Bisexuality on TV has been around for decades but was not always openly acknowledged. While TV has welcomed an assortment of representation across the spectrum, it was still hard to spot an openly bisexual character.
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AsJune has come around once again,fans can revisit their favorite LGBTQA2+ content. This is the perfect opportunity to look back at how much more diverse bisexual representation has become on the small screen. Let’s show some love to the B and shine a light on the bisexual representations on TV past and present.
Nick Nelson -Heartstopper
The recent Netflix hit,Heartstopper,introduces audiences to the love storyof Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). Charlie is an openly gay teenager, and the object of his affection is Nick, a rugby player questioning his sexuality once he develops feeling for Charlie. The show creates a beautiful story of queer love and coming of age that radiates the joy and possibility of being young.
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Over eight episodes, viewers watch as Nick begins to uncover his bisexuality and overcome his own internalized biases. Nick’s character is such an important moment for bisexual representation because he is a young person who is grappling with uncertainty and fear. Seeing Nick proudly and certainly proclaim his bisexuality to his mother is a lovely and fulfilling scene that was once rare.
Rosa Diaz -Brooklyn Nine-Nine
In Season 5 ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine,hard as nails detective, Rosa Diaz(Stephanie Beatriz), comes out as bisexual to her squad who are wholly accepting of her. This comes as a surprise to her coworkers considering she has always been incredibly quiet about her personal life at work. Rosa’s coming out on the show is a testament to being proud of every part of her identity.
Rosa has become a bisexual icon in her own right. She is not afraid to be open about who she is any longer and even keeps the bisexual flag on her desk in the precinct. After coming out, Rosa is fully herself to her loved ones making her one of the most powerful examples of bisexual representation on TV.
Jay Bilzerian -Big Mouth
Jay (Jason Mantzoukas) is one of the most sexually charged characters onBig Mouth(and that’s saying a lot). In having an affair between two of his pillows (one is depicted as a man and the other a woman), Jay comes to realize he is in fact bisexual.
Jay provides a fun interpretation of someone accepting themselves as bisexual. The show takes fans along on his own inner turmoil and confusion as he wrestles with his feelings for both of his pillows. It’s a relief to finally see Jay discovering his own identity from his challenging family to be unabashedly who he is.
Angela Montenegro -Bones
Angela (Michaela Conlin) is a part of theclose-knit forensic crime solving teamat the Jeffersonian Institute. A big part of Angela’s character is the relationships she has through the course of the show. Though she falls in love with and eventually marries a coworker, Jack (T.J. Thyne), Angela is openly bisexual.
Being bisexual is thoroughly a part of Angela’s character. There is no coming out for Angela inBonesbecause having intimate relationships with both men and women is simply understood to be who she is. Angela has no turmoil and doesn’t question her sexuality and what it means to her to be bisexual, she is just Angela.
Nancy Bartlett -Roseanne
One of Roseanne’s (Roseanne Barr) longtime friends and co-owner of their restaurant, The Lanford Lunchbox, is the reoccurring character, Nancy (Sandra Bernhard). Nancy was previously married to a man named Arnie (Tom Arnold) until he disappeared, and she subsequently started dating women. Nancy would later come out as bisexual specifically, making her one of the earliest openly bisexual characters on TV.
Roseannebroke a lot of ground as far as sitcoms are concerned, and the character of Nancy was definitely noteworthy. Nancy was a character that didn’t take herself or her sexuality too seriously. She just wanted to have fun and enjoy her sexuality whomever her partner may have been.
Samantha Jones -Sex And The City
Samantha (Kim Cattrall), the iconic man-eater who could never be held down by silly things like love, unlike her friends. She was fiercely independent and remained unfathered by how other people perceived her. So in Season 4 ofSex and the City,when Samantha began along-term love affairwith Maria (Sonia Braga) she didn’t care what anyone had to say about her sexuality.
Though Samantha never officially came out as bisexual, her relationship with Maria was one of her most intense in the show. Samantha famously didn’t open up or lovers and rarely ever saw them twice, but her connection with Maria was powerful. It was one of the few instances fans got to see her grow and become more vulnerable.
Loki -Loki
The brief first season of the show gave Marvel fans one-on-one time with the mischievous Loki (Tom Hiddleson). Fans got to see Loki skipping through time, uncovering the larger truth of the multiverse, and falling in love with himself in the form of a woman, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). However, one of the main takeaways from the show isLoki coming out as bisexual.
With the casual mention, Loki became one of the first canonically queer major MCU characters. Loki presents the information as a matter of fact and as the most natural thing in the world to him since he’s taken so many forms. As far as representation goes, a bisexual superhero is pretty marvelous.
Tara Thornton -True Blood
True Bloodshowed audiences thewild world of Louisiana vampireswho all seemed to be in love with one girl, Sookie (Anna Paquin). Sookie’s pragmatic best friend was Tara (Rutina Wesley), who consistently warned Sookie to not get wrapped up in vampire politics. Tara eventually becomes a vampire herself against her wishes while she is on the brink of death.
The show chronicles Tara leaning into her vampirism and beginning to be more open to the world instead of just rejecting it. A part of Tara’s journey includes reevaluating her sexuality and entering into relationships with women. Tara is an example of a bisexual character who began to look inward and no longer be afraid of life and who she is.
Villanelle -Killing Eve
Villanelle (Jodie Comer) was the ruthless assassin ofKilling Evewho entered into an intense game of cat and mouse with investigator, Eve (Sandra Oh).Villanelle and Evehave an obsessive psycho-sexual relationship during the course of Eve’s investigation. Villanelle is undoubtedly a violent psychopath who weaponizes her sexuality with all genders for her own ends.
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Villanelle’s bisexuality is made clear from the beginning of the show. One of her first scenes depicts her climbing out of bed with a couple. Though Villanelle is not a positive representation of a bisexual character, she exists as a part of the broadening scope of bisexuality on TV.
Adam Groff -Sex Education
Adam’s (Connor Swindells) story inSex Educationbegins with him as a bully harassing Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), an openly gay student at Moordale. It becomes quickly apparent that Adam is harboring romantic feelings for Eric and wrestling with his own internal homophobia.
Adam has an incredibly charming and endearing character development as he becomes more open with himself. A big reason for his self-acceptance comes from his relationship with Eric and watching howcomfortably live in his sexualityand gender expression. Adam’s story of self progression and growth is easily identifiable to the audience and emphasizes the strength of telling bisexual stories.
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