Over the past decade there have been some great lesbian couples shown on mainstream UK and US television. This is a list of some of my favourites, sorry for any that I have missed!
Spoilers Alert!
If you haven’t seen the shows and don’t want to know happens then probably best not to read.
Emily and Niomi
I had stubbornly refused to watch Skins because I thought I was too old to watch teenagers getting drunk, taking drugs and having sex. I was grossly wrong. The series is well written; fluctuating seamlessly from very funny to angst-ridden, this program is definitely worth a watch. Emily Fitch (Kathryn Prescott) and Niomi Campbell’s (Lily Loveless) journey from acquaintances that just have some underlining sexual chemistry, to a relationship is not entirely smooth; the writers successfully show the problems that lesbian relationships come up against, including Niomi’s initial denial and Emily having to move out of her family home.
Kim and Saint
Sugar Rush was another fantastic Channel 4 series which deals with teenagers coming to terms with their sexuality and lesbian relationships. Unfortunately the show was ended after two series, but in that time there were some great storylines and lesbian action. The gorgeous Kim Daniels (Olivia Hallinan), moved to Brighton with her interesting (and charmingly dysfunctional) family and falls in love with her best friend Sugar (Lenora Crichlow). In the end, after much confusion and heartbreak with Sugar, Kim has a relationship with Saint (Sarah-Jane Potts). Their relationship is pretty turbulent (mainly due to the drama caused by Sugar being released from prison) but by the end of the show the couple move in together (with Sugar in tow) and it appears to be setting up for a third series… which unfortunately never came along.
Tara and Willow
The makers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s decision to make Willow (Alyson Hanngian) a lesbian was possibly one of the best choices the show ever made. There were inferences from very early in the program that Willow was going to be gay, which made her eventual relationship with Tara (Amber Benson) not seem strange or a “phase” that would only last for one season. The couple had a huge lesbian following and was probably the first lesbian couple I had ever seen in a television series.
Willow and Kennedy
Although Tara’s death made a lot of fans extremely angry (including myself) the show did try to redeem itself by giving Willow a new love interest in the form of feisty potential slayer Kennedy (Iyari Limon). Personally, I didn’t have a problem with her, I loved her passion and watered-down Faith-like attitude… not to mention that she was extremely attractive. Although their relationship only lasted for one season (the episode ‘The Killer in Me’ is still one of my favorite episodes ever) at the end of Buffy both women are still alive, together and riding off into the sunset in a yellow school bus. Very romantic.
Callie and Erica
The relationship between Calliope Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) blossomed organically out of a friendship, prior to which both women had only been interested in men. The storyline had the potential to be offensive and could have been similar to the ‘lesbian coming out and going back in’ story arcs as seen in Kissing Jessica Stein and Sex and the City but the writers managed to pull it out of the bag. Lesbian audiences warmed to the new couple and Dr Hahn’s speedy departure from the show, left fans anger in a way that was reminiscent of Tara’s death in Buffy.
Callie and Arizona
After Hahn’s speedy exit from the show, it seemed as though Grey’s Anatomy had opted away from the lesbian drama and I was convinced that Callie would return to men. However, I was ecstatic when the stunning pediatric Surgeon Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw), makes her feelings for Callie known in the toilet of a bar. I wasn’t a huge fan of the relationship between Hahn and Callie, so I had no problems accepting Arizona as Callie’s new girlfriend. Although the new couple had a rough ride throughout series 6, their reunion in the finale (and what a finale it was!) was brilliant. Again in series 7 they had a tough time with Arizona leaving and Callie getting pregnant by Mark in her absence; they now seem to have achieved marital bliss and an inspiring approach to parenting.
Bette and Tina
The L Word was probably the most important lesbian television show to hit TV screens. It followed the lives of beautiful, funny, intellectual and over-sexed women in Los Angeles and was a worldwide success. Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman) were the title couple of the show, having been together from the beginning. The audience followed the ups and downs of their relationship, from affairs, a miscarriage, a law suit and a child, but by the end of series 6 they get the happy ending we all predicted would happen.
Alice and Dana
Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) and Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels) are best friends at the beginning of The L Word, and at the end of the first series, we get to see (in my opinion) one of the sweetest TV moments when Alice knocks on Dana’s front door in the early hours of the morning. I think this couple is such a favorite because they are awkward, funny, romantic and sexy.
Nikki and Helen
Bad Girls couple Nikki Wade (Mandana Jones) and Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) were such a great couple because there were so many obstacles in the way of their relationship. Helen was straight, in a relationship with a man and the prison Wing Governor, whereas Nikki was a lesbian and a prisoner. The relationship has many ups and downs, but eventually the couple were reunited with Nikki’s release from prison. Who could forget that romantic kiss in the street!
Santana and Brittany
Any lesbian Glee fans were probably jumping up and down in their seats when the hit TV show decided to explore the blatant sexual tension between the super hot cheerleaders Brittany S Pierce (Heather Morris) and Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera). The road to a harmonious relationship was by no means smooth, with roadblocks such as Santana being outed in a public video and acquiring a ‘beard’ boyfriend to hide her sexual preferences, but eventually in series 3 the couple hooked up officially.
Have your own favourite couple? Comment below!
Blogger Ellie
Q:alliance Blog 