YOUR GUIDE TO 11 OF THE BEST LGBTQ+ MOVIES AND TV SHOWS SET IN NEW YORK CITY
It’s Pride Month! We’re celebrating by giving a portion of our proceeds from the month of June to the Stonewall Foundation. We also wanted to highlight some of the many films and television shows with queer characters that take place in New York City, some of which you can see on our tours! (Use code WORLDPRIDE at checkout for $10 off, valid through the end of June 2019.)
Will & Grace
Where to Stream: Hulu.
The hilarious sitcom, both the original and current reboot, is groundbreaking for its lead gay character. You can see Grace’s office building on the East Village TV & Movie Sites Tour as well as other sites from the series on the When Harry Met Seinfeld Tour.
Carol
Where to Stream: Netflix.
Therese (Rooney Mara) works in a Manhattan department store where she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett) for the first time. It took seven months to complete the post production, since the editors had to use CGI to transform the present day city to 1952 NYC.
Paris Is Burning
Where to Stream: Hulu.
This legendary documentary shows the life of queer and transgender ball culture in 1990s New York City, and is essential for learning where many of today’s trends originate.
Glee
Where to Stream: Netflix.
Although most of the series is in Lima, Ohio, its secondary location is New York City, with many of the glee club alumni moving to NYC after graduation. Featured on the NYC TV & Movie Tour, you can see the stomping grounds of favorite LGBT characters like Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Santana (Naya Rivera).
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Where to Stream: Not on any streaming services, but available for rent on iTunes, Google, and Amazon.
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, Melissa McCarthy plays lesbian author Lee Israel. The film was shot entirely on location in the Big Apple.
The Other Two
Where to Stream: the Comedy Central app.
Carey and Brooke’s lives change when their little brother becomes the internet’s latest sensation. (One of his many hilarious hits include “My Brother’s Gay and That’s OK!”) As a struggling gay actor in New York, we see Carey around Columbus Circle and even Justin Theroux’s apartment, among other locations.
The Normal Heart
Where to Stream: HBO.
Ryan Murphy directed this HBO movie about the AIDS epidemic in 1990s New York. It was shot entirely on location, including scenes in Little Italy.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Where to Stream: Netflix.
One of the best modern gay characters is Titus Andromedon (Titus Burgess), the co-star of this Netflix comedy series. Titus and Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) galavant around the city through sites like Central Park and Times Square.
Pose
Where to Stream: Netflix.
The third and final Ryan Murphy project on this list, Pose is the first television drama with a majority transgender cast of actors. It’s a fictionalized account of a real time in New York City and also explores ball culture.
The Hours
Where to Stream: Showtime.
The Hours tells the story of three queer women living in different periods of time, one of them being Virginia Woolf as she writes Mrs. Dalloway. Meryl Streep’s character lives in modern day Manhattan.
Orange Is The New Black
Where to Stream: Netflix.
Although the show centers largely in a womens’ prison in upstate New York, each episode shows flashbacks of a different character, many of them hailing from NYC. A good portion of the characters are LGBTQ, with Laverne Cox being the first transgender actor to be nominated for an Emmy Award.
Billions
Where to Stream: Showtime.
This financial drama features the first ever non-binary character on television, played by Asia Kate Dillon. You can see filming locations from the show on the NYC TV & Movie Tour.