We’re approaching the dog days of summer, and if you need an excuse to stay inside and beat the heat, don’t sweat it—we’ve got you covered: There are plenty of great queer movies, TV series, and specials dropping on online throughout August.
Across the major streamers, the month will see the premiere of lurid new thriller from TV provocateur Ryan Murphy & literary bad boy bret Eastin Ellis, a documentary that explores the hidden queer history of rock ‘n’ roll, the next chapter in one of our great, gay will-they-won’t-they romances, and a wild, 20th anniversary road trip from some of our most iconic—and chaotic—Real Housewives. Plus, there are new streaming homes for queer classics new and old, from quotable whodunit Clue to three-way sport romance Challengers
Whether you use Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+, Tubi—or some combo of the those—Queerty has your can’t-miss recommendations for each (and beyond) in the latest edition of our monthly streaming guide.
So, get those watchlists ready; it’s going to be a very gay August!
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What’s new and gay on Netflix in August 2026
Spotlight: Stamptown (August 25)
For 10 years now, proudly bisexual comic Zach Zucker—a.k.a. the “bad boy of clown”—has brought his wild, late-night variety show Stamptown to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, making it one of the international comedy scene’s must-see shows. In May, he took the show to LA for the Netflix Is A Joke Fest, where it was filmed in front of a live audience and will soon be available for all to stream. Described as a “raunchy and chaotic fever dream,” the show has plenty of surprises in store, blending stand-up, original music, circus acts, dance, magic and more, plus some special guests like Neil Patrick Harris & popular YouTube sketch comedy duo BriTANicK.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Party Girl, 1995 (Aug. 1): The great Parker Posey cemented her indie film cred & eternal adoration from the gays with this movie about a ’90s NYC club kid who tries to turn her life around.
- Spoiler Alert, 2022 (Aug. 3): Jim Parson plays a man whose partner (Ben Aldridge) is diagnosed with terminal cancer in this heart-wrenching & sweet adaptation of writer Michael Ausiello’s memoir.
- Outer Banks, Season 5 (Aug. 20): The smash-hit adventure series with a piping hot cast (including Queer‘s Drew Starkey) comes to an end in a sure-to-be explosive final season.
- The Sex Lives Of College Girls, Seasons 1-3 (Aug. 31): This very queer-inclusive college comedy is responsible for taking Broadway star Reneé Rapp & turning her into a household name.
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What’s gay on the way to HBO Max in August 2026
Spotlight: Mother Mary (August 21)
Our queen Anne Hathaway is having quite the year at the movies, receiving raves for The Odyssey, making sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 a hit two decades later, and she’s still got both the sci-fi adventure The End Of Oak Street and erotic thriller Verity on the way! But don’t sleep on her performance as a haunted, Lady Gaga-esque pop star in David Lowery’s dreamy psychological drama Mother Mary. It co-stars Michaela Coel as her estranged costume designer—who she clearly once had a very intimate relationship with—plus it features Hunter Schafer and a soundtrack of bangers written by the likes of Charli XCX, Jack Anotnoff, and FKA Twigs.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Blockers, 2018 (Aug. 1): An underrated (and LGBTQ+ inclusive!) raunchy teen comedy about three girls who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night—and the parents who try to stop them.
- Practical Magic, 1998 (Aug. 1): Before the long-awaited sequel arrives in theaters this September, revisit this bewitching tale of magic and sisterhood with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
- Lanterns (Aug. 16): The latest series from the DC Universe feels way off from the wacky, queer Peacemaker, but we’re still intrigued to see Aaron Pierre & Kyle Chandler as handsome heroes.
- Abbott Elementary, Season 5 (Aug. 22): The celebrated ABC sitcom from Quinta Brunson keeps getting better, and it features out actor Chris Perfetti in a fantastic supporting role.
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Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ offerings in August 2026
Spotlight: Sterling Point (August 5)
In 2024, filmmaker Megan Park delivered My Old Ass, a charming, bisexual coming-of-age story about a young woman who discovers she’s able to communicate with her older self. Now Park’s back with her follow-up Sterling Point, a series that’s a bit more grounded in reality, but still focused on love, identity & the messiness of growing up. After Annie (Ella Rubin) inherits her grandfather’s island in Canada, she packs her bags for a summer of new opportunities. But when she gets there she’s shocked to discover Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), the half-sister she never knew about. Love, heartbreak, and plenty of self-discovery ensue.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Challengers, 2024 (Aug. 1): Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist play a trio of tennis stars who, let’s face it, are all in love with each other in Luca Guadagnino’s hot, feisty romantic dramedy.
- Joy Ride, 2023 (Aug. 1): Friends take a wild trip through China in the raucous comedy with hilarious turns from out LGBTQ+ actors Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu & Sabrina Wu.
- Reacher, Season 4 (Aug. 12): Look, there’s like nothing gay about this gritty procedural series, but hunky star Alan Ritchson is super outspoken against Tr*mp, so we’ll be supporting him regardless!
- Is God Is, 2026 (Aug. 19): Janelle Monáe co-stars in this Southern Gothic thriller about twin sisters (Kara Young, Mallori Johnson) seeking revenge against the father who—literally—burned them.
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The best and queerest on Hulu this August 2026
Spotlight: The Shards (August 5)
In 1981 Los Angeles, wannabe teen writer Bret (Igby Rigney) and his elite clique are hot sh*t at their prep school. But when mysterious new student Robert (Euphoria‘s Homer Gere) charms his way into the inner circle at the same time that a masked serial killer begins picking off spoiled teens in the Valley, Bret becomes suspicious the interloper might be the person behind the crimes. Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’s acclaimed auto-fiction novel by TV provocateur Ryan Murphy, it sounds like a match made in heaven—or hell, depending on how you look at it. Either way, we’ve no doubt this will be sexy, trashy fun. And probably pretty gay, too!
Also Don’t Miss:
- The Blackening, 2022 (Aug. 1): Out comic Dewayne Perkins turned his viral sketch into a sharp horror-comedy sending up the tired genre trope where Black people always die first.
- All Of Us Strangers, 2023 (Aug. 22): A lonely writer (Andrew Scott) falls for his charming neighbor (Paul Mescal), while also connecting with the ghosts of his parents he lost at a young age.
- The Christophers, 2026 (Aug. 22): Sir Ian McKellen is a faded artist & Michaela Coel’s the forger hired to complete his work in this dark comedy from indie filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.
- Adults, Season 2 (Aug. 27): This beloved sitcom about friends living in the same house is back—and so is the will-they-won’t-they between Anton (Owen Thiel) & Paul Baker (Jack Innanen).
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All the gay streaming on Paramount+ in August 2026
Spotlight: Lioness, Season 3 (August 2)
These days, Taylor Sheridan is known as the TV guru behind Yellowstone & its various spin-offs, Landman, and basically every show your dad’s obsessed with. But despite his reputation as being “for the straights,” he’s also delivered Lioness, a show where Oscar-winner Zoe Saldaña plays an elite CIA operative, which has quietly featured a pretty hot & heavy queer-femme romance between agents Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) and Carillo (Genesis Rodriguez). Oh, and did we mention that the iconic Nicole Kidman plays the steely feminist boss who runs the entire operation? Wait a minute, maybe this show really is for the gays?
Also Don’t Miss:
- Basic Instinct, 1992 (Aug. 1): A stylish erotic thriller than set the tone for the rest of the decade, featuring Sharon Stone as the wily, icy queer femme fatale Catherine Tramell.
- Clue, 1985 (Aug. 1): Over 40 years old, yet still just as fresh & funny as ever, this comedic caper is an eternal gay favorite thanks to its game-for-anything cast & endlessly quotable dialogue.
- She’s The Man, 2006 (Aug. 1): Though a movie where Amanda Bynes pretends to be a boy so she can play soccer sounds like it’d be a disaster, this comedy’s been embraced by trans viewers.
- The Challenge: Cutthroat, Season 42 (Aug. 5): The long-running MTV reality series brings back plenty of fan-favorite competitors, including out Cheer star Justin Hinsley again vying for the prize.
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Peacock’s upcoming LGBTQ+ releases this August 2026
Spotlight: We Are Pat (August 20)
In the early ’90s, Saturday Night Live had a recurring character named Pat, played by Julia Sweeney. Nebbish and androgynous, the whole “joke” was that no one whether they were a man or a woman. Of course, the bit doesn’t quite hold up to our modern understanding of gender. But even still, there are trans & nonbinary people out there who saw something of themselves in Pat—especially at a time when nuanced representation on screen was few & far between. One such person was filmmaker Rowan Haber, who unpacks Pat’s complicated legacy in their new doc, enlisting trans comics & even Sweeney herself to explore the character’s impact.
Also Don’t Miss:
- The Matrix Trilogy (Aug. 1): The mind-melting sci-fi series forever changing action blockbuster filmmaking, and in retrospect it’s pretty amazing trans directors Lana & Lily Wachowski did that!
- Mean Girls, 2004 (Aug. 1): We’ll take any excuse to revisit this generation-defining teen comedy because, over two decades & a musical adaptation later, it’s still so fetch.
- Troy, 2004 (Aug. 1): While the world obsesses over The Odyssey, revisit this very homoerotic epic that’s something of a prequel—with an entirely different lens on the Trojan War.
- The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th (Aug. 10): Celebrating 20 years of Housewives, the franchise’s most iconic stars hit the road in this wild summer vacation.
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Here’s what’s queer coming to Tubi in August 2026
Spotlight: Happy Endings, Seasons 1-3 (August 1)
Ostensibly a sitcom about a friend group’s fallout after bride-to-be Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) left her fiancé Dave (Zachary Knighton) at the altar, Happy Endings grew into something much, much funnier over its three seasons on ABC between 2011-13, though it feels like it never got its due at the time. A hangout comedy where every character gets to be laugh-out-loud hilarious, it co-stars Adam Pally as the slovenly Max—unlike any gay character we’ve ever seen on TV—SNL alum Casey Wilson as the daffy & lovesick Penny, and Eliza Coupe & Damon Wayans Jr. as the uptight (yet horny!) couple Jane & Brad. And we’re still obsessed with all of them!
Also Don’t Miss:
- Angels Of Sex, 2012 (Aug. 1): In this steamy, Spanish romantic drama, happy couple Bruno & Carla meet sexy dancer Rai who finds himself drawn to both partners. But who says he has to choose?
- Date And Switch, 2014 (Aug. 1): This teen comedy about two friends’ pact to lose their virginities co-stars Dakota Johnson, Weapons director Zach Cregger & Adam DiMarco as the “demon twink.”
- Problemista, 2023 (Aug. 1): Julio Torres’s whimsical dark comedy about an immigrant toy designer who must work for a fussy artist boss (Tilda Swinton) in order to remain on his work visa.
- Something Like Summer, 2017 (Aug. 1): A queer coming-of-age musical about secret high school sweethearts (Grant Davis & Davi Santos) whose relationship gets complicated as they grow up.
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Also coming in August 2026…
Spotlight: Rock Out (Revry on August 30)
From Freddie Mercury to Elton John, the history of rock ‘n’ roll is filled with flamboyant, larger-than-life figures who helped bring queerness into the mainstream. But the history of LGBTQ+ influences on the genre goes even deeper, with roots in punk & heavy metal, too, and it all gets explored in Oscar-winner Dustin Lance Black’s documentary that’ll air weekly on Revry as a four-part series. More than just a fun exploration of our hidden history, Black has a personal connection to the themes, crafting the project in honor of his brother who recently passed, a closeted punk rocker who sadly believed his sexuality hindered his success.
Also Don’t Miss:
- The Dressing Room, Season 2 (OUTtv on Aug. 4): A comedic series about the backstage life of a fictional touring musical Balloon Boy, with cameos from Laura Bell Bundy, Eric McCormack & more.
- Ted Lasso, Season 4 (AppleTV+ on Aug. 5): The hit comedy returns with the titular coach (Jason Sudeikis) working for a women’s soccer team—maybe that means things will get a little gayer???
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