Queer Representations in British vs. American TV
Summer has never smelt more of adolescence, like coming-of-age teen dramas that reel you in. As the summer of 2023 opened its gates, four teen dramas renewed with a new season we have all seen on our TikTok pages: Atypical (2017), Never Have I Ever (2020), Sex Education (2019), and Heartstopper (2022).
British Films
British TV tends to be more expressive and bare in their characters' storylines, not holding back any details. “Sex Education” sets up viewers for the unexpected roller coasters that its varied relationships create. On September 21, Netflix released season 4, which was queerer, more comedic, and more relatable than any of the other seasons. Eric, Otis's queer best friend, has a dramatic growth in his confidence. Coming from a religious background myself, conservatism isn’t exactly welcoming and often can feel isolating. Eric’s family never fully accepts his identity as a queer man and is ashamed that their only son chose to be anything but a God-fearing family man.
Eric did set his boundaries with the Church and is unapologetically out as one of the few gay students at Moordale Secondary School. Eric’s depiction avoids the trope of the niche gay guy falling in love and settling down, being lucky enough to have someone at all. Screenwriter and playwright Laurie Nunn has given Eric not just one meaningful, whirlwind romance but two! Eric’s former bully, Adam, is Eric’s first love.
Flashback to seasons 2 and 3, Adam comes out as bisexual after shockingly kissing Eric. I cheered on Eric and Adam, but sadly, they parted ways after Eric cheated on Adam during a trip back to Nigeria. Despite Eric's actions, viewers can empathize with him and watch him embrace his identity without doubts or shame, which is a powerful message to adolescents.
“Heartstopper” was in fact a heartstopping cliche between two high schoolers who went from best friends to lovers. As simple as it sounds, there is more to Charlie and Nick’s relationship than at first glance. Charlie’s coming out wasn’t as positive as we would have liked; after coming out, he was bullied which built up anxiety, OCD, and anorexia. Nick was the first to notice Charlie's struggles, starting with Charlie's eating patterns and fainting spells.
Nick, a rugby star, always identified as straight and even tried with a past crush who was a girl, but he never felt quite the same warmth as when he’s with Charlie. Unlike Sex Education, Nick and Charlie are the main characters. We get to go on their journey of first fights, first kisses, and first dates. What is beautiful about “Heartstopper” is its exploration of Charlie's anxiety and how vulnerable he makes himself to let Nick fully into his life. Nick played such an important role in easing Charlie's anxiety by reaffirming Charlie’s lovable qualities and showing him how much they both take care of each other in a less accepting world. This is the arc that American Television is missing.
Another LGBTQ couple represented in “Heartstopper” is Tara and Darcy, who are very open about their relationship with everyone but their parents, which creates distance in their relationship. Darcy seems like a bubbly, charismatic person, but her home life isn’t reflected on her face. She hasn’t told her parents that she’s lesbian, so Tara questions why she’s never met Darcy’s parents despite how long they’ve been together. This show is my personal favorite because it not only focuses on queer relationships but also the identities of its characters and their ability to truthfully express themselves beyond those relationships.
American Television
American shows tend to gloss over characters’ inner struggles with their identities in favor of a predictable story without any interesting twist. In “Atypical”, Casey already has a lot on her plate, as she’s the only one who understands her brother’s Autism. Her wittiness allows Sam to have a normal sibling relationship with her without any patronizing special treatment that might isolate him from the rest of his family. Casey somehow manages to balance her relationship with Evan, a classic boy next door character who dotingly loves her and her tomboyish nature. Casey’s world starts to shift when she gets accepted into Clayton Prep thanks to her excelling at Track where she meets Izzy. Though she initially views Casey as a threat to her long-standing reign at Clayton, they eventually develop a close friendship - almost too close in Evan’s eyes.
Robia Rashid and Seth Gordon, the creators of “Atypical”, develop Casey’s feelings for Izzy, which leads to Evan’s heartbreak. Not every coming out is as accepting and relieving - they can also lead to the loss of those we never meant to hurt. Like Adam, Izzy wasn’t out with her parents especially at Clayton, for she felt too vulnerable which to her, would weaken her power as queen bee. By indulging in one of Clayton’s clubs to help those in LGBTQ relationships who want to voice out how scary their experience can be, Izzy started to embrace herself more. Izzy was with one of the most popular guys in the school before he kissed Casey and Izzy dumped him. And closeted relationships never stay hidden for long. Thankfully, Casey’s family had a smooth transition to accepting the fact that their daughter was gay, which isn’t the case for many.
Casey’s story is very predictable. Although Izzy isn’t as comfortable with her sexuality, she kisses Casey, which prompts Casey’s questioning of her sexuality which isn’t a new storyline. This typical “lesbian relationship” doesn’t create any pathos and instead makes what will likely happen between Casey and Izzy predictable. Instead, we get a boy meets girl storyline of a family imposing on their relationship as protective parents.
“Never Have I Ever” approaches characters that are part of the LGBTQ community similarly to Atypical. Given that Devi is the main character, Fabiola’s interests are focused on helping Devi and supporting her latest attempts at gaining popularity. Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher, and other writers who have brought this show to life have missed the opportunity to build a better representation of a lesbian and not one but multiple. Fabiola represents the majority of the LGBTQ representation which isn’t as inspiring to young viewers and the people she is in relationships with are more or less becoming less relevant to the show. Although Fabiola was a side character, I wished more of Fabiola’s life was conveyed in the show, especially her experience coming out. However, we sort of see her character experimenting with her appearance and being more comfortable in the clothes she prefers than Devi’s hot girl group idea.
In season 4, directors explore Fabiola’s inner thoughts about Addison, who identifies as non-binary. Addison and Fabiola meet during a game night, where they find out they share the same favorite game. Though Fabiola reveals that she hooked up with Addison, we don’t get to see as much of the build-up of their relationship, like their dates, or characteristics besides the game that justifies why they are together. Instead, viewers are just supposed to accept.
Conclusion
British Films take the time to curate gut-wrenching and relatable character arcs that American Films should learn a thing or two from. American Films, although entertaining, take fewer risks in developing their characters in terms of intimate and expressive LGBTQ experiences but instead brush over what could be an inspiring role model for adolescent viewers. I look forward to exploring more LGBTQ-represented films that have educated and inspired youth on their identity discovery.