The GLAAD Media Awards are less an arbiter of quality than an industry snapshot—a chance to observe LGBTQ representational trends, and evaluate where the culture is improving and where it isn’t. In 2014, the nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series were Glee, Go On, Happy Endings, Modern Family, and The New Normal—an overwhelmingly male and white group. But just two years later, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation expanded its television award categories to meet the content explosion of Peak TV, a move which welcomed a far more diverse slate of characters from Looking, Orange Is the New Black, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Transparent, and other series. Safe to say, we’ve come a long way in a relatively short timespan.
Television’s shift toward more equitable representation has continued into 2017, and GLAAD’s nominations from the past year reflect that. There are 20 shows nominated between Best Comedy and Best Drama, and they collectively stand out for their sheer variety. There are old-timers like Grey’s Anatomy and Shameless, recent breakouts like Transparent and The Fosters, and thrilling freshmen like Tig Notaro’s One Mississippi and Seeso’s Take My Wife. There’s Michael K. Williams’ Leonard Pine of Hap and Leonard, a black, gay Vietnam vet in Reagan-era America; the androgynous Stevonnie of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe; and the late-life romantic pair of Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston in Grace and Frankie. Look to the individual episodes, and there’s the gorgeous queer romances of Black Mirror (“San Junipero”) and Easy (“Vegan Cinderella”), the powerful finale of Looking, and that exceptionally funny Stonewall installment of Drunk History.
There was, in other words, a lot to celebrate in 2016. Typically, a decent show with a decent queer component would be all but destined for GLAAD recognition; in years past there just hadn’t been the depth of programming to allow for selectivity. But this year, the faded Orange Is the New Black and muddled Empire were left off alongside the ineligible Please Like Me, among many others. For once, being a good gay show wasn’t all that mattered.
With new outlets continuing to push into original programming, the pressure to innovate, stand out, and reach particular audiences is a big reason for this major—and somewhat sudden—improvement. Of the 20 series nominated, 13 networks are represented, with first-timers like SundanceTV and Seeso placed right alongside Netflix, Amazon, and Showtime. This is an incredibly encouraging sign, obviously, but also a slightly alarming one. Indeed, FX and HBO—TV’s two most respected “prestige” networks, if the Emmys and critics provide any indication—are completely absent from the nominations. Not long ago, FX and HBO were pioneering content in the realm of LGBTQ storytelling, but as I wrote specifically about HBO last year, their rapid evolution has taken them backwards in some respects. This year’s GLAAD nominations paint a picture of an industry that is telling more queer stories than ever—while also providing a crucial reminder that progress isn’t always permanent.
Check out the full list of nominees here.
