Best LGBTQ+ Couples in TV History

The celebration of Pride Month continues, and this time with a look at the best LGBTQ+ couples in TV history. Surprisingly, there has been a lot to choose from. In fact, according to a GLAAD study, we have reached record-high numbers in LGBTQ+ representation on the small screen. That being said, of course, much progress still needs to be made; the lack of diverse and healthy portrayals of queer couples on TV is still being felt very strongly. Either there’s a tragic ending awaiting one from the pair, or they can’t seem to find happiness anywhere due to the constant homophobia. This is why happy endings are so important when it comes to LGBTQ+ media.

Despite it all, however, various queer couples have helped shape the landscape of LGBTQ+ TV throughout history in a way that has been paramount for queer audiences. From Ian and Mickey in Shameless to Nomi and Amanita in Sense8, here's a look at the nine best LGBTQ+ couples in TV.

9 David and Patrick — Schitt's Creek

Shitt's Creek is a popular Canadian sitcom consisting of six seasons centering around the formerly wealthy Rose family, who is forced to move to Shitt's Creek — the small town they own they bought as a joke — as they navigate their lives without wealth. David Rose (Dan Levy) is the son in the family and Patrick (Noah Reid) is his business partner and, later in the series, eventual husband. Their enemies-era lasted less than two hours upon a misunderstanding about their business, but the whole journey of their relationship filled with healthy jealous moments led to a happy ending indeed. David was happier than he had ever been after Patrick proposed and announced the engagement to his family. He got his hands on one of the biggest nerds, and we couldn't be happier watching their relationship bloom.

8 Nick and Charlie — Heartstopper

Charlie and Nick in Heartstopper TV show — Netflix

The couple that's been stealing the internet's heart as of late? That has to be Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper, a short Netflix series based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel of the same name. It explores the lives of queer folks, but mainly follows Charlie, who falls in love with his classmate Nick Nelson. Joe Locke and Kit Connor are the perfect actors for the characters in this universe. Not only is their love story portrayed healthily, what's worth pointing out is that Nick's bisexuality — and his iconic coming-out scene — isn't demonized nor ignored. The show also condemns the casual homophobia in British schools pretty loudly. Seeing the heart-warming couple on screen makes you glad that the new generations gets to have an actual representation.

7 Cosima and Delphine – Orphan Black

Smart science girlfriends who help save thousands of lives and help humanity? Count us in. Cosima (Tatiana Maslany) and Delphine (Évelyne Brochu) are characters in Orphan Black, a show centers on the moral questions of genetic cloning and its effect on humanity. Cosima is one of the many clones who has Delphine assigned as her monitor, but later on ends up helping her and becoming her devoted girlfriend. They spend almost the entire show in strife, but Delphine has always been Cosima's most loyal inner circle. What's beautiful is that they get their happy ending and act as the main saviors of the final struggle in the show.

6 Nomi and Amanita – Sense8

A hit Netflix series, Sense8 is a queer fantasy in itself, with an all-queer cast of characters, but the couple we'd like to personally focus on is Nomi (Jamie Clayton) and Amanita (Freema Agyeman). Nomi is a transgender hacker who is part of a cluster of eight "sensates," who are connected telepathically across the globe and are hunted by a dangerous organization. Nomi, in particular is endangered throughout the whole series and her girlfriend Amanita is her first and foremost support. They manage to prove that love is the most powerful force in the universe. They are the strongest and sweetest interracial couple in media with one of the best proposals and weddings, and that's on that.

5 Piper and Alex – Orange Is The New Black

Piper-Alex-Orange-Is-The-New-Black (1) — Netflix

Be gay, do crimes taken literally — that's Piper and Alex for you. Orange Is The New Black is one of Netflix's first original series, which focuses on a women's prison and all the women's individual stories, as well as the prison as a whole. The lead characters that the plot's centered on are Piper (Taylor Schilling) and Alex (Laura Prepon), ex-lovers who somehow end up in the same prison and end up falling in love with each other all over again. Their chaotic on-and-off relationship wonderfully portrays the kind of connection with someone that never really goes away, no matter how hard you try shaking it off.

4 Clarke and Lexa – The 100

The post-apocalyptic TV series The 100 also offers us a memorable queer couple in the history of media. The plot follows delinquents from the space habitat Ark, who get sent to Earth to explore whether it's once again livable after a nuclear apocalypse. Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor) is the main character and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) was firstly her enemy, as the two of them were essentially at war with each other and their people. One thing led to another, and they ended forming a passionate relationship. Per usual, The CW had to disappoint the devoted Clexa supporters and — spoiler! — killed off Commander Lexa. It can be said with confidence that Clarke never got over Lexa.

3 Connor and Oliver – How To Get Away With Murder

connor-oliver-jack-falaee-conrad-ricomora-how-to-get-away-with-murder (1) — ABC

In a world of complicated murder cases that you yourself are involved in, at least you have someone who's got your back. Connor (Jack Falahee) and Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) are characters in ABC's legal drama How To Get Away With Murder, which focuses on Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and her goal-driven top university students who get entangled in a new murder case each season. Connor is a cunning member of the clique, who is in a relationship with the talented hacker Oliver. As with many other couples, their relationship was a rocky one, with break-ups, emotional damages, and a wedding, but in the end they eventually reunited and stayed together.

2 Brittany and Santana – Glee

Glee is a musical-comedy-drama centered around a high school glee club and their own personal struggles with sexuality, family, adolescence, and many more. Part of the cheerleading team and the glee club, Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) started off as friends with benefits before later on admitting having a relationship with one another. Due to the post-graduation, long-distance relationship, they decide to separate, but eventually end up reuniting and marrying one another. Glee is and stays a cultural phenomenon that managed to give us queer representation, queer coding, and queerbaiting all in one show. More significantly, Santana elevated queer Latina representation on TV, and River will forever be remembered for her contribution to LGBTQ+ TV history.

1 Ian and Mickey – Shameless

Where to even start with these two? Shameless tells the story of a white family living in Chicago's South Side and their life struggles with poverty and many more. One of the family members is Ian Gallagher, a gay man who ends fooling around with the city's gangster Mickey, whose own family environment doesn't allow him to fully be himself. We have never seen a relationship quite so strong and has withstood the entirety of 11 seasons, even with its complicated nature. They're the epitome of "through thick and thin."