For Pride Month, I’d like to recommend a couple of shows I have thoroughly enjoyed watching. These shows are excellent, but their focus on LGBTQIA plotlines makes them especially apt for Pride month watching.
Sex Education
Sex Education is a British comedy-drama streaming television series. It follows the lives of the students, staff, and parents of the fictional Moordale Secondary School as they contend with various personal dilemmas, often related to sexual intimacy.
My Review
I wasn’t too keen on this show when it first appeared on Netflix. It sounded like a teenage sex comedy, which isn’t a genre I like. However, my friends kept recommending it – they said it was explicit but still very good.
And then, I had a dry run on Netflix; nothing seemed to appeal. And so I tried this. The first episode seemed to confirm my worst fears, but I pulled through it and waited for the moment when this show would give up the easy laughs and go for something a little more serious.
And then this scene happened somewhere in episode three.
And it was done so beautifully and sensitively. Then, I understood how unique this show is – combining teenage hi-jinks with surprising maturity and some intense topics. This show does not shy away from some of the messy realities of sex.
The best part of the show is Eric – the gay best friend of the protagonist, whose face is a joy to watch. Every emotion was on his face, and I loved every scene he was in. His joie de vivre is a crucial reason this show works so well!
One thing I should call out (and the show is marked as A on Netflix) is that although this series is primarily about high schoolers, I would NOT recommend watching this explicit show with high schoolers or children of any age. It’s much too graphic!
Heartstopper
Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love in this coming-of-age series.
My Review
Technically, I shouldn’t be reviewing this series as I am just about six episodes in (there are eight in total), but it’s the sweetest show I have seen. It combines both impossible wholesome and modern sophistication simultaneously, and this should typically not work, but it does so well here.
Unlike Sex Education, which isn’t something you can watch with kids, Heartstoppers is something I can envision rewatching with Snubnose (16 years old now); it’s sweet and innocent and perfect for teens who like their shows a little sappy.
So two very different types of shows are featured in this post. The funny thing is both are set in the UK – a country I have never entirely associated with such sex-positive content. Ouch! Maybe it’s my prejudices showing up here.
