Best of the decade: What were the top 10 LGBTQ+ shows of the 2010s?

Arrow (The CW,  2012-present)

Following the rather lengthy success of Smallville, The CW looked into getting back into the superhero game with Arrow. Focusing on the life and adventures of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a.k.a. The Green Arrow, the show kicked off an entire superhero universe that produced multiple spin-offs that grew to include gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans heroes. The show is largely credited with shaping the superhero television landscape into what we know it as today.

Former girlfriend to Oliver, Sara Lance (played by Caity Lotz) was the first queer character to appear and would be recur for much of the series’ run. In fact, her character had become so popular that she received her own spin-off in the form of Legends of Tomorrow, becoming the first bisexual lead character in a superhero show. Season four introduced us to Echo Kellum’s Curtis Holt, a gay black man who eventually became the DC comics hero Mr. Terrific. Out actor Colton Haynes played vigilante Roy Harper for multiple seasons, while the most recent season featured Oliver’s gay son William all grown up. These LGBTQ+ characters didn’t just stand on the sidelines, they got to help save the day and have personal lives all at ones.

The series is currently in its eighth and final season, but leaves behind an inclusive legacy that lives on shows such as Supergirl and The Flash. It also helped give momentum to Batwoman, the first superhero show to have a queer actress play a lesbian lead with Ruby Rose portraying Kate Kane/Batwoman. Arrow is rumored to have one spin-off left to introduce us to, one that focuses on Oliver’s teenage daughter who has taken up his mantle along with an army of female vigilantes called the Canaries that we can’t wait to see.