Some Very Specific TV Recommendations

Murder mysteries, audacious women, and huge men

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There’s no accounting for taste, though I like to think mine is pretty reliable. If you’re anything like me, you’re always on the hunt for your new favorite TV show, the kind that makes you excited to leave a social event so you can go home and watch the next episode. You’ve already heard my thoughts on all the lesbian Apple TV+ shows and my recommendations during last year’s summer of strikes, so today I’m here with a new batch of recommendations, shows that I’ve tried to distill down to a succint description. Not all of these shows are gay, but they all have Paging Dr. Lesbian’s stamp of approval. 

If you like anti-fascist fantasy featuring hot evil women…

His Dark Materials

If you’re into fantasy but are tired of hearing from that woman, may I suggest His Dark Materials as an alternative to The Boy Who Lived? Phillip Pullman’s trilogy follows Lyra, a young girl who travels through parallel universes. The series is extremely critical of organized religion and how it can be tied to fascism, and Pullman does not pull any punches. The HBO series is a beautiful adaptation of the books, and the daemons (essentially an animal that represents each human’s soul) are portrayed wonderfully. Voice actors for the daemons include Helen McCroy, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Kit Connor. 

But let’s be real, the highlight of the series is Ruth Wilson, who plays the terrifying Mrs. Coulter. Wilson’s performance is astounding – you can see in every atom of Mrs. Coulter’s body her intense self-hatred and accompanying self-control, which is precisely what makes her so dangerous. If you liked Wilson in Luther of The Affair, you need to check her out in His Dark Materials. As a cherry on top for PDL readers, the series basically concludes with a lesbian love story saving the world, which rocks. 

Are there gays? Yes, but I won’t say who.

Where to watch: Max

If you like existential, colorful sci-fi and Miyazaki films…

Scavengers Reign

Paid subscribers have already heard me talk about this show, but I’m feeling magnanimous today. The Max series Scavangers Reign is kind of like a cross between Annihilation and a Miyazaki film, particularly his 1984 epic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The show follows the crew of a spaceship that crash-lands on a distant planet. The survivors must learn to survive in this mystifying place, which is both mesmerizingly beautiful and dangerous. Much of their journey involves discovering how to live in harmony with the native plants and animals, which are unlike anything found on Earth. Azi (Wunmi Mosaku), one of the crew members, is stranded on the planet with the curious robot Levi (Alia Shawkat) while trying to make it back to her love interest (Sepideh Moafi). The animation in the series is stunning, and the story – which is about adaptation more than anything else – is quite moving. 

Are there gays? Yes, one of the main characters. 

Where to watch: Max

If you like zany women solving mysteries…

The Woman in the Wall

Here’s another entry for the Ruth Wilson fans among us. The Woman in the Wall is a psychological thriller/mystery that follows Lorna Brady (Wilson), an Irish woman haunted by her past. Lorna has a history of sleepwalking, and when she finds a dead woman in her house, she worries she’s committed murder. When Detective Akande (Daryl McCormack) comes to investigate the murder of a priest, he and Lorna come to realize they may be looking for answers to the same questions. Lorna was a victim of the Magdalene Laundries in the 1980s, where she had her baby taken away from her, and the detective has a connection to the laundries as well. 

Once again, Wilson’s performance in the show is incredible. It’s often anxiety-inducing watching her as Lorna, who unravels more and more as the episodes go by and positively sizzles with worry, fear, and anger. Drawing on the Irish Catholic Church’s disturbing (recent) history, the series is as much about acknowledging personal and collective trauma as it is about solving any one crime. 

Are there gays? Not explicitly, no. 

Where to watch: Showtime, on Hulu, Amazon, Paramount etc. with a Showtime add-on

Elsbeth

I’ve recommended The Good Wife before, and now I’m here to tell you about a spin-off of The Good Wife and The Good Fight – Elsbeth. Though the title character originates in The Good Wife, you don’t need to be familiar with either show to hop on in. The wonderful Carrie Preston (who you may know from True Blood) plays Elsbeth Tascioni, an oddball defense lawyer who relocates from Chicago to New York to oversee the NYPD’s investigation of high-profile cases. Elsbeth is the strangest protagonist we’ve seen on TV in a long time, and her bizarre behavior perplexes everyone around her.

Carrie Preston is pitch-perfect in the role; every episode has several incomparable line reads or moments of physical comedy that make me laugh out loud in a way only Robert and Michelle King shows can make me do. It’s so satisfying to see Elsbeth be written off by everyone around her only to be proven right every time. The series also has a stacked cast of guest stars – True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, Jane Krakowski (who is incredible), Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Retta appear in the first few episodes. Only four episodes have aired so far, but it’s shaping up to be a great season of TV.

Are there gays? There’s been one gay recurring character so far, and I’d imagine there will be more.

Where to watch: CBS, Paramount+, YouTube TV

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries isn’t as well-known as it should be (at least in the States), and I’m here to rectify that. Essie Davis – who also stars in The Babadook – plays the title character, a stylish private detective living in 1920s Melbourne. In between attending fancy parties and entertaining lovers, Miss Fisher solves mysteries, including the long-ago death of her younger sister. Miss Fisher is joined by a grumpy but honorable police detective and her naive young companion. The show is an absolute delight, and Miss Fisher’s liberal attitude about sex and social issues makes her a thrilling character to watch, as do her dazzling ‘20s outfits. 

Are they gays? Yes, Miss Fisher’s good friend, a doctor, is a dapper lesbian. Miriam Margolyes also has a recurring role in the series. 

Where to watch: Acorn TV

If you like claustrophobic, dystopic sci-fi and that one kooky Swedish woman…

Silo

Like the three shows I just mentioned, Silo depicts a woman determined to solve a mystery, though the context is quite different. Based on a book series, the show follows Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), an engineer living in a massive underground facility known as the Silo. Juliette and her 10,000 neighbors live in the Silo because the planet Earth has been rendered uninhabitable – or at least that’s the story they’ve been told. Juliette begins to question everything she once knew to be true following the death of a loved one and her eye-opening encounter with the Silo’s sheriff (David Oyelowo). The claustrophobic set design of the Silo is masterful, and Ferguson is extremely badass (and yes, quite buff) in the lead role. The Rebecca Ferguson fan club is always seeking new applicants – sign up now! 

Are they gays? Not that anyone talks about, but there are a couple of characters I strongly suspect are lesbians. (The right to reproduce is a big issue in the series, which makes me wonder what place gay couples have in this system.) 

Where to watch: Apple TV+

If you like macho men who are secretly sensitive and good at stopping bad guys…

Reacher

This may be a newsletter about lesbians, but I’ve always been fascinated by the concept and function of masculinity (which of course relates to lesbians as well), especially as it’s depicted on screen. Reacher is the most macho show I’ve watched in a long time, and I legitimately love it. Based on Lee Child’s 28-book Jack Reacher series, each season of Reacher (there have been two so far) follows the title character as he solves a mystery and delivers justice, often with great violence. 

Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher, a former Army police major whose primary character trait is that he’s extremely large. He doesn’t hesitate to crack the heads of anyone who crosses him or proves themselves to be a bad guy, but he also has a sensitive side and a good heart beneath all those hulking muscles, and he’s a brilliant investigator. His love interest in Season 1 is played by Willa Fitzgerald, who you may recall from the time she kissed Carla Gugino in The Fall of the House of Usher. I wrote an article about how Reacher has gained fans from all over the political spectrum (the MAGAs think he’s an anti-woke icon), but those of us who actually believe in human rights like it because it’s a hugely satisfying action romp that doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Reacher bravely asks the question we’ve long wondered – what if Sherlock Holmes was huge?

Are there any gays? Not canonically, but a number of fans read one of the main characters, Neagley (Maria Sten) as asexual, which I think is a fair assessment. 

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

The Night Agent

There are several parallels between Reacher and The Night Agent, and I enjoy them for similar reasons. The Night Agent is a political thriller that takes place within the White House. Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), an FBI agent, works in the White House basement as a glorified secretary, answering coded phone calls from a group of spies known as Night Agents. Hong Chau plays Diane Farr, his boss and the Chief of Staff. When Peter saves the life of a woman named Rose (Luciane Buchanan), they become embroiled in a government conspiracy that puts their lives on the line. 

Fast-paced and filled with plenty of twists and turns, the success of The Night Agent rides on the chemistry of its two leads, who are thrown into a dangerous situation and must quickly learn to trust one another. Though Peter is a duty-driven FBI agent, he’s also extremely likable and lets his guard down with Rose, making it easy to root for the pair. Yellowjackets’ Sarah Desjardins, who plays the Vice President's daughter, is another standout, and the parallel Secret Service storyline is just as compelling. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s certainly more well done than much of Netflix’s other fare, thanks in large part to its talented actors and snappy plotting.

Are there gays? No, though my headcanon is that Hong Chau’s character is a lesbian. She seems pretty dedicated to her hot president (played by Kari Matchett), right? 

Where to watch: Netflix 

Magnum P.I. (2018)

I probably shouldn’t reveal this publicly, but during the month I kept a gratitude journal, I put Perdita Weeks and the character she plays on Magnum P.I., Juliet Higgins, on my list more than once. The reasons for my unusual choice aside, I think that proves the show is worth watching. The CBS (and later NBC) show is a reboot of the original series with Tom Selleck, with a few changes. First, Magnum (played by Jay Hernandez) doesn’t have a mustache. Second, Higgins is a woman. This second change is obviously the most important, and it’s also what makes the show great. 

To be fair, Hernandez is great as Magnum. He’s totally charming even when he’s behaving like a loser, and he wears his big heart on his sleeve. But Juliet Higgins is by far the most interesting character in the series, and she’s also allowed the most growth. A former M16 agent who moved to Hawaii following a personal tragedy, Juliet begins the show as a buttoned-up rule follower who refuses to show any vulnerability. Slowly, as Magnum and his buddies prove they can be trusted, she begins to open up, realizing she does have family on the island after all. (Yes, it’s another found family trope.) Of course, there are several seasons of will-they-won’t-they tension between her and Magnum, and their relationship is extremely sweet and supportive. Maybe straight people do deserve rights, after all. 

Are there gays? No, but have you seen Higgins’ arms?

Where to watch: Amazon Prime/Freeve (Seasons 1–4). Season 5 is available to rent on Amazon, Vudu, Apple TV+ etc., or you can watch it elsewhere with a little creativity.