8 Shows And Movies About Gay Men Worth The Watch

Boy Erased

We're starting this list off with a doozy, y'all. This one is heavy.

So Boy Erased is based on Garrard Conley's 2016 book of the same name. The movie stars Lucas Hedges and tells the story of college-aged Jared as he first struggles with his sexuality, and then endures a religious conversion therapy camp.  As you can imagine, the experience is not a pleasant one, and his experiences at the camp is explored in this film.

Thankfully, I personally have zero experience with things like conversion camps, so I don't have anything to compare Jared's experience to. But a close source to me (who had a similar experience as the one in this film) says it's not too far off.

I wouldn't say Boy Erased is a feel-good film by any means, but I think it's a great movie to watch if you want a glimpse into what it's like to come out and not be met with love and acceptance. If nothing else, it's eye-opening.

You can watch Boy Erased on Google Play, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Apple TV, and Netflix.

Bros

Bros is about two d00ds (Billy Eichner & Luke Macfarlane) who unintentionally (and somewhat unwillingly) fall for each other after meeting at a gay club one night. While the plot-line is a little predictable (it's your run-of-the-mill Rom-Com), this movie is so freakin' good that I'm willing to completely overlook its predictability.

The thing about Bros that stands out the most is that this movie is quite possibly the most realistic depiction of what gay dating is like in the modern era. Apps and hook-ups and general disregard for other people and all.

For this reason, Bros may be one of my most favorite movies of all time

(Plus: Luke Macfarlane is swoon-worthy 🥵)

You can watch Bros on Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.

Coming Out Colton

Coming Out Colton is a six-part mini-series that documents ex-NFL player and ex-Bachelor contestant Colton Underwood's coming out journey.

From coming out to friends and family, to his first experiences in the gay community, to questioning his faith and identity, viewers follow along through all the highs and lows.  And while the coming out experience is different for everyone (here's mine), Coming Out Colton show does such a good job capturing the inevitable emotional rollercoaster everyone endures. 

(Also, let's not forget that Colton Underwood is my ultimate celebrity crush. 😍🤩)

You can watch Coming Out Colton on Netflix.

GBF

I know the focus of this post is on gay men, so the teenagers in this movie aren't quite in that adult age range, but I couldn't leave out GBF.  It's just such a clever and iconic movie – and one I've loved for over a decade now, so it gets a spot on my list.

This movie is about a teenage boy named Tanner who accidentally gets outed by his also-gay best friend, Brent, when Brent downloads "Guydar" to Tanner's phone... and then the whole school finds out. From there, Tanner attracts the attention of the popular female clique-leaders at school, all of whom suddenly want to become his best friend, because "GBFs are in" – and each girl hopes to secure the most Prom Queen votes by having one.

Honestly, typing up that description felt absurd – but it's nothing compared to the real quirkiness of the movie.

If you've never seen GBF, I cannot recommend it enough. After all, I've watched it no less than a hundred times in my life, and it's just as funny now as it was the first time I watched it.

You can watch GBF on Peacock.

Heartstopper

Similarly, I had to include Heartstopper in this list. I'm not usually a fan of high school dramas (they're typically too juvenile for me), but Heartstopper... well, Heartstopper has my heart.

If you're not familiar with the show, Heartstopper is about two high school boys named Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor), who form an unlikely friendship after meeting in homeroom one day, and that friendship slowly turns into something more.

I think what makes this show so good, compared to other shows set in high school like it, is that Heartstopper feels so realistic. Charlie and Nick just feel like real teenage boys just trying to figure things and themselves out. No crazy plot-lines, no stereotypes. Just really well-written scripts and fleshed-out characters. Heartstopper is a must watch, no matter how old you are! 

You can watch Heartstoppers on Netflix.

My Fake Boyfriend

We stumbled upon this movie late one night a couple months ago and decided to give it a try – and oh my gosh, I'm so happy that we did.

The whole premise of My Fake Boyfriend is that Andrew (Keiyan Lonsdale) and his boyfriend, Nico, break up because Nico does not believe in monogamy, while Andrew does. So after the break up, Andrew's best friend (Dylan Sprouse) hatches a plan to make Nico jealous by creating "a fake boyfriend" for Andrew to blast all over the internet. However, the plan works a little too well – because the fake boyfriend, named Cristiano, becomes a viral hit. And while Nico becomes very jealous, as intended, things get a little sticky when Andrew actually finds another guy he's interested in – because according to the Internet, he is in a very high-profile relationship.

This movie had a lot of "WTF" moments but was really good – and that's saying a lot because I usually don't enjoy Rom-Coms. Definitely worth the watch!

You can watch My Fake Boyfriend on Amazon Prime.

Special

I didn't know this when I first started watching Special, but the show is actually based on a memoir called I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, written by the show's lead, Ryan O'Connell, himself.

Special is a show about a gay blogger named Ryan (Ryan O'Connell) with cerebral palsy, who pretty much gets sick of how his life is going, so he moves out of his mom's house and goes off on his own to navigate the amazing world of ✨ adulthood ✨ (work and dating not just included, but in the forefront). 

This show is really funny, and the episodes are pretty short, so this is perfect to binge if you want something lighthearted, quick-witted, and fast-paced.

You can watch Special on Netflix.

Uncoupled

Uncoupled is about a well-off realtor named Michael (Neil Patrick Harris) who's forced back into the single life after his partner of seventeen years suddenly leaves him one night. But dating in the modern-day Grindr era, he learns, is much, much different than dating was nearly two decades prior. So Uncoupled follows Michael's attempt to adjust to modern day hook up culture, even though that's not really his thing.

This show is hilarious and had a chokehold on me for the few weeks we watched it – and I was devastated when I learned Netflix cancelled it after just one season (!!!!). Totally and unabashedly devastated.

While Uncoupled is no longer available on Netflix, you can still watch it on Hulu, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime.

X-Rated: NYC

X-Rated: NYC was such an unintentional find, but I'm so glad we stumbled upon it. The whole premise of this show is to document the lives of four gay porn stars: Dante Colle, Joey Mills, Boomer Banks, Max Konnor. The show's a little absurd (i.e. it's dumb), but that's where so much of its charm comes from.

To be frank, I'm pretty confident lots of the drama in this show was scripted. And if that's the case, the acting wasn't very good at all. But I proudly binge-watched this entire series in one night with a glass of wine in hand. And I'd do it again, too, given the chance.

(Not to mention Dante Colle is 🔥🔥 – I'm sensing a theme here in these recommendations.)

You can watch X-Rated: NYC on Amazon Prime under outTV.