminder that love is love no matter the gender or age. They never overpower the other characters but, they never fade into the background either. In fact, a whole episode is devoted to their wedding.

In a time when Roseanne has come under fire for her less than savory comments, these characters show that on some level Roseanne is a decent human with a heart for those whose stories need to be told.

7. Alice Pieszecki and Tasha Williams (The L Word)

The love story of Alice and Tasha from Showtime’s The L Word is one that saw a rollercoaster of emotions. By the end of the series, these two women were a strong fan favorite due to all that they went through to be together.

Alice meets Tasha not long after losing her best friend and former girlfriend, Dana Fairbanks. Tasha is a closeted Captain in the Army National Guard. They quickly hit it off and start dating.

Over the seasons the pair have their fair share of drama and breakups, but in the end, they see strength in each other and make it work. In fact, Tasha helps Alice to get over her fears created by her past relationship with Dana.

While these two were on shaky ground by the series finale, the fans have never given up hope due to Tasha clearly still being in love with Alice. As witnessed by her actions of comfort at Bette and Tina’s party.

8. Shane McCutcheon and Carmen (The L Word)

Another fan favorite from The L Word is Shane and Carmen. These two ladies taught many people about what its like to learn and grow in a relationship even if the end result isn’t your continued togetherness.

From the beginning, everyone — Carmen included — knows that Shane is a player. She doesn’t do relationships nor does she stick to one person at a time. She’s a rebel, wild child and Carmen falls so deeply for her that she hopes to tame her.

These two manage to actually make a relationship work for a while, even almost making it down the aisle. But Shane’s constant insecurities and lifestyle choices eventually break them apart. This leaves both parties different than they were when they started.

Despite all the heartbreak attached to the couple — and trust me, there is plenty — fans latch on to these two characters because of their realness and relatability. Their story is multi-colored and multi-faceted, there are layers upon layers of character development on both sides.

9. Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer (As The World Turns)

This couple makes our list for two very groundbreaking reasons. One of which isn’t that they are one of the longest-running gay couples in daytime soap opera history, though that is pretty spectacular.

Luke and Noah from As The World Turns shared a relationship from the fall of 2007 to the spring of 2010, though really they had broken up months earlier. However, when the show ended their story was left open for a reunion somewhere down the road once Luke was ready — he was grieving the loss of his newest boyfriend.

The real reason these two make our list is that despite all the cliche soap opera drama these two were a groundbreaking couple. They set the stage for many gay soap opera and primetime couples after them. I’m talking about their historic first kiss and first time.

When they first kissed in 2007 no other male gay couple had kissed on air before. Then when they finally had sex in early 2009 it again broke new ground because they were the first gay couple to do so.

Their love story may have been sloppy, but ultimately their impact on the lives of their fans is permanent. To this day I still love Luke and Noah through all the good, the bad, the ugly, and the downright adorable.

10. Paige Michalchuk and Alex Nunez (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

If there is one thing I can never stress enough it is the importance of Degrassi: The Next Generation. This is a show that never shies away from showing the lives of teens as they want to see it, real and uncensored.

One of the greatest relationships this show has created is that between Paige Michalchuk and Alex Nunez. Both girls are the unlikeliest of characters to end up together, but when they do their love is pure and real and unlike anything ever told before.

Both characters are proclaimed bisexuals who end up really connecting when they share an after-school job together. Paige is Degrassi’s It girl and Alex is a tough girl from the rough neighborhood.

Together they help each other face the traumas and painful moments of their lives with compassion, understanding, and unlimited support.

11. Marco Del Rossi and Dylan Michalchuk (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

When someone asks for LGBT couples that helped them get through their teenage years, most respond with Degrassi‘s other top couple, Marco and Dylan. That is because these two — while turbulent at times — teach us all what it means to have someone in our corner while we go through the roughest moments in life.

Marco’s coming out story is meaningful and completely compelling whether you are watching it live in the early 2000s or now in 2019. It stands the test of time and shows just how hard it is to bare your soul to your best friends without the guarantee that they will still be there in the end.

Through Marco’s best friend’s girlfriend, Paige, he meets Paige’s brother Dylan. The two start up a friendship that eventually turns into a relationship. By starting off as friends they are able to truly know each other before bringing romance into it.

They have to weather the tides of both high school and college together. Their jealousy and insecurities sometimes getting the better of them. When they broke up, many fans were devastated because they had been one of their first real forays into mainstream gay relationships.

12. Steven Carrington and Luke Fuller (Dynasty)

The only couple on our list from the 80s has a rightful place on this list for simply being one of the first. Their relationship on Dynasty is short-lived, but still impactful in its own right.

Steven Carrington was a bold statement with the shows premiere season in 1981 by being an out gay character. He has many relationships, both male and female over the next few years, but the one of major note is with Luke Fuller during the show’s 5th Season.

Like many television gay relationships in the early years, this relationship suffers from fears of making too many waves amongst their viewers. When things really start to get serious between Steven and Luke, Luke is killed during a terrorist attack at a wedding.

Despite everything, from being relegated to an illustrious affair to killing one half of the couple, their impact is still felt today. Every gay couple that has come since the 80s has Steven and Luke to thank because they helped to pave the way.

13. Clayton and Doug  (The Golden Girls)

In the early 90s, one of the most popular primetime shows was The Golden Girls and for good reason. Despite it being all about women in the later years of their lives living together, the show managed to become a staple amongst all demographics.

One of their most memorable moments came towards the end of the show when Blanche’s brother comes to her about his commitment ceremony to his longtime partner. Blanche isn’t too keen on the idea of her brother being gay at first, but her companions soon set her right.

Dorothy: Honey, your brother is gay.

Blanche: Dorothy, I think that gay thing was just a phase he was goin’ through. You know, like, when Clay was in high school, all he ever wanted to do was go see gladiator movies. It’s the same kind of thing.

Dorothy: Almost exactly.

It’s a conversation that people still need to hear even in today’s world. Clayton’s commitment to Doug shows that relationships can last and have meaning in our lives whether it’s with a man or a woman. Dorothy with her subtle humor and sarcastic eye rolls remind us of that just as clearly as seeing the two men look into each other’s eyes.

14. Susan Bunch and Carol Willick (Friends)

From the word go, Susan and Carol were a couple that Friends fans loved and disliked in equal measure. Though an argument can be made for them actually being great, but their depiction through the eyes of Ross made them slightly dislikable.

Carol is Ross’s ex-wife who leaves him for Susan. Though, throughout the show’s run, they show up from time to time due to Carol and Ross’s shared son, Ben. The entire time they are together, Ross complains about Susan and her supposed terrible attitude.

How would you take it if the guy your partner used to be married to keeps butting into your life trying to police it? I would have a few choice words for him as well.

All in all these women showed us early on what a stable, domestic lesbian relationship looks like. Plus they proved to the world that having two moms isn’t as negative as some people make it out to be.

15. Jack McPhee and Doug Witter (Dawson’s Creek)

A show that cranked out many of today’s stars, Dawson’s Creek, also boasts another feat: having a gay character with an entire coming out arc and subsequent stories that feature his sexuality but aren’t driven by it.

That character is none other than Jack McPhee. His turbulent coming out story with his family was one that garnered quite a bit of praise from fans of the show. What made fans even happier was seeing him become a proud individual who explored his new freedom through dating and just living his life.

His relationship with Doug Witter doesn’t actually begin until the series finale — set five years in the future — when the two are seen together kissing and being domestic. Though they go through some tough times during the finale, by the end they are together and happy.

There is just something hopeful about their simple love. It’s clear as day that the two love each other and would do anything for the other. Even today we can still imagine them together in Capeside, raising Amy, and being adorably domesticated.

16. David Fisher and Keith Charles (Six Feet Under)

Before he was stealing hearts as Dexter, Michael C. Hall was blowing us away as the indelible David Fisher on HBO’s Six Feet Under. Over the course of five seasons, David shows the world an everyman’s depiction of gay life.

He has to deal with the stress of taking over the family funeral business when his father dies, his religious beliefs that directly contradict his homosexuality, and the subsequent effects it has on his relationship with his boyfriend, Keith Charles.

Their story, both together and apart, is beautifully orchestrated and realistically portrayed. Keith is a strong influence and rock for David through all of his many struggles. Whenever David pushes him away, Keith always pushes back — refusing to give up on the man he loves.

To this day — almost 15 years later — David and Keith remain a major television favorite for accurate, honest, and impactful LGBTQ+ representation.

17. Omar Little and Renaldo (The Wire)

The beauty about the LGBTQ+ representation on The Wire is that it is never a stand-alone story, it is always an element in the much bigger stories. After all, one of the main characters is gay.

While Omar Little dates multiple guys over his five-season run, his most notable one is Renaldo. Together they fit into a seamless team. Where each of Omar’s exes argued with him about his associations with other groups, Renaldo simply embraces it and encourages it.

They even go so far as to retire from the street business altogether and move to San Juan, Puerto Rico. That is until Omar is lured back to Baltimore with the thought of vengeance on his mind — which ultimately leads to Omar’s death.

Despite being very brief, this couple showed the world that love can happen no matter what kind of life you live, whether you are white, black, Hispanic, or whatever. No matter what, all stories matter.

18. Will Truman and Vince D’Angelo (Will and Grace)

Towards the end of the original run of Will and Grace, the show’s resident lawyer really seemed to settle down for the first time. Will Truman had had serious relationships before, but not like the one he developed with Vince D’Angelo, the NYPD Officer.

This little fact hangs over their relationship the entire time they date, both times. Will clearly loves Vince but is afraid to make too many sacrifices for that love. Vince loves Will enough to keep trying to make things work but ultimately realizes that Will will always choose him second to Grace.

Their relationship is beautiful but a stark reminder that sometimes even though you love each other you can’t be together. Sometimes the puzzle pieces just don’t fall into place the right way.

If it is any consolation, I was always rooting for them to stay together. They just make your heart happy.

19. Tobias Beecher and Chris Keller (Oz)

Many people know Chris Meloni as the hardass cop from Law & Order SVU, however, this fan knows him as the psychotic and deeply flawed Chris Keller from Oz.

Before Orange is the New Black there was Oz, a prison-based show about what happens within the confines of a special facility geared towards rehabilitation when some of the worst criminals are put together. It’s a dirtier, grittier, less funny version of the Netflix staple.

Tobias Beecher comes to the unit a soft-spoken man and by the time he meets Chris Keller he has been seasoned enough in the prison politics to know which guys you don’t fuck with. Keller is definitely one of those you want on your side instead of against it.

Throughout the seasons these two go from enemies to roommates to mutual lovers. Though it is really hard to discern whether or not the relationship was ever truly consensual considering the setting. Both men are really adept at manipulation which really shows in the end.

However, many fans latch on to the idea that Beecher and Keller truly loved each other in the best ways they knew how. Which makes their ending that much more heartbreaking.

20. Eric van der Woodsen and Jonathan Whitney (Gossip Girl)

Okay, so this one is partially because I’m a sucker for any Matt Doyle performance, but ultimately Eric and Jonathan deserve a spot on our list because they showed just how messy life and love can be even when you are teens neck deep in the posh life of the Upper East Side.

This is why Gossip Girl makes the cut, through all the crazy and outlandish stories they do show an ounce of real when it comes to the complex lives of the many characters.

From the very beginning, audiences knew that Eric’s life was dark and troubled. After all, he is seen in a psych hospital due to a suicide attempt and his sexuality is only spoken of in hushed whispers between him and his sister.

So, when he introduces everyone to his boyfriend, Jonathan, in Season 2 naturally everyone is overjoyed to see this character gain a little positivity in his life. Unfortunately, Eric is a prime example of love and companionship not always being the solution for the darkness that lies underneath.

When all of that proves to be too much for him, Eric rebels in the only way he knows how which causes a strain between him and Jonathan. Though these two break up they serve as a reminder to us all that while love is great and wonderful it isn’t always the complete answer to what ails you.

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Which Classic LGBTQ+ Television Couple is your favorite? Did we miss any you wanted to see? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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36 Greatest LGBTQ+ Television Couples from the Past Ten Years